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IWR1443: mmWave Imaging Demo

Daisuke Maeda
Guru 20205 points
Part Number: IWR1443
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: IWR1642BOOST, , IWR1642, AWR1243

Is there a demo for imaging? If so can it be demonstrated using IWR1443BOOST?

I would like to know the image quality when applying a TI mmWave radar device to imaging application.

Since more antennas are needed to improve image quality (resolution), I want to know the difference of image quality by the difference of the number of antennas, e.g, one chip (3 TX, 4 RX), two chips cascade  (6 TX, 8 RX) and four chips cascade (12 TX, 16 RX).

Best regards,

Daisuke

  • 0
    TI__Guru 50240 points
    Hi Daisuke,

    There is no demo for imaging at this time. What kind of image are you trying to obtain?

    For your application I would recommend looking at IWR1642BOOST since the integrated DSP is going to enable classification and tracking algorithms.

    The cascading solution that you speak of will help immensely. On IWR1443 with 3 Tx and 4 Rx antennas you have 12 channels for detection (3 Tx * 4 Rx) but each upgrade is a 4 fold increase in number of channels (48 channels for 6 Tx, 8 Rx. 192 channels for 12 Tx, 16 Rx) which is going to improve your angular resolution. You will find a superior upgrade in the quality of your image.


    Cheers,
    Akash
  • 0 in reply to Akash Gondalia
    Guru 20205 points

    Hi Akash-san,

    Thank you for your reply.

    Our customer wants to know what kind of imaging applications the TI mmWave radar devices can apply to, and is going to anticipate applicable applications by checking image quality and other characteristics in a demonstration.

    IWR1642 shuld be considered to be unsuitable for imaging applications since has less receiver antennas than IWR1443.

    Are there any plans for imaging demos?

    Is there any information for imaging?

    Best regards,

    Daisuke

  • 0 in reply to Akash Gondalia
    Guru 20205 points

    Hi Akash-san,

    Is there any information that can be visually checked for imaging with a TI mmWave radar device?

    Best regards,

    Daisuke

  • 0 in reply to Daisuke Maeda
    TI__Guru 50240 points

    Hello Daisuke,


    Apologies for the delay, I'd recommend looking at the Range-Azimuth Heat Map functionality in the visualizer to get an idea on the mmWave Device's imaging capability. Some details can be found in the Visualizer User's Guide here. 

    There is also another thread that talks about this capability which can be found here.

    The heat maps that are shown in the links are probably not what your customer desires but remember that a system with more antennas is going to improve your image quality immensely.

    Let me know if you have any questions on this subject or any other subjects at this time.

    Cheers,

    Akash

  • 0 in reply to Akash Gondalia
    Guru 20205 points

    Hi Akash-san,

    Thank you for your reply.

    I see. I didn't ever understand that the Range-Azimuth Heat Map functionality in the visualizer shows a 2-D image.

    Are there any examples of 3-D (Range, Azimuth, Elevation) imaging?

    The following document is useful to get a concept on the mmWave Device's imaging.

    AWR1243 sensor: Highly integrated 76?81-GHz radar front-endfor emerging ADAS applications
    http://www.ti.com/lit/wp/spyy003/spyy003.pdf

    Figure 7 shows the difference of angular resolution by the difference of the number of antennas in 2-D image.

    The angular resolution with cascading is described as follows:

    "There is a tradeoff between horizontal and vertical resolutions. Given limited numbers of antennas available, today’s radars typically offer only horizontal antenna arrays with limited resolutions."

    Does this mean that a 3-D (Range, Azimuth, Elevation) imaging by mmWave devices is not practical, even if more antennas are used with cascading?

    Best regards,

    Daisuke

  • 0 in reply to Daisuke Maeda
    TI__Guru 50240 points
    Hello again Daisuke,

    The Heat-Map demo is only for 2-D image configuration but 3-D imaging is definitely possible. The extent of the trade-off is going to depend on placement of the final antenna configuration. Fortunately one can optimize the configuration such that better image quality is seen in the elevation pane or even finer resolution in the azimuth plane. Does this make sense?

    I apologize for the delay in response, if you'd like to discuss your application in more detail I'd recommend we take this conversation offline. I've sent you a Friend request with my email address, if you are interested then we would definitely be happy to talk to you!


    Cheers,
    Akash
  • 0 in reply to Akash Gondalia
    Guru 20205 points

    Hi Akash-san,

    Thank you for your reply.

    I am glad to know that 3-D imaging is definitely possible. I would like to suggest applying a TI mmWave radar device in 3-D imaging applications to our customers.

    I will send you an e-mail or a private message in E2E if I have any more questions about 3-D imaging.

    Best regards,

    Daisuke