360° panoramic surround view technology has started a comprehensive upgrade. For example, its hardware – the camera has been increased pixels from SD (0.3 megapixels), HD (1 megapixel) to UHD (2 megapixels and above), the display is also upgraded from traditional 2D to 3D, and transparent chassis is added for a better experience.
On the other hand, the 360° panoramic surround view function now includes ADAS warning functions such as blind-spot monitoring and warning, lane departure warning, etc. In addition, 360° panoramic surround view is integrated with ultrasonic sensor and short-range radar to realize different levels of automatic parking function.
In this context, higher computing power SoC will be needed for the upgraded 360° panoramic surround view technology, improving the product capability of real-time image acquisition, real-time encoding, image clarity, AI computing power, and video output capabilities.
Rockchip recently released a smart vehicle solution with a 360° panoramic view – RK3588M. Due to the integration of self-developed 6 TOPS NPU and powerful CPU/GPU, it can double the performance of 360° panoramic view function, thereby improving the experience value of consumers.
A technological upgrade of the 360° panoramic view function
As a technology that relies on cameras to provide functions such as parking assistance and blind-spot monitoring, the panoramic view function has gradually entered into low-end and mid-end vehicles instead of only for high-end models. However, according to the data of the Gaogong Intelligent Automobile Research Institute, the panoramic view still doesn’t have a high integration rate, and the future market space is still vast.
From January to December 2021, the number of new cars in China market equipped with panoramic view function was 4.5892 million, which had a 52.3% increase year-on-year, and the installation rate was 22.5%. It is estimated that by 2025, the AVM pre-installation rate on new vehicles (joint venture + independent brand) will exceed 40% in China.
Therefore, some ADAS suppliers and traditional Tier 1 giants have begun to deploy the 360° panoramic view market. For example, Continental has previously announced the launch of a multi-camera system based on four cameras + a central control unit. In addition to achieving 360° panoramic view function, it can also provide functions such as recognizing road signs and traffic lights.
Nowadays, the 360° panoramic view function is being upgraded from 2D to 3D. The image information is collected by four fisheye cameras installed on the automobile’s front, rear, left, and right. After fine seam processing, it splices into a whole 3D surface mesh model, then performs distortion processing and color balance according to the selected imaging viewing angle, and finally forms a 360° bird’s-eye panoramic picture to display on the large central control screen clearly and smoothly.
The driver can intuitively check the location of the automobile, surrounding pedestrians, and obstacles through the large central control screen, drive the automobile safely through complex roads, or park in the garage and effectively reduce the risk of accidents such as scratches and collisions.
Rockchip RK3588M 360° panoramic view solution has the following features:
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Image: Rockchip Built-in NPU with strong computing power: Integrate self-developed 6TOPS NPU, providing super AI computing power.
- Seamless splicing of large wide-angle cameras: Support splicing of 4-channel, 6-channel, and 8-channel cameras to meet various application scenarios.
- Adopt seamless splicing technology to present a better effect.
- Perspective chassis: Prompt to avoid maintenance hole covers, potholes, and rough roads, making driving safer.
- Original support: Provide calibration tool software and accurate parameter calibration.
It is worth noting that Rockchip RK3588M 360° panoramic view solution has incorporated a 360° surround-view algorithm, which can be connected with an 8K resolution image sensor. Through the capture of high-resolution image sensors and intelligent vision algorithms, the external environment can be displayed on the automobile screen in real-time, thereby improving the driver’s perception of the surrounding environment.
Aiming at the next-generation electronic and electrical architecture
At present, OEMs including Volkswagen, Great Wall, and BYD are preparing for the next-generation domain centralized electronic and electrical architecture. The large computing power SoC has thus become an important highlight for the new models of major automobile companies.
The industry agrees that with the gradual development of ADAS and autopilot, the industry will not only need high computing power but also need to have image processing capabilities and neural network computing capabilities to operate a smart vehicle solution.
RK3588M is a flagship SOC of Rockchip with 8nm advanced architecture, Octa-core CPU (Quad-core A76 + Quad-core A55). The main frequency of the large core is 2.1GHz, and that of the small core is 1.7GHz. It has an 8K display/video codec, native seven-screen display interface, 6 Tops NPU, QNX Hypervisor, native 2-way TypeC, dual 16M ISP + up to 28-way camera features. It is mainly used in smart automobile and ADAS products.
A single RK3588M chip can support ADAS/DMS/BSD/APA multi-camera assisted driving and can drive multiple screens simultaneously.
The “one-SoC multi-screen” smart vehicle solution launched by Rockchip based on RK3588M uses one RK3588M SoC to simultaneously drive multiple screens such as the in-vehicle infotainment system, LCD instrument panel, electronic rearview mirror, and rear headrest screen, which form a reliable, intelligent network system and bring users a quite interactive experience with a sense of technology.
In addition, Rockchip RK3588M can also provide up to 6 dynamic viewing angle functions to switch directly on the large central control screen, including top-view front-view fisheye, rearview 3D, top-view left-view 2D, top-view right-view 2D, top view left and right 2D, and surround 3D.
At present, Rockchip RK3588M has been recognized by many partners and will be widely used in future models.
Photo credit: All images shown are owned by Rockchip and were provided for press usage.
