Developing low-latency, FPGA-based systems for defense and aerospace applications with engineering services in audio, video, DSP, SDR and more.
From FPGA consulting and DSP design support through low-latency video processing, custom software-defined radio (SDR) development and ANC headset design, Cardinal Peak provides primary and subcontractors in the aerospace and defense industry with product engineering services. We are compliant with DD2345 and offer two service models for our aerospace and defense customers including staff augmentation and turn-key subsystem development.
Roughly half of our aerospace customers are looking for FPGA consulting resources to support their internal developments. The other half of our defense clients are coming to us for our deep expertise in embedded systems including low-latency video and audio design. Below are brief descriptions of some of our aerospace and defense projects.
FPGA Engineering for Defense & Aerospace
Most commonly, we are approached by aerospace and defense companies for our FPGA engineering skills. As FPGA design is frequently integral with overall product design, we generally supply these resources under a staff augmentation model where our engineers work directly under your management.
An interesting example of our FPGA design talents can be seen in the design of a software-defined radio with extremely low-latency. Typically in these designs, the modem is implemented in the main processor. However, for this application that would not meet the latency requirements, so we implemented it entirely in the FPGA fabric. Learn more on our FPGA design services page.
Video Product Design for Defense & Aerospace
Cardinal Peak has its roots in video product design and our deep embedded video skills have been utilized by aerospace and defense companies. Often the video system is a subsystem that our team can develop, thereby off-loading project management duties from our clients. For example, for one military project, our customer needed our assistance in developing a video tracking and target identification system. The processing required to identify, track and classify the target from the background is not only complex but can be computationally intensive and therefore slow. Since the output of the system is used as feedback for steering the camera, this can create an oversteering problem depending on the latency. We were able to help this client with their video subsystem design. Learn more on our video product design services page.
Audio Product Design for Defense & Aerospace
Cardinal Peak has developed dozens of pro, consumer and automotive audio products. Our skills include active noise cancellation (ANC), audio processing using audio DSPs such as ADI’s SHARC, a wide variety of wireless audio SOC such as those from Qualcomm, along with deep expertise in audio bus technology such as ADI’s two-wire A2B audio bus. These skills translate well to our defense customers as low latency for communication, high fidelity and ANC are all features that are desirable in military and aviation headsets. For example, we recently helped a military customer develop and innovative a modular headset with interesting security and ANC. Learn more on our audio product design services page.
App Development for Defense & Aerospace
Cardinal Peak’s defining capability is end-to-end product development including embedded, cloud and mobile components. With the proliferation of mobile computing platforms, app development and cloud services are just as important for aerospace and defense application as for commercial product development. We’ve been developing mobile apps since the release of the iPhone and were an early developer of services hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) starting in 2011. For a recent aerospace customer that is highly skilled in developing embedded systems for aircraft, we’re developing an app and the supporting cloud service to support their innovative sensors. Learn more on our mobile app development services page.
Video, Audio & FPGA Consulting Case Studies
While we support aerospace product design and military software development, the nature of the work precludes us from providing details of the projects. We frequently provide embedded, DSP and FPGA consultants to support the defense industry as outlined in the capabilities briefs below.
FPGA Capabilities and Design Experience
FPGA fabric is infinitely configurable, able to perform virtually any function with extremely high throughput. We are skilled in FPGA design and implementation. Learn about some of our recent aerospace and pro-audio projects, using Xilinx, Intel, Microsemi Libero, and Honeywell components.
Access Control App Development
A leading developer of complete enterprise physical security solutions including access control, video surveillance, and event monitoring wanted help developing their connected app to improve their customers’ experience, The solution touches a number of our core competencies including video, app development and Bluetooth/BLE connectivity.
Medical Imaging Device Engineering
Low latency and high resolution are critical attributes for ultrasound imaging. We developed embedded software including video processing for a portable ultrasound imaging device.
FPGA fabric is infinitely configurable, able to perform virtually any function with extremely high throughput. We are skilled in FPGA design and implementation. Learn about some of our recent aerospace and pro-audio projects, using Xilinx, Intel, Microsemi Libero, and Honeywell components.
A leading developer of complete enterprise physical security solutions including access control, video surveillance, and event monitoring wanted help developing their connected app to improve their customers’ experience, The solution touches a number of our core competencies including video, app development and Bluetooth/BLE connectivity.
Low latency and high resolution are critical attributes for ultrasound imaging. We developed embedded software including video processing for a portable ultrasound imaging device.
Product & FPGA Engineering for Defense & Aerospace FAQs
What are FPGA Development Services?
Like a box of Lego bricks, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) contain an array of programmable logic blocks designed to be configured after manufacturing, allowing the blocks to be intertwined in different configurations. Infinitely configurable FPGA fabric allows an electrical engineer to design an FPGA to perform virtually any function. While flexible, FPGA development services can be a sophisticated process which requires simulation and testing to ensure the final product does exactly what it is meant to do. Our FPGA engineers are experts in all the development and simulation tools such as Vivado and Vitis along with devices such as Virtex, Spartan, Artix and Kintex. To read about some of our FPGA engineering services and successes, please see our FPGA design experience brief. For those interested in an overview and the history of FPGAs please read our blog titled Curious about what an FPGA is and How it Actually Works?
What Can I Expect From Your FPGA Design Services?
We provide the right FPGA consulting expertise at the right time to support your development timeline. As FPGA projects vary in complexity and specific skills, the first step in tailoring our FPGA design services to your needs is to understand your project scope and schedule. From that starting point, we can estimate the number and type of resources necessary. This allows you to bring in all the talent you need, when you need it, for just the time window that you need it.
Can You Do Aerospace and Defense Embedded Software Development?
Cardinal Peak provides embedded, mobile, DSP and FPGA software support to some of the top prime contractors in the aerospace and defense industry. We can develop and test complete subsystems or provide top talent to augment your existing team. In all cases, we match our processes to your needs. Whether you have hardware, embedded or cloud development needs, contact us to learn how we can help you meet your schedule.
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