New mmWave Radar Sensors Feature Heat-Spreading Metal Body

Press Release Summary:

  • RS-6843AOP and RS-6843AOPU covers 60 GHz with bandwidths up to 4 GHz and includes 1-inch cube form factor
  • Features 12 dBm transmit power and noise figure 15 dB or improved across the band
  • Applications include driver monitoring, collision avoidance, people counting and tracking

Original Press Release:

D3 Engineering Announces Production-intent Antenna-on-Package mmWave Radar Sensors

Rochester, NY – October 20, 2020 – D3 Engineering, a Texas Instruments platinum design partner, announced their DesignCore® RS-6843AOP and RS-6843AOPU mmWave Radar Sensors. These miniature sensors enable the implementation of many different mmWave radar algorithms to measure, detect, and track. The production-intent sensors feature a 1-inch cube form factor, heat-spreading metal body, and mounting tabs. They may be used with a PC or embedded platform to facilitate field testing, sensing evaluation, algorithm development, and application demonstrations.

Industrial applications supported by these sensors include robotics, autonomous machines, industrial vehicle systems, and facility monitoring. Specific applications include driver monitoring, collision avoidance, and people counting and tracking. The sensors can also be used in many other use cases with a tethered host processor or stand-alone. 

Miniature form factor with a USB-serial interface for testing, evaluation, and deployment 

The sensors feature the TI IWR6843AOP, a single-chip 60-GHz industrial radar sensor integrating a DSP, an MCU, radar accelerator as well as an antenna array built right into the package. The IWR6843AOP RF front end integrates a PLL, three transmitters, four receivers, and a baseband ADC. It covers 60 GHz with bandwidths up to 4 GHz and features 12 dBm transmit power and noise figure 15 dB or better across the band. The processing cores in the IWR6843AOP include a C674x DSP for FMCW signal processing, a hardware accelerator for radar cube processing, and a Cortex-R4F microcontroller for object tracking, classification, and communications. 

The RS-6843AOP features a header for connection to optional baseboards or hosts providing additional interfaces and functionality. Included on this interface are I2C, SPI, GPIO and UART connections. On the other hand, the main interface of the RS-6843AOPU version is a USB-C connector which can act as a power supply input as well as enumerating two serial UARTS, one for console and the other for processed radar returns or other algorithm output. 

The sensors include custom firmware ensuring board support for the latest version of the SDK from TI.

For additional specifications and drawings download the DesignCore RS-x843AOP/RS-x843AOPU mmWave Radar Sensor Datasheet

Pricing and Availability

The DesignCore RS-6843AOPU mmWave Radar Sensor is $349 and available for order online at https://store.d3engineering.com/product/designcore-rs-6843aopu-mmwave-radar-sensor/

About D3 Engineering

D3 Engineering provides embedded electronic design services and ODM products for original equipment manufacturers in the industrial, transportation, infrastructure and commercial sectors. Using its proven DesignCore platforms and stage-gate development process, D3 Engineering helps its partners minimize the cost, schedule, and technical risks of new product development for performance-critical applications. D3 specializes in autonomous systems, edge AI, and robotics, safety and control solutions. The company provides hardware design, firmware design, validation testing, transition to production, and ODM products. Learn more at www.D3Engineering.com.

Editor Contact:
Tom Mayo
Product Manager, Spatial Sensors, D3 Engineering
(585) 429-1550
press@d3engineering.com

Reader Contact:
D3 Engineering
(585) 429-1550
sales@d3engineering.com

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