When designing and developing embedded systems, selecting the right development board is critical to a project’s success. The RV1126 development board, engineered specifically for edge computing and visual processing, has become a preferred choice among developers and companies. But how can you determine whether it meets your specific hardware requirements? This article provides a detailed analysis of the Rockchip RV1126 chip’s hardware features, offering practical insights to help you make an informed decision.

1. Defining Hardware Requirements

Before evaluating the RV1126 development board, it’s essential to clearly define your project’s hardware requirements. Key factors to consider include:

• Processor Performance:Is high-speed computing power required?
• Memory and Storage:Does the project require extensive data storage?
• Interface Requirements:Are specific interfaces, such as CAN, UART, or I2C, necessary?
• Power Consumption Constraints: Are there any power consumption restrictions for your use case?

2. Overview of the RV1126 Development Board

The RV1126 development board is a high-performance platform based on the Rockchip RV1126 chip, designed for machine vision and AI applications. It features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor and a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) processing unit, delivering enhanced computational power and AI processing efficiency. Additionally, the development board is equipped with a state-of-the-art H.265 video decoding engine, supporting 4K30FPS H.264/H.265 video encoding and decoding. With its robust computational and video processing capabilities, the RV1126 development board is ideal for various applications such as smart security, video communications, and edge computing.

The RV1126 key technical specifications are as follows:

• CPU:Built on a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 with a RISC-V MCU architecture, offering powerful computing capabilities.
• NPU: 2.0 TOPS independent NPU for accelerating AI algorithms and supporting INT8 and INT16 mixed operations.
• ISP: Ahardware-based 14MP image signal processor (ISP) with an integrated post-processor, supporting hardware-accelerated 4K H.264/H.265 video encoding and decoding.
• Memory: Supports 32-bit DDR3/DDR3L/LPDDR3/DDR4/LPDDR4B, ensuring high bandwidth for demanding applications.
• Storage: Compatible with eMMC 4.51, SPI Flash, and NAND Flash for flexible storage options.
• Display: Supports MIPI-DSI/RGB interface, with resolutions up to 1080P@60fps.
• Camera:Supports dual MIPI CSI, LVDS, and sub-LVDS, along with a 16-bit parallel input interface.
• Audio: Integrated RK809 audio decoder for superior sound quality.
• Peripherals: Comprehensive connectivity options, including Gigabit Ethernet with TSO for network acceleration, USB 2.0 OTG/host, dual SDIO 3.0 interfaces, 8-channel I2S with TDM/PDM, as well as support for I2S, I2C, SPI, CAN, NET, UART, ADC, MIPI CSI, and MIPI DSI.

The RV1126 development board features a comprehensive range of peripherals and high-speed interfaces, enabling seamless integration of additional hardware components to meet specific product requirements. Its versatile design enhances flexibility and scalability, making it adaptable to a wide range of solutions and diverse application scenarios.

After setting up the hardware, rigorous testing and validation are essential to verify that the board meets performance standards. The testing process includes:

• Functional Testing: Verifies that all hardware modules operate correctly and meet predefined requirements, including key functions such as video decoding performance and NPU-based AI processing.
• Performance Testing: Evaluates overall system performance through tests measuring processing speed, response time, and power consumption.
• Stability Testing: Conducts long-term stress tests to ensure consistent performance across various environmental conditions.

Upon successful completion of these rigorous validation procedures, the development board is confirmed to meet hardware specifications and is ready for commercialization or further development.

3. Smartgiant’s Horus AI Camera and SDK

Smartgiant, with its deep technical expertise in hardware and software development, has developed a range of innovative products based on the RV1126 chip, including the Horus AI Camera and its accompanying Horus AI Camera Software Development Kit (SDK). These products showcase Smartgiant’s technological prowess while delivering high-performance AI vision solutions across a variety of industries.

The Horus AI Camera, powered by the Rockchip RV1126 processor, supports optional Sony IMX series sensors, ensuring exceptional imaging quality. It supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) for both power and data transmission and features an IPC-38 Board standard structure, allowing for rapid housing customization to meet specific requirements. Designed to support the entire development lifecycle—from prototyping and validation to mass production—the Horus AI Camera is ideal for applications such as face recognition, body shape recognition, crowd flow analysis, license plate recognition, fatigue detection, safety helmet detection, and OCR.

The Horus AI Camera Software Development Kit (SDK) offers a comprehensive camera platform with system drivers, image processing, and AI application interfaces. It supports development in Python, C, and C++ and streamlines the entire workflow from AI algorithm development to hardware implementation, significantly accelerating time to market.

Horus AI Camera Development Platform

Development Process Based on Horus AI Camera Development Platform

In summary, the RV1126 development board, with its exceptional hardware and robust computing and advanced video processing capabilities, is an excellent choice for developers and enterprises looking to innovate in edge computing and visual processing. Cutting-edge products like Smartgaint’s Horus AI camera, built on the RV1126 development board, are pushing the boundaries of these technologies and enabling AI-driven solutions across various industries. With increasing adoption of the RV1126, its application ecosystem will continue to expand, unlocking even greater potential in AI-driven solutions.