HELLA, a manufacture of electronic products for the automobile industry has introduced CompactRadar Sensors based on highly innovative 77 GHz RF CMOS radar system chips from NXP Semiconductors. Highly robust, weatherproof radar-based systems are gaining traction as a key way to implement a wide range of safety and comfort functionalities in cars. Radar technology is also becoming pervasive in self-driving vehicle designs, allowing the car to reliably sense its environment. HELLA’s CompactRadar product family is planned to launch in mid-2018.
NXP’s 77 GHz radar system chips based on a RF CMOS process form the core of the CompactRadar Sensors, delivering breakthrough performance and compact form factors. With an innovative system architecture and a very high integration level, this CompactRadar Sensor is roughly the size of a matchbox.
This sensor provides a number of new options for integration, both inside and outside the vehicle. Examples include gesture recognition, as well as a 360-degree perception of the vehicle's exterior surroundings. The latter is essential for automated parking; compared with standard ultrasonic sensors, the CompactRadar Sensor has a larger field of view, better range and higher resolution.
The RFCMOS radar sensor from HELLA takes us another step closer towards enabling self-driving cars. For reliably detecting and classifying objects, car sensors need to offer high performance in a compact design – that’s how the vision of a cocoon radar with a high-resolution and 360-degree surround view can become a reality. Radars will operate alongside V2X, vision, and other sensor technologies for maximum road safety and the convenience of car drivers and passengers. NXP provides a complete semiconductor portfolio for securely connected, self-driving cars.
