TIDUEZ2 March   2021

 

  1.   Description
  2.   Resources
  3.   Features
  4.   Applications
  5.   5
  6. 1System Description
    1. 1.1 Key System Specifications
  7. 2System Overview
    1. 2.1 Block Diagram
      1. 2.1.1 Obstacle Detection Application Software Block Diagram
    2. 2.2 Highlighted Products
      1. 2.2.1 AWR1843AOP Single-Chip Radar Solution
    3. 2.3 Design Considerations
      1. 2.3.1 System Design Theory
        1. 2.3.1.1 Usage Case Geometry and Sensor Considerations
        2. 2.3.1.2 Antenna Configuration
        3. 2.3.1.3 Processing Chain
      2. 2.3.2 Configuration Profile
  8. 3Hardware, Software, Testing Requirements, and Test Results
    1. 3.1 Required Hardware and Software
      1. 3.1.1 Hardware
      2. 3.1.2 Software and GUI
    2. 3.2 Testing and Results
      1. 3.2.1 Test Setup
      2. 3.2.2 Test Results
  9. 4Design and Documentation Support
    1. 4.1 Design Files
    2. 4.2 Software
    3. 4.3 Documentation Support
    4. 4.4 Support Resources
    5. 4.5 Trademarks

1 System Description

Today’s vehicles require robust and reliable information about the objects surrounding them. Automated door opening and parking systems rely upon this information. The TIDEP-01024 provides a reference for creating a door-opener obstacle detection application, using TI’s AWR1843AOP sensor based on 77-GHz mmWave radio-frequency complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (RF-CMOS) technology. This mmWave sensor devices integrate an antenna-on-package (AOP) with a 77-GHz mmWave radar front end, ARM® microcontroller (MCU) and TI DSP core for single-chip systems.

Other sensing technologies were considered in the past, but none of them could sense objects in 3D space with a wide FOV like an mmwave sensor. A mmWave sensor can sense objects in environmentally challenging conditions such as rain, night, glare, and so on. The small form factor of mmwave sensors, makes them suitable to be placed behind the cladding or plastic door handle or in the side mirrors. This feature also makes the sensors aesthetically pleasing. The mmWave sensors from TI are multimode, they can function as a side radar when the car is in motion and a door-opener sensor when the car is at rest. In this sense, the mmWave sensors are truly smart.

This reference design demonstrates the suitability of the AWR1843AOP for door opener obstacle detection applications. The design targets the implementation of a wide azimuth and elevation field of view (±70°) and close range (5 m) sensor configuration. This reference design implements algorithms for generating an azimuth-range and elevation-range heat maps, detection, and decision using an AWR1843AOP device on a TI EVM module. The design provides a list of required hardware, schematics, and foundational software to quickly begin door-opener obstacle detection product development. It describes the example usage case as well as the design principle, implementation details, and engineering tradeoffs made in the development of this application. High-level instructions for replicating the design are provided.