The Altera® industrial partner ecosystem reduces your time to market by providing reference designs, intellectual property (IP), embedded solutions, and software – all of which are an integral part of Altera's Industrial Solutions Platforms. Figure 1 shows various Altera Industrial Solutions Platforms. Design services are also available from many of these industrial partners.
Figure 1. Altera Industrial Solutions Platforms
The ecosystem partners are categorized by industrial market and application expertise:
- Industrial Networking Partner Program
- Industrial Networking – Additional Partners
- I/O Companion Chip
- Machine Vision (Industrial Imaging)
- Motor Control
- Video Surveillance
- Other Solutions Partners
The Industrial Networking Partner Program (INPP) (Table 1) provides an ecosystem of established networking experts to enable developers to evaluate various Cyclone® III and Cyclone IV Industrial Ethernet and fieldbus solutions on a common hardware platform. These partners provide OpenCore Plus IP, reference designs, and design services to meet your network communication and FPGA development needs.
To take advantage of the flexible and programmable nature of Altera FPGAs to evaluate and develop multiple Industrial Ethernet protocol standards on a single FPGA such as a Cyclone IV device, you can start with a modular industrial solutions platform such as the Industrial Networking Kit (INK) from Terasic. Table 1 shows a list of Altera’s industrial networking partners and the real-time Ethernet IP they support on the Cyclone IV E INK.
| Table 1. Industrial Networking Partner Program | ||
| Partner | Description | Cyclone IV IP on INK |
|---|---|---|
 |
Softing specializes in fieldbus technology for industrial automation, providing industrial-networking protocol software and reference designs that support Altera FPGAs and Nios® II embedded processors. | |
 |
IXXAT is one of the leading suppliers of data communication technology for the industrial automation and automotive industries. IXXAT's solutions support CAN (CANopen, DeviceNet) and real-time Ethernet (EtherNet/IP, Profinet, EtherCAT, Powerlink, and SERCOS III) protocol standards. IXXAT provides industrial networking protocol software and reference designs that support Altera FPGAs and Nios II embedded processors. | |
 |
Beckhoff implements open automation systems based on PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology. Beckhoff offers ideally suited components and streamlined automation systems for the EtherCAT real-time Ethernet system. Industrial PCs and embedded PCs offer a high-performance basis for PLC and motion control on the PC. With the EtherCAT I/Os, real-time Ethernet is available down to each I/O module with a large selection for all signal types. Highly dynamic servo drives permit an integrated, fast control technology. Beckhoff also offers ASICs and IP cores for EtherCAT slave implementations. | |
 |
Automata develops, manufactures, and services electronics and software for small to mid-volume industrial automation customers. Automata is dedicated to the SERCOS interface and provides SERCOS II and SERCOS III solutions that support Altera Cyclone series FPGAs. | |
| Partner | Products |
|---|---|
| Adescom | Adescom offers products and design services for VoIP telephony, IPTV and 3-play, industrial communications, and automotive communications. They offer ProfiCore, a Profibus DP slave intellectual property (IP) core that offers DPV0, DPV1, and parts of DPV2 by working with software on a Nios II embedded processor. |
| Echelon Corporation | Echelon is a pioneer and world leader in control networks and has developed the LonWorks control networking platform that is used to connect a wide range of machines and electronic devices over twisted pair or power line cables. |
| MorethanIP | MorethanIP is a design and IP house that focuses on high-speed communications, serial backplane, and embedded system technologies such as Ethernet and IEEE 1588. Their services include design, specification and implementation of standard products, system architectures, and customer-specific solutions. |
| TTTech Computertechnik AG | TTTech offers products to ensure the safety and reliability of networked systems. The company's solutions, based on TTP® and TTEthernetTM, support reference designs with Altera FPGAs and Nios II embedded processors. TTTech's products help to enhance system integration, reducing system complexity and lifecycle cost. |
| Table 3. I/O Companion Chip | |
| Partner | Products |
|---|---|
| Gleichmann Research | Gleichmann (Electronics) Research, or GE-Research of Hagenberg, Austria, turns research prototypes into products. In close cooperation with the University of Hagenberg and other universities, GE-Research develops FPGA and ASIC design tools, as well as system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. With other key Altera partners, Gleichmann Research is developing reference platforms for the industrial and automotive markets. |
| Kontron | Kontron AG ranks as one of the world's largest manufacturers of embedded computer technology (ECT) and supplies leading OEMs, system integrators, and application providers in a variety of market segments such as data and telecommunications, automation, mobile computing, medical technology, military technology, aerospace, and measuring and control engineering. Kontron also provides in-depth design support for product customization to meet the specific application requirements of their customers. As a Premier member of the Intel® Embedded Alliance, Kontron aims to create major competitive advantages for customers by significantly reducing time to market and costs. |
| Table 4. Machine Vision (Industrial Imaging) | |
| Partner | Products |
|---|---|
| Integre Technologies LLC | Integre is a leading provider of FPGA and PCB design and verification services, IP verification and integration, and FPGA to HardCopy migration. Qualified as an Altera Certified Design Center since 2006, Integre's services range from support and direction at initial concept to post-production fabrication and system level integration. Integre's products include the Camera Link-compliant FPGA mezzanine card based on the Cyclone III FPGA. |
| Pleora Technologies Inc. | Pleora Technologies Inc. pioneered the use of Gigabit Ethernet for real-time video connectivity and revolutionized industrial imaging. With this spirit of innovation, Pleora engineers high-performance, networked video connectivity solutions for the military, medical, and manufacturing sectors. Working with its rich portfolio of video networking elements, Pleora partners with customers to tailor solutions to their individual needs, from definition to deployment, with full integration support. |
| Sensor to Image GmbH | Sensor to Image GmbH specializes in custom imaging hardware and industrial vision products such as cameras and framegrabbers, GigE machine vision, and software, as well as customized components. Using parallel and intelligent systems, Sensor to Image GmbH has developed digital camera systems for PCs right from the start, which in the future will also offer more and more evaluation possibilities within the camera itself. Development activities focus on a simple and efficient connection of the systems by means of standardized data transfer paths such as USB or Gigabit Ethernet. |
| Table 5. Motor Control | |
| Partner | Products |
|---|---|
| Alizem | Alizem is a system-level IP core provider specializing in FPGA-based motor drive applications. Alizem provides application-specific, off-the-shelf motor control solutions that replace conventional motor control ICs and can be integrated easily into an FPGA without the need of extensive FPGA or motor control expertise. These solutions enable you to increase your products’ power savings and reliability while reducing your costs and your time to market. Alizem Motor Control IP cores are bundled with a complete set of engineering and support services. |
| Arrow Electronics | Arrow Electronics is a global provider of products, services, and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. Arrow carries the full Altera product line including the MotionFire Motor Control Development Kit. The MotionFire kit is designed to offer a single platform to evaluate and develop motor control and Industrial Ethernet applications. |
| EBV Elektronik | EBV Elektronik is the leading specialist in EMEA Semiconductor Distribution by being the partner of choice for its customers, suppliers and employees. EBV Elektronik maintains its successful strategy of personal commitment to customers and excellent services. Technical Sales Specialists (230 of them) provide a strong focus on a selected group of long-term manufacturing partners. Continuously trained Application Specialists (110 of them) offer extensive application know-how and design expertise. EBV carries the full product line card from Altera and supports the DB3C40 industrial communications kit and FalconEye motor control platform. |
| Unjo AB | Unjo AB (Electric Motor Control Systems of Sweden) develops, designs, and manufactures complex/high-performance/parallel electric motor controls and control systems and offers services to customize solutions for customer applications. Unjo developed the OpenFire motor control IP that drives the motor functions on the Arrow MotionFire Development Kit. Unjo also offers IP for Altera FPGAs and solutions like the Gepard motor control unit, capable of managing up to 12 individually controlled motor phases in PMSM motors, brushless DC motors, and 2- or 3-phase step motors or brushed DC motors. |
| Table 6. Video Surveillance | |
| Partner | Products |
|---|---|
| Apical Limited | Apical is the industry leader in advanced dynamic range management and noise-reduction technology for embedded applications. The company's products are derived from research into the human visual system and are designed to maximize the performance of a wide range of image capture and display devices. The product range comprises hardware IP cores and embedded software libraries. Apical is a privately held company based in the UK. |
| EyeLytics | EyeLytics provides Surveillance IP Camera Technologies. EyeLytics' customers are camera manufacturers who want to differentiate themselves with high quality, high performance, feature rich and low cost products. EyeLytics Main/Baseline Profile H.264 Encoder IP core enables fitting the whole IP camera technology inside a single low cost Cyclone III FPGA. EyeLytics also offers design services to the surveillance industries. |
| Jointwave | Jointwave focuses on video technology and provides codec and related IP cores for both FPGAs and ASICs. Jointwave’s high performance H.264 video encoder provides broadcast level video quality, but consumes extremely low power and small hardware resources. Jointwave solutions run at all FPGA temperature ranges, which expands video applications to areas previously considered as impossible or cost-prohibitive. Jointwave provides comprehensive consultations and technical support to help customers evaluate and implement a complete H.264 solution. |
| Table 7. Other Solutions Partners | |
| Partner | Products |
|---|---|
| 3S - Smart Software Solutions GmbH | 3S is one of the leading software manufacturers in the European automation industry. CoDeSys (Controller Development System) is the leading hardware-independent IEC 61131-3 programming system under Windows for creating industrial controller applications. |
| KW Software | KW Software supplies industrial control and safety technology. ProConOS embedded CLR is the new, open, and unified IEC 61131 PLC run-time system for different automation tasks (PLC, PAC, motion control, CNS, robot, and sensor). |
| System Level Solutions (SLS) | As industrial automation and motion control applications are evolving to meet the changing needs of the industry, System Level Solutions ensures the smooth and efficient operation of critical industrial equipment by providing the creativity and integration know-how to help you maneuver the pitfalls inherent in combining disparate hardware, software, and IP. From project inception to completion, System Level Solutions provides product design, IP development, software design, board design, system evaluation, efficiency evaluation, sensing technology, monitoring technology, productivity enhancement, machine control, design services, and manufacturing. |
