Milestones and Success Stories

Another milestone is the iC280A concentrator module, introduced in 2022. This module enables high-performance LoRa® gateway solutions or upgrading existing routers with 2.4 GHz LoRa® gateway functions.

In 2021, the first IMST smart metering devices were brought to market. They can be used to securely transfer consumption data from meters to the cloud, where value-added services can process the data. These milestones and success stories show the progress and innovation in smart metering technology.

The iM282A-L is a compact and cost-effective radio module that operates in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band and combines a powerful Cortex-M3 controller with the new SX1280 ultra-long-range transceiver from Semtech® Corporation.

First CE-certified 24 GHz radar module "sR-1200e" and developer kit "DK-sR-1200e". The radar module sR-1200e is a plug & play radar solution with Ethernet interface. It is based on a radar IC from Infineon. The 24-GHz module has one transmitting and two receiving antennas/channels. This makes it ideal for distance, angle and speed measurements in FMCW or Doppler mode. A typical application for this radar is property surveillance for the detection and tracking of persons (intruders).

The powerful 3D simulator. Finite Difference Time Domain method optimised for RF technology. Years of preparation by the working group around the internationally renowned scientist and IMST founder Ingo Wolff led to the product presentation of EMPIRE at the end of the century.

The iC880A concentrator module is useful for a wide range of applications such as smart metering, IoT and M2M applications. It offers the ability to enable robust communication between a LoRa® gateway and a large number of LoRa® end nodes distributed across a wide range of distances.

77 GHz RadInspect, FMER (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) project, SME-innovativ (founding code: 02PK2464): development of a radar-based surface inspection system in steel production. In the project, a 77 GHz CW radar was developed for high-precision measurement of distance changes. The RF part was built in multilayer ceramic (LTCC). The radar signals couple into a horn antenna via a waveguide junction and are radiated from it onto a measurement object, making it possible to detect the smallest changes in the surface structure of a material sample. The method is used for quality control in industrial production processes.

The "iM880A" module is the world's first LoRa® radio module. The iM880A is a compact, bidirectional, low-power radio module for the 868 MHz frequency band with Semtech's patented LoRa® modulation technology.

24 GHz "P5": Privacy Preserving, Perimeter Protection Project, H2020 Project (Grant Agreement No 312784). In the European P5 project, IMST developed a 24 GHz radar technology for monitoring critical infrastructure. The radar modules make it possible to detect and track intruders in security-sensitive areas. Several radar modules can be connected to a security centre via a local Ethernet network together with other sensors such as cameras and trigger alarms as soon as unauthorised access occurs.

24 GHz "Smart Inspectors", INTERREG IV A (project number: I-1-03=176). A consortium of cross-border Dutch and German companies and research institutions investigated and developed methods for the characterisation of agricultural land. IMST focused on 24 GHz radar methods. Radar modules and algorithms such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR), digital beamforming (DBF) and polarisation radar were developed and investigated. We also focused on the use of drones to survey agricultural areas from the air.

24/77 GHz vehicle safety radar system (funding code: 280312412, NRW.Bank, FIT). IMST developed the first, compact 24 GHz FMCW radar with one transmitter and two receivers for range and speed measurement for vehicle applications. In addition, the two receive channels can also be used to estimate the directional angles of the radar targets. The radar data is transmitted to a central processing unit via USB or radio interface. First developments and measurement for 77 GHz radar systems and especially innovative antennas have also been initiated.

77 GHz HONSENSOR, BMWI, AiF, ZIM (funding code: KF2403401WM9): New method for inline control of the machining status in the honing process using radar technologies. IMST developed and built the RF part of the 77 GHz honing sensor in the multilayer ceramic LTCC. The complex circuit included multi-stage cavities for semiconductor chip integration and a broadband Vivaldi antenna. Using the CW radar method and evaluation of the phase, made it possible to demonstrate micrometre-precise distance measurement in the honing process (e.g. the milling out of cylinders).

In 2008, IMST developed a 24 GHz FMCW sensor for a German drone manufacturer and produced the first small series. The high-frequency circuit and the antennas were completely redesigned. At the time, there were no low-cost, highly integrated radar chips, so the circuit was built with individual components.

In order to be able to offer customers complex projects with integrated circuits (IC projects) and services in the international environment that go beyond pure development, IMST Design+Systems International GmbH (DSI) was founded as a sales company in 2006. In addition to IMST GmbH as an upstream supplier, DSI has a network of qualified sub-suppliers who offer and successfully carry out contract work on schedule and at the highest level of quality.

LTCC producer DuPont saw great potential in this development for vehicle applications in 2003 and commissioned IMST to design and manufacture a radar demonstrator for the detection of obstacles and vehicles in road traffic. This sensor, completed in 2004, was successfully used to acquire further radar development projects.

At the end of 2000, IMST started the development of the first 24 GHz radar frontend on a ceramic multilayer substrate LTCC. The two-year research project within the ProInno framework of the FMEA (KF0134901KWM0) aimed to develop an FMCW radar sensor for space surveillance to replace the less reliable infrared-based motion detectors in the long term.

In 1996-1998, IMST developed the first Radiophone - a combination of a fully functional GSM telephone and a car radio - on behalf of Bosch-Blaupunkt together with Debis Systemhaus and Lucent (AT&T). The product received its approval after just under 2 years and was marketed extremely successfully by the client.