Infineon apresenta novo transceptor CMOS para radar automotivo avançado

Infineon introduces new CMOS transceiver for advanced automotive radar

A reliable, high-performance radar module is the key to an improved automated driving assistance system and autonomous driving in the future. New features, such as advanced emergency braking systems (AEBs) that react to passing motorcyclists, will require greater performance and larger modules per car. The main drivers of this growth are NCAP programs and legislation.

Infineon Technologies is currently the number one producer of radar monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC). The company pioneered transceiver integration (transmitter + receiver on one chip) and launched the world's first SiGe-based 77 GHz automotive radar chip in 2009.

The company's products serve all market segments, from short-range radars (corner radar) to the premium frontal radar segment.

Now, Infineon is launching the CTRX8181 RASIC transceiver – its next innovative radar and first product in a series of new 76 to 81 GHz radar MMICs based on 28 nm CMOS technology. Improved signal-to-noise ratio and transceiver linearity provide high performance and system-level resilience.

Furthermore, the easy-to-use radar transceiver simultaneously offers a scalable platform approach for different sensors, including corner, forward and short range, along with flexibility for new software-defined vehicle architectures. This enables 77 GHz automotive radar applications with reduced development costs.

“The new CTRX8181 transceiver enables reliable object separation and detection, necessary to protect vulnerable road users, including motorcyclists, cyclists or pedestrians,” said Tomas Lucia, head of product marketing, Radar MMIC, at Infineon Automotive Division . “Increased RF performance is a prerequisite for the successful deployment of reliable automated and assisted driving functions for all SAE levels, up to Level 4.”

The CTRX8181 is designed according to the latest ISO26262 security standards and comes with 4 transmit channels and 4 receive channels. The device offers excellent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and increases the range of the standard module by up to 25% (e.g. from 250 to over 300 meters). The higher RF channel count with improved linearity also allows for 33% greater vertical or angular resolution to enable better separation between different objects, such as pedestrians near cars.

These features contribute to the development of radar modules for all applications — from corner radar to high-resolution radar.

The on-chip digital phase-locked loop (PLL) enables faster ramps for better range resolution and ultra-fast turnaround times, improved by a factor of four compared to current best solutions. This new feature reduces power consumption and allows for more accurate information about the speed required to separate objects at similar speeds. This also allows for a completely free configurable ramp without compromising phase noise, making the radar robust and reliable in different scenarios. This makes it ideal for interference-robust frequency schemes such as the compass method.

The new CTRX product family is best combined with Infineon's radar-specific AURIX microcontrollers (MCUs) TC3x and the upcoming TC4x, both with integrated signal processing units (SPU) and non-volatile memory for on-chip program code storage . The AURIX chipset and CTRX enable the best performance for future NCAP and real-world scenarios, such as increased reliability for radar operation in adverse weather conditions.

System partitioning gives vendors the flexibility to offer traditional solutions with full on-radar processing capabilities, but also allows for different architectures such as pre-processed data streaming over 100 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s Ethernet with effort Minimum. The split also allows selection of appropriate MMIC and microcontroller for target applications, enabling easy scaling to support various cost and performance requirements. Connection to the MCU is established via LVDS or CSI-2 to allow greater flexibility in component combinations.

Conteúdo relacionado

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.