今天随处可见搭载多样化功能的各类消费性电子装置，这些应用的发展方向，是由嵌入式处理器所主导吗？抑或是这个市场中，还存在其它的主导力量？

事实上，二者皆是。特别是在数字讯号处理密集型应用，如无线通讯和影像压缩领域。这类应用是在同时兼具极佳性能、超低成本和低功耗特性的处理器问世后，才获 得快速的大规模拓展。在嵌入式处理器问世后，这类应用才真正起飞。而后，这个不停成长的市场吸引了无数厂商加入角逐，当然也吸引了更多投资。再之后，处理器供货商们也开始针对特定应用，开发特定的处理器了。

最终，我们获得了许多不同世代的DSP处理器，它们都搭载许多功能，如针对 Viterbi译码的附加比较选择指令(add-compare-selection instructions)；另外，某些的 DSP 和 CPU也会加入绝对误差总和(sum-of-absolute-difference, SAR)指令，以及针对影像压缩的单一指令多数据(single-instruction-multiple-data, SIMD)操作等功能。

几年前，在累积了近二十年的评估，以及在数字讯号处理密集型应用中使用嵌入式处理器的经验后，我和我在BDTI公司的同事们确实了解到，过去这个市场不断拓展无线通讯和影像压缩算法的努力，已经形成了所谓的”良性循环”，让接下来的嵌入式计算机视觉应用能顺势加快扩展脚步。

过去几十年来，计算机视觉已经广泛应用在工厂自动化这类应用中了。但直到近年来，包括影像游戏和汽车安全系统，才开始将视觉技术纳入设计。今天，许多量产型应用都开始采用视觉技术，处理器供货商也开始重视嵌入式视觉应用，并大力宣扬其处理器能在这类应用中发挥更佳效能──而这通常是透过整合专门为视觉处理设计的专用协处理器来达成的。 

嵌入式视觉也有助于改善人机互动的方式──长久以来，这一直是消费电子产品的致命弱点。试着想象一种场景：你只需要盯着电视几秒钟，它就会开机并跳出为你量身打造的节目表选单，你可以透过简单的手势选择节目，这要比一进门就抢电视遥控器好太多了。市调机构IMS  Research预计，到2015年采用机器视觉技术的设备出货量将可达到每年30亿部。

某些应用只需要很简单的视觉功能， 这可以运用既有的处理器来做到(可能可以用提高时脉速率或增加额外的核心来达成)。但在引人注目的嵌入式视觉应用中，有许多都使用了极需要处理器性能的演算法。要以低成本和低功耗来实现这些算法，就需要使用专用处理器。因此，我们期望在未来能看到处理器供货商开发出更多针对视觉应用最佳化的处理器，为机器视觉提供更多开发支持，包括最佳化的软件库在内。

    以下附英文原文

Do embedded processors shape applications, or is it the other way around?

In reality, it works both ways. This is particularly evident in digital-signal-processing-intensive applications, such as wireless communications and video compression. These applications became feasible on a large scale only after the emergence of processors with adequate performance and sufficiently low prices and power consumption. And once those processors emerged, these applications started to take off. Then, the growing market attracted competition and investment. Processor vendors tuned their processors for these applications.

As a result, we got a generation of DSP processors with features such as add-compare-selection instructions for Viterbi decoding, and a generation of DSPs and CPUs with features like sum-of-absolute-difference instructions and single-instruction-multiple-data operations for video compression.

A few years ago, after nearly two decades of evaluating and using embedded processors for digital-signal-processing-intensive applications, my colleagues and I at BDTI realized that embedded computer vision applications were poised to benefit from the same type of “virtuous circle” that had previously enabled the proliferation of wireless communications and video compression algorithms.

Computer vision has been around for decades in applications like factory automation. But only very recently has vision begun to be incorporated into high-volume applications like video games and automobile safety systems. And, now that vision is starting to appear in volume applications, processor vendors are beginning to focus on embedded vision applications, and to tune their processors for these applications – often by incorporating specialized coprocessors specifically designed for vision processing.

It’s easy to see why processor suppliers are excited about embedded vision applications. “Machines that see” offer compelling value in many applications and markets. Take automotive safety, for example. Over one million people are killed each year in automobile accidents. By reducing the number and severity of collisions, vision-based safety systems may be able to save many thousands of lives.

Embedded vision also promises to improve human-machine interaction—long the Achilles' heel of consumer electronics. Instead of hunting for the right hand-held remote control, imagine a world where you simply stare at your TV for a few seconds, and in response it turns itself on and offers you a personalized menu of options, which you can choose from via simple gestures. Market research firm IMS Research estimates that by 2015, vision-enabled devices will be shipping at a rate of over 3 billion units per year.(Read about many more embedded vision applications here).

In some applications, vision functions will be relatively simple and will be able to fit into existing processors (perhaps with a modest boost in clock rate or an additional core). But many of the most compelling embedded vision applications use very performance-hungry algorithms. Implementing these algorithms at low cost and low power consumption will require specialized processors. As a result, we expect to see processor suppliers introducing more processors that are optimized for vision applications, and providing more application development support (such as optimized software libraries) for these applications.

原文来自：www.esmchina.com/ART_8800120352_1200_2605_3800_0_e0397b61.HTM