Freescale takes automotive radar into the next dimension
Freescale Semiconductor has revealed a comprehensive system-level solution for automotive radar based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
The new Qorivva MPC577xK microcontroller (MCU) and MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset provide the embedded technology necessary for affordable radar based ADAS solutions with fewer components, helping increase adoption in mainstream vehicles.
The Qorivva MPC577xK MCU, built on Power Architecture(R) technology, provides a high level of digital and analogue integration in a single-chip solution for radar applications, removing up to four additional major printed circuit board (PCB) components and reducing system-level cost, PCB space and software complexity.
The MCU also provides high performance for intense computational tasks with key integrated digital accelerators and features a state-of-the-art signal processing toolbox that contains all of the hardware modules required for processing sampled signals from short-, medium- and long-range radar applications.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently proposed a number of changes to its five-star safety program. These proposals signal that automakers may soon be required to do more than protect passengers during a crash - they may need to prevent crashes altogether.
Many automakers are working to meet this new standard by the year 2016 and are currently testing solutions that will allow them to achieve the highest level of safety while also providing the advanced technology and convenience features consumers expect.
Performance data from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) suggests that safety systems, such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), can reduce accidents by up to 27 percent and can lead to a considerable reduction in road injuries. Euro NCAP plans to incorporate the AEB assessment for cars sold in Europe into its five star rating scheme beginning 2014.
Using Freescale's Qorivva MPC577xK MCU and MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset, automakers can implement long-range and mid-range frontal radar for adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking systems, as well as manage blind spot and side-impact detection - all through a single, scalable, multi-channel solution.
"Freescale's new system-level solution for automotive radar systems is bringing automakers an unparalleled level of integration, with the associated benefits of fewer board components and reduced software complexity and cost," comments Bob Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale's Automotive MCU business. "And, this capability is affordable enough to help extend popular safety systems to a broader range of vehicle models."
Designers can pair the radar transceiver chipset with the Qorivva MCU to achieve a total system solution for both low-end and high-end radar modules. By utilising a single, scalable solution, automakers can avoid purchasing and reconfiguring various solutions across vehicle models, saving time and material costs.
"ADAS solutions continue to proliferate and are no longer exclusive to high-end luxury vehicles. Automakers are now looking to implement these sophisticated safety features across their entire lineups and, to do so, they need more integrated, cost-optimised solutions," says Ian Riches, Director - Global Automotive Practice, Strategy Analytics.
"Freescale's radar solution offers automakers virtually everything they need for scalable ADAS applications, as no other semiconductor or components are needed to complete the system. This will enable consumers to benefit from safer, more advanced and reliable vehicles beyond the luxury market."
Qorivva MPC577xK MCU - single-chip automotive radar solution
The Qorivva MPC577xK MCU, built on Power Architecture technology, provides the highest level of digital and analogue integration in a single-chip solution for radar applications, removing up to four additional major printed circuit board (PCB) components and reducing system-level cost, PCB space and software complexity.
The MCU also provides high performance for intense computational tasks with key integrated digital accelerators and features a state-of-the-art signal processing toolbox that contains all of the hardware modules required for processing sampled signals from short-, medium- and long-range radar applications. These features of the Qorivva MPC577xK MCU will help enable adoption of radar-based ADAS in more mainstream vehicles.
MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset
The MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset provides a comprehensive, high-performance radar transceiver featuring low power consumption and exceptional VCO phase noise, enabling precise discrimination of objects. The chipset supports fast modulation with simultaneous active channels, enabling excellent spatial resolution and detection accuracy.
The MRD2001 is housed in advanced packaging technology that provides extremely low insertion loss and parasitics at frequencies up to 100 GHz. The packaged chipset simplifies the end user's assembly of the radar module since there is no need for chip and wire assembly techniques for bare die.
What's more, the chipset is readily scalable up to four TX channels and 12 RX channels, enabling a single radar platform capable of electronic beam steering across a wide field of view to support long-range, mid-range and short-range radar applications over the full range of budget to luxury vehicles.
Additional applications
In addition to ADAS, Freescale's Qorivva MPC577xK MCU and MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset solution are applicable for a broad range of industrial and emerging consumer applications, such as gesture sensing, safety curtains, security systems and location positioning.
Safety leadership
With more than 15 years of automotive safety leadership, Freescale products are built to assure the most stringent levels of safety. The new Qorivva MPC577xK MCU is a SafeAssure functional safety solution that has been defined and developed from the ground up to address the ISO 26262 standard.
The architecture and design process for the MPC577xK help reduce the design time and complexity of developing ISO 26262-compliant automotive safety applications. The MPC577xK targets safety applications at ASIL-D, which has the most safety-critical processes and strictest testing regulations of all ISO 26262 safety integrity levels.
Availability and pricing
Freescale's Qorivva MPC577xK MCU and MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset are now available in sample quantities.
