German autoparts firm Continental and Silicon Valley firm Xilinx have developed a production ready 4D imaging radar for ADAS and autonomous driving applications. The firms say that the new radar enables SAE J3016 Level 2, and paves the way towards Level 5 autonomous driving systems.

Continental’s new Advanced Radar Sensor (ARS) 540 features the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC platform.

The ARS540 is a 4D imaging radar with high resolution and a 300-metre range. It features a ± 60° field-of-view to allow multi-hypothesis tracking for precise prediction while driving, supporting complex driving scenarios, such as the detection of a traffic jam under a bridge.

The Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC allows Continental’s 4D imaging radar to be agnostic to multiple sensor-platform configurations and adapt to OEM specification. Parallel processing within the device’s programmable logic enables independent, simultaneous processing pipelines for 4D sensing. Multiple digital signal processing (DSP) slices enable hardware acceleration of real-time radar sensor inputs.

“The Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC platform delivers the high performance and advanced DSP capabilities we needed to realise the ARS540, combined with adaptability and a market-leading selection of network interfaces capable of handling the wide array of antenna data at extremely high aggregate transfer rates,” said Norbert Hammerschmidt, head of programme management radar at Continental. “Continental recently won designs with leading European and US OEMs and is in ongoing discussions with additional OEMs worldwide regarding the ARS540. We are very proud to continue our long-standing partnership with Xilinx and to now provide the market with a technology that has the potential to save lives.”

Cédric Malaquin, technology & market analyst, RF Devices & Technology at Yole Développement, said, “4D imaging radar provides greater range, field of view, and perception and is a critical sensor enabling Level 2 to Level 5 developers to deliver systems that help create a safer driving environment. We expect 4D imaging radar to take place in luxury cars and Robotaxis at first, leading to over US$550 million, a rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 124% between 2020 and 2025. Xilinx and Continental, two innovative market leaders have an excellent opportunity by teaming up to develop this new sensing modality.”

Willard Tu, senior director of automotive at Xilinx, said, “We are extremely pleased to be powering the industry’s first production-ready 4D imaging radar. The sophisticated features in Continental’s ARS540 accelerate the wider adoption of autonomous driving by bringing this advanced technology into passenger-owned vehicles. The combination of Continental’s heritage in radar and Xilinx’s legacy in adaptable silicon make this a very powerful offering.”