NXP Unveils 28nm RFCMOS Radar Single-Chip Series
On January 10th, NXP Semiconductors unveiled its latest automotive radar technology, the SAF86xx single-chip series. This innovative solution integrates cutting-edge radar transceivers, multicore radar processors, and MACsec hardware engines, facilitating advanced secure data communication through in-vehicle Ethernet. The SAF86xx, in conjunction with NXP's S32 high-performance processor, in-car network connectivity, and power management, establishes a robust system solution, paving the way for the implementation of advanced software-defined radar in the automotive industry.
This highly integrated radar System-on-Chip (SoC) is anticipated to achieve streaming speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s, efficiently handling large volumes of low-level radar sensor data. This capability supports automotive manufacturers in optimizing the next generation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) zones and facilitates a seamless transition to new architectures. Moreover, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) can effortlessly incorporate new software-defined radar functionalities through wireless Over-The-Air (OTA) updates over the vehicle's lifecycle.
Built on a universal architecture akin to the previously released SAF85xx, the SAF86xx significantly enhances radar sensor capabilities compared to the previous generation 40nm or 45nm products, delivering improved performance on the 28nm RFCMOS. Tier 1 suppliers leveraging this technology can create more compact and energy-efficient radar sensors with a detection range extending beyond 300m. This ensures reliable detection of small objects such as curbs, as well as vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians, offering comprehensive safety for both drivers and other road users.
Prominent automotive electronic components supplier HELLA plans to develop its seventh-generation radar product portfolio based on NXP's SoC series. This encompasses various versions of front, rear, corner, and side radars. Dr. Dietmar Stapel, Vice President and Radar Project Manager at HELLA, expressed confidence in the partnership with NXP, emphasizing the successful collaboration over the past decade. Leveraging NXP's radar SoC series, HELLA aims to enhance its market position and provide radar solutions for all supported functions, including Level 4 autonomous driving.
The new-generation single-chip radar supports NCAP safety features, including emergency braking and blind-spot detection. It also facilitates advanced ADAS and autonomous driving applications, covering SAE Level 2 and 3 advanced comfort features such as traffic jam assistance, high-speed cruise control, parking assistance, and warnings for cross-traffic in the front and rear, as well as lateral and rear collision prevention.
Steffen Spannagel, Senior Vice President and ADAS General Manager at NXP Semiconductors, highlighted that the SAF86xx radar single-chip series allows OEMs to smoothly transition their current radar platforms to new software-defined automotive architectures. With radar sensors featuring software-defined capabilities connected into a vast network and utilizing dedicated S32R radar processors in a distributed architecture, it enhances radar-based perception capabilities, providing support for the development of autonomous driving technologies, including 360-degree sensing, robust artificial intelligence algorithms, and secure OTA software updates.
The comprehensive SAF8xxx series, comprising the new SAF86xx and SAF85xx, can be tailored for various OEM use cases. It supports a range of sensor outputs, including object, point cloud, or distance FFT-level data for edge computing sensors in today's architecture and distributed streaming sensors in future distributed architectures.
