Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1520712
23 Qorvo 2024 Enhancing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems UWB technology can significantly benefit applications such as autonomous vehicles, drones, robots, asset tracking, and driver assist functions. Perhaps the most lucrative use for UWB is with rapidly advancing modern automobiles, which contain a plethora of sensors and sensor systems. Modern Ethernet-based networking connects sensor zones associated with engine, transmission, multimedia, and entertainment systems inside the vehicle. Still, for lidar, radar, camera systems, and other autonomous driving technologies, automotive systems rely on connected automated vehicle (CAV) sensors. When linked using UWB, CAV sensors become a part of a more comprehensive network. CAV sensor systems enable important smart automotive technologies such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity. V2V communications are necessary to help measure distances between vehicles while in motion or performing functions like automated parking, lane alignment, and even pedestrian detection and avoidance. V2X connectivity— which includes V2V, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle- to-pedestrian (V2P), and more—enables communication between vehicles and surrounding connected objects and systems, such as traffic signals and emergency vehicles. Current technologies like GPS assist drivers well enough, and AI-based GPS can even suggest routes that avoid slowdowns. However, the high precision of UWB coupled with GPS can CAV sensor systems enable important smart automotive technologies such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity. Figure 2: Because UWB utilizes such a wide spectrum, other RF sources do not emit interference. (Source: Mouser Electronics/Jon Gabay) ensure safety in circumstances where GPS alone will not. For example, if GPS routes a semi-autonomous car through an unfamiliar country road covered in unplowed snow, with no lane markers or indicators of the road edges, the car could easily drive off the road and into danger. In this scenario, the boundaries of the lanes are not visible, and GPS is not accurate enough to relay the exact position to the car's navigation in real time. With UWB and its centimeter-level accuracy, however, the car could navigate the road safely. Reliability, Speed, and Accuracy V2X technologies require secure identification and communications, high data rates, and low latencies. This means it must be very hard for any other RF signal to interfere or step on these lines of communication. UWB is ideal for V2X for two reasons. First, the operating range of 3.1Ghz to 10.6GHz keeps it outside the high-traffic RF formats and protocols like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, HAL, and non-5G cell networks. Second, because UWB is based on pulse radio technology, many devices can be present