Imaging has long played a key role in industrial, scientific, medical, surveillance, and defense systems. More recently, we’re seeing imaging creep into applications that us consumers are using in our day-to-day lives – applications like hands-off parallel parking and gaming.
And while people are generally familiar with imaging, we’re often asked just what embedded imaging is.
Embedded imaging (or embedded vision) is about incorporating camera sensors and image analysis capabilities into an electronic device. With embedded imaging, the image data and processing platform are both on board (literally) a system. Analysis and decision making can now occur in real time. Think of the medical setting. In the “old days”, images were taken and, after the fact, interpreted by a physician. Today, with embedded imaging, an abnormality can be flagged automatically, enabling a quicker diagnosis. In the automotive world, embedded imaging is what’s making autonomous vehicles possible, interpreting images in real time and enabling the vehicle, e.g., to immediately respond to a jaywalking pedestrian.
In any case, to answer the question “what is embedded vision”, we put together a short video that offers a quick, high-level explanation. The link is here.
At Critical Link, we’ve long been involved with imaging/vision systems for these industrial-class applications. We’ve designed solutions around a broad array of image sensor technology and worked with many of the top sensor manufacturers including SONY, CMOSIS, OmniVision, e2v, Hamamatsu, Fairchild Imaging, Aptina, and Sensors Unlimited. We provide customers with embedded image processing building blocks based on FPGA and ARM, and with an array of interface options including USB3 Vision, MIPI, Camera Link, GigE Vision, among others.
In today’s world, where developers need to focus on their end application and all of the complexities that come with it, our depth of experience and hardware building blocks are proven assets in getting to market quickly and successfully.