AWR1642: Increasing Detection Range on AWR1642 by Adjusting Number of Chirps

Mayssa Ben Salah

Part Number: AWR1642
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: AWR2944

Tool/software:

Hello,

I am currently working with the AWR1642 radar and aiming to increase the detection range to approximately 200 meters, targeting a vehicle (RCS ≈ 10 m²).

Based on the technical documentation and TI forum discussions, it seems that increasing the number of chirps per frame (N = 256 or N = 512) could help improve the SNR, and thereby extend the range, without modifying the hardware.

Could you please confirm if increasing the number of chirps to 256 or 512 is a recommended approach for Long Range Radar (LRR) applications with the AWR1642?
Are there any specific limitations (such as processing time or memory usage) that should be considered with such configurations?

Thank you very much for your support and feedback.

Best regards,

7 months ago

0 Samhitha Bobba 7 months ago

TI__Mastermind 23710 points

Hi,

AWR1642 is not meant to detect objects at 200m. If you are looking for a device which can detect more than 200m, you can go with AWR2944.

Refer to Programming Chirp Parameters in TI Radar Devices (Rev. A) to tweak the chirp parameters.

Regards,

Samhitha

0 Mayssa Ben Salah 7 months ago in reply to Samhitha Bobba

Prodigy 50 points

Hello, I would like to ask if it is possible to use the AWR1642 SoC and achieve a detection range of 200 meters by modifying only the antenna design (i.e., increasing the TX and RX antenna gains according to the radar range equation). In other words, without cascading or changing the SoC, can adjusting the antenna gain (higher directive antennas) help the AWR1642 reach 200 meters, assuming optimal chirp configuration? Thank you very much in advance!