At CES 2025, Rohde & Schwarz debuted new test equipment for automotive radar systems, electric drivetrains, and connectivity.
At CES 2025, Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) introduced new radar test equipment and showcased test solutions for other aspects of modern vehicle validation. The RadEsT Radar Essential Tester (RadEsT) radar unit features significant test and verification functionality. Other equipment showcased in their booth included equipment for testing advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) sensor fusion, electric drive trains, and in-automotive communication networks.
The model R&S RadEsT automotive radar test system can simulate targets and test active radar key parameters. It covers many use cases in test and simulation to support complete automotive radar design, manufacturing, and validation.
Radar and Advanced Driver Assist Systems
Radar, along with LiDAR and ultrasonic, is one of the more common distance and object detection systems used in ADAS. Manufacturers turn to radar when all-weather accuracy is most important. Radar systems are used in rear-traffic collision avoidance systems, automatic braking, following distance measurement, and other distance and detection systems. All of these radars need to be tested and validated in simulated real-world conditions. The R&S RadEsT Radar Essential Tester is designed to do just that.
R&S designed the test equipment to provide dynamic target simulation. It has 12 receive and 12 transmit patch antennas with different polarizations. The suite of antennas allows the unit to simulate different types of targets in different locations without needing to move the equipment or the vehicle. It can also choose appropriate antenna pairs based on the signal polarization.
The equipment performs the signal level verification test for the radar-effective radiated power (EIRP). EIRP and occupied bandwidth tests verify the general operation of the radar system and individual sensor quality.
Electric Drivetrain Optimization
Electric drivetrains are at the heart of the automotive future. With battery electric vehicles (BEV), plugin hybrids, and conventional hybrids, electric propulsion will continue to increase its footprint in the automotive industry. Since the drive motor is the primary consumer of battery power at very high-power loading, efficiencies in the system can have a great impact on vehicle range.
The Rohde & Schwarz complete solution is based on the MFIA from Zurich Instruments, the MXO 5 oscilloscope, and the RT-ZISO isolated probing system. The test equipment enables the verification and optimization of drivetrain components such as power inverters and battery management equipment.
Automotive Connectivity Testing
Cars now have gigabit multimedia serial links (GMSL) and Ethernet connections for infotainment, ADAS, and system-to-system communications. R&S also showcased its in-auto communications test equipment in its CES booth. R&S tested GMSL and Ethernet to ensure these systems have adequate bandwidth for such high-demand systems. Other R&S equipment on the show floor tested digital key systems, verifying functionality and security.
Additional test equipment covered ADAS sensor fusion and hardware-in-the-loop (XiL). Sensor fusion and XiL are linchpins for ADAS. High computing power won’t make a better car if it doesn’t manage sensors and integrated hardware well. The R&S test equipment may help automotive manufacturers verify that their sensor systems—the eyes and ears of a car—are performing as designed.
Rohde & Schwarz at CES 2025
Rohde & Schwarz used CES 2025 as an opportunity to showcase not only new products but also an extensive line of test and validation equipment oriented toward electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and high-speed communications systems.
