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NXP extends industry first 28 nm RFCMOS radar One-Chip Family

Thu, Jan 11, 2024

NXP has announced an extension of its automotive radar one-chip family. The new SAF86xx monolithically integrates a high-performance radar transceiver, a multi-core radar processor and a MACsec hardware engine for state-of-the-art secure data communication over Automotive Ethernet. Combined with NXP’s S32 high-performance processors, vehicle network connectivity and power management, the full system solution paves the way for advanced, software-defined radar.

The highly integrated radar SoC (System-on-Chip) is intended for streaming rich low-level radar sensor data at up to 1 Gbit/s. It helps carmakers optimize next-generation ADAS partitioning for software-defined vehicles, while providing for a smooth transition to new architectures. Additionally, OEMs will be able to easily introduce new software-defined radar features during the lifetime of the vehicle through Over-the-Air (OTA) updates.

It also shares a common architecture with the SAF85xx introduced last year and leverages 28 nm RFCMOS performance for significantly improved radar sensor capabilities, compared to prior-generation 40 nm or 45 nm products. It enables Tier-1 suppliers to build more compact and power-efficient radar sensors. Drivers and other road users will benefit from extended detection range beyond 300 m, along with more reliable detection of small objects like curb stones as well as vulnerable road users including cyclists and pedestrians.

The new radar one-chip supports NCAP safety functions including emergency braking and blind-spot detection. It also supports advanced ADAS and autonomous driving applications, including advanced comfort features for SAE levels 2+ and 3 such as traffic jam assist, highway pilot and park assist, front and rear cross-traffic alerts, as well as lateral and rear collision avoidance.

“Using our new SAF86xx radar one-chip family, OEMs can quickly and easily migrate their current radar platforms to new software-defined vehicle architectures,” said Steffen Spannagel, SVP and GM, ADAS, NXP Semiconductors. “A network of connected radar sensors with software-defined functions on a dedicated S32R radar processor in a distributed architecture can enhance radar-based perception to support advancements in autonomous driving. That includes 360-degree sensing, more powerful AI-based algorithms and secure OTA software updates.”

The comprehensive SAF8xxx family featuring the new SAF86xx and SAF85xx can be tailored for individual OEM use cases. It supports a range of sensor outputs, including object, point cloud-, or range-FFT-level data for smart sensors in today’s architectures and streaming sensors in future distributed architectures.

https://www.nxp.com/saf86xx

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RealWear starts shipping Intrinsically Safe smart glasses, readying industrial customers for AI revolution

Tue, Jan 09, 2024

RealWear has announced at the CES that RealWear Navigator Z1, the world’s most advanced intrinsically safe (IS) head-mounted wearable, starts shipping today.
RealWear received its official ATEX / IECEx Intrinsically Safe (IS) certification for RealWear Navigator Z1 (“Navigator Z1”), with consultation with i.safe MOBILE, a technology expert in IS product development. IS certification is granted after passing a plethora of tests (i.e. thermal, electrical integrity, mechanical durability, safety compliance, and explosion-proof testing), validating that the device, whose purpose is to boost productivity and enhance safety for frontline workers, will not cause an explosion where flammable particulates are present in the atmosphere. All consumer electronics that are typically deployed for worker productivity in a standard office environment–including iPhones, tablets, and immersive AR/VR headsets–are strictly prohibited in these zones.
After publicly announcing Navigator Z1 hands-free computing solution, RealWear has received substantial pre-orders from more than a dozen countries in the oil and gas industry, signalling strong product demand globally, including a sizeable order from a major customer in Saudi Arabia.

Navigator Z1 are characterised by three distinct benefits:
First, Navigator Z1 represents the pinnacle of RealWear’s product innovation, delivering unparalleled performance with exceptional power efficiency. Navigator Z1 is powered by an advanced Qualcomm SnapDragon 6490 chipset with a built-in advanced AI engine. The platform lays the foundation for RealWear’s broader AI Core vision for frontline workers.

Second, the device now complies with strict ATEX/IECEx certifications. As oil and gas work environments can be extremely noisy, Navigator Z1 ensures voice recognition for fully hands-free use up to 100dBA.

Third, Navigator Z1’s unique modular design, which RealWear pioneered, enables unprecedented customization including the ability to add an IS-certified thermal camera and a swappable battery. The eagerly anticipated Thermal by FLIR thermal camera module is scheduled for release in March.

Customers can purchase the full Navigator series directly via RealWear’s global reseller network. Shipping has commenced in Europe, including UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, and in the United Arab Emirates, as well as across the majority of the Asia-Pacific region including Southeast Asia, Singapore and Australia. Orders in North America, Canada, Japan, Mexico and much of Latin America will be fulfilled in March timeframe for C1D1 zones.
Navigator Z1 is part of the Navigator Series, including Navigator 500 and 520, which are for everyday hands-free work for frontline workers in less restricted work areas.

http://www.realwear.com/

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TI debuts new automotive chips at CES, enabling automakers to create smarter, safer vehicles

Tue, Jan 09, 2024

Texas Instruments has introduced new semiconductors designed to improve automotive safety and intelligence. The AWR2544 77GHz millimeter-wave radar sensor chip is the industry’s first for satellite radar architectures, enabling higher levels of autonomy by improving sensor fusion and decision-making in ADAS. TI’s new software-programmable driver chips, the DRV3946-Q1 integrated contactor driver and DRV3901-Q1 integrated squib driver for pyro fuses, offer built-in diagnostics and support functional safety for battery management and powertrain systems. TI is demonstrating these new products at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Many automakers are adding more sensors around the car to improve vehicle safety and autonomy. TI’s AWR2544 single-chip radar sensor is the industry’s first designed for satellite architectures. In satellite architectures, radar sensors output semi-processed data to a central processor for ADAS decision-making using sensor fusion algorithms, taking advantage of the 360-degree sensor coverage to achieve higher levels of vehicle safety.

The AWR2544 single-chip radar sensor is also the industry’s first with launch-on-package (LOP) technology. LOP technology helps reduce the size of the sensor by as much as 30% by mounting a 3D waveguide antenna on the opposite side of the printed circuit board. LOP technology also enables sensor ranges to extend beyond 200m with a single chip. In satellite architectures, these features enable automakers to increase ADAS intelligence for higher vehicle autonomy levels to make smarter decisions from farther away. The AWR2544 is the latest in TI’s radar sensor portfolio, which supports a wide range of ADAS applications and architectures with sensors developed for corner, front, imaging, side and rear radar systems.

Supporting the trend toward software-defined vehicles is challenging designers to develop smarter, more advanced battery management systems (BMS). Two new highly integrated, software-programmable driver chips from TI address requirements for safer and more efficient control of high-voltage disconnect circuits in a BMS or other powertrain system. Both drivers are International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 functional safety-compliant and offer built-in diagnostics and protection to reduce automotive engineers’ development time.

For BMS and other powertrain systems, the DRV3946-Q1 is the industry’s first fully integrated contactor driver. It includes a peak-and-hold current controller that helps automakers increase system power efficiency. The device also implements safety diagnostics to monitor the condition of the contactor.

TI’s DRV3901-Q1 fully integrated squib driver enables an intelligent pyro fuse disconnect system by using built-in circuitry to monitor the pyro fuse and provide diagnostic information to the system microcontroller. This gives hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and EV BMS designers flexibility to use a pyro fuse instead of traditional melting fuse systems while minimizing design complexity.

https://www.ti.com/

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Skyworks’ advanced AI noise suppression enables highest audio quality for new audio/video applications on the Edge

Mon, Jan 08, 2024

Skyworks Solutions is introducing its newest software solution for removing unwanted background noise from speech signals at CES 2024. The AI Noise Suppression solution delivers a new benchmark of performance for noise reduction, increasing speech intelligibility, preserving quality and reducing listener fatigue when using handsets, headsets, conference systems, automotive telematics, wireless microphones and audio-visual systems.

According to Astute Analytica, the edge AI market is predicted to grow from $1.4 million in 2021 to $8 million in 2027, with a large portion coming from the Internet of Things (IoT), wearable consumer devices and the need for faster computing in 5G networks.

While AI noise suppression has become common in desktop and cloud applications, performance lags on the edge. To address this challenge, the new software from Skyworks is highly scalable, from desktop CPU/GPU down to edge platform, with performance that rivals much larger CPU solutions.

“With the proliferation of AI noise suppression in desktop and cloud applications, it’s imperative the industry also overcomes performance lags on the edge to meet market demands,” said Yusuf Jamal, senior vice president and general manager of the Diversified Analog Solutions at Skyworks. “Skyworks is actively developing audio and other signal processing applications at the edge that will replace traditional signal processing techniques and drive new IoT edge applications. The AI Noise Suppression solution delivers benchmark performance, scalable from the edge to the cloud while requiring less memory and computational resources.”

The Skyworks AI Noise Suppression solution meets the needs of the market by:
Achieving subjective and objective test scores in embedded implementations that compete with desktop CPU/GPU solutions while requiring less than 10% CPU load on a HiFi4 core running at 600 MHz
The ability to run at 48 kHz, enabling advanced noise reduction on full bandwidth signals in audio/video production and playback
Not requiring connection to large cloud servers or tethering to desktop PCs or mobile phones
Not interfering with the original speech signal as confirmed by subjective testing based on ITU-T P.808
The solution allows for advanced noise reduction on full bandwidth signals, giving it the best audio quality on the market and opening additional applications in the areas of audio/video production and playback.

https://www.skyworksinc.com/

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NXP extends industry first 28 nm RFCMOS radar One-Chip Family

RealWear starts shipping Intrinsically Safe smart glasses, readying industrial customers for AI revolution

TI debuts new automotive chips at CES, enabling automakers to create smarter, safer vehicles

Skyworks’ advanced AI noise suppression enables highest audio quality for new audio/video applications on the Edge

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