Omniradar RIC60A
Description of the radar set, tactical-technical characteristics
Figure 1: Omniradar RIC60A evaluation board
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| frequency: | 57 … 64 GHz
(V-Band) |
| pulse repetition time (PRT): | |
| pulse repetition frequency (PRF): | |
| pulsewidth (τ): | |
| receive time: | |
| dead time: | |
| peak power: | |
| average power: | |
| instrumented range: | 5 m |
| range resolution: | 2.1 mm |
| accuracy: | 1 mm |
| beamwidth: | |
| hits per scan: | |
| antenna rotation: | |
| MTBCF: | |
| MTTR: | |
Omniradar RIC60A
The Omniradar RIC60A is an operating in V-Band FMCW Radar on a single chip in the size of 7×7 mm. RIC60A can be configured via an SPI interface and can measure Doppler frequencies and high-precision distances or distance changes.[1]
It includes integrated antennas, one transmitter and two independent receivers. The two receivers make it possible to determine the direction of the reflecting objects using the monopulse technique.[1] With its 7 GHz transmitters bandwidth, the chip can achieve higher position and speed accuracy than comparable products.[2]
Possible applications are manifold and include for ranging, velocity and imaging, for example, simple and cheap motion detectors with differentiated tasks:
- In healthcare, this radar enables continuous medical surveillance of elderly people without violating their privacy. The radar chip is able to monitor the movement of a person within a field of view of 60°, without capturing more information than just whether the person moved or not. The RIC60A is able to detect even very minor movements such as heartbeat or breathing, so it's good for monitoring signs of life. Such a contact-less control of heartbeat and respiration makes this chip also interesting for the technical equipment in intensive care units of hospitals.[3] Its low power consumption also allows it to be used in portable devices.
- Due to the very high carrier frequency of the transmitter, the radar can also detect extremely slow speeds (comparable to the speed of snails or German bureaucrats). Thus this radar is also well applicable in the security technology.
- In robotics, the radar can be used as a sensor for manipulators due to the extremely high measuring accuracy. Here it is possible to use the radar in complete darkness. The measurement result is available in real time. (In principle, this application also includes a parking sensor in an autonome automobile.)
- Due to its low power consumption and low weight, it can be used in drones to avoid collisions and to ensure a smooth landing.
The manufacturer offers an Omniradar Radar Development kit for the RIC60A complete with an USB-interface board and sample MATLAB scripts for radar measurements and algorithm development on Personal Computer.
Sources and ressorces:
- Manufacturers home page
- Julien Happich: ''Dutch startup shrinks 60-GHz radars while increasing precision'', Microwave Engineering Europe, September 2014 (online)
- Robert Ernst: ''Vital Sign Radar, Development of a Compact, Highly Integrated 60GHz FMCW Radar for Human Vital Sign Monitoring'' Halmstad University, June 29, 2016 (online)