Multi-core processor application trend of high-performance video system design (1)

Clock frequency increases brought about by the high power consumption, deep sub-micron semiconductor manufacturing process leakage current of high power and more design challenges led processor design manufacturers begin thinking of turning to multi-core integrated solution.

Multi-core processor technology is improving processor performance of effective method, because the actual performance of the processor is a processor in each clock cycle to the total amount of the processing instruction, which increases a kernel, processors each clock cycle executable unit number will double. At the end of the dual-core processors started to enter the high-end server products. With Intel and AMD company has introduced a dual-core CPU, multi-core CPU in the application of the personal computer has become an irreversible trend, multi-core architecture in processor performance, low power consumption, reduced system circuit area, etc. have shown significant advantages.

In some ways, the embedded applications on processor needs tougher, especially for low-power, low cost.

To meet the current embedded device applications increasingly higher performance requirements, and as much as possible to reduce power consumption, in the field of high-end embedded processors a significant change is from the frequency increasing shift to multi-core architecture. Multi-core processor demand in many product areas increased significantly. To enhance the products a competitive advantage, embedded processor provider in multi-core competition began offering out there.

High-performance video system requires a multi-core processor

For embedded systems design engineers, the number of kernel is not a fashionable or product marketing gimmick, but when it is based on product performance requirements, power consumption, integration, cost, and other aspects of the trade-offs.

In particular, consumer electronics applications, single-core processor remains absolute. But some require more processing, control of applications, a dual-core processor already not in early spring, and such application duomeitilei products accounting for a large proportion, such as video surveillance (particularly with intelligent analysis function of monitoring equipment), video conference system, digital camera, automotive visualization system and so on.

For video surveillance applications, for example, with video monitoring application of the scale and networked, intelligent video surveillance system will be the development of an inevitable trend.

A new generation of intelligent analysis function monitoring system greatly extend video surveillance applications, in addition to the traditional security applications, human behavior recognition and intelligent traffic will open up a lot of emerging applications market.

Intelligent video analysis algorithm implementation forms most of the software, embedded software, the final product quality and performance of the performance of the hardware platform.

After all, the embedded platform resources are limited, relatively ordinary computer platforms, embedded platform computing capabilities relative to low for many, the core chip cache relatively small, the memory capacity of relatively small, and so on. These will give intelligent video analysis algorithms embedded implementation difficulty, intelligent video analysis algorithms for embedded implementations will be optimized. Hardware platform will lead to optimization strategies and extent different, if you choose, the higher the processor, in underlying operating instructions and on the open operation more optimization tools are complete, the system overall performance will be optimized for the better.

Intelligent video surveillance equipment most embedded devices.

Intelligent video surveillance belong to traditional video surveillance expansion and extension of, the traditional video monitoring on hardware platforms, intelligent video surveillance also must possess. But intelligent video surveillance and compared to traditional video surveillance, the user needs more diversified, for example: as a subway system users, their function is to detect whether the yellow line across the waiting crowd density is too large for suspicious objects, etc.; for a left bank system users, what they need is the ATM machine of intelligent monitoring analysis including whether to install fake keyboard, install the tunka, ATM machines, whether acts of violence, whether criminals face, etc. Therefore, on the one hand, the user needs of diversity can make the algorithm with the needs of users. On the other hand, smart video processing requirements chip with powerful processing capabilities, there are many algorithms must use parallel processing. Therefore, the traditional single-kernel microcontroller solutions facing great challenges, integration of MCU and DSP heterogeneous dual-processor or multiple-processor solution and a powerful computing capacity of multi-core processor is a smart video surveillance embedded platform alternative.

Dual-core processor — convergence-BF561

BF561 Blackfin ADSP processor is a product family in a member with high performance, it includes two independent ADI processor core, each processor core contains a double accumulator signal processor, a class of RISC instruction set, each kernel uses full SIMD architecture that contains video acceleration processing and image processing instructions.

Convergence-processor features reduce or avoid the use of separate digital signal and control processor requirements, reducing material costs while greatly simplifies hardware and software development tasks. Blackfin processor while providing comprehensive power management scheme, unique low-power and low voltage design (can be less than 2V Blackfin external voltage supply), reduces overall power consumption for 24 x 7 video surveillance is of great significance.

Dual-core BF561 has twice the processing performance BF533 processors, twice the on-chip memory, greatly enhancing data bandwidth and maintenance and code BF533 processors are fully compatible.

328KB BF561 processor with on-chip memory provides two parallel data-port, can be directly connected parallel AD and DA converters or other common peripherals. BF561 processor also built-in multiple independent DMA controller, supports data transfer automatically, so that processor core to minimize the burden. In addition, BF561 Blackfin processor continued with rich interfaces, to design a great convenience, for example, two dual-channel full duplex sync serial port, twoA support ITU-R 656 video data format of concurrent peripheral interface, SPI port.

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