PIXIM develops digital imaging platform that uses ARM technology

NOVEMBER 6-- PIXIM (Mountain View, CA; www.pixim.com), developer of the Digital Pixel System (DPS) image-capture and process technology, has licensed the ARM9E family of microprocessors from ARM (Cambridge, England; www.arm.com), provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC processor solutions, for integration into its digital imaging platform. The technology will be implemented in an array of applications requiring high-quality electronic imaging capabilities, including security cameras, personal digital assistants, barcode readers, digital cameras, toys, and mobile phones.

PIXIM's DPS technology is a new type of image-capture and processing solution that is, for the first time, digital instead of analog in nature. The quantity of light striking each DPS picture element (pixel) is converted to a digital value at the earliest possible point -- that is, at the pixel itself. This enables PIXIM to deliver higher image quality, lower power, smaller size, and the ability to integrate other system building blocks, such as ARM processors. The highly programmable and extensible ARM9 cores will enable digital-camera designers to easily customize features and options entirely in software, reducing development time and cost.

The first products will be available in the second quarter 2002.