Powering Industrial and Automation Camera Markets
Industrial vision applications across markets such as factory automation and data capture, traffic management, etc. have special requirements including reliability, form factor, power consumption, noise rejection, and cost considerations, among many others. Hardware development is the key enabler of vision technologies because of increased image processing requirements for both image sensing and processing. However, as performance demands are growing, industrial cameras are also shrinking, posing new challenges for industrial vision applications.
Eyenix - SoC Solution Provider for Industrial Cameras
Machine vision applications employ larger, higher-performance components including lenses, image sensors, image-sensing processors (ISP), and interfaces. The sensor size is proportional to the image quality and details, greater resolution, and higher frame rates, which in turn require increased processing power. Additionally, the use of machine learning in smart factories for sorting, automated production lines, and analyzing images and videos demand high-performance computing systems such as processors or SoCs which usually are in the ISP of the process (image 2).
Eyenix, a leading provider of high-resolution ISPs, has developed Edge AI SoC products which are powered by AnDAPT’s AmP chips. The SDK (Software Development Kits), image 3, is characterized by stringent requirements including PCB area with the ISP, image sensor, power, interface and peripheral analog functionalities on a tight 35 mm x 30 mm board. The AmP chip powers 9 rails and also provides functionalities including sequencing, IO expansion, and watchdog timer.
The Eyenix case is a perfect example to showcase how AmP ICs address specific machine vision camera requirements (table 1).
“Our products require a high level of integration and especially the Eyenix EN675 Echo 1 product required the solution to fit in a very compact space,” said Dr. Hwang, CEO at Eyenix. “AnDAPT products successfully implemented the solution in time within constraints and enabled successful deployment of our new product line.”
Addressing Machine Vision Camera Requirements
As machine vision applications evolve, so do the requirements; table 1 summarizes the associated issues and lists how AmP is optimized for such applications.
|
Requirements |
Issues/Risks |
AnDAPT Solutions |
|
Increased number of power rails (20+) |
Increased IC count, bigger, complicated BoM |
Buy only One part. |
|
Different rails have special requirements such as noise, ripple, efficiency, transients, communication protocols |
A big number of diverse ICs in the system |
AmP IC is tested and proven to meet and exceed popular processors/FPGA/SoC power rail specifications for several vendors |
|
Increased analog and digital functionalities including sequencers, zoom controllers, analog references |
A BoM that keeps on growing! |
AmP integrates functions including reset generators, PMBus controllers, zoom controllers, IO Expanders, reset generators, sequencers, voltage references, comparators and more… |
|
Form factor |
Camera systems get smaller and faster with power system squeezed in smaller space |
On average, AmP solution size save from 7%-15% of PCB area and also provides lowers cost |
|
Increased reliability, operation over wide temperature range |
Devices must last 3+ years and operate from -40 to +85 deg C |
Reliability tested solutions from -40 to +85 deg C |
|
Tethered, untethered systems |
Systems operating from 5 V to 12 V or greater |
Same solution can be scaled and optimized to operate from 5-14 V supply |
|
Time-to-market |
Faster product rollout needs fewer roadblocks, easy-to-use and proven solutions |
Over 40 ready-to-use designs for products from Xilinx, Intel, Microchip available |
|
Large number of use cases |
Performance-optimized, size-optimized, etc. need scaled solutions |
Adaptable and programmable solutions modifiable within minutes |
|
Table 1 Industrial camera requirements and AnDAPT solutions |
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Critical Machine Vision Products Beyond Power
The AmP IC also delivers critical system functionalities beyond powering processors. These include camera Zoom Control, IO expansion, and reset generator. These functionalities usually require external ICs and their integration further reduces BoM, solution form-factor and cost.
|
Zoom Controller |
IO Expander |
Reset Generator |
|
|
|
|
Table 2 Machine vision enabling products in AmP library |
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A plethora of use cases inherently favors an adaptable, flexible, high-performance, yet easy to design-in power solution. AnDAPT’s programmable AmP ICs and One Part technology, which only require one 5x5 mm IC, can be programmed to deliver power, analog, and digital functionalities to provide a true integrated system solution for a wide range of use cases ensuring that the possible risks and breaking points are instead areas of opportunity and growth.
About AnDAPT
A privately held fabless power semiconductor company, AnDAPT Holdings Ltd, designs, manufactures, and markets programmable power management solutions. Incorporated in 2014 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the company is funded by Intel, Cisco, Atlantic Bridge, and Vanguard and has pioneered a new genre of adaptive analog technology. Visit the company website (AnDAPT.com) or contact us for more information.
