With its robust design, this reference design is perfect for a wide array of applications, from parking assistance to collision avoidance, ensuring a safer driving experience in all conditions.Â
Frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radars are essential for autonomous vehicle applications such as parking assist, lane change assist, autonomous braking, and collision avoidance. Unlike camera and LIDAR-based systems, radars are less affected by environmental conditions like rain, dust, and smoke. FMCW radars emit a specific signal known as a chirp and process reflections, enabling operation in both complete darkness and bright daylight without being impacted by glare. Compared to ultrasound, radars offer a longer range and faster signal transit time. Radar sensors are easy to install and provide accurate detection of various objects under challenging conditions. They are multifunctional, serving as blind-spot sensors in one mode and as parking sensors in another. Radars enable 3D detection in the azimuth and elevation planes with a high-range resolution of less than 4 cm.
The TIDEP-01011 reference design by Teaxas Instruments is geared towards ultra-short-range applications and can serve as a starting point for designing standalone sensors for a range of automotive applications beyond automated parking. This reference design features the AWR1843, a 77-GHz single-chip mmWave sensor with integrated DSP, MCU, and hardware accelerator, configured as an automated parking sensor. It enables robust detection of objects around a car in challenging parking and environmental conditions. With a range resolution of less than 4 cm and a 10-MHz IF bandwidth, the sensor can detect objects moving at high speeds with good resolution. The accompanying antenna design allows for detection in a field of view of ±50° in azimuth and ±15° in elevation, with a detection range from 4 cm to over 40 m.
The evaluation kit includes a reference software implementation on the device, enabling high-resolution object detection with clustering. A MATLAB®-based GUI is provided for visualization of detected objects. Key features of this reference design include the demonstration of 77-GHz mmWave sensor technology for automated parking applications, a detection range of over 40 m with a field of view in azimuth of ±50° and elevation of ±15°, source code for processing and detection based on the mmWave software development kit (SDK) (MMWAVE-SDK), proven EVM hardware designs enabling quick time to market and out-of-the-box demonstration, and a design guide explaining the processing chain software, algorithms, and GUI for visualization. Applications for this reference design include automated parking, parking assistance, Cross Traffic Alert, and rear collision warning radar.
TI has tested this reference design, which includes a Bill of Material (BOM), schematics, test reports, PCB layout, and Gerber files. The company’s website has additional data about the reference design. To read more about this reference design, click here.
