Title 47

SECTION 15.515

15.515 Technical requirements for vehicular radar systems.

§ 15.515 Technical requirements for vehicular radar systems.

(a) Operation under the provisions of this section is limited to UWB field disturbance sensors mounted in terrestrial transportation vehicles. These devices shall operate only when the vehicle is operating, e.g., the engine is running. Operation shall occur only upon specific activation, such as upon starting the vehicle, changing gears, or engaging a turn signal.

(b) The UWB bandwidth of a vehicular radar system operating under the provisions of this section shall be contained between 22 GHz and 29 GHz. In addition, the center frequency, fC, and the frequency at which the highest level emission occurs, fM, must be greater than 24.075 GHz.

(c) Following proper installation, vehicular radar systems shall attenuate any emissions within the 23.6-24.0 GHz band that appear 38 degrees or greater above the horizontal plane by 25 dB below the limit specified in paragraph (d) of this section. For equipment authorized, manufactured or imported on or after January 1, 2005, this level of attenuation shall be 25 dB for any emissions within the 23.6-24.0 GHz band that appear 30 degrees or greater above the horizontal plane. For equipment authorized, manufactured or imported on or after January 1, 2010, this level of attenuation shall be 30 dB for any emissions within the 23.6-24.0 GHz band that appear 30 degrees or greater above the horizontal plane. For equipment authorized, manufactured or imported on or after January 1, 2014, this level of attenuation shall be 35 dB for any emissions within the 23.6-24.0 GHz band that appear 30 degrees or greater above the horizontal plane. This level of attenuation can be achieved through the antenna directivity, through a reduction in output power or any other means.

(d) The radiated emissions at or below 960 MHz from a device operating under the provisions of this section shall not exceed the emission levels in § 15.209. The radiated emissions above 960 MHz from a device operating under the provisions of this section shall not exceed the following average limits when measured using a resolution bandwidth of 1 MHz:

Frequency in MHz EIRP in dBm
960-1610 −75.3
1610-22,000 −61.3
22,000-29,000 −41.3
29,000-31,000 −51.3
Above 31,000 −61.3

(e) In addition to the radiated emission limits specified in the table in paragraph (d) of this section, UWB transmitters operating under the provisions of this section shall not exceed the following average limits when measured using a resolution bandwidth of no less than 1 kHz:

Frequency in MHz EIRP in dBm
1164-1240 −85.3
1559-1610 −85.3

(f) There is a limit on the peak level of the emissions contained within a 50 MHz bandwidth centered on the frequency at which the highest radiated emission occurs, fM. That limit is 0 dBm EIRP. It is acceptable to employ a different resolution bandwidth, and a correspondingly different peak emission limit, following the procedures described in § 15.521.

(g) The emission levels from devices operating under the provisions of this section that employ gated transmissions may be measured with the gating active. Measurements made in this manner shall be repeated over multiple sweeps with the analyzer set for maximum hold until the amplitude stabilizes.

(h) UWB vehicular systems operating in the 22-29 GHz band are subject to the transition provisions of § 15.37(l) through (n).

[67 FR 34856, May 16, 2002, as amended at 70 FR 6776, Feb. 9, 2005; 82 FR 43871, Sept. 20, 2017]