NEC, Toyota and Denso collaborate on 100 GOPS IMAPCAR image processor

Aug. 31, 2006

Supported by Toyota Motor Corporation (www.toyota.com) and Denso Corporation (www.denso.com), NEC Electronics Corporation (www.necel.com) has introduced the IMAPCAR image processor for automotive safety applications.

Supported by Toyota Motor Corporation and Denso Corporation, NEC Electronics Corporation has introduced the IMAPCAR image processor for automotive safety applications.

Designed to use parallel processing technology throughout 128 processing elements, and offering performance of up to 100 giga operations per-second (GOPS), the IMAPCAR is capable of detecting nearby objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, and lane markers in real-time, thus it facilitates development of safety mechanisms and collision prevention systems. The processor IMAPCAR will be featured in the pre-crash safety system of the new Lexus LS460, scheduled for availability this fall.

NEC said the IMAPCAR’s image recognition functions are processed by software, which allows easier program modification compared to hardware solutions. The chip is fabricated on a 0.13 µm process technology that helps keep power consumption to <2 W.

Research on image-processing technologies began in NEC's research laboratories in 1990. The company introduced its first single-chip image processor in February 2003.