Renesas debuts open ISP solution for automotive cameras

By Warren Miller, contributing writer

Renesas Electronics Corp. recently launched an integrated open image signal processor (ISP) solution for automotive smart camera applications. Based on the company’s R-Car V3M and R-Car V3H systems-on-chip (SoCs), the open ISP solution is the result of a collaboration with MM Solutions, designed to make the process of sensor calibration and tuning for automotive cameras, including front camera and surround view, much simpler.

The solution integrates the ISP on the R-Car V3x SoCs and leverages MM Solutions’ Automotive Camera Development Kit (AutoCDK), which provides engineers with a jumping-off point to start their development using MM Solutions’ tools and image quality expertise. The open ISP solution, the newest addition to the Renesas Autonomy Platform, offers developers a variety of development support that includes AutoCDK and low-level programming ISP capabilities via the open interface for users with deep ISP expertise.

By integrating the ISP vision processing software onto the R-Car V3x SoCs, camera manufacturers and Tier 1 manufacturers can work with the ECU and sensor solutions of their choice, said Renesas. “The sensor-neutral solution eliminates the need for sensor-specific ISPs, reducing users’ development time and system costs.”

Smart cameras play a key role in autonomous vehicles, helping to define the vehicle’s surroundings and staying aware of what is on the road ahead, including the detection of traffic signs, lanes, pedestrians, vehicles, and other obstacles in real time. ISPs help to refine the visual data that those smart cameras capture to make it more digestible to both the vehicle’s onboard guidance system and the human eye.

Developing highly configurable ISPs that support high dynamic ranges for challenging driving situations and imagery perception close to the human eye will be at the forefront of the next wave in self-driving vehicle technology.

Mass production of the R-Car V3M and R-Car V3H SoCs is scheduled to start in Q2 2019 and Q3 2019, respectively. The AutoCDK will be available in November 2018.