Visual Signal Processor Masters Advanced Imaging Challenges for Smart Cameras
NEWTON, MA, June 16, 2003
-- ChipWrights, Inc., the leader in digital signal processing technology for mobile imaging applications, today announced that its CW4011 visual signal processor (ViSP) is being utilized by SMaL Camera Technologies in the development of various smart cameras for the security and surveillance market. ChipWrights' was the industry's first fully programmable integrated circuit that delivers the image processing performance, power, and price required by a new generation of advanced CMOS image sensors.
ChipWrights’ ViSP works better than general purpose DSPs or microcontrollers because its execution pipeline is designed specifically for image processing. The chip comprises a highly scalable array of DSP vector processing units. Its vector/single- instructionmultiple-data (SIMD) architecture focuses on data handling, which is consistent with the requirements of imaging applications, rather than on instruction handling common in superscalar and VLIW techniques. And it is programmable – providing the flexibility OEMs need for customizing products and ensuring rapid time-to-market.
“We looked carefully at a variety of processing solutions, and selected ChipWrights because of its processor performance and flexibility ” said Stuart Nixdorff, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of SMaL Camera Technologies. “The available processing power allows us to embed sophisticated image recognition applications like motion detection and object tracking right into the camera and to couple these applications with SMaL’s proprietary Autobrite technology.” Autobrite’s wide dynamic range video improves the performance of these applications over traditional CCD and CMOS cameras and extends SMaL’s lead in the growing smart camera market.
“Our visual signal processing architecture is today helping open exciting new imaging application opportunities,” said Brian Fitzgerald, president and CEO of ChipWrights, Inc. “Working with companies that value innovation like SMaL Camera Technologies gives us an opportunity to apply the benefits of fresh new thinking into practical and profitable results.”
About SMaL Camera Technologies
SMaL Camera Technologies is an award-winning developer of electronic imaging
solutions for the digital camera, security and surveillance, consumer electronics and automotive markets. SMaL’s solutions are built around its proprietary CMOS image sensors, video processing ASICs and Autobrite® technology. These solutions provide previously unavailable benefits, revolutionizing the digital photo and video markets. With SMaL’s consumer solutions, featuring low-power consumption and advanced imaging techniques, consumer electronics manufacturers can now offer convenient digital photography by producing the thinnest, most user- friendly digital cameras and mobile imaging devices in the world. SMaL’s technology powers digital still cameras from leading consumer electronics companies. In the security & surveillance markets, SMaL’s Autobrite® technology enables video cameras that help security professionals increase safety and security with the display of clear and crisp video content, regardless of extreme variations of brightness within the same scene. In the automotive market, SMaL’s Autobrite® technology provides high-quality video that will enable driver assistance applications of the future. SMaL was co-founded and launched in 1999 by leading electronic imaging experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
SMaL is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. For more information on SMaL Camera Technologies and its products, visit the company's web site at
http://www.smalcamera.com
About ChipWrights
ChipWrights is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the design,
development, and marketing of a new class of digital signal processing-based devices called visual signal processors (ViSPs). Built on an innovative architecture comprising a RISC processor and a highly- integrated, scalable array of DSP vector processing units, this fully programmable, low cost, low power, and very high performance system-on-chip (SoC) family is ideal for building competitive products in the mobile digital imaging and video markets. Applications range from real-time image capture/presentation to image transmission/network media infrastructure. ChipWrights provides a complete software development tool suite and hardware reference designs. Headquartered in the United States, the company has offices in Waltham, MA and Tokyo, Japan. Additional information is available at
www.chipwrights.com
.
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Editorial contacts:
ChipWrights
Kathy Madison
Arcand & Madison Public Relations
+1 781-259-1764
kathy@am-pr.com
SMaL Camera
Aimee Yoon
Dotted Line Communications
+1 617-275-7082
aimee@dottedlinecomm.com
