DEVELOPMENT OF A SAFE STOPPING-DISTANCE DETECTOR

SSDD RESEARCH CORPORATION PROPOSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW MICROCOMPUTER CONTROLLED SYSTEM INCORPORATING NOVEL AND UN UNIQUE MICROELECTRONIC DEVICES, THAT WILL ALERT THE DRIVER OF AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE THAT ANOTHER VEHICLE OR LARGE OBJECT IN THE FORWARD PATH OF THE DIRVER'S VEHICLE POSES A COLLISION THREAT. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THS SUCCESSSFUL MARKETING OF THIS DEVICE TO THE PUBLIC THAT THE DEVICE BE PROTABLE, EASY-TO-INDTALL, AND FREE FROM FALSE ALARMS. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS, IT IS NECESSARY TO DEVELOP AN ELECTRICALLY STEERABLE PHASED-ARRAY ANTENNA SYSTEM, IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP NEW TRANSCEIVER TECHNOLNOLOGY AND DEVELOP THE MICROCOMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING WHICH WILL OPERATE THE SYSTEM AND ALERT THE DRIVER. PHASE I OF THIS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOCUSES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELECTRICALLY-STEERABLE PHASED-ARRAY ANTENNA. THE KEY TASKS ASSOCIATED WITH PHASE I ARE: (1) THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE NUMBER OF ARRAY ELEMENTS REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED DEGREE OF TARGET IDENT IFICATION, (II) WHICH QUENCY OF OPERATION WILL LEAD TO THE DESIRED ANTENNA SIZE, (III) CAN THE PHASED-ARRAY ANTENNA BE INCORPORATED WITHOTHER MICROELECTRONIC COMPONENTSINTO ONE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND, (IV) CAN THE COMBINED ANTENNA SYSTEM BE MANUFACTRUED AT LOW COST AND EXHIBIT HIGH RELIABLITY.