For embedded applications, engineers face a diverse set of challenges, including functionality, performance, power consumption and time-to-market. To meet these challenges, they need to be able to integrate the best technologies and services available from a wide range of companies, all the way from the big chip and software vendors through to smaller technology businesses that can rapidly develop solutions for niche applications.
To successfully and efficiently work with all these companies, engineers need their suppliers to operate in collaboration with partners, providing solutions that have been integrated and proven successfully. This helps reduce development time and testing, as well as ensuring that the embedded system in question accomplishes its goals. Thus, Analog Devices, for example, provides its customers with access to a broad ecosystem of third-party partners, software and development tools, making it easy and inexpensive for engineers to develop innovative products. At Embedded World 2008, several of the company's partners will be demonstrating their applications.
These partners include Bluetechnix, which produces core modules and development boards for rapid prototyping. From Scandinavia, ConnectBlue offers qualified and certified ready-to-use industrial WLAN and Bluetooth products, while Devitech specialises in the development, supply and licensing of embedded computer vision systems and digital-camera products. Another video-related partner is Cynove, a French company that develops video modules based on embedded processors including the Blackfin series, for applications such as security, medical and industrial vision.
Other partners include two German companies. Kwest develops multimedia and infotainment solutions for the automotive and consumer industries based on ADI's Blackfin and its own technology platform. Its products include a DSP-based amplifier and a complete in-car multimedia system. Kwest has added its own dedicated software modules to the off-the-shelf Blackfin code in order to create a ready-to-use system solution for its customers. Voice Inter Connect, which specialises in signal processing in electronic devices, provides solutions and integration services in embedded speech and audio processing. Its products include a DSP-based system for voice control and a Blackin-based acoustic-echo-compensation library for hands-free car kits, conference phones and other telecoms devices.
Last but not least, ZP Engineering is an Italian company that provides complete design services for embedded and signal-processing systems, with a focus on DSP, FPGA and RISC technologies. It also provides DSP-based OEM solutions for audio applications, including loudspeaker management and IEEE-1394 audio connectivity.
The key to these collaborations is Analog Devices' common tool platform, in particular the VisualDSP++ software development and debugging environment. All of these partners deliver modules that are compatible with the VisualDSP++ environment for reuse by other customers. To help partners and customers, Analog Devices also offers a qualified set of algorithms, for example for some of the more standard codecs (i.e. H.264, MPEG4 standards), which can be evaluated and used in development free of charge. This allows partners to focus on the specific end application, rather than having to spend time on putting together basic core functionality.
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