Millimeter

• 60GHz mmWave Radar, Presence Detection Sensor Module

• The MM5D91-00 is the presence detection sensor module which integrates Infineon 60GHz mmWave technology. The module simplifies the implementation of mmWave sensors in the band of 61.0 to 6 1.5 GHz, and it includes the Infineon ARM Cortex M4F based processor system, 1Tx 3Rx antenna and onboard regulator. This presence detection sensor module targets low power and high resolution presence detection in smart home, office, security and diverse applications.

• MM5D91-00 Presence Detection Evaluation Kit

• Based on the MM5D91-00 Radar sensor module, the MM5D91E00 evaluation board is built to demonstrate the function of presence detection of the Infineon 60 GHz radar sensor with its sophisticated radar presence detection algorithms.

mmWave Radar can Improve the Accuracy of Applications

Sensors are usually used to sense various states of the environment, such as temperature, humidity or motion state. Sensors that transmit data in combination with wireless technologies such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi are ubiquitous in homes and businesses, and have created a promising market in the electronics industry – especially in the Internet of Things (IoT).

The development of sensors has introduced many new technologies to improve monitoring of the surroundings, and mmWave radar is one of them. With this new sensing solution, the applications for detecting, positioning and tracking humans, animals, or generally moving objects, will be revolutionized. mmWave radar enables the rapid detection of the position of nearby objects with high sensitivity and high accuracy without considering the surroundings.

mmWave radars have some unique features, for example, they can work within a distance from a few centimeters to a few hundred meters and operate without a direct line of sight (for example, through drywall or plywood), and are also highly adaptable to environmental conditions (darkness, etc), such as in the face of sunshine, smoke, fog, or haze.

Human presence detection will be one of the target markets for mmWave radar. Compared with current infrared and ultrasonic sensors, mmWave radar offers many benefits. For example mmWave radar is less sensitive to ambient temperature or surrounding environment. An example: The traditional smart lights of passive infrared (PIR) detection cannot really detect people who are not moving and the practical effects of these seemingly smart sensors in real life are not satisfactory. However, sensors based on mmWave radar technology provide higher accuracy for lighting or air conditioning control in smart buildings/homes. Its combination with video can greatly reduce detection errors in the IP camera field.

Additionally, mmWave radar systems can guarantee security in locations where video recording is not allowed, such as toilets or lockers. mmWave radar can add a variety of intelligent functions to automatic doors, by detecting the presence of people and indicating their movement direction. By that the opening of the door is only triggered when necessary and aircons only running when the room is occupied. There with radar saves energy consumption at the same time.

The industrial field is another key application of mmWave radar technology, the use of which can sense the human body to improve the safety of operators near heavy machinery, such as robots or construction equipment.

The number of applications is endless. Smart cities are another area that could benefit from mmWave radars. Monitoring of traffic conditions for vehicles and pedestrians and the corresponding adjustment of the sequence of traffic lights are only two examples.

Accelerate Product Development from Chip to Module

To help accelerate the development of mmWave radar-related application products, Infineon has introduced a XENSIV™ 60 GHz radar chip capable of tracking submillimeter motion at high speed and precision. Infineon's radar sensor solutions are highly integrated, with the advantages of small size and low power consumption, bringing innovative and intuitive sensing capabilities to many applications. Radars have been proven to be powerful sensors suitable for consumer electronics, healthcare, surveillance, driver assistance, and short-range positioning in industrial applications and tracking of vital signs.

With Infineon’s XENSIV™ radar-based, high precision presence detection solutions, smart devices can detect if there is a person in the room and visually interact with that person. With a high-resolution detection capability of up to 2.5 cm, it can measure horizontal and vertical speed, range and angle for accurate position mapping and 3D tracking.

There is a wide range of potential applications for this system solution, such as in-cabin sensing of a car, smart lighting (for indoor use/replacement PIR), reading lights, display walls or mirrors, laptops, sewage systems, conference room occupancy, toilet/bathroom occupancy, TV, security/surveillance, automatic toilet seat cover, parking space detection and many more.

To capitalize on this promising market, Arrow Electronics and Jorjin Technologies, a Taiwan based company active in AR and IoT, have agreed to cooperate in the field of mmWave radar technology. Jorjin Technologies has 10 years of experience in developing wireless modules and is interested to complement its existing sensor portfolio with mmWave radar technology.

By the middle of 2020, Jorjin Technologies will launch MM5D91-00, an integrated mmWave radar sensor module based on Infineon's XENSIV™ 60 GHz radar chip. The module, which also incorporates a processor system based on the ARM Cortex-M4F, a 1Tx/3Rx antenna, and an on-board regulator, combines the triple benefits of tiny size (20 x 15 x 2.3mm), high resolution and low power consumption. It will be a strong contribution to the diffusion of mmWave radar technology into new fields such as smart home, security and gesture sensing.

In order to help promote Infineon's radar solutions, Arrow Electronics has participated in various activities and seminars held by Infineon over the years, and has cooperated with many IDH (Independent Design House) companies in the development of smart toilet seats, intelligent access control, smart parking space detection, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), radar antennas, smart lamp posts, and other applications, including Entro, Sensortech, KingCity and Lexiwave, with considerable achievements made.

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