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AWR1642BOOST: AWR1642BOOST - Scene always "looks" the same regardless of scene or environment?

James Supancic III
Prodigy 10 points
Part Number: AWR1642BOOST
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: DCA1000EVM,

Tool/software:

Dear fellow engineers, 

I'm using a Texas Instruments AWR1642BOOST with a DCA1000EVM. No matter where I run the DataCaptureDemo_xWR.lua script, the visualization from mmWave Studio always looks like the attached image (with the same one detection to the left of center in the top right plot). I tried running it in a garage, a open field, a park, in my office, pointing directly at a huge six tone truck. The image always looks the same. The adc_data.bin is slightly different at each capture. But the visualization always looks the same despite very different scenes. So, there are a few possibilities:

(1) I'm misunderstanding the visualization. Maybe I need to take the ADC raw data and process it myself to see the differences? 

(2) I'm pointing the sensor the wrong way; in the attached image, I expect the radar to be looking out of my car's trunk and not forwards towards my car's seats? 

(3) I have the radar switches or software settings configured improperly somehow?

(4) Texas Instruments sent me defective hardware?

Since there are many possibilities, I figured I'd ask here for guidance. Thanks in advance! 

Best, James, III

  • 0
    Prodigy 10 points

    This could be related, "Additionally before that, the plot always had a significant return at 5 meters, regardless of the environment. ". I'm still troubleshooting. 

    e2e.ti.com/.../iwr1843boost-mmwave-studio-data-capture-demo-corruption

  • 0 in reply to James Supancic III
    TI__Mastermind 21500 points

    Hi James,

    James Supancic III said:
    No matter where I run the DataCaptureDemo_xWR.lua script, the visualization from mmWave Studio always looks like the attached image (with the same one detection to the left of center in the top right plot).

    Test source is enabled in the lua script. The test source is located at a distance of 5m. This the reason why you are observing an object at 5m in the plot.
    You can comment the following lines -

    Regards,

    Samhitha

  • 0 in reply to Samhitha Bobba
    Prodigy 10 points

    Hi Samantha, 

    Thanks, that solves one mystery.

    However, I still have the same problem with my radar: regardless of where I set it, I always capture the same thing. For example, see the attached image. I expected to detect two cars, however, the results I see in mmWave Studio are the same as if I set the radar in an empty park. 

    Could I have some other option set improperly? Thanks in advance :) 

    Best, James

  • 0 in reply to James Supancic III
    TI__Mastermind 21500 points

    Hi James,

    I don't see such issue. Can you try placing a strong reflector at 2-3m and check? 

    Regards,

    Samhitha

  • 0 in reply to Samhitha Bobba
    Prodigy 10 points

    Hi Samantha, 

    EDIT: Solution for others that come across this post: you must comment out the following (in addition to the EnableTestSource block Samantha mentions):

    if (ar1.SetTestSource(4, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, -327, 0, -327, 327, 327, 327, -2.5, 327, 327, 0, 0, 0, 0, -327, 0, -327,
    327, 327, 327, -95, 0, 0, 0.5, 0, 1, 0, 1.5, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0) == 0) then
        WriteToLog("Test Source Configuration Success\n", "green")
    else
        WriteToLog("Test Source Configuration failure\n", "red")
    end

    What constitutes a strong reflector? This is an automotive RADAR so I assumed a car would stand out? I've attached three different scenarios: car a couple feet from RADAR. Car 1-2 m from RADAR. No Car in scene. I've also attached the RADAR returns. They all look the same? It doesn't seem to be able to detect the car? Or something is wrong?

      


    Best, James

  • 0 in reply to James Supancic III
    TI__Mastermind 21500 points

    Hi James,

    James Supancic III said:
    What constitutes a strong reflector? This is an automotive RADAR so I assumed a car would stand out?

    Car is also a strong reflector. I meant to place it a bit closer as I don't know the distance between the radar and the car.

    Can you run the SDK demo and check the plots in mmWave Demo Visualizer (ti.com)?
    Path: C:\ti\mmwave_sdk_03_06_02_00-LTS\packages\ti\demo\xwr16xx\mmw

    If no objects are detected even in the demo, try checking with another EVM.

    If the demo results are as expected, you can process the ADC data that you have captured using mmWave Studio. Perform 1D FFT and check if you can see a peak at the correct range bin corresponding to the target.

    Regards,

    Samhitha