New Freescale microcontroller and 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset for mainstrea ming automotive radar 25 June 2013

Freescale Semiconductor has released its new Qorivva MPC577xK microcontroller (M CU) and MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset which provide the embedded tech nology for affordable radar-based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) solu tions with fewer components, helping increase adoption in mainstream vehicles. The Qorivva MPC577xK MCU provides the highest level of digital and analog integr ation in a single-chip solution for radar applications, removing up to four addi tional major printed circuit board (PCB) components and reducing system-level co st, PCB space and software complexity. The MCU also provides high performance for intense computational tasks with key integrated digital accelerators and features an advanced signal processing toolb ox that contains all of the hardware modules required for processing sampled sig nals from short-, medium- and long-range radar applications. These features of t he Qorivva MPC577xK MCU will help enable adoption of radar-based ADAS in more ma instream vehicles, Freescale suggests. The MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset provides a comprehensive, high-perf ormance radar transceiver featuring low power consumption and exceptional VCO ph ase noise, enabling precise discrimination of objects. The chipset supports fast modulation with simultaneous active channels, enabling excellent spatial resolution and detection accuracy. The MRD2001 is housed in a dvanced packaging technology that provides extremely low insertion loss and para sitics at frequencies up to 100 GHz. The packaged chipset simplifies the end use r s assembly of the radar module since there is no need for chip and wire assembly techniques for bare die. Furthermore, the chipset is readily scalable up to four TX channels and 12 RX ch annels, enabling a single radar platform capable of electronic beam steering acr oss a wide field of view to support long-range, mid-range and short-range radar applications over the full range of budget to luxury vehicles. In addition to ADAS, Freescale s Qorivva MPC577xK MCU and MRD2001 77 GHz radar tra nsceiver chipset solution are applicable for a broad range of industrial and eme rging consumer applications, such as gesture sensing, safety curtains, security systems and location positioning. Freescale s Qorivva MPC577xK MCU and MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipset are now available in sample quantities. Background. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recent ly proposed a number of changes to its five-star safety program, signaling that automakers may soon be required to prevent crashes altogether. Many automakers a re working to meet this new standard by the year 2016 and are currently testing solutions that will allow them to achieve the highest level of safety while also providing the advanced technology and convenience features consumers expect. Performance data from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) sugg ests that safety systems, such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), can reduce accidents by up to 27% and can lead to a considerable reduction in road injurie s. Euro NCAP plans to incorporate the AEB assessment for cars sold in Europe int o its five star rating scheme beginning 2014. Using Freescale s Qorivva MPC577xK MCU and MRD2001 77 GHz radar transceiver chipse t, automakers can implement long-range and mid-range frontal radar for adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking systems, as well as manage blind

spot and side-impact detection through a single, scalable, multi-channel soluti on. Designers can pair the radar transceiver chipset with the Qorivva MCU to achieve a total system solution for both low-end and high-end radar modules. By utilizi ng a single, scalable solution, automakers can avoid purchasing and reconfigurin g various solutions across vehicle models, saving time and material costs. ADAS solutions continue to proliferate and are no longer exclusive to high-end l uxury vehicles. Automakers are now looking to implement these sophisticated safe ty features across their entire lineups and, to do so, they need more integrated , cost-optimized solutions. Freescale s radar solution offers automakers virtually everything they need for sc alable ADAS applications, as no other semiconductor or components are needed to complete the system. This will enable consumers to benefit from safer, more adva nced and reliable vehicles beyond the luxury market. Ian Riches, Director Global Automotive Practice, Strategy Analytics