Toshiba Drives Its Newest Visconti™3 Image Recognition Processor To Automotive Market
March 4, 2013
Visconti3 Adds Dual-Core ARM® Cortex™-A9 CPU That Enhances Image Recognition Performance and Simplifies Vehicle System Integration for Automotive Applications
SAN JOSE, Calif., – Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today expands its Visconti™ series of image recognition processors for the automotive market with the launch of Visconti™3, part number TMPV7528XBG. Visconti3 offers the superior image recognition technology that customers have come to expect from the Visconti series, while the integration of an ARM® Cortex™-A9 MPCore™ with two A9 CPUs and single/double-precision floating point unit (FPU), improves connectivity, performance and system integration for automotive applications.
Real-time image recognition requires the performance of several desktop PC-class processors, but that's not practical for today's car applications due to cost, power and area constraints. The Visconti series uses specialized processors and accelerators to put all the processing needed into a single IC that can fit even in a severely constrained location like a rearview mirror. The Visconti series incorporates up to four image processors and several types of accelerators enabling camera-based systems in cars to more accurately recognize lanes, vehicles, traffic lights, signs and pedestrians in real time, both day and night. The addition of the dual-core Cortex™-A9 MPCore™ lets automotive OEMs leverage today's popular operating systems to more easily connect Visconti3 to other automotive systems like navigation, smartphone, driver assistance, and the Cloud. The A9 CPU core includes an FPU that improves performance of image processing by handling the mathematical computations required to analyze large volumes of image data from the video source, frame-by-frame in real time, in some of the algorithms whose implementation would be technically more difficult for developers to perform without an FPU. The FPUs also simplify optimization of the imaging algorithms, so software developers can reduce their overall design time and speed time to market.
"This newest addition to the Visconti series not only demonstrates the Toshiba commitment to creating great automotive products enabling safer cars, it also complements the company's camera line giving Toshiba a bigger systems offering for the camera/image recognition market," says Andrew Burt, vice president of the Analog and Imaging Business Unit, System LSI Group at TAEC. "With the introduction of the Visconti3 device, Toshiba has expanded even further the range of choices for automotive manufacturers implementing image recognition systems in their new car designs. Advanced driver assistance systems are a key selling point in today's car market and the Visconti series gives OEMs the ability to better target price/performance points from low-end to high-end and implement cost-effective options for each tier of their product lineups."
Pricing and Availability
Samples of the Visconti™3, TMPV7528XBG, will become available in April 2013. Pricing will be provided to customers upon request. Additional product information can be found at http://www.toshiba.com/taec/Catalog/Line.do?familyid=28&lineid=2006887
*About TAEC
Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs. Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, VARs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide. A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, solid state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), discrete devices, advanced materials, medical tubes, custom SoCs/ASICs, imaging products, microcontrollers and wireless components that make possible today's leading smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics, enterprise solutions and more.
Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor manufacturer and the world's fifth largest semiconductor manufacturer Gartner, 2012 WW Semiconductor Preliminary Revenue Ranking, December, 2012). Toshiba Corporation was founded in 1875 and today has over 554 subsidiaries and affiliates, with 210,000 employees worldwide. Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.
Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications. In developing designs, please ensure that Toshiba products are used within specified operating ranges as set forth in the most recent Toshiba product specifications and the information set forth in Toshiba's "Handling Guide for Semiconductor Devices," or "Toshiba Semiconductor Reliability Handbook." This information is available at http://www.toshiba.com/taec/support/techquestions/index.jsp or from your TAEC representative.
ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. Cortex and MPCore are trademarks of ARM Limited. Visconti is a trademark of Toshiba Corporation.
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