Abstract
This paper presents a compact and wearable frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar on a semi-flexible printed circuit board (PCB) for an anti-collision system. This can enable visually impaired people to perceive their environment better and more safely in their everyday lives. In the proposed design, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array with four receivers (RXs) and three transmitters (TXs) has been designed to achieve obstacle-detection ability in both horizontal and vertical planes through a specific geometrical configuration. Operating at 76–81 GHz, an aperture coupled wide-beam patch antenna with two parasitic patches is proposed for each channel of RXs and TXs. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm has been implemented in the radar chip AWR1843 for intermediate frequency (IF) signals to generate a range-Doppler map and search precise target angles in high sensitivity. The complete system, which includes both the MIMO antenna array and the radar chip circuit, is utilized on a six-layer semi-flexible PCB to ensure compactness and ease in wearability. Field testing of the complete system has been performed, and an obstacle-detection range of 7 m (for humans) and 19 m (for larger objects) has been obtained. A wide angular detection range of 64-degree broadside view (±32°) has also been achieved. A voice module has also been integrated to deliver the obstacle’s range and angle information to visually impaired persons.
Highlights
The estimated number of people visually impaired in the world today is 285 million, which includes 39 million blind and 246 million with poor vision (Pascolini and Mariotti, 2011)
This paper presents a compact and wearable frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar on a semi-flexible printed circuit board (PCB) for an anti-collision system
This is problematic for most users, according to research conducted among visually impaired people (Kiuru et al, 2018)
Summary
The estimated number of people visually impaired in the world today is 285 million, which includes 39 million blind and 246 million with poor vision (Pascolini and Mariotti, 2011). In contrast to the ultrasonic sensorbased ETA, the optic sensor-based ETA has a detection range that is not affected by the highly reflective surface; it has a very high sensitivity to the natural ambient light and the optical characteristics of the object (Cardillo and Caddemi, 2019). In (Jardak et al, 2019), a 24GHz linear FMCW radar system is designed to assist the visually impaired during their outdoor journeys It is not integrated with any modules that can send the obstacle information to the user. This radar system, along with other EM-based ETAs in the literature, are all implemented on the rigid board, which are not flexible and cannot be attached to the human body conformally as a wearable device.
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