Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) unveiled its millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar transceiver technology with high-resolution detection at CES 2024. Developed in partnership with Pontosense, the AK581x 60-GHz mmWave radar transceiver addresses two detection challenges in automotive and home safety applications.
The radar transceiver IC delivers accurate, high-resolution detection with automotive-level reliability for wirelessly detecting children left behind in cars within seconds, aiming to surpass current regulations and standards for child presence detection (CPD) worldwide. In addition to child detection, older adults regularly have serious complications from falls, and the radar-based solution supports rapid emergency response. The technology also has applications in home automation, energy efficiency and public safety in smart city infrastructures.
AKM’s mmWave radar module installed in a demo car, compared with an industry-standard module (green). Click for a larger image. (Source: Asahi Kasei Microdevices)
The AK581x radar transceiver features a multi-channel architecture with four receivers and four transmitters and supports a frequency modulation range to 7 GHz (57–64 GHz operating frequency range). This allows for 50-cm isolation performance and a high range resolution as fine as 2.2 cm. Thanks to these features, it provides the capability to detect multiple people separately within a 1-meter range and the simultaneous detection of the respiratory rates and positions of multiple people.
When the radar technology is paired with Pontosense’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) software, the AK581x series delivers the flexibility of different levels of resolution and fields of view, without the need for cameras and microphones.
The AK581x series is available in automotive grade (AK5818) and consumer grade (AK5816) versions. The AK5816 targets consumer electronics and IoT applications. Key features include an integrated selector, enabling the 4Tx/4Rx time division operation to be handled by a single IC for lower power consumption; a built-in radar signal processing function that allows for semi-automatic continuation of radar operation by pin setting, and support for signal processing output via serial communication.
The automotive AK5818 also features four transmit and four receive channels with time-division operation. Digital signal processing is also available. Key features include an all-digital PLL in synthesizer, wideband delta-sigma AD converter, MIPI CSI-2 output, transmit power adjustment function, baseband signal amplitude adjustment and serial interface (SPI or I2C).
Both devices are housed in 115-pin BGA packages. Mass production of the AK5816 is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024, followed by the AK5818 in the fourth quarter of 2024. AKM will demo the radar ICs at CES 2024, LVCC North Hall, Booth #11051.
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