Applications

Multi-Function Printer Trends

Printers and scanners perform demanding image processing where the image path remains an area of active innovation. ASICs have been the recipe for much of this processing to date, but the lead times are significant with accelerating NRE costs for higher complexity chips. With the trend to focus on core competencies, there is also an increasing emphasis on algorithm and software development over hardware design.

These strategic issues can be addressed with a software programmable DSP. Such a device would complement or replace ASICs to shorten development cycles, allow for a higher pace of innovation, simplify IP reuse across product lines while reducing overall costs  -  leading to improved competitiveness.

However, today's traditional DSPs and microprocessors are underpowered and consequently too expensive to realistically be used for any significant amounts of image processing.

SPI's Technology Benefits

Storm-1 is the first fully C-programmable DSP platform to offer a level of performance that enables functions, that earlier were dependent on ASICs, to be implemented directly in software.

By keeping the complete development flow, from algorithms to production software, in the C code domain, maintenance and feature updates become trivial and quality assurance can be improved. It also enables easier and more economical implementations of enhancements required in next-generation products, such as move to a contone based system and higher-quality realization of features such as deskewing and improved segmentation.

Using a software model also enables features that before may have been segmented into different hardware subsystems or ASICs can now be implemented on a single Storm-1 chip. Performance levels and feature sets can be managed by software to allow for one platform to support many product lines.

Examples of print and scan path tasks suitable for Storm-1 are illustrated below:

The Storm-1 enables fully-featured scan/copy, scan/export and print backend pipelines to run up to 60 ppm of A4/Ltr at 600 dpi color in a single chip, making it suitable and cost-effective for high-quality printers, scanners, copiers and MFPs from 20 ppm and up.

In addition to replacing and complementing ASICs, the main controller processor may be relieved from significant load to further reduce the overall system cost.

Please contact your local reseller or SPI for more details on the MFP offering, applicable benchmarks and demonstrations.