A SiGe transceiver chipset for automotive radar applications using wideband modulation sequences

Abstract

This paper presents a W-band MIMO radar transceiver chipset for automotive applications, based on a Silicon Germanium technology. It consists of a reference VCO, operating at a center frequency of 38 GHz and a companion IC that comprises a complete millimeter-wave transceiver at 76 GHz. This chipset enables building multipurpose MIMO radar systems that can be scaled in terms of transmitter and receiver count. What makes this system innovative is the fact that it is able to handle more broadband signals than systems presented in current literature and is furthermore not limited to one modulation scheme. The chipset is capable of transmitting and receiving any signal waveform. The main goal of this work was to create a functional version of a VCO and a one-channel transceiver MMIC. Furthermore a demonstrator for a proof of concept was designed to test the MMICs on a system level. The realized VCO MMIC achieves a tuning frequency range of 6 GHz with a center frequency of 38 GHz and consumes 152 mW from a 3.3 V supply. The transceiver MMIC is fully functional and achieves a saturated output power of 11.5 dBm while drawing 670 mW from a 3.3 V supply.

Connecting the Automotive Bands of Present and Future With a Tag for Inharmonic Radar at 76–81/134–141 GHz

“…Utilizing the output of both latches provides the required IQ signals [29]. A buffer amplifies each before acting as one input of the corresponding mixer, both of which consist of the same Gilbert-cell with an inductive load, similar to [30].…”

Expanding the Capabilities of Automotive Radar for Bicycle Detection With Harmonic RFID Tags at 79/158 GHz

“…The architecture is based on one VCO generating the LO signal and thus the frequency ramps shared by all the transceiver MMICs. This concept is MIMO-scalable and is presented in [22]. All the MMICs are manufactured in Infineon's 130-nm B11HFC SiGe:C technology with an f T = 250 GHz and f max = 370 GHz.…”

“…The VCO itself is also based on the design presented in [22]. Its tunable bandwidth is subharmonic to the automotive band and extends from 34 to 41 GHz.…”

“…The fundamental transceiver is an improved version of the transceiver presented in [22]. Two TX and two RX channels at the fundamental frequency are realized on one MMIC, as illustrated in Fig.…”

Design and Optimization for 77 GHz Series-Fed Patch Array Antenna Based on Genetic Algorithm

“…Different types of antennas have been designed for 77 GHz automotive radars. However, patch antennas are still the most popular ones [3][4][5] due to their low profile, low cost, and excellent compatibility with integrated circuits. A single patch antenna performs low-gain characteristic [6].…”