The third generation of imaging radar processors has been designed to deliver up to twice the processing power versus the previous generation, as well as offering improved system cost and power efficiency.
In combination with NXP’s mmWave radar transceivers, power management and in-vehicle networking solutions, the S32R47 family meets functional safety ASIL ISO 26262 ASIL B(D) requirements and will help the automotive industry to address new levels of autonomous driving.
According to Yole Intelligence’s Status of the Radar Industry 2024 report, by 2029, approximately 40% of new vehicles on the road will be passenger cars with driving automation Level 2+(L2+)/ Level 3 (L3) as well as an increasing number of vehicles with Level 4 (L4).
Consequently, suppliers will need to improve radar performance in order to deliver safe, advanced autonomy features such as piloted driving or fully automated parking.
“The S32R47 can efficiently process three times, or more, antenna channels in real time than today’s production solutions. It enables improved imaging radar resolution, sensitivity and dynamic range - required by demanding autonomous driving use cases - while still meeting the stringent power and system cost targets set by OEMs for volume production”, said Meindert van den Beld, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Radar & ADAS.
Imaging radar leverages richer point cloud data providing more detailed modelling of the environment and is a key enabler for AI based perception systems which allow for assisted and autonomous driving in the most challenging environmental conditions.
The S32R47 integrates a high-performance multi-core radar processing system, allowing denser point cloud output and enhanced algorithms that enable next-generation ADAS systems. This results in better separability of objects, improved detection reliability and more accurate classification of objects such as vulnerable road users or lost cargo.
Built on the proven technology of two previous generations, this new solution delivers up to 2x the processing performance in the radar MPU in a 38% smaller IC footprint. It also includes AI/ML support for features like enhanced Direction of Arrival (DoA) processing and object classification
NXP’s next generation imaging radar solutions enable new imaging radars with increased scalability in terms of antenna channels and processing capability
NXP’s solution achieves comparable or better performance with up to 89% less antenna channels than many alternative solutions, addressing integration challenges with reduced system cost, size and power consumption
The S32R platform offers a common architecture for software reuse and speedy development along with a high-performance hardware security engine, OTA update support and compliance with the newest cybersecurity standards.