49-Pixel Probe-and-Camera's Applications Range from Medical Imaging to Emergency Rescue

Two researchers have created a send/receive chip that functions as an active array, sending out a matrix of 49 simultaneous ultra-wideband radar probe beams and capturing the returned beam reflections.

Prof. Hossein Hashemi, from the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering (Los Angeles, CA, USA), and graduate student Ta-Shun Chu designed and constructed the device, which was presented February 4, 2008, at the 2008 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) International Solid State Circuits Symposium (ISSCC) in San Francisco, CA, USA.

According to Prof. Hashemi, "the chip benefits from a novel architecture that allows for the integration of an entire 2D [two-dimensional] array in a small area of a standard chip,” processed by the familiar and economical CMOS process. Creating the device on complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), according to Prof. Hashemi, "reduces the cost by orders of magnitude, while increasing the functionality. In effect, the chip is a 49-pixel camera operating in the radio band. The chip can be used in various radar and imaging system to detect, identify, and locate multiple objects simultaneously in a complex environment. Potential applications include through-the-wall imaging, and search and rescue missions [such as finding earthquake victims buried in rubble, and distinguishing survivors from the dead].”

Other possible applications include biomedical imaging, security monitoring devices, and real-time collision avoidance systems for vehicles, both safety devices for cars with drivers and application in autonomous vehicles.

In 2007, the two researchers presented a CMOS chip that performed on the same principles but produced only a single beam, offering only single-point one-dimensional detection. The new model's 7 x 7 array of beams, scanning in "offers many more degrees of freedom for communication and imaging in complex environments,” Prof. Hashemi said.


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University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering