High-speed CoaXPress 2.0 devices speed machine vision image capture

Microchip Technology has taken the next step toward achieving the full potential of CoaXPress (CXP) on the factory floor with what is claimed to be the first single-chip physical-layer interface devices to incorporate features that streamline machine vision system design, maximise transmission speed and ease deployment in high-volume bottling operations, food inspection, industrial inspection and imaging applications.

“We have worked with the Japan Industrial Imaging Association (JIIA) standards organisation and our lead customers to optimise our offering in conjunction with CXP, so it fully exploits the specification’s benefits on the factory floor,” said Matthias Kaestner, vice president, Automotive Infotainment Systems business unit. “Our low-latency, low-power transmission solutions integrate an equaliser, cable driver and clock data recovery into a single chip that enables camera and capture card manufacturers to deliver high-speed, high-resolution video and control signalling along with power over a single coax cable.”

The company's EQCO125X40 family of CoaXPress devices is the first to implement the CXP 2.0 standard, commencing from a new backward-compatible design based on the specification, with an integrated CDR at all speed levels and a camera-side clock to maintain the demands of real-world environments. The devices increase machine-vision processing throughput by facilitating cameras and capture cards to transmit four to eight times faster than alternative solutions. Also, these devices allow four times the cable/link distance with far lower power and near-zero latency.

The product family also improves design tolerances and versatility by seamlessly locking on all frequencies at any speed, from CXP-1 to CXP-12, and eradicates the necessity for multiple channels by supporting 12.5Gbps of bandwidth over a single cable.

For card-makers, the new offering makes it simpler and less costly to develop more robust products that customers can deploy wherever they require them on the production line. The products allow pre-setup and real-time cable link quality tests to be conducted, giving users more robust and comprehensive solutions to their challenges. They also possess the option to scale up to 50Gbps over multiple cables.

“Microchip’s new CXP-12 family provides our latest products with a compact and low component count single-chip equaliser solution which can therefore easily meet the CoaXPress return loss specification,” said Chris Beynon, CTO with Active Silicon. “The devices also have an elegant feature to allow real-time cable margin testing to detect ageing or worn cables before any bit errors would be seen in normal operation.”

“With Microchip’s CXP devices, we support our market needs for a doubling in data throughput while keeping the same system costs,” said Andre Jacobs, director of marketing and sales with Adimec.

“JIIA is excited to see that Microchip is bringing low-power, high-performance CoaXPress 2.0 solutions to market that fully comply to the recently released CoaXPress 2.0 specification,” said Sachio Kiura, Chairman of the Japan Industrial Imaging Association.