A 130-nm Fusion-Based Deconvolution Kernel Generator IC for Real-Time mmWave Radar Motion Compensation

Abstract

High-resolution mmWave radar represents an attractive sensing modality for precise, real-time sensing on resource-limited edge devices. Inherent parasitic platform motion such as vibration, however, significantly degrades perception resolution. Although existing methods of motion compensation have addressed this issue, such algorithms entail compute-heavy post-processing and thus would not be feasible for short-time-scale operation on a resource-constrained edge device. We present the first known IC-enabled solution for vibratory motion compensation, in the form of a mixed-signal, real-time deconvolution kernel generator chip. The custom IC, implemented in the open-source SkyWater 130-nm technology, functions as a sensor-fusion-based filter generation engine, operating in processing windows of less than 95 ms and fusing synchronized data from an auxiliary accelerometer to synthesize a kernel capable of correcting the received radar signals in real time. Measurement results demonstrate accurate kernel generation, while yielding an average spur suppression of 35 dB across a range of vibration frequencies and amplitudes and 26 dB across measured target velocity. Such performance, in conjunction with the demonstrated operation on short time windows of radar data, validate the chip's potential for realistic deployment in real-time applications requiring high-resolution perception.