ElevationResolution value: NaN | IWR1843BOOST

I'm using the TI IWR1843BOOST with SDK version 3.06. The test involves flashing the bin and loading the cfg file generated from mmWave demo visualizer 3.6.0. Upon running mmWaveRadar(), I get output including sensor properties. However, the ElevationResolution is NaN, even though the 3D point cloud data can be read correctly from Demo visualizer but not in MATLAB. Are there any differences in the cfg extraction process in MATLAB that might cause this discrepancy?

Answer 1

[Chetan]

Hello @Pankaj,

I understand you're experiencing an issue with the `ElevationResolution` parameter showing as NaN, which is affecting the z-axis data in the 3D point cloud when using MATLAB with the TI IWR1843BOOST radar sensor.

I'd like to point out that the Radar Toolbox Support Package for Texas Instruments mmWave Radar Sensors doesn't include support for the IWR1843BOOST.

You can find the list of supported hardware in the documentation here:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/radar/ug/supported-boards-ti-mmwave.html

The `ElevationResolution` depends on the antenna setup. For elevation measurements, the second transmit (Tx2) antenna must be active.

Here's a guide to creating a configuration file that activates Tx2 using the mmWave Demo Visualizer:

1. Select the xwr18xx platform.
2. Pick the Antenna Config with 4Rx and 3Tx to allow for elevation data.
3. Adjust other settings as necessary.
4. Save the configuration file to the computer.
5. After saving the config file, use it to set up the `mmWaveRadar` object in MATLAB:

cfgFile = "C:\Users\xxx\Downloads\profile_2024_01_04T14_09_05_282.cfg";
rdrSource = mmWaveRadar("TI AWR1843BOOST", "ConfigFile", cfgFile);

If `ElevationResolution` is still NaN, it may be due to the `getAngleResolutionInternal` function in `xwr1843BOOST.m`. This function might need adjustments to properly account for the elevation resolution with the second Tx antenna enabled.

Here's an updated version of that function:

function [azRes, elRes] = getAngleResolutionInternal(~, numAzTx, numElevTxAnt, numTxAnt, numRx, cfgStruct)
numVirtualAnt = numAzTx * numRx;
if numVirtualAnt < 2
    azRes = nan; % Azimuth resolution requires at least two virtual antennas
else
    azRes = rad2deg(asin(2 / numVirtualAnt));
end
if numElevTxAnt > 0
    elRes = 58; % With the 2nd Tx antenna, elevation measurement is possible
else
    elRes = nan;
end
end

For more information about Angular resolution for the board, please refer:

https://dev.ti.com/tirex/explore/node?node=A__ABH9eKgNMPGDZxPEL2iyTQ__radar_toolbox__1AslXXD__LATEST

I hope this helps.

Thank you,

Chetan Verma