Inova launches APIX3 with DisplayPort and multi-display support

APIX (Automotive Pixel Link) is a multi-channel SerDes (Serialiser/Deserialiser) technology developed by Inova for automotive high-resolution video applications. The ICs are primarily used in vehicle cockpits and infotainment systems. The latest APIX3 generation can establish multiple display connections even with daisy-chained displays with a bandwidth of up to 12Gbit/s and supports HD and Ultra HD displays.

The new INAP567TAQ and INAP597TAQ transmitters offer a DisplayPort 1.4a video interface with support of Single-stream (SST) or Multi-stream Transport (MST) for up to four Videos, each with up to 360MHz pixel clock. Up to four DP lanes with a maximum of 5.4Gbit/s each (HBR2), as well as an AUX data channel with 1Mbit/s are available.

The INAP597TAQ device additionally supports the encryption of audiovisual content according to the HDCP 2.3 standard as an HDCP repeater between the DisplayPort and the APIX3 link. The encrypted video from the SOC is transmitted to a corresponding APIX3 receiver component. All necessary HDCP keys are stored individually in each component.

The new devices of the APIX3 family are designed for popular automotive displays (e.g., 2880 x 1080 x 24bit, 60Hz). Nonetheless, video resolutions with up to 8190 active pixels per line and colour depths up to 30bits are also possible via tunnelling and transmission of VESA DSC-compressed video data. Optional video CRC and four error protected AShell data transmission channels support the implementation of safety critical links to multiple receivers.

SPI interfaces are available for convenient local or remote component configuration and bidirectional data transfer of up to 30Mbit/s. Four GPIOs allow user signals to be transmitted directly to or from the receiver via the APIX3 link. Simultaneously, the devices enable the transmission of 100Mbit Ethernet according to the IEEE standard via its media-independent interface (MII, RMII, RGMII) as well as up to eight audio channels via I²S.

The transmitters can establish one APIX2 link or two APIX3 links with all compatible receivers via a QTP or STP cable. The components support various EMC-friendly operating modes with fixed bandwidths of 1.5, 3, or 6Gbps in single-lane mode or 3, 6, or 12Gbps in dual-lane mode with a fixed back channel of 187.5Mbps.

In APIX3 mode the automatic link training adopts the APIX3 link to the cable medium and ensures very robust, stable, and optimised transmission. With its many diagnostic features, APIX3 supports safety-related applications. The products meet the requirements of the automotive industry for electromagnetic immunity and resistance.

Typical applications for the new APIX3 chips are infotainment systems, instrument clusters and head-up displays in vehicles with multiple displays being connected in a daisy-chain to a single transmitter device, saving components and space on the head unit. The APIX3 devices are backward compatible with the APIX2 product family.

Availability

The two new APIX3 transmitters INAP567TAQ und INAP597TAQ are available now. All devices are qualified according to AEC-Q100 and operate in a wide temperature range from –40°C to +105°C. Inova supplies the semiconductor ICs in a 151-pin aQFN package. The APIX3 technology has also been licensed to Socionext.