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TM4C1290NCPDT: Can be used to capture and encode an image and store in flash?

Brian Antheunisse
Expert 5265 points
Part Number: TM4C1290NCPDT

Hi team,

Analog FAE asking what I suspect are dumb MCU questions, but I have a customer who is trying to design a small camera that would hook up to a CMOS image sensor (doesnt need to be very high resolution), snap a photo, encode that image data into some sort of easily storable data type, save it to flash (internal or external), and send that image through any available comm peripheral when asked by another system later in time. 

Can any Tiva part do this? Do you guys know if there is another MCU or processor from TI that can? They had used a davinci in the past, but it was being under-utilized in this capacity, and now it is far too large for the small form factor camera module they are trying to design.  

Thanks,

Brian

  • 0
    TI__Guru**** 174306 points
    Hi Brian,
    The TM4C does not have built-in native camera interface. Below are links to Camera reference TI design example using TM4C129. Take a look at for further information/details and see if it suits your customer's performance requirements. It utilizes the built-in MCU EPI interface with logic gate for protocol conversion to interface with the camera.

    www.ti.com/.../TIDM-TM4C129CAMERA
    www.ti.com/.../tiduc98a.pdf
  • 0 in reply to Charles Tsai
    TI__Expert 5265 points

    Thank you, this looks great. This especially:

    The TM4C129x family of MCUs from Texas Instruments feature an integrated Ethernet PHY and MAC

    with cryptographic modules and a large number of serial and parallel interfaces for control and sensor

    data acquisition. Integrating a camera would require a dedicated camera interface or an external

    programmable logic like field programmable gate array (FPGA) and complex programmable logic device

    (CPLD) to interface a MCU to the camera. This design uses the EPI peripheral with a logic gate for

    protocol conversion without needing an external FPGA or CPLD. Using EPI with the logic gate significantly

    reduces the complexity of interfacing the camera to the TM4C129x device family while providing the

    advantage of integrated PHY that allows network connectivity for a host of video monitoring applications.

     


    Now, what I notice about this design is there are a few things that are unnecessary, like:

    • LCD support
    • ethernet support
    • most of the peripherals

    I need the absolute smallest version of this, and it sounds like the EPI is truly the only thing that matters for this application. follow up questions:

    1. I think we will need to store the periodic still-image data in external flash. Is using the EPI to interface to the camera using up this peripheral such that I wont be able to communicate with external flash?
    2. Is there a device in a smaller package with no Ethernet or LCD controller that can perform the same function?

    Thanks,

    Brian

  • 0 in reply to Brian Antheunisse
    TI__Guru**** 174306 points

    Brian,

     You can go to TI.com for TM4c product page and run through the filters on the features you need. Below is another snapshot of what parts are available with EPI (External Peripheral Interface). You can store the image onto external serial flash without conflict with the EPI.

  • 0 in reply to Charles Tsai
    TI__Expert 5265 points

    Thanks.

    Can you address this question:

    I think we will need to store the periodic still-image data in external flash. Is using the EPI to interface to the camera using up this peripheral such that I wont be able to communicate with external flash?

  • 0 in reply to Brian Antheunisse
    TI__Guru**** 174306 points
    Hi Brian,
    I edited my reply later to state that there should be no issue if you use the external serial flash. You probably didn't see it. Please check my reply again.
  • 0 in reply to Charles Tsai
    Guru 117855 points
    Might it make (more) sense to investigate MCUs w/such "native camera HW support in-built" - garner their camera spec - and (then) determine if the (much reduced performance) "massaged/attempted" here - meets client's (apparently unspecified) objective?

    Removing a (leg) from a "4-legged stool" (outside the designer's intent) may not (always) prove acceptable...