Liquid Metal-Controlled Dual-Band Doppler Radar for Enhanced Velocity Measurement

Abstract

Doppler radars, which are critical instruments for velocity measurement, may need to be reconfigured to adapt to different environmental conditions or for ease of use. However, conventional electrical, optical, and physical reconfiguration methods often come with several disadvantages such as deteriorated radiation pattern, reduced radiation efficiency, and high cost. Therefore, the aim of this article is to integrate microwave components that can be controlled using liquid metal (LM) displacement into a Doppler radar to adjust its main lobe direction and operating frequency to the desired values and enhance the measurement capacity of the respective radar. Through this study, multiple parameters of an operational Doppler radar have been simultaneously adjusted using LM displacement exploitation for the first time, thus avoiding the shortcomings associated with conventional reconfiguration methods. To achieve this objective, initially, a back-to-back Vivaldi antenna operating at 2.45 GHz is designed, and beam switching ability is imparted to the structure using the LM displacement method. Subsequently, various techniques are used to convert the structure into a dual-band antenna capable of simultaneous operation at 2.45 and 5.8 GHz, ensuring the desired beam switching feature at both the frequencies. In addition, a power divider capable of switching between the two operating frequencies through LM assistance is proposed, and its integration into the radar system enables the control of both main lobe direction and frequency using the proposed method.