According to Yole Développement (Yole), the radar market for automotive and mobility applications will cross US $10.5 Billion, with an 11% CAGR between 2019 and 2025. Automotive & mobility is one the most dynamic market segments at the moment with road safety requirements positioning radar as a mainstream technology.
System Plus Consulting, the reverse engineering and costing company, is constantly tracking radar technology evolution, and innovations. They feel it is a good time to investigate the latest radar developments and compare them to each other. Their analysts released a comprehensive and detailed comparison of existing solutions offered by leading OEMs and module suppliers. The comparative technology study titled “Automotive Radar Comparison 2021” provides valuable insights regarding technology data for RF chipsets and antenna boards in radar systems.
The 2nd edition of the radar comparison report is a significant analysis of state-of-the-art radar technologies. This study points out the technical strategy of each leading company, the OEMs and module makers, and the supply chain they have set up to support them. It highlights their vision of the automotive industry and how they expect to penetrate it.
This reverse engineering and costing analysis includes a study of 15 radar systems from leading OEMs, such as Veoneer (formerly Autoliv), Robert Bosch, Aptiv (formerly Delphi Technologies), Denso, ZF/TRW, Hella, Hyundai/Mobis, and SteelMate. The report also analyzes the first imaging radar from Continental, which has also been evaluated through a dedicated teardown: Continental ARS5-A ARS540 4D Long-Range Radar (66 31 5 A55 CB1).
Stéphane Elisabeth, PhD. Senior Technology and Cost Analyst at System Plus Consulting, said that in the next few years, autonomous driving will become a reality. To achieve this goal, the number of vision technologies has increased to provide more and more functionalities in addition to safety for drivers and passengers.
Among these vision technologies, radar systems are the best-established and most secure. Radar systems were introduced in 2000, with SRR systems dedicated to blind-spot detection or rear cross-traffic alert. Today, vehicles from several suppliers are already offering ‘level 2+’ automation whereby drivers are on standby but can be hands-off for periods of time. These vehicles integrate around five radar systems, including SRR and LRR, which support emergency breaking and adaptative cruise control.
“Market share differs depending on the frequency and the automotive application,” explains Stéphane Elisabeth from System Plus Consulting. “At 24 GHz, STMicroelectronics’ solution is at the low end. At 77 GHz, Infineon Technologies and NXP have led the way for many years. But it appears that Texas Instruments is catching up.”
Cédric Malaquin, Technology & Market Analyst, RF Devices & Technology at Yole stated, “Radar offers interesting capabilities for autonomous driving. It will be a robust solution in the sensor mix.”
Radar developments have been accelerating thanks to the maturity of the industry. Imaging radar could be the “good enough” solution when it becomes commercially available from 2021.
Through teardowns of a large variety of radar systems, System Plus Consulting, has extracted the main RF chipsets and boards and physically analyzed them. The company has also sectioned the RF boards to point out the various OEMs’ technology and economic choices.
Click here to view the report "Automotive Radar Comparison 2021".
