This powerful system is an excellent choice for machine vision applications, such as biometric AI (facial recognition), automated optical inspection (AOI), and automatic license plate recognition (APNR).
The EPC-C301 supports four GbE LAN ports and four USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (10 Gbps) to accommodate the IP/HD camera inputs required for AOI, APNR, and other machine vision applications. To enhance expandability, Advantech's compact design platform (170 x 118 x 70 mm) features four USB 2.0 interfaces and four UART interfaces for card readers, barcode scanners, keypads, fingerprint sensors, and other peripherals. Additionally, the EPC-C301 provides two isolated CANBus ports designed for use in medical and automation applications. This solution is equipped with Windows- and Linux-based drivers/APIs for improved convenience and compatibility. This combination of diverse I/O and operating systems makes the EPC-C301 extremely adaptable.
The EPC-C301 is powered by an 8th-generation Intel Core processor, the first to double the number of cores to four cores in a low-power 15-watt CPU, delivering 1.5 times the CPU performance compared to its predecessor. High-bandwidth dual-channel DDR4 supports up to 32GB while meeting the demanding requirements of image processing and data handling. The EPC-C301 is equipped with an M.2 Key 2280 M.2 slot that accepts both SATA and PCIe x4 SSDs, enabling enhanced computing speeds.
Advantech's solution provides the expansion capabilities needed to meet the challenges of edge AIoT. It includes an M.2 E-Key for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, an M.2 B-Key for LTE, and a mini-PCIe slot, which is compatible with Advantech's VEGA-330 AI mini-PCIe module. This system operates in a wide operating temperature range (-20 ~ 60°C / -4 ~ 140°F) typical of outdoor applications such as Passenger Information System (PIS) or smart parking solutions.
The Advantech EPC-C301 features the Intel® OpenVINO™ development kit, compatible with the VEGA-330 AI acceleration card and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
Sameer Sharma, General Manager for Smart Cities and Transportation at Intel®, stated: “With the increase in urban populations and road vehicles, there is a significant opportunity to help cities stay ahead of the growing demands that are putting pressure on existing road infrastructure. Intel’s collaboration with Advantech, along with investment in artificial intelligence technologies, including the Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit, can help accelerate the transformation toward safer, greener, and more efficient road infrastructure.”
The EPC-C301 comes bundled with a Windows 10 image, an Ubuntu 18.04 LTS image, and the iManager software API. "With the Advantech EPC-C301 certified for Ubuntu 18.04, Canonical guarantees 10 years of software update support, providing companies with a stable and secure AIoT platform for their industrial automation and robotics," says Loic Minier, Global Director of Device Field Engineering at Canonical. The Advantech EPC-C301 also features WISE-DeviceOn, a remote monitoring and IoT device operations manager software that allows users to visualize, operate, and manage their industrial IoT devices through cloud services.
Key Features:
- 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-8665UE / i5-8365UE Processor.
- Dual Channel DDR4-2400MT/s up to 32GB
- Dual HDMI + DP display, up to 4K2K
- 4x GbE, 4x USB 3.2, 4x USB 2.0, 3x RS-232/422/485, 1x RS-232, 2x Isolated CANBus and 8 GPIO
- M.2 E-Key 2230, B-Key 3042, M-Key 2280 for SATA SSDs and PCIe x4 and mini-PCIe
- DC-12V, and -20 ~ 60 °C (-4 ~ 140 °F) operating temperature
- Supports iManager software APIs for Windows 10, Linux and WISE-DeviceOn
- Developer kit (EVK) SKUs come pre-installed with VEGA-330, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Intel OpenVINO Toolkit.
