Processors enhance digital cockpit integration

The Jacinto 6 EP features 1.4GHz DSP performance equivalent to 22GFLOPS/60 GMACS. While controlling system cost, the processor provides more peripherals and better DSP performance than the Jacinto 6. By incorporating additional USB, video input and PCIe interfaces required in infotainment systems with demanding IO requirements, the device lowers the BOM. For image manipulation technologies, such as integrating multiple cameras into a single, surround or overhead view, a second TMS320C66x DSP core, delivering a total of 1.4GHz of signal processing, can be used. Augmented radio configurations (multi-tuner, multi-modal configurations leveraging antenna diversity and background scanning), audio and speech processing, active noise control, voice recognition and a variety of other technologies are also enabled by the additional DSP performance.

Offering two EVEs, the Jacinto 6 Ex device provides more performance and integration possibilities than the Jacinto 6 EP. The EVEs enable simultaneous informational ADAS and infotainment functionalities without compromising the performance of either system. To enhance the driving experience without actively controlling the vehicle, informational ADAS provides capabilities such as object and pedestrian detection, augmented reality navigation and driver identification leveraging cameras both inside and outside the car. These capabilities can be leveraged in the centre stack, programmable cluster and head’s-up display systems.

The EVEs enable high-performance analytic and vision algorithms operating concurrently with the ARM, GPU, DSP, multimedia and additional sub-systems. By leveraging the flexible, programmable, high-performance EVE cores for analytics algorithms, both EVEs and associated software libraries put customers in control of their development.

Offering software and pin-to-pin compatibility with the broadest array of highly scalable ARM Cortex-A15 devices for automotive applications, the Jacinto 6 family of devices is built on the same architecture. An ARM Cortex-A15 solution, which is capable of supporting up to four 1080p displays and four 1080p video and camera inputs, is featured within the Jacinto family. Using FPD-Link III Ser/Des chipsets, high definition displays and megapixel cameras can be connected to Jacinto processors. Digital video, audio, and bidirectional I2C control signals are carried by the DS90UH925Q serializer and DS90UH926Q deserialiser over a single twisted pair cable using the HDCP-protected interface protocol. Using a low cost co-axial cable, the serialiser and deserialiser connect camera modules to the processor. The auxiliary ARM Cortex-M4 subsystem offloads real-time, interrupt-intensive tasks, such as those used to handle vehicle stacks.

TI’s TPS659039-Q1 fully integrated power management IC has been designed specifically for the Jacinto 6 SoC family, with which it provides seamless operation. Including features suited to manage the system power requirements of the Jacinto 6 family while minimising the power consumption in the system, the IC is designed to support harsh automotive requirements. To provide scalability, the AEC-Q100 qualified IC supports the full family of Jacinto 6 devices.

The Jacinto 6 EP and Jacinto 6 Ex processors are also compatible with the previously announced Jacinto 6 and Jacinto 6 Eco devices, which enables further scalability. Providing out-of-the box ready automotive infotainment offerings, all members of the Jacinto family are compatible with TI's WiLink 8Q WiFi, Bluetooth and GNSS combo connectivity platform.

On the same DRA7xx Jacinto platform, customers designing infotainment systems can develop products for a broad range of vehicles from entry to luxury, leveraging their investment, and reducing R&D cost and time to market. To reduce development overhead and quickly add features, Jacinto tools and software, including QNX, Linux and Android SDKs, hardware development and reference platforms and a third-party ecosystem can be used.

The DRA75x Jacinto 6 EP and Jacinto 6 Ex processors, which are currently sampling, will be available for production in 4Q 2014.