Texas Instruments advances automotive safety and features with new chip portfolio

Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced a new portfolio of automotive lidar, clock, and radar chips designed to enhance vehicle safety and promote greater autonomy in cars. The key product in this range is the LMH13000, noted as the first integrated high-speed lidar laser driver. This device offers a rise time of 800 picoseconds, enabling real-time decision-making with enhanced distance measurements.

The new CDC6C-Q1 oscillator and LMK3H0102-Q1 and LMK3C0105-Q1 clock generators are also part of this release, representing the industry's first automotive BAW-based clocks that significantly improve the reliability of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Furthermore, TI unveiled the AWR2944P Millimeter Wave (mmWave) radar sensor, which aims to provide advanced front and corner radar functionalities.

Andreas Schaefer, TI general manager for Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and Infotainment, stated, “Our latest automotive analog and embedded processing products help automakers both meet current safety standards and accelerate toward a collision-free future.”

The LMH13000 lidar driver showcases improvements such as up to 30% longer distance measurements compared to traditional solutions. It integrates low-voltage differential signaling and eliminates the need for large capacitors, potentially reducing system costs by 30% and size by four times.

Additionally, the new radar sensor, AWR2944P, builds on the existing AWR2944 platform, offering enhancements such as an improved Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and advanced computational capabilities for Machine Learning (ML) applications.

TI's automotive lidar, clock, and radar solutions reflect the company’s commitment to supporting engineers in designing adaptable and safe driving systems. Preproduction quantities of these products are available for purchase, with further options expected to be ready by 2026.