Innovative approaches to video bridging for automotive infotainment applications

Video is becoming of increasing importance in the field of automotive. With advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) ever more graphical information is provided to share the status of the vehicle and driving conditions. Furthermore, with autonomous driving on the horizon, the demand for advanced visual display of information is only likely to grow. Camera inputs are also essential to feed features such as reverse parking system and 360° vehicle view.

The system-on-chip solutions at the heart of the electronic control systems in use today may not have the correct, or sometimes not enough of the required, interfaces to handle this quantity of video. Parallel interfaces, due to their high pin count, are limited, while other devices may require conversion to the MIPI CSI-2 interface. Video bridge solutions simplify the conversion of video signals from one standard to another, such as HDMI to CSI-2, or from parallel to serial formats.

With the introduction of USB Type-C connectors, automotive engineers have a new potential video source. Smartphones that support the HDMI Alt Mode feature will be capable of outputting video, potentially sharing it across the in-vehicle entertainment system. If HDMI is not natively supported by the SoC, video bridges may be required to convert to CSI-2 or even a parallel video input format.

Our new whitepaper addresses these challenges and examines approaches to resolving them by reviewing:

  • The growth potential for video applications within the automobile
  • The signal chain for automotive camera applications
  • Typical video interfaces available on common automotive SoCs
  • How USB Type-C could enable passengers to bring their own video into the vehicle

Simply fill out the form below to request your free whitepaper:

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