Imaging
Overview
Applications such as Drones, Machine Vision, Thermal Imaging, Gaming, Video Surveillance, Robotics, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and HMI often use cameras and displays. These designs demand low power, support for various interfaces and design security so one's IP is protected.
Microsemi provides an ecosystem to quickly develop video and imaging application using PolarFire, SmartFusion2 and IGLOO2 devices. Numerous IPs needed for video applications are readily available for faster time-to-market. Microsemi FPGAs offer a solution that can adapt to various input and output interfaces for cameras and displays.
Key Features
- Modular IP suite
- Support for MIPI CSI-2 and Parallel sensor interface
- Display interface for 7:1 LVDS
- Low power, security, and reliability
- Easy-to-use software GUI to real-time configure video and audio
| Imaging and Video Solution with Microsemi FPGAs and SoCs | 1686 KB | 9/2017 |
Applications
Infrared and Thermal ImagingInfrared cameras are used across segments such as industrial, defense, medical and security. One of the requirements for an infrared system is the lowest power as functionality mandates high sensitivity to temperatures. Microsemi's SmartFusion2/IGLOO2 based imaging solution is ideal here because of low-power and reliability. |
 |
HMIMicrosemi has a proven FPGA/SoC solution for HMI (Human Machine Interface) applications. Compact and modular IP suite ensures that HMI is implemented in lowest density FPGAs (5K LE), this along with features like In-Applications and In-System programming makes Microsemi solution ideal for HMI applications. Microsemi has collaborated with Mikroprojekt to introduce SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA-based HMI solution. Click here for more information |
 |
AutomotiveMicrosemi SoC FPGAs and FPGAs provide core data acquisition, processing, and display functions while providing industry's best reliability and security in small footprint packages crucial for building differentiated, secure and reliable advanced driver assist systems. |
 |
DronesDrones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) require significant image processing capabilities. The other two important requirements for imaging systems in this application are low-power and high-security. Microsemi SoC FPGAs and FPGAs based imaging solutions are ideal for these applications as they meet both the critical specifications for this application. |
 |
Imaging & Video Partner Solutions
|
 |
|
 |
Software and IP
Microsemi offers various IPs to reduce the development time of the video application using the PolarFire, SmartFusion2 and IGLOO2 devices. Block diagram shown here highlights some of the available IPs for these devices that can be useful for image processing and display applications.
Software
- Software GUI
- Free Gold license for PolarFire Libero SoC and Libero SoC*
Software Tools
- Libero SoC PolarFire Design Suite offers high productivity with its comprehensive, easy-to-learn, easy-to-adopt development tools for designing with Microsemi's PolarFire FPGA Family
- Libero SoC Design Software integrates industry leading synthesis, debug and DSP support from Synopsys, and simulation from Mentor Graphics with power analysis, timing analysis and push button design flow.
IP User Guides
| UG0651: Scaler User Guide | Video scaler based on nearest neighbor algorithm | 393 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0643: Image De-Noising Filter User Guide for SmartFusion2 |
Removes impulse noise. Supports 3x3 2D median filtering |
521 KB | 3/2017 |
| UG0642: Image Sharpening Filter User Guide | Unsharp Mask algorithm. A programmable gain for edge directions |
612 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0646: Display Enhancement User Guide | Enables a user to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue of the final video display |
141 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0640: Bayer Conversion User Guide | Combines bilinear interpolation and median filtering | 442 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0649: Display Controller User Guide | Reads video data from display frame buffers and generates the required timing |
429 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0641: Alpha Blending User Guide | Supports per-pixel alpha blending and global alpha | 461 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0639: Color Space Conversion User Guide | RGB video data to YCrCb color space and vice versa | 375 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0645: Low Voltage Differential Signaling 7:1 User Guide for SmartFusion2 |
Supports Digital Display Interface | 261 KB | 10/2016 |
| UG0644: DDR AXI Arbiter User Guide | Video DMA accesses DDR memory from the fabric through the AXI interface |
1.43 MB | 3/2018 |
| UG0682: Pattern Generator User Guide | Generates a test color pattern for different colors | 105 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0693: Image Edge Detection User Guide | Based on Sobel Operator | 603 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0763: MIPI CSI-2 Receiver Decoder for SmartFusion2 |
IP supports interfacing with image sensors using MIPI CSI-2 receive interface for SmartFusion2 |
92 KB | 6/2017 |
| UG0806: MIPI CSI-2 Receiver User Guide for PolarFire | IP supports interfacing with image sensors using MIPI CSI-2 receive interface for PolarFire |
242 KB | 3/2018 |
| UG0826: MIPI CSI-2 Transmitter User Guide for PolarFire | IP supports interfacing with image sensors using MIPI CSI-2 transmit interface for PolarFire |
293 KB | 5/2018 |
Design Files - MIPI CSI-2 Camera Sensor Interface
Camera Serial Interface 2 (CSI-2) is one of the popular interface standards defined by Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) and is used to transfer pxel data at high-speeds from an image sensor to a processor. Microsemi provides an application note and a design example to show an image sensor interface implementation using MIPI CSI-2 protocol.| Design files for MIPI CSI-2 Camera Sensor Interface for PolarFire |
264 MB | 3/2018 |
| Design files for MIPI CSI-2 Camera Sensor Interface for SmartFusion2 |
198 MB | 6/2017 |
Design Files - Parallel Camera Sensor Interface
The design example shows how to interface an image sensor with parallel output using a SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA device. It uses the available IP cores (mentioned above) to also implement image processing and display control blocks| Design files for Parallel Camera Sensor Interface | 164 MB | 7/2016 |
Demo Guide & Programming Files
Application Notes
| AC469: PolarFire FPGA Video and Imaging Solution Application Note | 906 KB | 3/2018 |
Click here for more Application Notes on PolarFire
Click here for more application notes on SmartFusion2
Tutorials
Click here for tutorials on PolarFire
Click here for tutorials on SmartFusion2
To get the more details on the IPs or any further information, please contact imaging@microsemi.com
Hardware
PolarFire Imaging and Video Block Diagram
- Choose between two FMC daughter cards
- MIPI CSI-2 Sensor FMC: VIDEO-DC-MIPI
- Parallel sensor FMC: VIDEO-DC-PRL#
- PolarFire Evaluation Kit*
- SmartFusion2 Advanced Development Kit*
- LVDS 7:1 interface for connecting LCD
- HDMI Transmitter and Receiver sets and corresponding connectors
- FMC Connector
- Audio support with VIDEO-DC-PRL :
- Microsemi's Audio Processor - Timberwolf ZL38051
- Analog Audio: Mic, headphone and speaker connectors
- Digital mics
FMC for MIPI CSI-2 Camera sensor FMC for Parallel Camera Sensor#
PolarFire Evaluation Kit - Microsemi's PolarFire Evaluation Kit offers high-performance evaluation across a broad class of applications. This kit is ideally suited for high-speed transceiver evaluation, 10Gb Ethernet, IEEE1588, JESD204B, SyncE, CPRI and more.It has a 300K logic element (LE) PolarFire FPGA with DDR4, DDR3, and SPI-flash allowing a broad class of high-performance designs to be developed.
SmartFusion2 Advanced Development Kit - Microsemi offers 150K LE device inherently integrates reliable flash-based FPGA fabric, a 166 MHz Cortex™-M3 processor digital signal processing (DSP) blocks, static random-access memory (SRAM), embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM), and industry-required high-performance communication interfaces— all on a single chip.
Board / Schematics
| QG0695: Imaging and Video Kit Quickstart Guide- Parallel | 1.00 MB | 3/2017 |
| QG0719: Imaging and Video Kit Quickstart Guide- MIPI CSI-2 | 1.9 MB | 6/2017 |
| VIDEO-DC-PRL Board Schematics (Assembly, PCB, Schematics, BOM) | 2.60 MB | 8/2016 |
| VIDEO-DC-MIPI Board Schematic (Assembly, PCB, Schematics, BOM) | 1.89 MB | 8/2016 |
* The PolarFire Evaluation kit and the SmartFusion2 Advanced development kit are be purchased separately. They each come with free one-year Gold license for Libero SoC
# The Parallel camera sensor interface is available only for SmartFusion2 Advanced Dev Kit
Thermal Imaging
Thermal imaging infrared cameras are used in an increasing number of applications such as industrial, security, defense, and medical applications. It is important for a thermal imaging system to dissipate a very low power so that its heat dissipation doesn't interfere with the working of a thermal/Infrared image sensor. Microsemi's FPGAs and SoC FPGAs are best suited for thermal imaging applications as they have a low total power owing to its flash-based FPGA architecture.
Thermal Imaging Demo
Future Electronics has developed a thermal imaging demo using FLIR thermal image sensor and IGLOO2-based Future Creative Board.
The design for the demo is completely implemented in the FPGA fabric and is optimized for both IGLOO2 FPGA or SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA devices.
Once the thermal imaging design is programmed in the FPGA it can be configured and controlled real-time from any host PC using the demo GUI software. 
Thermal Imaging demo GUI
The Future-designed Creative Development Board features Microsemi’s IGLOO2 FPGA or SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA and Microsemi’s LX series power devices. The Future - Microsemi Creative Development Board boasts a 25k logic element (LE) FPGA, offering the lowest cost of entry for both software and hardware engineers who want to evaluate and implement their own unique designs.
For more information on this solution visit: http://www.futureelectronics.com/en/campaign/microsemi/Pages/CreativeDevelopmentBoard.aspx
Future Creative Development Board
