Impact

Digital signal processing

Digital signal processing (DSP) has become an essential part of nearly every product in today’s world. Any device that contains wireless connectivity, audio, video, measurement sensors or automatic control will require some form of DSP.

Our team of experts combine extensive knowledge of digital signal processing, complex software development and state-of-the-art processors with established tools and processes for developing ground-breaking and highly differentiated products for our clients. 

Software-defined radio (SDR)

SDR has revolutionised communication systems in recent years – dramatically reducing timescales and cost, and eroding the dominance of digital ASICs.

Many of today’s standards-based communications systems are continually evolving and therefore benefit greatly from the flexibility of SDR, allowing enhancements and bug fixes to be incorporated with relative simplicity. This is particularly apparent in cellular (2G, 3G and 4G) standards and satellite communications.

Advanced DSP architectures

The early digital signal processors have now evolved into highly complex system-on-chip (SoC) integrated circuits featuring multi-core architecture and acceleration engines to offload processing to more dedicated hardware units.

To achieve real-time operation while optimising the use of processing resources, our development teams carefully architect the firmware to complement the hardware. Understanding how DSP algorithms can be efficiently implemented within cycle and memory constraints and incorporating diagnostic facilities into the code are essential to enabling detailed visualisation of program execution.

Simulation & modelling

We research and design algorithms using the industry standard tools provided in MathWorks MATLAB. Through rapid development, analysis and iteration of the algorithms, our development teams can quickly see if a design is viable before proceeding with implementation, which usually bears the biggest risks and challenges.

The engineers involved in the design of these algorithms are also deeply knowledgeable in the processing and memory constraints of hardware, thereby minimising the risk that designs cannot be implemented.

Digital audio

Digital audio and digital communications frequently combine within the products we develop – for example, in the audio codecs which carry voice over a satellite link or high-quality music over a short-range Bluetooth link.

Frequently, signal conditioning (such as acoustic echo cancellation or beamforming) may be required to enhance the audio and improve signal quality. Many of the applications we address involve significant power constraints, adding another dimension to algorithm and processing hardware design.

Experience

Track record of success

Over the last 30 years, our DSP expertise has been at the heart of many breakthrough projects, from the Prism 200 through-wall radar to the Videocore low-power multimedia processor that we spun out to form Alphamosaic Ltd.

These successes were made possible by the unique combination of skills we possess, bringing together expertise in mathematics and algorithm design, complex software development and software/hardware integration.

Pioneering the future

We remain at the forefront of DSP technology, pioneering the use of highly integrated, application-specific programmable processors, enabling the adoption of software-defined radio in wireless, cellular and satellite networks, and using small, low-power MEMS sensor in innovative location, tracking and medical applications.

Our considerable DSP skills are now being applied to problems that incorporate cutting-edge computer vision, machine learning and AI technologies.

Interested in joining us? 

Tech, tools & facilities

可扩展的软件测试设施

可扩展的软件测试设施

持续集成 (CI) 是构建和交付高质量软件的核心。我们的虚拟 CI 测试工具,代号为 Smokey,使我们不论有无硬件环境,都能规模化地测试复杂的软件,更早发现问题并及时修复。Smokey 提供了一个洁净独立的虚拟构建环境,预装了行业领先的工具,例如 Coverity 静态分析。CI 测试与我们的版本控制相集成,使得每个软件版本都可以在真实的硬件上自动构建、得到测试和分析。

开发和测试实验室

开发和测试实验室

我们在英国和美国拥有面积共计 10 万平方英尺的实验室,具有电子生产、制造和小批量生产能力。这些实验室中包括了医学实验室,里面专门配备了相关设备,可以对药物递释装置完成从原型开发到设计验证的分析检测。我们具有气候调节能力的实验室配备了激光衍射、高速视频、体外测试设备、计量、显微镜和力测试设备。 

设计和分析工具

设计和分析工具

我们使用了一系列设计工具,其中包括 Solidworks 和 Pro/E。我们使用的分析工具包括用于分析流体的 Ansys Fluent、进行有限元分析用的 Ansys Mechanical 以及电磁分析时使用的 Maxwell。我们使用 Zemax 进行光学模拟、Matlab 进行一般数学/统计模拟、Labview 用于快速构建和控制实验室设备。 

数字温室

数字温室

数字温室(Digital Greenhouse) 是我们专门建造的人工智能研究院,其初衷就是要营造一个快速、安全的环境用以发掘、开发和测试机器学习方法。值得称道的是,该研究院配置了一台 NVIDIA DGX-1 深度学习超级计算机和一组机器学习计算机,拥有拍字节级(PB)的本地存储和每秒数万亿次浮点运算的专用计算能力。 

Electronic production

Electronic production

Our flexible, responsive, and agile manufacturing facilities are ideally suited to electronic and electromechanical product builds, enabling us to rapidly build short product runs to an extremely high quality. We can build our own PCBAs using industrial representative equipment and ensure manufacturability during design. Having our own EPD facility is also extremely helpful in development, driving out DfX activities in eCAD and feeding test results back into the design process from an early stage.

软件工具

软件工具

我们使用一系列专业软件进行基于模型的设计和模拟。其中包括 MathWorks Matlab 和 Simulink(包括自动代码生成和 GPU 加速)、dSPACE 用于进行基于模型的设计,机电系统的环内硬件测试和开发软件以及用于进行多相流模拟的 CFD 解决方案,包括 COMSOL Multiphysics。我们采用 ANSYS Maxwell 和 HFSS、CST Studio 和 Microwave Office 等有限元套件包进行全波、传输线和静磁模拟。我们还使用一个专门的计算集群来进行机器学习、神经网络训练和连续验证。