AWR1843BOOST: MMWave Studio radar beamforming

Hi again, 

I found this lua script which does the beamforming to point to 1 angle. I was hoping to just get some tips on how to get it to point to two angles (-20 and 20 degrees). I was thinking of using 2 Chirp Phase Shifter Configs to go between these two angles but i'm not sure if this would work or how to implement that. Any help with how to alter the code for my purpose would be appreciated. Thanks again.

BSS_FW = "C:\\ti\\mmwave_dfp_01_02_00_01\\rf_eval\\rf_eval_firmware\\radarss\\xwr18xx_radarss_rprc.bin"
MSS_FW = "C:\\ti\\mmwave_dfp_01_02_00_01\\rf_eval\\rf_eval_firmware\\masterss\\xwr18xx_masterss_rprc.bin"


file_path = "C:\\ti\\raw_data_capture"

adc_data_path1 = file_path.."\\AOP_adc_data_profile_bf.bin"
raw_data_path1 = file_path.."\\AOP_adc_data_profile_bf_Raw_0.bin"
pkt_log_path1  = file_path.."\\AOP_profile_bf_pktlogfile.txt"

COM_PORT = 6

--reset and connect
ar1.FullReset()
ar1.SOPControl(2)
ar1.Connect(COM_PORT,921600,1000)

--download BSS FW
if (ar1.DownloadBSSFw(BSS_FW) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("BSS FW Download Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("BSS FW Download failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- Download MSS FW
if (ar1.DownloadMSSFw(MSS_FW) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("MSS FW Download Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("MSS FW Download failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- SPI Connect
if (ar1.PowerOn(1, 1000, 0, 0) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("Power On Success\n", "green")
else
   WriteToLog("Power On failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- RF Power UP
if (ar1.RfEnable() == 0) then
    WriteToLog("RF Enable Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("RF Enable failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- Channel Config
if (ar1.ChanNAdcConfig(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 0) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("ChanNAdcConfig Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("ChanNAdcConfig failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- LDO Bypass Enable
ar1.RfLdoBypassConfig(0x3)

-- ADC Config
if (ar1.LPModConfig(0, 0) == 0) then
	WriteToLog("Regualar mode Cfg Success\n", "green")
else
	WriteToLog("Regualar mode Cfg failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- Enable Per Chirp Phase Shifter
if (ar1.SetMiscConfig(1) == 0) then
	WriteToLog("Per Chirp Phase Shifter Enable Success\n", "green")
else
	WriteToLog("Per Chirp Phase Shifter Enable failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- RF Init
if (ar1.RfInit() == 0) then
    WriteToLog("RfInit Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("RfInit failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(1000)

-- Data Path Config
if (ar1.DataPathConfig(513, 1216644097, 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 (ar1.LVDSLaneConfig(0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("LVDSLaneConfig Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("LVDSLaneConfig failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- Profile Config
if (ar1.ProfileConfig(0, 77, 100, 6, 60, 0, 6, 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
if (ar1.ChirpConfig(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("ChirpConfig Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("ChirpConfig failure\n", "red")
end
if (ar1.FrameConfig(0, 0, 8, 128, 40, 0, 1) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("FrameConfig Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("FrameConfig failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- Configure Chirp Based Phase Shifter
if (ar1.SetPerChirpPhaseShifterConfig(0, 0, 0, 23, 45) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("Chirp Based Phase Shifter Configuration Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("Chirp Based Phase Shifter Configuration failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(500)

-- Connect DCA1000
if (ar1.SelectCaptureDevice("DCA1000") == 0) then
    WriteToLog("SelectCaptureDevice Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("SelectCaptureDevice failure\n", "red")
end
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
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
if (ar1.CaptureCardConfig_PacketDelay(100) == 0) then
    WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_PacketDelay Success\n", "green")
else
    WriteToLog("CaptureCardConfig_PacketDelay failure\n", "red")
end
RSTD.Sleep(1000)

----------------------------- Capture 1 -----------------------------
--Start Record ADC data
ar1.CaptureCardConfig_StartRecord(adc_data_path1, 1)
RSTD.Sleep(1000)

--Trigger frame
ar1.StartFrame()
RSTD.Sleep(15000)

--Packet reorder utility processing the Raw_ADC_data
WriteToLog("Please wait for a few seconds for Packet reorder utility processing .....!!!! \n", "green")
ar1.PacketReorderZeroFill(raw_data_path1, adc_data_path1, pkt_log_path1)
RSTD.Sleep(10000)
WriteToLog("Packet reorder utility processing done.....!!!! \n", "green")

HI, 

Please refer to the previous e2e thread:

(+) IWR6843ISK: BeamSteering Question - Sensors forum - Sensors - TI E2E support forums

Best,

Zigang

Hi,

That thread does not use mmwave studio like I am so it was not really helpful for my case. I'm currently using the lua script I sent that steers the radar into one direction using phase shifter for three transmitters. It seems to work and I can view the signal in the PostProc. I'm using the raw adc data however for my project and I usually convert the binary file to an array using the matlab code provided in texas instrument documentation. I was wondering if you could point me to some documentation that describes how the data is stored in raw adc format when we use the phase shifter so that i may alter the matlab code to convert the bianary data into my usual array. Thanks.

Hi, there:

Glad that you were able to figure out how to program phase shifter.  The binary data format can be found at figure 11 at below document: 

https://www.ti.com/lit/an/swra581b/swra581b.pdf

Best,

Zigang

Thank you! Can I just ask a question for clarification when processing the raw adc data. When I enable the phase shifter, with all the transmitters activated at once with the phase shift values applied, as well as all the receivers activated, I'm assuming I'll get 4 "channels" as opposed to the usual case in TDM MIMO where the TXRX pairs result in 12 channels. Is my assumption correct and if it is, does that mean that data is stored as stated in the document with each RX following each other (as in RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3)? Would I be correct in using the below code to process the data when using the Phase Shifter config? Sorry for all the questions, I've just previously worked with TDM MIMO with all the 12 channels activated so i'm trying to make sense of how this new way of recording data is stored. Thanks for the help.

%%% This script is used to read the binary file produced by the DCA1000
%%% and Mmwave Studio
%%% Command to run in Matlab GUI - readDCA1000('<ADC capture bin file>') 

function [retVal] = readDCA1000(fileName)
%% global variables
% change based on sensor config

numADCSamples = 2048; % number of ADC samples per chirp
numADCBits    = 16;   % number of ADC bits per sample
numRX         = 4;    % number of receivers
numLanes      = 2;    % do not change. number of lanes is always 2
isReal        = 0;    % set to 1 if real only data, 0 if complex data

%% read file
% open and read .bin file containing ADC data

% open the adc_data.bin file
fid     = fopen(fileName, 'r');

% read the adc data in the file
% and represent it using signed 16-bit integer precision
adcData = fread(fid, 'int16');

% if the ADC is set to 12 or 14 bits per sample, compensate for sign extension
if numADCBits ~= 16
    l_max = 2^(numADCBits-1)-1;
    adcData(adcData > l_max) = adcData(adcData > l_max) - 2^numADCBits;
end

% close the adc_data.bin file
fclose(fid);

% fileSize is the total number of data samples in the adc_data.bin file
fileSize = size(adcData, 1);
% fileSize = 2*512*255*514*4; %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

% perform reshaping for the real data
% for real data, filesize = numADCSamples*numChirps*numRx
if (isReal == 1)
    numChirps = fileSize/numADCSamples/numRX;
    LVDS = zeros(1, fileSize);
    
    %create column for each chirp
    LVDS = reshape(adcData, numADCSamples*numRX, numChirps);
    
    %each row is data from one chirp
    LVDS = LVDS.';
else
    % for complex data
    % complex data consists of both the in-phase component (I) and the quadrature phase component (Q)
    % therefore, filesize = 2 * numADCSamples*numChirps*numRx

    numChirps = fileSize/2/numADCSamples/numRX;
    
    % because Rx0I(0) will be combined with Rx0Q(0) to form one complex number -> Rx0I(0) + jRx0Q(0)
    % each receiver in LVDS will have half the number of entries it has in adcData 
    LVDS      = zeros(1, fileSize/2);
    
    %combine real and imaginary part into complex data
    %read in file: 2I is followed by 2Q
    counter = 1;
    
    % recall that in the adc_data.bin file, data is stored as follows:
    % Rx0I(0)
    % Rx0I(1)
    % Rx0Q(0)
    % Rx0Q(1) etc
    for i=1:4:fileSize-1
        LVDS(1,counter)   = adcData(i) + sqrt(-1)*adcData(i+2); % sqrt(-1) = j 
        LVDS(1,counter+1) = adcData(i+1)+sqrt(-1)*adcData(i+3); % sqrt(-1) = j
        
        % every block of four samples Rx0I(0), Rx0I(1), Rx0Q(0) and Rx0Q(1)
        % produces 2 complex samples, hence the counter increments by 2
        counter = counter + 2;
    end
    
    % at this point, LVDS is one long 1x(fileSize/2) row vector
    
    % create column for each chirp
    LVDS = reshape(LVDS, numADCSamples*numRX, numChirps);
    %each row is data from one chirp
    LVDS = LVDS.';
end

% organize data per RX
% Each row in adcData will represent data from a single receiver 
adcData = zeros(numRX, numChirps*numADCSamples);

for row = 1:numRX
    for i = 1:numChirps
        adcData(row, (i-1)*numADCSamples+1:i*numADCSamples) = LVDS(i, (row-1)*numADCSamples+1:row*numADCSamples);
    end
end

% return receiver data
retVal = adcData;

HI, there:

Yes, you are right.  You will no longer have 12 visual antennas as TDM mode.  For TX beamforming, you will only have 4 total receive channels. 

We can not review your MATLAB code,  you can plot your ADC samples cross chirps to see whether they are close to each other.  You can also plot the range-doppler FFT output and see whether the peak signal align with your point target used for testing.  That are the methods I usually use for verify my data parsing script. 

Best,

Zigang