CES Unveils Cutting-Edge 77GHz Automotive Radar IC for Satellite Architecture Vehicles

Texas Instruments (TI) unveiled its latest innovation in radar technology for automated driving at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The new radar, called AWR2544, is designed for vehicles equipped with a radar at each corner, utilizing a "satellite" vehicle architecture. This radar is made on 45 nm RFCMOS and offers advanced capabilities for object detection, classification, and tracking.

In traditional "edge" vehicle architectures, the radar performs complex calculations, such as Doppler and angle fast FFTs, along with high-level algorithms for object detection. The processed data is then sent to the central automated driving (ADAS) computer. However, in satellite architectures, the radar sensors output semi-processed data to a central processor for ADAS decision-making. This reduces the processing power required for the radar, making it more cost-effective.

The AWR2544 features an integrated 77GHz transceiver with four transmitters and four receivers. It also includes a cost-optimized radar processing accelerator and a 1Gbit/s Ethernet interface for generating and streaming range FFT-compressed data. The device is ASIL (automotive safety integrity level) B-capable, ensuring high safety standards for automated driving systems.

One of the unique features of the AWR2544 is its launch-on-package (LOP) design. The radar IC package includes built-in local radiating elements that interface with the system antenna through waveguides within the PCB. This innovative design reduces the size of the sensor by up to 30% and enables sensor ranges to extend beyond 200m with a single chip.

TI provides comprehensive support for the AWR2544, including software designs, software drivers, sample configurations, API guides, and user documentation. This ensures that developers can easily integrate the radar into their automated driving systems and take advantage of its advanced capabilities.