SMARC-compliant SoMs serve industrial video applications
Two system on modules (SoMs), the MRZG2LS and MRZV2LS are SMARC-compliant. Aries Embedded has based the modules on the Renesas RZ family with dual Cortex-A55/M33 cores. The CPU provides performance levels which suit industrial video applications.
The SoMs are based on the Renesas RZ family architecture and provide high performance for embedded systems. The RZ/G2L microprocessor from Renesas includes a dual Cortex-A55 (1.2GHz) CPU, 16-bit DDR3L / DDR4 interface, 3D graphics engine with Arm Mali-G31 and video codec (H.264).
“While the MRZG2LS SoM integrates the single/dual Cortex-A55 / Cortex-M33, the MRZV2LS is equipped with a Cortex-A55 (1.2GHz) CPU and built-in AI accelerator ‘DRP-AI’ for vision applications, which is Renesas’ original technology,” explained Andreas Widder, managing director of Aries Embedded. He explained that the SoMs are suitable for applications such as entry-class industrial human machine interfaces (HMIs), embedded vision, edge artificial intelligence (edge-AI), real-time control,
industrial ethernet connectivity, and embedded devices with video capabilities.
The MRZG2LS and MRZV2LS are the company’s first SoMs which comply with the SMARC 2.1 (Smart Mobility Architecture) standard by SGET (Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies e. V.). This standard defines a versatile small form factor computer module targeting applications that require low power, low costs, and high performance.
The AI accelerator (DRP-AI) from Renesas is configured with DRP and AI-MAC.
DRP-AI’s power efficiency eliminates the need for heat dissipation measures such as heat sinks or cooling fans. AI can be implemented cost-efficiently, not only in consumer electronics and industrial equipment but also in a wide range of applications such as point-of-sale (PoS) terminals for retail. Also, the DRP-AI provides both real-time AI inference and image processing functions with the capabilities essential for camera support, such as colour correction and noise reduction. This enables customers to implement AI-based vision applications without requiring an external image signal processor (ISP).
In addition to the optional AI accelerator (DRP-AI on MRZV2L), the MRZG2LS and MRZV2LS y have a 3D graphics engine (Arm Mali-G31) and video codec (H.264). The memory options are comprised of 512Mbyte to 4Gbyte DDR4 RAM, SPI NOR, and 4Gbyte to 64Gbyte eMMC NAND flash. The SoMs are versatile with a variety of interfaces, including dual 10/100/1000MBit Ethernet with PHY, USB2.0 Host/OTG, two CAN, UART, I2C, SPI, ADC, as well as a MIPI-CSI camera interface and a MIPI-DSI display interface. The temperature range is 0 to +70 degrees C for commercial and -40 to +85 degrees C for industrial environments.
Aries Embedded said it supports a quick and smooth start-up into the new architecture with the corresponding evaluation kits MRZG2LSEVK and MRZV2LSEVK. They support developers for a quick project entry, help to develop software and can also be used as platforms for rapid prototyping. The baseboard supports both MRZG2LS and MRZV2LS.
The MRZG2LS and MRZV2LS SoMs will be available in the fourth quarter 2023.
