Infineon launches a new generation of automotive radar CMOS transceiver MMIC CTRX8181

[Munich, Germany, November 09, 2022] Reliable, high-performance radar modules are the key to improving automated driver assistance systems and enabling fully autonomous driving in the future. Cars need to be equipped with more and higher-performance radar modules to realize many new functions, such as advanced automatic emergency braking system (AEB) that quickly responds to motorcyclists crossing the road. Currently, the series of projects and legislation being carried out by the EU New Car Assessment Association (NCAP) is one of the important drivers for the growth of the radar module market.

Infineon Technologies AG has been a leader in the radar module market for more than 15 years and is the TOP 1 manufacturer of radar monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). Infineon pioneered transceiver integration (integrating the transmitter and receiver into the same chip), and in 2009 launched the world's first 77GHz automotive millimeter-wave radar chip based on silicon germanium (SiGe) technology. In addition, Infineon has a broad product portfolio covering complete product segments from short-range radars (corner radars) to high-end forward-facing radars.

Recently, Infineon released a new generation of innovative radar products RASIC™ CTRX8181 transceiver, which is also the first product of a new 76 GHz to 81 GHz radar MMIC series developed in 28nm CMOS technology. The product has higher signal-to-noise ratio and linearity, which can improve system performance and design flexibility. At the same time, this radar transceiver is easy to use, provides a scalable platform for different sensors such as corner radar, forward radar and short-range radar at the same time, and can bring flexibility to new software-defined automotive architectures. Customers can use this radar transceiver to develop 77GHz automotive millimeter-wave radar applications at a lower cost.

Automotive Radar CMOS Transceiver MMIC CTRX8181

Tomas Lucia, Director of Radar MMIC Product Marketing, Automotive Electronics Division, Infineon Technologies, said: "The new generation CTRX8181 transceiver can accurately classify and detect objects, which is very important for protecting vulnerable groups such as motorcyclists, cyclists or pedestrians. essential features. Additionally, this product’s enhanced RF performance enables the deployment of reliable driver assistance and autonomous driving functions at all SAE levels up to L4.”

CTRX8181 is a new product developed by Infineon based on the latest ISO26262 functional safety standard, with 4 transmit channels and 4 receive channels. The device has an excellent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and increases the sensing range of standard modules by 25% (for example, from 250 meters to more than 300 meters). With more RF channels and higher linearity, the vertical resolution and angular resolution of the product have increased by 33%, which can better classify different objects, such as accurately identifying pedestrians next to cars. Customers can develop radar modules suitable for all applications (from corner radar to high-resolution radar, etc.) based on the above characteristics of this product.

An on-chip digital phase-locked loop (PLL) supports fast stabilization of the frequency ramp for higher range resolution and ultra-fast flyback time, resulting in a 4x faster response than the best solutions on the market. This new feature not only reduces power consumption, but also enables more accurate classification based on velocity for objects with similar velocities. The on-chip digital phase-locked loop can realize a completely flexible frequency ramp without affecting the phase noise, so that the radar is stable and reliable in various application scenarios, so it is suitable for solutions with relatively large frequency interference such as electronic compass.

The new CTRX product family is a perfect match for Infineon's AURIX™ microcontroller (MCU) TC3x and the upcoming TC4x radar-specific products. Both TC3x and TC4x integrate a Signal Processing Unit (SPU) and non-volatile memory for on-chip program code storage. Paired with the AURIX™ chipset, it will allow CTRX to perform optimally in future NCAP (New Car Crash Test) and actual road conditions, such as improving radar reliability in bad weather conditions.

Automotive Radar CMOS Transceiver MMIC CTRX8181

System partitioning gives manufacturers the flexibility to offer legacy solutions with full radar processing capabilities, or different architectures such as data stream pre-processing with very low power consumption via 100 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s Ethernet. System partitioning also enables selection of the appropriate MMIC and microcontroller for the target application, allowing easy scaling to meet various cost and performance requirements. Establishing a connection with the MCU through LVDS or CSI-2 can help manufacturers combine devices more flexibly.

Availability

Infineon has started to provide customers with samples of the new CMOS MMIC CTRX8181 transceiver, which will also be exhibited at electronica 2022 in Munich, Germany.

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