Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced a new portfolio of automotive LiDAR, clock and radar chips designed to help OEMs enhance vehicle safety by bringing more autonomous features to a wider range of cars.
The semiconductor company’s LMH13000, an integrated high-speed lidar laser driver, delivers an accelerated rise time to improve real-time decision-making. Its BAW-based clocks, the CDC6C-Q1 oscillator and LMK3H0102-Q1 and LMK3C0105-Q1 clock generators, improve ADAS reliability while, addressing evolving ADAS needs, TI’s new AWR2944P mmWave radar sensor offers advanced front and corner radar capabilities.
TI’s new LMH13000 can deliver an 800ps rise time, which the company says allows for up to 30% longer distance measurements than more discrete solutions. With integrated low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS), complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and transistor-transistor-logic (TTL) control signals, the device eliminates the need for large capacitors or additional external circuitry. This integration also supports an average 30% reduction in system costs while reducing solution size by four times, helping design engineers to discretely mount compact, affordable LiDAR modules in more areas and across more vehicle models
The LMH13000’s laser driver provides up to 5A of adjustable output current with 2% variation across its -40°C to 125°C ambient temperature range. The device’s short pulse-width generation and current control enable the system to meet Class 1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration eye safety standards.
With its BAW technology benefits, TI says that the new CDC6C-Q1 oscillator and LMK3H0102-Q1 and LMK3C0105-Q1 clock generators increase reliability by 100 times compared to traditional quartz-based clocks, with a failure-in-time rate of 0.3. Enhanced clocking precision and resilience in harsh conditions likewise enable safer operation, cleaner data communication, and higher-speed data processing across next-generation vehicle subsystems.
While detailing these new technologies, TI also revealed its new front and corner radar sensor, the AWR2944P, that builds on its AWR2944 platform. The new radar sensor’s enhancements aim to improve vehicle safety by extending detection range, improving angular accuracy, and enabling more sophisticated processing algorithms. Among these enhancements are an improved signal-to-noise ratio, increased computational capabilities and a larger memory capacity. At the same time, an integrated radar hardware accelerator that allows the microcontroller and digital signal processor to execute machine learning for edge artificial intelligence applications.
TI’s new automotive LiDAR, clock and radar solutions ultimately build on its commitment to help engineers design adaptable ADAS for a safer, more automated, driving experience. Preproduction quantities of the LMH13000, CDC6C-Q1, LMK3H0102-Q1, LMK3C0105-Q1 and AWR2944P are available now, while other output current options (and an automotive-qualified version of the LMH13000) are expected to launch in 2026.
