Ultrasonic Sensor System-on-Chip (SoC)

Overview

Currently, ultrasonic sensor chips are monopolized by foreign companies. As a major automotive producer with an annual output of 30 million vehicles, it is of great significance for China to achieve domestication of ultrasonic sensor chips. Based on market demand, ASTRI has successfully developed an ultrasonic sensor system on chip (SoC). This SoC integrates advanced digital signal processing (DSP), analog signal processing (ASP), third-generation distributed system interface (DSI3), and microcontroller unit (MCU). This is the first ultrasonic sensor SoC chip from mainland China and Hong Kong, which can serve as a PIN to PIN replacement for foreign counterparts.

  • Ultrasonic Sensor System-on-Chip (SoC) 0
  • Ultrasonic Sensor System-on-Chip (SoC) 1
Problem addressed

Ultrasonic radar systems in automotive applications face challenges in accurately detecting and measuring echoes due to low SNR, which makes it difficult to distinguish weak echoes from background noise, and multiple echo interference, where overlapping reflections from different surfaces complicate object identification. These issues can lead to unreliable distance measurements or false detections, impacting the performance of safety-critical systems like parking assistance and collision avoidance.

Innovation
  • Auto-calibration methodology, which can maintain a stable transmission insensitive to ambient temperature variation, aging, and environmental changes.
  • DSP algorithm that uses the Hilbert Transform to generate an analytic representation of the echo signal with maximized SNR, realizing accurate real-time echo analysis
Key impact
  • Ultrasonic parking radar is an important automobile safety auxiliary device, and its core technology is the ultrasonic sensor chip system. Currently, ultrasonic sensor chips are monopolized by foreign companies. As a major automobile production country with an annual output of 30 million vehicles, China has extremely important significance in achieving domestic substitution of ultrasonic sensor chips.
  • This is the first ultrasonic sensor SoC chip in Mainland China and Hong Kong, which can achieve PIN to PIN replacement for similar foreign products.
  • In line with the national chip strategy, realize domestic substitution of ultrasonic radar chips by transferring technology to the industry.
  • The innovation creates new opportunities across industries, driving progress and economic growth.
Award
  • Geneva Invention 2025 Bronze Medal - Implementation Method of Ultrasonic Echo Envelope Detection
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI)

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is founded in 2000 by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As Hong Kong’s largest government-funded research and development centre, ASTRI is a key force and super connector driving innovation and technology advancement in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and the global innovation ecosystem. This role is strengthened through its merger with Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI).

Committed to bringing high impact research from lab to market, ASTRI advances interdisciplinary, market driven R&D that delivers practical innovations for industry and meaningful benefits for society.

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