Infineon is a pioneer in transceiver integration and introduced the world's first SiGe-based 77 GHz automotive radar chip back in 2009. Covering all segments of the market, from short-range radar (corner radars) to the high-end market of front radars, Infineon continues to drive innovation in the automotive radar industry.
The recent introduction of the RASIC™ CTRX8191F transceiver by Infineon marks a significant advancement in radar technology. This next-generation radar product, part of a series of new 76 to 81 GHz radar MMICs based on 28-nanometer CMOS technology, offers improved signal-to-noise ratio and linearity, providing high system-level performance and flexibility. The user-friendly radar transceiver also offers an expandable platform approach for various sensors, including corner, forward, and short-range applications, along with flexibility for new software-defined vehicle architectures, ultimately reducing development costs for 77 GHz automotive radar applications.
Enhancing radio frequency performance is essential for achieving reliable assistance and autonomous driving features up to SAE Level 4. Developed in compliance with the latest ISO 26262 safety standards, the CTRX8191F features four transmit and four receive channels, delivering exceptional signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and extending the standard module range by 25%. The increased number of RF channels and improved linearity enhances vertical or angular resolution by 33%, enabling better differentiation of objects such as pedestrians alongside vehicles. These advancements contribute to the development of radar modules suitable for various applications, from corner radars to high-resolution radars.
The on-chip digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) in the CTRX8191F enables faster Chirp slope and shorter sweep time, leading to improved performance compared to existing solutions. This feature reduces power consumption, achieves higher velocity resolution, and ensures robust and reliable radar performance across different scenarios. The built-in calibration and monitoring of the transceiver guarantee functional safety, maintaining consistency in amplitude and phase across different RF channels and mitigating the impact of temperature variations on RF performance.
With its rectangular waveguide interface, the CTRX8191F supports a direct connection to waveguide antennas, utilizing common FR4 board materials, which reduces PCB area and module size. Waveguide antennas offer stability, cost-effectiveness, and enhanced antenna port power. Supporting single-chip 4T4R radar and multi-chip cascading setups up to 8T8R/12T12R/16T16R, the CTRX8191F facilitates convenient layout of cascaded connections with minimal PCB area and cost, especially in conjunction with waveguide antennas.
The seamless integration of the CTRX product series with Infineon's radar-dedicated AURIX™ microcontrollers (MCUs) ensures outstanding performance for future NCAP and real-world scenarios, enhancing radar functionality reliability under challenging weather conditions. System partitioning allows suppliers to offer radar solutions with complete processing capabilities using traditional architectures, as well as enables different architectures for preprocessing data streams via Ethernet with minimal effort, leading to scalable solutions that support various cost and performance requirements.