Putting AI into a refrigerator
Embedded vision efficiently integrated
Flexible choice of processor board
Technology widely transferable
Prototype for a smart wine cooler
developed by NOTAVIS and DAB-Embedded
Smart technology simply integrated
Cameras and their data are the drivers for smart home applications, for staff-free supermarkets and for the analysis of user behavior. More and more applications are therefore being equipped with the intelligent sensors. The challenge here is the optimal integration of the complex technology. Using the development of a wine cooler as an example, NOTAVIS shows how companies can use embedded vision to achieve the ideal solution and thereby save time and costs on the way to market.
Which wine bottle was taken out of the refrigerator?
As part of a joint customer project between DAB-Embedded and NOTAVIS, a solution was to be developed to answer this question. In order to enable AI-based analyses of user behavior and to be able to identify bottles in any position without any doubt, cameras were to be used as sensors for this purpose. They provide the necessary data depth and resolution for the project.
The challenge:
Perfect integration of the cameras
From the first idea to the prototype
1. The optimal camera position
2. Data processing directly on the embedded system
Embedded vision with MIPI camera modules and a directly connected CPU board has emerged as the most suitable technology for integration into the wine cooler design: Image acquisition, data processing and analysis take place directly on the systems. There is no need for an additional, external computing unit, so the wine cooler can be used autonomously at any location. In addition, the systems dispense with all unnecessary functionalities and components, making them as compact and efficient as possible.
„The embedded vision systems from NOTAVIS' range convinced us because they are perfectly adapted to the application and offer the best compromise between performance and ultra-compact design. This has made integration extremely easy.“
3. Standard components save development time and costs
MIPI camera modules from Vision Components, which NOTAVIS offers in numerous variants, are used for this purpose. They are hardly larger than the image sensors themselves, are available for long periods and, thanks to their industry-standard quality, are ideally suited for series production. They are also characterized by an optimum price/performance ratio. NOTAVIS supplies the corresponding LED illumination as an accessory. To ensure the sharpness of the images, the wine cooler drawers are equipped with sensors for position detection. The cameras, in turn, have electromagnetic adjustment of the optics to adjust the focus accordingly. In the implementation chosen for the prototype, the top two shelf pullouts are captured by the camera mounted on the bottom of the wine cooler, while the bottom three of the total of five pullouts are recorded from above.
Die Serienqualifizierung
1. MIPI modules allow flexible choice of processor platform
Another advantage of the VC MIPI camera modules: They can be connected to all common processor platforms via the MIPI-CSI-2 interface. As a subsidiary of VC, NOTAVIS supplies the corresponding drivers directly in the source code, so that the modules can be put into operation quickly and easily. MIPI cables and other accessories, for example for connecting an external trigger, are also available.
2. Image processing and analysis on the CPU board
3. Rapid advancement to series production—and transferable to other applications
Already for the prototype, DAB-Embedded relied on industrial-grade VC MIPI camera modules and embedded CPU boards with components from the NOTAVIS store, which have proven their worth many times in series products. Optical quality and image processing results tunred out to be an ideal match. For the advancement to series production, the development service provider is developing an individual mainboard for the embedded system in the next step. All development work in the area of software and the available camera drivers can be taken over directly for this, so that the final solution can be finished quickly, easily and cost-effectively.
There are plans to adapt the integration of the camera solution for other markets and applications as well—whether for smart household appliances and home automation, for comprehensive store solutions or for use at the point of sale.
“Together with NOTAVIS, we have decided on an embedded system from NVIDIA that fits our requirements perfectly. The platform is proven in use with VC’s MIPI modules and the delivery of all components was fast and from a single source via NOTAVIS. The support during the development additionally convinced us of the cooperation“
Art Staliarou
CEO DAB-Embedded
About DAB-Embedded
www.dab-embedded.com
Contact
+49 6331 25 99 793
thomas.schweitzer@NOTAVIS.com
Adress
Marie-Curie-Str. 14-16
66943 Pirmasens
Deutschland
© 2020 All rights reserved.