Texas Instruments held a media briefing unveiling new semiconductors designed to enhance vehicle safety and intelligence.
The AWR2544 77GHz millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar sensor chip features the industry’s first satellite radar architecture, improving sensor fusion and decision-making capabilities for ADAS, leading to higher levels of autonomy. TI’s new software-programmable driver chips, the DRV3946-Q1 integrated contactor driver and DRV3901-Q1 pyro fuse integrated squib driver, offer built-in diagnostic capabilities and support functional safety for battery management and powertrain systems. TI demonstrated these new products at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, USA.
Brandon Sager, TI’s automotive ADAS radar product marketing manager, stated, “Semiconductor innovations such as these being unveiled at CES this year support the ongoing advancement of automotive systems and contribute to providing a safer experience for drivers.”
Mark Ng, general manager of the hybrid and electric vehicle division, added, “TI is working with automotive manufacturers to create safer vehicles through more reliable and innovative technologies, from advanced driver assistance systems to smarter electric vehicle powertrain systems.”
Many automotive manufacturers are adding more sensors to vehicles to enhance safety and autonomy. The AWR2544 is the industry’s first single-chip radar sensor designed for satellite architecture. In a satellite architecture, the radar sensor outputs semi-processed data to a central processor through a sensor range that extends 360 degrees and sensor fusion algorithms, achieving a high level of vehicle safety.
Additionally, the AWR2544 single-chip radar sensor incorporates the industry’s first Launch-on-Package (LOP) technology. LOP technology mounts 3D waveguide antennas on the opposite side of the printed circuit board, reducing sensor size by up to 30% and extending the sensor range to over 200m with a single chip. Through these capabilities in satellite architecture, automotive manufacturers can enhance ADAS intelligence, increasing the autonomy levels of vehicles and enabling more intelligent decision-making from greater distances. The AWR2544 is the latest product in TI’s radar sensor portfolio, developed for corner, front, imaging, side, and rear radar systems, supporting a broad range of ADAS applications and architectures.
With the trend towards software-centered automotive design, designers face challenges in developing smarter and more advanced battery management systems (BMS). TI’s two new highly integrated, software-programmable driver chips address the requirements for safely and efficiently controlling high-voltage interrupt circuits in BMS or other powertrain systems. Both drivers meet the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26262 functional safety standards and include diagnostic and protection features that can shorten automotive development time.
The DRV3946-Q1 for BMS and other powertrain systems is the industry’s first fully integrated contactor driver. It includes a peak and hold current controller that helps automotive manufacturers enhance system power efficiency, allowing monitoring of contactor status through safety diagnostics.
TI’s DRV3901-Q1 fully integrated squib driver monitors pyro fuses and delivers diagnostic information to the system microcontroller through built-in circuits, implementing an intelligent pyro fuse interrupt system. This approach provides hybrid and electric vehicle BMS engineers flexibility to use pyro fuses while minimizing design complexity, replacing traditional melt fuse systems.
At CES 2024, TI showcased automotive innovations for smarter and safer vehicles, including the AWR2544, DRV3901-Q1, and DRV3946-Q1. In addition to systems innovations for ADAS and BMS design, the latest TI technologies in area architecture, electric vehicle charging, and energy storage were also introduced.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr