ST and Autoroad showcase 77GHz and 79GHz automotive radar based on SiGe front-end ICs

At the China (Chongqing) International Automotive Technology Expo 2017 (22-24 March), Beijing Autoroad Tech Co Ltd, which designs automotive millimeter-wave (mmW) radar systems and products for applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and smart driving, and STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland jointly showcased automotive radar solutions incorporating ST’s silicon germanium (SiGe)-based front-end ICs.

Autonomous driving requires the broad adoption of advanced safety technologies that use a combination of cameras and lasers, ultrasonic and infrared (IR) sensors, and mmW radar. In particular, autonomous vehicles need radar solutions with high resolution – based on mmW-radar ICs that detect objects at long range in bad weather conditions with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) – that complement the other sensors.

At Auto Tech 2017, Autoroad presented its modules and solutions, which embed ST’s fully integrated 77GHz mmW radar products, and also introduced an evolution in radar imaging using 79GHz synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

Autoroad’s 77GHz radar solution (claimed to be the first developed in China) was launched on the market in 2015. The version displayed at the Automotive expo in Chongqing, based on ST’s mmW products, is its second generation. ST’s latest 77GHz mmW wideband radar ICs are said to provide high integration and compact size, along with a multi-channel architecture that has high object recognition and resolution for forward-collision warning (FCW), adaptive cruise control (ACC), autonomous emergency braking (AEB), and other safety features in all weather conditions.

Also at Auto Tech 2017, regarding 79GHz SAR imaging, Autoroad repoted that it has demonstrated a new approach to object detection and recognition in all weather conditions, such as rain, snow and smog, or in extremely low light, by combining range resolution produced by broadband signals with azimuth resolution produced by using relative vehicle movement. Implemented using ST’s 79GHz RF front-end ICs, the SAR technology presents 2D and 3D images at high resolution using the relative movement between the installed radar and the target. It enables detection, recognition, positioning and size estimation of vehicles, pedestrians and other targets around a car in all weather and light conditions.