Automotive

Believed to be the first commercial SerDes IC that complies with the ASA (Automotive SerDes Alliance) Motion Link standard, VS775 provides high speed data transmission for automotive camera applications. 

VSI develops high speed communication semiconductors for vehicles and has introduced the industry’s first commercial serialiser/deserialiser (SerDes) silicon that complies with the ASA standard. It has a data transmission rate of up to 16Gbits per second, so that the engine control unit (ECU) can quickly process high resolution image data collected by vehicle image sensors, especially electric vehicles, and autonomous vehicles. 

The VS775 provides a commercial camera link semiconductor that will resolve the bandwidth concerns associated with using more high resolution image sensors in advanced autonomous vehicle designs for automotive OEMs worldwide, said VSI. 

As the level of autonomous driving becomes more advanced, the number of sensors such as cameras and lidar and radar mounted on vehicles increases, which creates demand for real time, high speed data transmission. For example, it is expected that more than 20 sensors will be required for one vehicle at ASIL 4 and 5 autonomous driving, which requires high speed data transmission technology.

The ASA standardisation means that there are no interoperability issues causes by OEMs using proprietary technology, pointed out VSI.

In addition to high-speed data transmission, the VS775 features a low power design that reduces power consumption by up to 50 per cent compared to existing products, said VSI. The compact size means it is optimised for electric vehicles and automotive camera modules where there is limited space.

Steve Kang, founder and CEO of VSI, said: “As an industry-standard product, the VS775 guarantees interoperability that existing SerDes products cannot provide, which will reduce OEMs’ development periods and drive down costs. This in turn should accelerate the evolution of self-driving cars and electric vehicles and drive the future of the automobile industry.” 

Currently, VSI is in the process of supplying contracts for camera link solutions for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) with global automotive parts suppliers (Tier 1). The company plans to expand the support range of high-speed bandwidth to 32 and 64Gbits per second through subsequent development of the VS775. 

VSI is a fabless company that designs high speed communication semiconductors for vehicles and high-speed transmission of large volumes of data generated in real-time from autonomous driving and electric vehicles. 

VSI is a semiconductor technology-intensive start up and its major customers are global automotive OEMs and Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies. 

http://www.vsitech.co.kr 

Renesas Electronics Corporation is entering the automotive radar market with the introduction of a 4×4-channel, 76-81GHz transceiver designed to meet the requirements of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and Level 3 and higher autonomous driving applications. 

Renesas will incorporate the new RAA270205 high-definition radar transceiver into its growing sensor fusion portfolio, which combines radar, vision systems, and other sensing modalities.

Designed in co-operation with Steradian Semiconductors Private Limited, which Renesas acquired earlier this year, the new transceiver MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) is especially suited for imaging radar, long-range forward-looking radar and 4D radar, but can also be used for corner and central-processing radar architectures, the so-called ‘satellite’ automotive radar systems, said the company. Equipped with 4Tx and 4Rx channels, the RAA270205 supports up to 16 MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) channels. It can be cascaded to enable higher channel count and better radar resolution.

The RAA270205 features up to 5GHz of bandwidth and a 112.5MSPS ADC (analog-to-digital converter) sampling rate that it claims is nearly three times faster than those of competing devices. Power consumption of 1.2W is 50 per cent lower than that of comparable transceivers and it delivers a noise figure of 9dB, which is 3dB less than other radar transceivers, it says. Its chirp rate of up to 300MHz/microAs improves radar resolution and object detection.

“Today’s radar transceiver MMICs must achieve higher definition to support the high-accuracy requirements of ADAS and autonomous driving safety platforms,” said Vivek Bhan, senior vice-president and deputy general manager of Renesas’ automotive solution business unit. “Working in close collaboration with Steradian, which brings deep radar design expertise, we are expanding our sensor fusion offerings with a focus on functional safety and low power consumption to help our customers lower their development costs and improve time to market.”

Renesas plans to combine the RAA270205 transceiver with other compatible devices from its portfolio to support automotive radar systems. These combinations will include the satellite radar system for AD/ADAS, which will be available in Q2/2023. 

 The RAA270205 will be available in 1Q/2023 in sample quantities, with commercial production planned for 2024. The transceiver is available in a small, easy-to-integrate eWLB (embedded wafer-level ball-grid array) package, measuring 7.6×5.6mm. It will be fully compliant with automotive industry requirements such as IATF 16949, AEC-Q100 Grade2 and ASIL B. 

Visit Renesas at electronica 2022, Hall B4, 179

https://renesas.com