Leading developer of advanced SoC solutions, Socionext, has unveiled a new set of radio-wave ranging sensors for smart home applications and IoT devices. The new SC1230 Series of radar sensor products can detect the location and movement of people with high sensitivity without recording images or sounds. This makes them very useful for developing new services and functions while addressing privacy concerns.
Conventional radar sensors require advanced knowledge for handling and are also difficult to install in home-use appliances because of the power consumption and the physical dimensions. Socionext’s expertise in signal processing and circuit design technologies allows the SC1230 Series to achieve ultra-low power consumption in an ultra-compact size at a low cost. Incorporating basic signal processing functions into the sensor device reduces the number of external components, and makes it easier to use without requiring specialized knowledge in signal processing.
With built-in antenna in a compact package of 9 mm x 9 mm and power consumption at 0.5 mW, they can be installed anywhere using battery power. The radar sensors operate at 24.06 - 24.24 GHz and include two products, the SC1232AR3 which measures the presence and the distance of an object, and the SC1233AR3 which can also detect the direction. Users can choose the right product depending on their applications. Socionext will continue to explore the potential of new sensing technologies by developing radar sensor products and proposing new applications and solutions. The company aims at expanding the usage of the products not only for home appliances but also for mobile devices and industrial equipment.
SC1230 Series Overview
It is an all-in-one package radar sensor with built-in antenna, radio circuit, A/D converter and ranging calculation circuit. It comes with built-in motion detection function that detects the distance to an object and flags when movement is detected. After setting up the system from host MCU via I2C/SPI, it can be used simply by reading the detection result. It operates at an average power consumption of approximately 0.5 mW for detection of persons operating at 0.1% duty cycle in motion detection mode.
SC1232AR3/SC1233AR3
Operating Frequency: 24.06 - 24.24 GHz
Package: 9 mm x 9 mm x 1.18 mm BGA, 0.8 mm pitch, 64 pin
Supply Voltage: 1.5V – 1.8V (Core) / 1.8 – 3.3V (I/O)
SC1232AR3: The Digital Beam Shaper feature enables it to select a Field of View of either 120 or 95 degrees. The detection range is 8 m in the front direction.
SC1233AR3: The dual receiving antenna system allows 2D angle detection by using an external MCU. FOV is 120 degrees, and the detection range is 8m in the front direction. For angle detection, it outputs pre-processed data by the built-in circuit, so angle information can be obtained with a simple calculation.
The sensors are available as samples now, with volume production scheduled for the first quarter of 2020. The SC1230 Series Sample Price (When purchasing 100 units) - SC1232AR3: 15.00 US dollar each / SC1233AR3: 16.50 US dollar each.
