Reliable object detection
Bosch presents new SoC for ADAS applications
The new radar sensors use artificial intelligence for improved environmental perception.
Bosch
Bosch injects momentum into radar technology: With new SoCs, the supplier aims to combine computing power, AI capability, and compact integration to equip assistance systems for the next level of automated mobility.
Driver assistance systems are at the heart of the current technological transformation in the automotive industry towards increasingly automated and autonomous mobility. A key component of this transformation is powerful radar sensors that equip vehicles with innovative functions. For example, they reliably detect objects or other road users in traffic and thus play an essential role in the safety of future mobility. The core of modern radar sensors is powerful system-on-chips (SoC), i.e., integrated circuits that combine a variety of functions of electronic systems in one component. The decisive advantage here: with the help of the SoC approach, powerful radar sensors can be produced cost-effectively.
Bosch looks back on 25 years of experience in the field of radar sensors and, based on this wealth of experience, now presents two new SoCs: The SX600 and the SX601 are intended to optimise a variety of advanced driver assistance functions that fall under SAE Level 2+ for vehicle autonomy in the future. For example, the automatic emergency braking function reduces the risk of rear-end collisions. Other applications include adaptive cruise control, blind spot object detection, and lane change assist.
Digital signal processing for greater range
Automotive customers and distributors can obtain these SoCs directly from Bosch. According to Bosch, the two new chips feature a fast-responding, fully digital PLL (Phase-locked Loop). This is a control loop that uses digital components to adjust the frequency and phase of an output signal to the frequency and phase of an input signal. The digital PLL is therefore more precise, flexible, and better integrable than an analogue PLL. This PLL also generates a highly flexible output signal, enabling a high range and resolution. The integrated radar receiver additionally offers a high dynamic range for optimised object detection. This makes them highly sensitive even to small and distant targets. The error rate is also significantly lower than with other radar sensors.
However, this radar detection necessarily requires higher computing power. Bosch manufactures the two new radar SoCs using 22 nm RF-CMOS technology. This semiconductor technology is intended to enable the complete integration of the SoCs at low cost and approximately 30 percent greater range compared to market-standard sensors. The multicore subsystem offers sufficient storage space and computing power to integrate customer functions directly on the chip. There is also sufficient scope for future expansions.
Interface diversity for modern vehicle architectures
The chips are also equipped with a millimetre wave sensor frontend (mmWave) and a digital signal processor for conventional or AI-based data processing. The millimetre wave sensor frontend is the interface between the real world and digital processing - and thus crucial for the functionality and accuracy of the entire mmWave sensor system. The high computing power supports complex recognition algorithms and artificial intelligence based on neural networks. These functions allow the ADAS system, among other things, to reliably distinguish between pedestrians and other objects, according to Bosch.
The SX600 and SX601 operate in the 77 GHz frequency band. Both SoCs have CAN XL and Ethernet interfaces for flexible connection to the vehicle system. Hardware-based security accelerators and data encryption are intended to prevent unauthorised access. While the SX600 is designed for cost efficiency, the SX601 offers more storage space and higher computing power. Both sensors are equipped with four transmit and four receive channels each. For applications with even higher requirements, Bosch offers a cascading solution of two interconnected chips. Samples of the SX601 for development and testing purposes are already available to customers worldwide.
This article was first published
at automotiveit.eu
