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iCatch Technology, a global leader in low-power, intelligent image processing SoC solutions, participated in the AutoTronics Taipei 2019 held from April 24th to 27th, 2019. iCatch presented the car recording image processing SoC CR1 and the intelligent image signal processor Ci1 for automotive imaging applications. Both chips are compliant to AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualification and meet the strict quality requirements of the automotive industry for product reliability.

In the past few years, the worldwide renowned automobile manufacturers had gradually included the dashboard camera as one of the optional accessories in passenger cars. As the regulations around the world also pay more attention to driving safety, dash cam will become a standard equipment in vehicle in the future. The CR1 (Car Recording) series is designed for such applications in focus. It builds in iCatch's 7th generation image signal processing (ISP) engine to support single or dual-sensor inputs, high dynamic range (HDR) processing, and lens distortion correction (LDC). Even in the tunnels or in case of backlighting, CR1 can easily produce high-quality images. It also embeds an H.264 encoder to support 4Kp30 single channel or 1440p30 dual channel video recording. In addition, CR1 has incorporated a state-of-the-art neural processing unit (NPU) to empower the edge computing capability right on the camera for functions like vehicle detection (VD), pedestrian detection (PD), driver monitoring system (DMS), and other similar thing. These features make CR1 very suitable for dashboard camera, intelligent rear-view camera (RVC), driver and in-cabin monitoring camera, and other intelligent automotive recording applications.

On the other hand, with the popularization of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the demand of using camera modules to detect surrounding environment will rise. The Ci1 (Car Imaging) series is an intelligent image signal processor (ISP) solution that is dedicated to automotive camera module applications. It integrates a number of high-quality image processing blocks to support high dynamic range (HDR) processing, fisheye lens de-warping, and motion compensated video noise filtering in automotive environments. Ci1 also integrates a neural processing unit (NPU) to enable edge intelligence in camera module to reduce the computational burden of the electronic control unit (ECU). This NPU block while executing different neural networking algorithms can help the camera module to detect objects, such as pedestrians, vehicles, cyclists, lane marks, and traffic signs while driving on the road.

At the AutoTronics Taipei 2019 Exhibition, iCatch demonstrated several advanced automotive imaging solutions including intelligent rear view camera (IRVC), driver monitoring system (DMS), camera monitoring system (CMS), and high dynamic range imaging (HDR) technology. For automotive imaging applications, CR1 and Ci1 integrate powerful image processor and advanced edge computing capabilities to provide the best image quality for drivers’ viewing and to achieve ADAS applications in the module. For example, the RVC and blind spot detection (BSD) system can help driver to monitor the rear of the vehicle or the blind spot when driving on the road, and automatically warm the driver when the vehicle is too close to an object. When the vehicle deviates from the lane line, approaches pedestrians, or is too close to the preceding vehicle during high-speed driving, such warning system can immediately alert the driver of these hazardous road conditions. CR1 and Ci1 are both high-performance and cost effective automotive imaging platforms that customers can also use them to enable other intelligent imaging solutions, such as automatic recognition of driving scenes, pedestrian detection and tracking, in-cabin monitoring, and more.