Infineon Technologies Develops Complete 77/79 GHz Radar Chipset to Accelerate Supply of Key Components for Autonomous Driving

　　According to MEMS Consulting, Infineon is now able to provide a complete radar chipset to early users. This chipset includes a 77/79 GHz monolithic microwave integrated circuit ( MMIC ), a high-performance multi-core microcontroller with a dedicated sensor processing unit, and a safe power supply chip. This radar chipset can accelerate the development of advanced radar systems. Let's follow the automotive electronics editor to learn about the relevant content.

　　“In recent years, we have found that the pace of innovation in the automotive industry is unprecedentedly fast. Innovative companies from Silicon Valley are at the forefront of the innovation wave in the automotive industry,” said Ritesh Tyagi, head of Infineon Silicon Valley Automotive Innovation Center (SVIC).

　　The RF (radio frequency) radar single-chip transceiver in this radar chipset replaces three components in the past: RF transmitter, RF receiver and phase-locked loop (PLL) device.

The scalable radar chipset is made up of a 　　single-chip RF radar transceiver, combined with Infineon’s second-generation AURIX radar-specific microcontroller and a fail-safe power supply. All three devices are fully compliant with the ISO26262 specification.

　　To support new radar designs by established automotive system suppliers and innovators, Infineon will launch a radar module kit in the first quarter of 2018.

　　The radar module kit will include the three ICs (RF radar single-chip transceiver, AURIX radar-specific microcontroller, and safe power supply) and an integrated software package to fully utilize the dedicated signal processing hardware accelerator in the chipset. It will be an evaluation kit for developing radar sensors using Infineon radar chipsets.

　　In addition to radar chips, Infineon will also provide two other core sensors for semi- autonomous and fully autonomous vehicles: cameras (3D image sensor chips based on the time-of-flight principle) and LiDAR (laser radar) chips.

　　LiDAR, radar and image sensors are the pillars of future cars. Image from Automotive MEMS and Sensor Market and Technology Trends 2017

　　3D image sensor chip——Real3

　　Infineon's Real3 family includes a highly integrated single-chip 3D ToF (time of flight) image sensor. This ToF sensor was jointly developed by Infineon and PMD technologies. It is embedded with a high-performance ToF pixel matrix from PMD and uses Infineon's scale-proven CMOS process to integrate photosensitive devices and mixed-signal circuits on a single chip. This ToF image sensor provides complete 3D environmental data and can be used to monitor whether the driver is distracted, drowsy, dozing, and emotional reactions such as facial expressions.

　　Laser Radar (LiDAR)

　　According to previous reports by MEMS Consulting, Infineon acquired Innoluce, which was separated from Philips, in 2016. This company based in the Netherlands mainly focuses on the development and sales of solid-state laser scanning modules based on resonant MEMS mirrors and related signal processing integrated circuits. The MEMS micro-mirror-based laser radar system can effectively reduce the cost of mechanical scanning components. At the same time, since there are no macroscopic moving parts, this type of laser radar is smaller and more robust.

　　Innoluce's LiDAR technology is based on one-dimensional MEMS mirrors, which the company claims have more advantages than traditional two-dimensional MEMS systems: higher horizontal resolution and field of view, better temperature stability, lower vibration sensitivity, smaller size and lower cost. In addition, the movement of one-dimensional mirrors is easier to control. Based on Innoluce's proprietary technology, Infineon will develop chip components for high-performance LiDAR systems. Infineon's goal is to reduce the cost of LiDAR to a level that is acceptable to every new car in the world.

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