Radar systems in trucks and construction vehicles play an important role in increasing the safety of road transport. This is because they monitor blind spots, alert drivers if they come too close to other road users and automatically initiate the braking process in case of emergency. Radar systems make it safe to drive in columns with short following distances. They can do this even at night, with glaring sunlight, during rain, fog or a snowstorm. These active safety systems can prevent accidents between turning trucks and bicyclists or pedestrians. And the necessary increases in productivity in the construction and logistics industries also become reality with chip-based assistance systems: Trucks and construction vehicles reach their destination faster, can be maneuvered more quickly and feature optimal loading and unloading.
Infineon recently presented its latest 24-GHz radar solution, which was developed for the modern, radar-based assistance systems in trucks and construction machines. It is a highly integrated system, which contains not only the 24-GHz radar chip (BGT24ATR12) but also the corresponding AURIX™ microcontroller, specifically customized for radar applications (TC264DA), and the appropriate power supply (TLF35584).
The radar-based assistance systems are becoming smaller and cheaper to install nowadays. By 2020, the number of such systems could increase significantly, not only in the approximately 3.6 million new trucks expected by then, but also in busses, agricultural vehicles, construction and mining machines and in cars.
Infineon’s radar chips send and receive the high-frequency 24-GHz signals and transmit them to the AURIX microcontroller in the radar electronic control unit for further processing. The AURIX ensures the reliable and quick processing of the information, which the radar chip captures around the vehicle and transmits to the driving assistance system.
Because the AURIX is so efficient, 24-GHz radar systems will be more compact, smaller and cheaper than today, since it will be possible to dispense with other chips that were previously needed. These redundant chips include, for example, the digital signal processor, memory chips and various analog-digital converters, which change the radar chip’s analog signals into digital signals that can be processed by the microcontroller.
Infineon will be presenting the 24-GHz developer kit for assistance systems for trucks and construction machines at bauma 2016 in Munich from April 11-17, 2016. The kit can also be used to test the newly developed system.
