IWR6843: Lost frames between two files

Hello Reda,

Thankyou for letting us know your observations. 

Yes, you're right. DCA1000 captures the data in a new file after every 1GB of raw data collection. 

Can you comment a little more on the issue here: 

What were the number of frames programmed? and how many of them were lost?  Is this number always fixed or varies based on the number of times you do this experiment?

How were you able to figure out the lost frames? Have you tried changing the chirp configuration and if yes, does it get better or worsens? 

Sorry for a lot of questions here. I'm just trying to investigate the issue. 

Regards,

Ishita

Hello Ishita,

Thank you for the response. 

I will answer  your questions in the same order:

1. I don't fix the number of frames to collect. I am doing human activity recognition and trying to record some scenarios. I stop the radar using mmWave studio when the participant finishes the scenario.

I don't know exactly how many frames are lost. But I think the number of lost frames is the same.

2. I figured out the lost frames from the time doppler map. There is a discontinuity (as shown in images) in the signature. This discontinuity happens only when the program do a transition from a 1GB file to the next one.

I don't want to change the configuration. Since this configuration is the right one for my use case, and all the processing pipeline is adapted to it.

Kind regards,

Reda

This is the Lua file:

-- define some variables
-- FramecConfig
CHIRP_LOOP = 100 --default 32 loops --max of 255 (for 256 loops [0-255])
FRAME_PERIOD = 50 --default 100ms
FRAME_COUNT = 0 -- infite count is 0

--BSS and MSS firmware download
info = debug.getinfo(1,'S');
file_path = (info.source);
file_path = string.gsub(file_path, "@","");
file_path = string.gsub(file_path, "DataCapture_Config.lua","");
fw_path = file_path.."..\\..\\rf_eval_firmware"

-- Manually specify partId
partId = 6843

--ADC_Data file path
-- data_path = file_path.."..\\PostProc\\adcCapture_5"
--adc_data_path = data_path.."\\adc_data.bin"
-- adc_data_path = data_path.."\\meas_x.bin"
-- adc_data_path = data_path.."\\recon_asc1.bin"

-- 19May2021
data_path = file_path.."..\\PostProc\\adcCapture"
adc_data_path = data_path.."\\test2x_1.bin"

-- -- Download Firmware

-- -- Download BSS Firmware

-- -- Download MSS Firmware

-- -- SPI Connect

-- -- RF Power UP

-- -------------does reconfiguration start from here?

-- StaticConfig Tab
-- if (ar1.ChanNAdcConfig(1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 0) == 0) then -- default
if (ar1.ChanNAdcConfig(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 0) == 0) then --asc
WriteToLog("ChanNAdcConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("ChanNAdcConfig failure\n", "red")
end

if (partId == 1642) then
if (ar1.LPModConfig(0, 1) == 0) then
WriteToLog("LPModConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("LPModConfig failure\n", "red")
end
else
if (ar1.LPModConfig(0, 0) == 0) then
WriteToLog("Regualar mode Cfg Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("Regualar mode Cfg failure\n", "red")
end
end

if (ar1.RfInit() == 0) then
WriteToLog("RfInit Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("RfInit failure\n", "red")
end

RSTD.Sleep(1000)

-- DataConfig Tab
if (ar1.DataPathConfig(1, 1, 0) == 0) then
WriteToLog("DataPathConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("DataPathConfig failure\n", "red")
end

if (ar1.LvdsClkConfig(1, 1) == 0) then
WriteToLog("LvdsClkConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("LvdsClkConfig failure\n", "red")
end

if((partId == 1642) or (partId == 1843) or (partId == 6843)) then
if (ar1.LVDSLaneConfig(0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0) == 0) then
WriteToLog("LVDSLaneConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("LVDSLaneConfig failure\n", "red")
end
elseif ((partId == 1243) or (partId == 1443)) then
if (ar1.LVDSLaneConfig(0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0) == 0) then
WriteToLog("LVDSLaneConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("LVDSLaneConfig failure\n", "red")
end
end

-- -- skip performing TestSource

-- SensorConfig Tab
if((partId == 1642) or (partId == 1843)) then
if(ar1.ProfileConfig(0, 77, 100, 6, 60, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 29.982, 0, 256, 5000, 0, 0, 30) == 0) then
WriteToLog("ProfileConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("ProfileConfig failure\n", "red")
end
elseif((partId == 1243) or (partId == 1443)) then
if(ar1.ProfileConfig(0, 77, 100, 6, 60, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 29.982, 0, 256, 10000, 0, 0, 30) == 0) then
WriteToLog("ProfileConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("ProfileConfig failure\n", "red")
end
elseif(partId == 6843) then
-- VCO_0: 0
-- VCO_1: 131072
-- if(ar1.ProfileConfig(0, 60.25, 100, 6, 60, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 29.982, 0, 256, 10000, 0, 131072, 30) == 0) then
if(ar1.ProfileConfig(0, 60, 100, 6, 50, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 80, 0, 256, 6000, 3, 196610, 30) == 0) then --asc on VCO_0
WriteToLog("ProfileConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("ProfileConfig failure\n", "red")
end
end

-- ProfileConfig has been speficied in previous statements, but if needed (say if partId is not stated), uncomment follow statements
-- if(ar1.ProfileConfig(0, 60.25, 100, 6, 60, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 29.982, 0, 256, 10000, 0, 131072, 30) == 0) then
-- WriteToLog("ProfileConfig Success\n", "green")
-- else
-- WriteToLog("ProfileConfig failure\n", "red")
-- end

-- if (ar1.ChirpConfig(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0) == 0) then --default
if (ar1.ChirpConfig(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0) == 0) then -- asc.chirp0
WriteToLog("ChirpConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("ChirpConfig failure\n", "red")
end

if (ar1.ChirpConfig(1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0) == 0) then -- asc.chirp1
WriteToLog("ChirpConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("ChirpConfig failure\n", "red")
end

if (ar1.ChirpConfig(2, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1) == 0) then -- asc.chirp2
WriteToLog("ChirpConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("ChirpConfig failure\n", "red")
end

-- -- TestSource not performed
-- ar1.DisableTestSource(0)
-- if (ar1.EnableTestSource(1) == 0) then
-- WriteToLog("Enabling Test Source Success\n", "green")
-- else
-- WriteToLog("Enabling Test Source failure\n", "red")
-- end
-- frameCfg 0 2 32 0 100 1 0
-- if (ar1.FrameConfig(0, 0, 8, 128, 40, 0, 0, 1) == 0) then
if (ar1.FrameConfig(0, 2, FRAME_COUNT, CHIRP_LOOP, FRAME_PERIOD, 0, 0, 1) == 0) then --asc -- infite frame count
-- -- frameCount to be set to 0(infite frames) in deployement
WriteToLog("FrameConfig Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("FrameConfig failure\n", "red")
end

-- DCAConfig and DataCapture
-- select Device type
if (ar1.SelectCaptureDevice("DCA1000") == 0) then
WriteToLog("SelectCaptureDevice Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("SelectCaptureDevice failure\n", "red")
end

--DATA CAPTURE CARD API
if (ar1.CaptureCardConfig_EthInit("192.168.33.30", "192.168.33.180", "12:34:56:78:90:12", 4096, 4098) == 0) then
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_EthInit Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_EthInit failure\n", "red")
end

--AWR12xx or xWR14xx-1, xWR16xx or xWR18xx or xWR68xx- 2 (second parameter indicates the device type)
if ((partId == 1642) or (partId == 1843) or (partId == 6843)) then
if (ar1.CaptureCardConfig_Mode(1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 30) == 0) then
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_Mode Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_Mode failure\n", "red")
end
elseif ((partId == 1243) or (partId == 1443)) then
if (ar1.CaptureCardConfig_Mode(1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 30) == 0) then
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_Mode Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_Mode failure\n", "red")
end
end

if (ar1.CaptureCardConfig_PacketDelay(25) == 0) then
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_PacketDelay Success\n", "green")
else
WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_PacketDelay failure\n", "red")
end

--Start Record ADC data
ar1.CaptureCardConfig_StartRecord(adc_data_path, 1)
RSTD.Sleep(1000)

--Trigger frame
ar1.StartFrame()
-- RSTD.Sleep(5000)

Hello Reda, 

I'm not completely sure if this discontinuity in the time doppler map corresponds to that. 

I would like to request for some more time to analyze your situation and then come to a conclusion. Is it okay if I get back to you early next week on this? 

Regards,

Ishita

Hello Ishita,

That is ok for me. Thank you for the notice.

kind regards, 

Reda

Hello Reda, 

Thankyou for your patience. 

There is a possibility that the PC is dropping some data packets. We have not tried to look at the continuity between different files since mmwave studio can process only one file. 

For now can you increase the inter packet delay on the DCA1000 to see if that helps ? 

Regards,

Ishita