Single-chip 76-GHz to 81-GHz automotive radar sensor integrating MCU and hardware accelerator

The AWR1443 device is an integrated single-chip FMCW radar sensor capable of operation in the 76- to 81-GHz band. The device is built with TI’s low-power 45-nm RFCMOS process with an integrated ARM R4F processor and a hardware accelerator for radar data processing, and this solution enables unprecedented levels of integration in an extremely small form factor. AWR1443 is an ideal solution for low-power, self-monitored, ultra-accurate radar systems in the automotive space.

The AWR1443 device is a self-contained FMCW radar sensor single-chip solution that simplifies the implementation of Automotive Radar sensors in the band of 76 to 81 GHz. It enables a monolithic implementation of a 3TX, 4RX system with built-in PLL and ADC converters. Simple programming model changes can enable a wide variety of sensor implementation (Short, Mid, Long) with the possibility of dynamic reconfiguration for implementing a multimode sensor. Additionally, the device is provided as a complete platform solution including TI reference designs, software drivers, sample configurations, API guides, and user documentation.

The requirements for a radar device, in terms of radar data cube memory, processing capacity, and functional safety monitoring, vary for different applications. In this context, the AWR1443 can be viewed as a 77-GHz radar-on-a-chip solution for entry-level radar applications