• Ready-to-use complete parallel camera interface solution (CAM I/F)
• Supports cameras up to 5 megapixels on the latest portable/mobile devices
• QuickLogic BeagleCam Camera Cape, eliminates the need for limited USB resource usage


July 24, 2012 – QuickLogic Corporation, a developer of programmable, ultra-low-power Customer Specific Standard Products (CSSPs), today announced a complete solution that can be immediately applied to Texas Instruments (TI)’s Sitara™ AM335x ARM® Cortex™-A8 processor. QuickLogic’s solution enables support for high-resolution cameras on the TI AM335x processor via a low-power parallel camera interface (CAM I/F) port. The QuickLogic CSSP CAM I/F solution enables the use of cameras without USB ports on processors that sometimes lack sufficient USB ports and reduces the total power consumption of the system, thereby expanding the application range of TI processors to mobile enterprise "AIDC (Automatic Identification and Data Capture)" and industrial handhelds requiring strong durability, as well as portable consumer, industrial tablet, and industrial smartphone markets.

TI's AM335x processor enables the realization of a new type of rugged finished product by supporting low power consumption and various features at a low cost. The AM335x processor is ideal for various portable devices that support high-resolution cameras. While most cameras require a standard USB interface, other peripherals often already utilize the processor's USB controller. Furthermore, the processor's USB controller can consume up to 400mW or more of power than QuickLogic's CSSP solution for CAM I/F implementation, making it inefficient for numerous portable mobile applications. QuickLogic's CSSP provides a CAM I/F that connects to the camera sensor and the TI General-Purpose Memory Controller (GPMC). Since the GPMC includes a Direct Memory Access (DMA) function for direct memory access, QuickLogic can support high-resolution cameras. Through this new low-power solution, TI can support 5-megapixel cameras without using USB ports with low significant digits, enabling its use in a wider range of applications.

BeagleBone Reference Design Platform
To easily integrate TI's AM335x processors, BeagleBoard.org developed the BeagleBone, an easy-to-use open-source hardware platform that enables the rapid development of prototypes, firmware, and software. The low-cost BeagleBone is the successor to BeagleBoard.org's BeagleBoard platform, which is suitable for mid-to-high-end applications. The BeagleBone is highly scalable, allowing developers to add various functions and interfaces through add-on boards or capes. The camera cape with QuickLogic CSSP is scheduled to be connected to BeagleBone and Aptina image sensors.

Russell Crane, Product Marketing Manager for TI’s Sitara ARM processor products, said, “With the launch of the AM335x processors, we have confirmed that opportunities to enter new finished product market segments are rapidly increasing,” adding, “Together with CAM I/F solutions, QuickLogic has laid the foundation to lead groundbreaking innovation in the portable device market requiring cameras and video inputs.”

Mehul Kochar, Senior Business Development Manager at QuickLogic, said, “System designers are always facing problems caused by mismatches between processor interfaces and peripheral components,” adding, “We are providing solutions that leverage the inherent flexibility of CSSP to the fullest and can be launched immediately to meet market requirements.”

Product supply
The QuickLogic BeagleCam Camera Cape solution is supplied in the form of a CSSP that can be applied and used immediately, or a PSB (Proven System Block) included in other CSSPs. For more information, please refer to www.quicklogic.com/ti-camif.

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