• FMCW transceiver
  • Integrated PLL, transmitter, receiver, baseband and ADC
  • 76 to 81GHz coverage with greater than 4GHz available bandwidth
  • 4 receive and 4 transmit channels with
    Launch-on-Package (LOP) interface to antennas
  • Per transmit phase shifter
  • Ultra-accurate chirp engine based on fractional PLL
  • TX power
    • +12.5dBm
  • RX noise figure
    • +12.5dB
  • Phase noise (@ 1MHz)
    • -96dBc/Hz (76 to 77GHz)
    • -95dBc/Hz (76 to 81GHz)

• Built-in calibration and self-test

  • Built in firmware (ROM)
  • Self-calibrating system across process and temperature
• Processing elements
  • Arm®Cortex-R5F® core (supports lock step operation) at 300MHz
  • TI radar hardware accelerator (HWA1.5) for operations like FFT, interference mitigation, and memory compression
  • Multiple EDMA instances for data movement
• Host interface
  • 10/100/1000Mbps RGMII/RMII/MII Ethernet

  • 25MHz clock output for Ethernet PHY clocking

• Supports a serial flash memory interface (loading user application from QSPI flash memory)
• Other interfaces available to user application
  • Up to 4 ADC channels
  • 1 SPI
  • 2 UARTs
  • I²C
  • GPIOs
  • 3 EPWMs
  • 2-lane LVDS interface for raw ADC data and debug instrumentation
• On-Chip RAM
  • 2MB
  • Memory space split between MCU and shared L3
• Device security (on select part numbers)
  • Programmable embedded hardware security module (HSM)
  • Secure authenticated and encrypted boot support
  • Customer programmable root keys, symmetric keys (256 bit), asymmetric keys (up to RSA-4K or ECC-512) with key revocation capability
  • Cryptographic hardware accelerators: PKA with ECC, AES (up to 256 bit), SHA (up to 512 bit), TRNG/DRBG
• Functional safety compliant targeted
  • Developed for functional safety applications
  • Documentation available to aid ISO26262 functional safety system design
  • Hardware integrity up to ASIL B targeted
• AEC-Q100 qualified
• Advanced features
  • Embedded self-monitoring with no external processor involvement
  • Embedded interference detection capability
• Power management
  • On-die LDO network for enhanced PSRR
  • LVCMOS IO supports dual voltage 3.3V and 1.8V
• Clock source
  • 40MHz or 50MHz crystal with internal oscillator
  • Supports external oscillator/driven clock at 40MHz or 50 MHz
• Power Management
  • Recommended LP8772-Q1 Power Management IC (PMIC)
    • Companion PMIC specially designed to meet device power supply requirements
    • Flexible mapping and factory programmed configurations to support different use cases
• Cost-reduced hardware design
  • 0.65mm pitch, 12.4mm × 12mm FCCSP package
  • Small size
• Supports automotive temperature operating range
  • Operating junction temperature range: –40°C to +140°C

• Lane change assist
• Blind spot detection
• Automatic emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control
• Cross traffic alert
• Satellite

Figure 2-1 Autonomous Radar Sensor For Automotive Applications

The AWR2544 is a single-chip mmWave sensor composed of a FMCW transceiver. The device is capable of operation in the 76 to 81GHz (EHF) band, includes radar data processing elements, and a rich set of peripherals for in-vehicle networking. AWR2544 provides customers with an additional Launch on package (LOP) antenna feature which facilitates the attachment of antennas directly on to the package. The AWR2544 is built with TI’s low-power 45nm RFCMOS process and enables unprecedented levels of integration in a small form factor and minimal BOM. The AWR2544 is designed for low-power, self-monitored, ultra-accurate radar systems in the automotive space.

TI’s low-power 45nm RFCMOS process enables a monolithic implementation of a 4 TX, 4 RX system with integrated PLL, VCO, mixer, and baseband ADC. The device includes a Radio Processor Subsystem (RSS), which is responsible for radar front-end configuration, control, and calibration. Within the Main Subsystem (MSS), the device implements a user-programmable Arm Cortex-R5F processor allowing for custom control and automotive interface applications. The hardware accelerator block (HWA 1.5) supplements the MSS by offloading common radar processing such as FFT, scaling, and compression. This saves MIPS on the external processor, opening up resources for custom applications and implementation of higher-level post-processing algorithms.

A Hardware Security Module (HSM) is also provisioned in the device (available for only secure part variants). The HSM consists of a programmable Arm Cortex-M4 core and the necessary infrastructure to provide a secure zone of operation within the device.

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.

TI has designed the AWR2544 specifically for satellite architecture. Satellite architecture adds value through a sensor fusion algorithm and the larger computing capability in the central ECU. Simplified satellite sensors and differentiation through software can help reduce system complexity and offer new ways of creating value.

Using satellite radars gives automakers the option to use over-the-air software updates to improve system performance and enhance security. These multiple benefits – performance, scalability and simplicity – all contribute the prominence of the satellite architecture in the automotive industry.

Additionally, the AWR2544 is provided as a complete platform including TI hardware and software reference designs, software drivers, sample configurations, API guides, and user documentation.