September 2024, DFO Tagung European Automotive & Plastic Coating

A. Hennig, T. Callies, F. Pfeiffer (perisens) C. Landmann, G. Pironti and K. Fritsche (Merck Electronics)

Spatially resolved measurement of RADAR transparency for characterising painted surfaces as a function of pigmentation

Driving safety is constantly being improved thanks to state-of-the-art sensor technology and driving as such is continuously becoming more autonomous on the basis of these technologies. To realise these new automated driving functions, a sensor combination of camera, RADAR and, in some cases, LIDAR (laser scanner) has become established.
RADAR sensors have the advantage over optical systems that they are significantly more robust against the effects of weather (fog, snow and rain) and can be installed behind painted plastic add-on parts. The automotive paints of the future must therefore adapt better and better to these conditions in order not to jeopardise sensor performance and thus road safety. One example of this is the need for optimum RADAR transparency in automotive coatings. The choice of colour pigmentation of the base coat can have a considerable influence on the RADAR properties of the entire bumper structure. Thanks to modern high-frequency measurement technology, it is possible to test differently pigmented paintwork for these properties and to characterise the layers from a RADAR perspective, even with spatial resolution.