Project Number:
08-02
Research Project:
Low
– Cost Object Detection RF CMOS Sensor Development for Active Safety Systems
P.I. Name & Address:
Hossein Hashemi
Department
of Electrical Engineering
E-mail: hossein@usc.edu
Telephone: (213)
740 - 3596
FAX: (213)
740 – 8677
Project Objective:
The objectives of the proposed research is to (1) develop a
low-cost automotive sensor prototype based on radio frequency (RF) ultra wideband
(UWB) CMOS technology for short range (< 30 m) high resolution (< 5 cm)
object detection and (2) test the prototype sensor in a multi-object scattering
environment in order to develop the requirements for active safety. Therefore,
the successful outcome of this project will be to advance technology and expand
knowledge regarding the applicability of this technology to accident scenarios.
Extensive research indicates that a new technology, broadly
referred to as Active Safety, can be enabled that couples vehicle controls and
driver warnings with sensing and communications. These safety systems actively
sense the environment and warn the driver or even take over the control of
vehicle momentarily to reduce the likelihood of collision. Active safety roadmap
applications include hard braking, sensing and mitigation, sensing and warning,
stop and go adaptive cruise control, park assist, blind spot merge, side impact
sensing and pedestrian detection and protection. In vehicle sensing technology
based on radar, lidar, sonar, infra-red, and video imaging are likely to become
commonplace in future cars. Communication technologies such as Dedicated Short
Range Communications (DSRC) will enhance these in-vehicle sensing technologies
through vehicle-infrastructure communication in an Intelligent Transportation
System (ITS) to enable a further layer of safety [4].
There are strong technological and economical reasons
indicating that a multi-modal sensing scheme in vehicles offers more promise
for future cars. The favorable features of a radar-based sensor over lidar or
video are the ability to operate at night and poor weather conditions, real
time processing of objects, high resolution, and potentially low cost.
Therefore, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated a wide
frequency spectrum around 24 GHz (22-29 GHz) for automotive radar applications
Many other countries including the European Union have also
approved, albeit temporarily, this frequency band for commercial vehicular use.
The FCC allocated frequency band allows using the ultra wideband (UWB)
technology to achieve a higher resolution for short range vehicular sensing
applications such as blind spot detection, side and rear impact sensing, and
pedestrian detection and protection. Currently, there is only one supplier that
develops such UWB sensors for the high-end automotive industry due to the usage
of an expensive semiconductor technology and primitive radar architecture.
The PI’s research group at the University of Southern California
has recently developed an UWB radar integrated circuit based on a low-cost RF
CMOS technology [25][26]. An automotive sensor based on these RF CMOS radar
chips is expected to have a 10x lower production cost compared to existing
systems enabling their widespread deployment. In addition, these high
performance sensors significantly reduce the rate of false alarms in a dynamic
scattering environment by using the phased array, aka, electronically
scanned arrays or beam-forming array, radar technology.
This proposed research will focus on developing a high
performance sensor prototype based on the UWB RF CMOS chips that will be used
toward a feasibility study of this technology for active safety. It addresses
the safety and security issues of large metropolitan areas including pedestrian
safety, reduction of crash risks, public transit safety, and safety and risk
mitigation.
|
Task Descriptions: |
M11 – M12 |
|
Milestone Description Date |
1. Designing UWB planar antenna array at 24GHz |
|
3. Radar sensor measurements (chip + antenna) in
anechoic chamber |
4. Radar chip characterization under various
environmental effects such as extreme temperatures |
|
6. System level simulation of
the UWB radar based sensor 7. Design, implement, and
test the radar waveform generator (pulse generator + T/R switch) 8. Design, implement, and
test the radar receiver 9. Design, implement, and
test the circuitry for digital-to-analog converters (DAC) and
analog-to-digital converters (ADC) for interface between the CMOS chip and
computer (or DSP chip) 10. Integrate the sensor
(CMOS chip + antenna array + RF switches + DAC/ADC) 11. Test the sensor prototype
(RF tests) 12. Sensor characterization
in scattering environment (extracting requirements and feasibility study) M1 M1 M2 M2 M2–M3 |
M3 M4 M5 M6 M7–M8 M9 – M10 M11 – M12 |
Milestones, Dates:
September 1, 2007 – August 31, 2008
Total Budget:
$35,000
Student Involvement:
One Student @ 50%
effort, 8.5 months
Relationship to Other Research Projects:
Related to 05-01, 04-03. Part of Safety,
Security and Vulnerability focus area.
Technology Transfer Activities:
Project report
posted on the website
Potential Benefits of the Project:
Development of
automotive sensors will reduce vehicle accidents and improve pedestrian and
transit safety.
TRB Keywords:
Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS), Multi-Modal, Active Safety, Radar