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Product category: Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Texas Instruments (April 2001-March 2006) | Subject: TMS320C64x
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 10 March 2004

Gigahertz DSPs in drive for DARPA prize

TI's leading video and imaging DSPs and control technologies are at the heart of Team DAD's unmanned, self-navigating vehicle

Developed by research and development organisation Digital Auto Drive (DAD), the project involves a vision navigation and vehicle control system integrated into a Toyota Tundra truck. Team DAD is one of the leading teams in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge, in which unmanned vehicles must self-navigate around natural and man-made obstacles on a 200 mile course across the Mojave Desert for a $1 million prize.

'We are the only team using DSP technology and think it is what will put us above the other contestants.

TI's 1GHz DSP and integrated controller technology has given us the edge that we need to successfully compete in this challenge', said Dave Hall, founder, Captain and Chief Scientist of Team DAD.

'We expect that our real time imaging (RTI) stereo-vision system, which pushes the limits of vision-based technology, will allow us to out pace and out navigate the other challengers'.

The self-navigating, self-controlling vehicle relies on Team DAD's proprietary RTI system that is based on two 1GHz TMS320C64x DSPs.

The DSPs are used in the vision system to process over 30 billion pixels per second enabling it to see 200-250m ahead.

The RTI system creates a three dimensional terrain map 60 times per second and identifies obstacles, selecting the best vehicle course from over 100 possibilities.

Because TI's industry-leading 1GHz DSP processes large amounts of data virtually instantaneously, the vehicle can make lightning-fast decisions about direction and obstacle avoidance.

By doing this in real-time the vehicle can maintain higher speeds, up to and in excess of 160km/h - a competitive advantage over other sensor and vision-based entries.

Direction and speed of the Team DAD vehicle is controlled by a single highly integrated TI TMS320LF2407A digital signal controller that manages three servomotors for braking and steering, as well as the vehicle's electronic accelerator via the on-chip CANbus.

The LF2407A also reconciles the estimated 5000 GPS waypoints provided by DARPA with the inputs from a high precision global positioning system (GPS) receiver and the onboard micro-electricalmechanical systems (MEMS) based accelerometers and gyros.

'We're pleased to support Team DAD's high-performance vision and integrated control approach to the Grand Challenge', said Thomas Brooks, TMS320C6000T Marketing Manager, TI.

'Team DAD has shown that TI's new TMS320C64xT 1GHz DSPs are already enabling innovative video applications and that our highly integrated automotive qualified TMS320C2000T controllers are meeting customer specifications for automotive-based motor control applications'.

Team DAD aims to compete in the Grand Challenge on 13th March 2004.

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