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IWR1443:Level radar

? ??
Prodigy 10 points
Part Number: IWR1443
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: IWR6843

Tool/software:

I am working on a level detection application using the IWR1443 module. I am making modifications based on the high accuracy demo and using this demo as a foundation.

I observed that the maximum range for the IWR1443 is 20 meters. I believe this range limitation is based on a software constraint (as mentioned in previous forum posts). In the TI level radar application video, it was stated that it can reach up to 100 meters, especially with a lens. If I use a lens, can I measure up to 100 meters with the same software?

I want to increase this range. After researching in forums and documents, I have reached the following conclusions:

  1. Antenna Properties
    With a high-gain antenna and a lens, I can measure longer distances by reducing the FOV angles. The setup has two patch antennas (1TX/1RX), and the PCB layout is roughly shown in the image. Is it possible to achieve a 4GHz bandwidth with an antenna in the image for the 77-81GHz frequency range? I am getting a narrower bandwidth in the S(1,1) graph.

  1. Extending Chirp Duration
    When the chirp duration is increased, the ADC data collection time will also increase, so the time for the signal to travel will be extended. This could help detect longer distances. However, some forum posts mention that this does not work. This may be due to the FFT size limitation.
    If I increase the chirp duration, do I also need to increase the frame duration? How can I change the number of ADC samples?

  2. Increasing FFT Size
    I noticed that for IWR1443, the FFT size is limited by #define MAX_FFT1D_SIZE (1024). If I set this to 2048, will the code still work properly? Will there be enough memory? What is the maximum FFT size?

  3. Optimizing Bandwidth
    Increasing the bandwidth may improve range resolution.
    Does increasing the bandwidth also extend the chirp duration? If the chirp duration increases, will the ADC measurement time increase? Do I need to manually adjust these parameters?

  4. Transmission Power of the Tx Antenna
    Is the transmission power of the Tx antenna fixed, or can it be increased through software?

  5. Which module do you recommend for a level measurement application, the IWR1443 or the IWR6843?

  • 0
    TI__Expert 4180 points

    Hi,

    Please allow me a couple of days to respond back to your queries.

    Regards

  • 0
    TI__Expert 4180 points

    Hi,

    Antenna Properties: Yes, it is possible to achieve a bandwidth of around 4 GHz with the antenna.

    Chirp Duration: If you increase the chirp duration and related parameters, you have to ensure that enough time is allocated for the chirps to complete within the burst time specified.

    FFT Size: I suppose the max fft size possible is 1024. So 2048 samples cannot be used to compute the FFT.

    Bandwidth: Yes, increasing the bandwidth improves the range resolution. Bandwidth is basically the product of frequency slope and chirp time. Chirp time is the Number of samples divided by the sampling rate. 

    TX Power: It's possible to limit the transmit power but cannot increase it after the max limit.

    For better power optimized solution, you can refer to IWR6843.

    Regards,

    Sharan

  • 0 in reply to Sharan S S
    Prodigy 10 points

    Thank you for your answers. Some forums mention that the distance is limited to 20m. Is this limitation software-based or hardware-based? Is it possible to increase the distance with a lens using the High Accuracy demo without making any changes? Is the 20m distance limitation related to the SNR value?

  • 0 in reply to ? ??
    TI__Expert 4180 points

    Hi,

    Yes it is possible to increase the distance with a lens to a certain extent.

    Regards