Real-Time Camera Link for Driver Assistance Applications

Abstract

With the increasing demand on driver information and multimedia content, displays and video signalling are getting more and more attention in the automotive industry. The requirement of transmitting video signals includes applications like infotainment displays, dashboard and head-up displays, but also driver assistance systems requiring real time video streams. The Automotive Pixel Link (APIX) Technology has been specifically designed to address the different requirements for video transmission in automotive applications. Optimized for low EMI, the APIX technology offers the ability to combine high speed real-time video data, full-duplex sideband channels and the power supply over a single cable. Especially on multicamera applications, the video information needs to be provided with minimum delay, with special requirements on synchronization and image processing. This article provides an introduction on the APIX technology, followed by the discussion of various requirements of implementing camera based driver assistance systems in the automotive environment.