A Non-Redundant Hemi-Spherical Scanning for Automotive Antenna Near-Field Measurements

A non-redundant sampling representation of the probe voltage is proposed to reduce the number of needed near-field data for hemi-spherical antenna measurements in an automotive testing set-up with a flat metallic ground. This last is taken into account by employing the image principle. The approach benefits from a useful modeling of the radiating system including many RF sub-systems and the host vehicle. An adaptable convex surface containing the entire radiating system and its image is chosen as source modeling and the optimal parameters are determined for applying the corresponding sampling and interpolation algorithms. Accordingly, the procedure allows one to reconstruct the voltage values on the near-field hemi-sphere from the knowledge of a minimum number of data. It is obvious that the reduction of the collected data implies a saving of the acquisition time in the testing process.