The conga-STDA4 modules, which consume only 5 to 10 watts, are designed for industrial mobile machinery requiring 2D/3D cameras, radar, and lidar based on near-field analysis, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), as well as applications in construction and agricultural machinery. They are also suitable for any vision-centric medical or industrial automation solution requiring powerful and energy-efficient AI processing at the edge.
The new SMARC modules incorporate two MIPI CSI camera inputs. Based on the TDA4x processor, the conga-STDA4 includes an image signal processor (ISP), vision accelerators, and pre-trained AI models from TI's model zoo, enabling seamless entry into AI-based application development. A robotic SDK is also included to enhance functionality. The DRA8x variants offer a cost-effective option without vision processing accelerators. Designed to withstand harsh industrial environments, both variants of the high-performance module support an extended temperature range from -40°C to +85°C, as well as time-sensitive networking (TSN) and cybersecurity measures.
“By integrating the powerful Texas Instruments Jacinto™ 7 TDA4x and TI DRA8x processors into our high-performance SMARC Module 2.1 ecosystem, congatec simplifies the design process for this advanced Arm Cortex-A72-based SoC technology. This allows designers of situational awareness-based vision systems in various embedded industries to focus on their core competencies, saving upfront costs and reducing time to market, especially for mass industrial production,” explains Martin Danzer, Director of Product Management at congatec. Industrial OEMs, particularly those lacking the time and financial resources for custom designs, can benefit from congatec’s innovative, high-performance SMARC ecosystem. It streamlines the design process while ensuring high design certainty and low non-recurring engineering costs (NRE).
The feature set in detail:
The new congatec conga-STDA4 COM modules, based on the SMARC Module 2.1 specification, are equipped with Texas Instruments Jacinto™ 7 TDA4VM or DRA829J processors based on two Arm Cortex-A72 and six Arm Cortex-R5F cores, respectively. With two 4-lane MIPI-CSI modules and an integrated Image Signal Processor (ISP) for MIPI-CSI cameras, the new modules enable high-quality camera, lidar, or radar data capture and processing. Featuring deep learning matrix multiplication (MMA) accelerators with up to 8 TOPS and a C7x floating-point vector DSP with up to 80 GFLOPS, the module delivers exceptional performance for deep learning and AI processing. Exclusive to the Jacinto™ 7 TDA4VM variant are the Vision Processing Accelerators (VPACs) with Image Signal Processors (ISPs) and multiple Vision Assist Accelerators, ensuring high-quality image processing and analysis. Both processor variants share the Depth and Motion Processing Accelerators (DMPACs), enabling accurate depth perception and motion tracking. Graphics performance, including GPGPU capability, is enhanced by the 3D graphics accelerator's integrated PowerVR Rogue 8XE GE8430 GPU. The new modules are embedded within congatec's high-performance SMARC 2.1 module ecosystem, which offers tailored cooling solutions, evaluation-ready motherboards and applications, as well as value-added services including signal conformance testing, conformal coating, and design courses.
The new conga-STDA4 SMARC COM modules based on Texas Instruments' Jacinto™ 7 TDA4V and DRA8 processors support Linux, QNX, RTOS, and VxWorks and are available in the following standard configurations, with customization options available upon request:
