As the need for more innovative and fresh technology becomes more and more crucial in pushing forward applications like autonomous driving and AI, many startups are hitting the scene, hoping to shake up the industry. 

One such startup is Arbe, an Israeli startup company founded in 2015, which is recently making waves in the world of ADAS. The company provides solutions and services to push forward innovation in next-generation vehicles.

Overview of Arbe’s 4D imaging radar solution features. Screenshot used courtesy of Arbe

With 4D imaging radar (radio detecting and ranging), the company hopes to enhance the methods used to track moving objects like cars and provide a state-of-the-art radar processing unit suitable for ADAS applications.

In this article, let's take a look at remote sensing technologies and what Arbe's 4D radar solutions are. 

Remote Sensing Technologies

In general, remote sensing facilitates innovation in driverless vehicles. Two technologies chiefly used in this cause are light imaging detection and ranging (LiDAR) and radar.

In LiDAR, sensing and detection are done by the emission of optic or light pulses hitting a target object. At the same time, the reflected signal is measured to determine the distance of the target object. 

This same technique is used in radar imaging; however, instead of emitting light, radio waves (or electromagnetic waves) are sent out.

Close-up view of the Arbe’s radar processing unit (RPU). Image used courtesy of Arbe

When choosing between the two technologies, it is essential to assess the type of applications is intended to be used. 

While LiDAR imaging uses short wavelengths, radar imaging employs much longer wavelengths. 

Short wavelengths can ease the detection of small objects; also, systems can utilize LiDAR to make a 3D monochromatic image of a target object. However, one downside of LiDAR is that it can produce poor performance in cloudy weather.

On the other hand, radar imaging employs a longer wavelength and could be used to locate a distant object. Though longer wavelengths don't perform well to detect small objects, radar is handy at night and produces better performance over LiDAR in cloudy weather.

Introducing tools that promise to take the radar imaging system technology to the next level in the near future, Arbe has been putting tremendous efforts and hitting breakthroughs to improve the performance of the technology.

Arbe’s 4D Imaging Radar Solutions

Arbe's 4D imaging radar system aims at bringing a new dimension to vehicle tracking and detection in an ADAS, it claims, by providing an ultra-high resolution image, range, azimuth, elevation, wide field of view (FOV), and Doppler dimensions. 

Arbe's RF chipset solution. Image used courtesy of Arbe

The next sections discuss some of the major accomplishments of Arbe's innovation in the automotive industry.

Precision in Ego-velocity Measurement

Knowing the ego-velocity of a moving vehicle can be paramount in the development of an ADAS. 

In a nutshell, ego-velocity gives the actual value of a vehicle's velocity, which, in an autonomous vehicle system, the vehicle must be aware of itself and the immediate surrounding. Also, it is essential to know which objects are moving or stationary. 

Basically, an accurate estimate of ego-velocity helps the vehicle to understand its environment.

Traditional tools employed to measure the ego-velocity of a vehicle include a speedometer, a global positioning system (or GPS), and an optical sensor in LiDAR. However, these tools are not effective in measuring ego-velocity in next-generation vehicles.

Arbe's 4D imaging radar solution hopes to provide an accurate and precise estimate of a vehicle's velocity by allowing an autonomous vehicle to distinguish between moving and stationary objects even if the vehicle is moving in a tunnel, on a bridge, or get stuck in traffic gridlock.

Radar Processing Unit Meets ADAS

The company’s radar development platform constitutes both hardware and software tools to achieve breakthroughs in radar imaging technology. The company recently patented a radar processing unit (RPU) to run a large chunk of images in real-time and process them for autonomous decisions in driverless vehicles. The radar processing unit can process up to 48 receiving channels and 48 transmitting channels to achieve 30 frames-per-second of the full 4D image.

RF Chipset

Part of the company's accomplishment is the manufacturing of an advanced RF chipset in a fan-out wafer-level package (FOWLP) to support TD-MIMO. The RF chipset employs the highest RF channel count in the industry, intending to guarantee safety in autonomous vehicles.

Pushing 4D Radar to the Future

Though this startup is just one of many working on creating ADAS and imaging hardware, Arbe has been working hard at making its place in the industry. From receiving awards to getting its technology mass-produced into vehicles, this company is pushing its way towards becoming a 4D radar innovator. It will be interesting to see what happens next with this startup, especially with its investor event coming up. 

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