Fastest high-speed USB 3.0 camera reference design kit

Cypress Semiconductor and THine Electronics have introduced what they believe to be the industry's fastest USB 3.0 camera reference design kit with 13-megapixel resolution at 21 frames per second. The new Ascella design kit is based on Cypress’s EZ-USB CX3 USB 3.0 camera controller and THine’s THP7312 image signal processor (ISP). With optimized firmware, a software development kit, reference circuit schematics and related materials, the kit accelerates customers’ time-to-market without expensive initial costs for developing camera firmware. The kit delivers high-resolution performance and advanced functions such as auto-focus and live video streaming for a broad range of consumer, industrial, medical, educational and automotive applications. The Ascella USB 3.0 Camera Reference Design Kit is available through e-con Systems, a leading product design services company specializing in advanced camera solutions. Cypress’s CX3 adds SuperSpeed USB connectivity to any image sensor that is compliant with the MIPI Camera Serial Interface 2 (CSI-2) standard, and THine’s THP7312 ISP supports high-resolution performance up to 16 megapixels with industry-leading throughput and low power consumption. The reference design kit by Cypress and THine enables plug-and-play operation and includes firmware optimized for all USB camera functions, significantly shortening development time and reducing engineering costs. Developers can use this smart reference design kit as a production-ready final product and can also utilize it as a development tool for high-resolution camera systems, says the company. “The Ascella reference design kit leverages Cypress’s programmable USB 3.0 controller, our expertise in USB system designs and THine’s advanced image signal processing technology,” said Mark Fu, senior marketing director USB 3.0 product line, Cypress. “It provides a compelling demonstration of using 5-Gbps SuperSpeed USB technology in camera and imaging applications.” Kazutaka Nogami, president and CEO, Thine, added: “This kit absolutely brings designers of higher-resolution applications an effective solution to drastically shorten development time with optimized firmware and widely-applicable USB interface technology,” said “Our global customers will be pleased with its superior image quality and performance.” Ashok Babu, president, E-con Systems, said: "We are witnessing increasing demand for high-resolution, high-framerate cameras with USB 3.0 interface for a wide range of applications. This new Ascella reference design kit, with a powerful combination of THine’s sophisticated ISP and Cypress’s CX3 USB 3.0 camera controller, provides the right platform for meeting these requirements”. The Cypress and THine Ascella USB 3.0 reference design kit addresses wide-ranging camera applications in consumer electronics, notebook/tablet PCs, as well as industrial, medical, machine-vision and educational usages. It also targets microscopes, copiers, document scanners, gaming consoles, TV conference systems and other imaging systems.