Page 12 - EE Times Europe Magazine – June 2024

12 EE|Times EUROPE

The Autonomous Car Industry in 2024: Sensors, Software and Safety

high-reflectivity objects and low-reflectivity radar could determine whether something cars and the emergence of software-defined
objects simultaneously. Consider, for example, is metallic (high reflectivity) or organic (low vehicles, a modern high-end electric car will
a small child standing near a car. The reflection reflectivity). With this distinction, radar have more in common with a computer than
from the car is orders of magnitude brighter would become an even more complete sensor, with an average car from 20 years ago.
than that from the child. For the radar, detect- offering low cost, operation under all weather
ing the child is like trying photograph a grain conditions, accurate ranging and velocity SOFTWARE
of rice in front of the sun. It’s very easy for the and, finally, accurate object classification. Horsepower is becoming democratized. Scal-
child’s reflection to be lost to noise. Researchers are working on intensity detec- ing an electric motor to double or triple the
Advances in semiconductor technology and tion capabilities now, and the technology horsepower is much cheaper than doubling
radar design are improving radar’s dynamic could soon make its way onto radar or, alter- the output of an internal combustion engine.
range. For example, at CES 2024, Mobileye natively, onto the car’s central autonomous Cars that would put the supercars of yester-
showed an example of a radar that could driving and sensor fusion computer. year to shame are now entering the market
detect a wooden pallet next to a metal railing Previously, radar data was processed on at less than US$50,000. In combination with
at nearly 240 meters. the radar itself. Local processing makes sense this, electric cars do not possess the differ-
for a task like automatic emergency braking, entiating characteristics of engines. They do
It is an exciting time as which requires only a flag that something is not have turbo lag or differing exhaust notes;
the automotive industry stopped in front of the vehicle. But radar data most do not even have more than one gear. In
short, future cars will be differentiable not by
is so rich that startups like Zendar, Zadar Labs
goes through the most and others want to handle the processing on a their performance but by their software.
Software-defined vehicles, connectivity
much more powerful, central computer. Such
transformative journey in its machines not only would handle radar data and autonomy also provide a route to perfect
history. but would accept high-resolution video feeds safety. The problem with sensors, even the
from multiple cameras, LiDAR data and more.
best and most advanced sensors, is that
With so much data to process, the industry they cannot see around corners or through
Processing is another area in which radar is moving to more advanced semiconductors buildings. No matter how many radar, LiDAR
utility can be improved. The industry has and more powerful systems-on-chip. Nvidia’s or camera units are fitted to a car, they cannot
started using the nomenclature “4D imag- Thor, expected in 2025, is the prime example. see that a speeding car on an adjacent city
ing radar,” referring to azimuth (horizontal With 2,000 TOPS of processing power, and street is about to jump a red light. But con-
angle), elevation (vertical angle), distance utilizing TSMC’s 4-nm node technology, this nected vehicles could.
and relative velocity. But radar has another SoC has more in common with a high-end Connectivity and software offer a pathway
dimension that could further improve its gaming PC than with the chips running sys- to collective perception, in which cars and
performance: intensity, or reflection strength. tems in most consumer cars today. With the infrastructure would share their environmen-
By considering the strength of a reflection, advent of Chat GPT, the demand for AI within tal knowledge with each other. Armed with

Radar being used for adaptive cruise control (Source: IDTechEx)

JUNE 2024 | www.eetimes.eu