BusinessWire
August 08, 2005 03:21 AM US Pacific Timezone

Axeon Hldgs UK Regulatory Announcement: Axeon Holdings Plc (“Axeon”): New Vindax Product for Easy Integration with MATLAB/Simulink

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Axeon Holdings plc ("Axeon")

New Vindax product for easy integration with MATLAB/Simulink

Axeon announces the launch of the Vindax® Classifier S-Function for their Vindax Development System ("VDS"). The product enables closer integration between VDS and leading simulation tools MATLAB® and Simulink® for complex automotive and industrial control and diagnostics applications.

With the existing VDS tool, users can rapidly study and produce offline solutions for classification, function approximation and change detection problems. Axeon's customers want to be able to migrate these solutions into real-time embedded systems more easily. As part of their drive into real-time
prototyping for this type of application the Vindax Classifier S-function is the first of several product announcements to address this need.

Axeon have created a highly optimised software implementation of the Vindax classification algorithm as an S-Function to bring Vindax processing power to the Simulink and MATLAB environments. Engineers and analysts can now easily incorporate Vindax solutions within Simulink models.

Vindax Development System The Vindax Development System is the key tool in the development of high-performance solutions for classification, function approximation and change detection problems for complex non-linear systems, based on the Vindax processing architecture. VDS enables designers to rapidly traverse a potential solution space, and optimise the solution feature set. In normal use, the VDS comprises a combination of both hardware and software, which the user controls via a Graphical User Interface on a PC. Solutions developed using the VDS form the basis of the user's application-specific product.

One of the key benefits of the VDS is that there is no requirement for the user to write computer code. Pre-defined 'steps' are provided with the system, each performing a commonly used function. However, the user can create custom functions if required. The VDS allows the user to construct a sequence specific to the application domain being investigated which comprises a number of 'steps', where each step performs a specific function.

Vindax Classifier S-Function Simulink provides a simulation environment for modelling and analysing dynamic systems of either linear or non-linear nature. The Vindax classification algorithm has been implemented as a Simulink S-Function. The overall design flow allows the user to carry out initial
training and evaluation of a specific problem area within VDS. The output of this can then be directly loaded into the Vindax Classifier S-Function allowing integration in larger system simulations.

The key benefits of a Vindax Classifier S-Function model are:

-- Reduction of development time and costs - due to the ability to process and operate on data directly from an external source or device through standard interfaces, readily available components can be re-used.

-- Construction of complex solutions involving many different Vindax networks - by combining multiple instances of the S-Function in a Simulink model

-- Refinement of the Vindax solution - as special and exceptional conditions can be more easily identified and targeted for further investigation within the Simulink environment.

The Vindax Classifier S-Function is the first of several new products due to be launched by Axeon within the coming months.

Hamish Grant, Axeon's CEO commented "Within the automotive and industrial markets there are established suppliers, for system simulation, real-time prototyping and all the way through to the final embedded solutions. Axeon's product strategy is to collaborate with these market-leading suppliers and integrate Vindax functionality with their products providing our customers with the easiest and lowest cost path from initial study through to implementation. MATLAB and Simulink are leading tools for system simulation and the new Vindax Classifier S-function allows a user to seamlessly link a solution developed in VDS into a system simulation being carried out in Simulink.

"At the embedded solution end we have already announced our collaboration with Infineon, where our Vindax technology was integrated with the Infineon Powertrain Starter Kit and Triboard development platforms. We expect to have further announcements with other embedded systems suppliers later this year and during Q4 2005 we expect to announce our first collaboration in the real-time
prototyping area, releasing a module for the dSPACE MicroAutoBox environment. For the first time this will enable automotive customers to seamlessly implement a prototype, developed offline in VDS, system simulated in Simulink as a real-time solution in test vehicles."

Enquiries: Colin Turnbull, Axeon +44 (0)1224 338 383 or cturnbull@axeon.com

About Axeon and Vindax Axeon is a Semiconductor Intellectual Property ("SIP") company providing products and services to the automotive and industrial markets based on our unique real-time Artificial Neural Network technology - Vindax.

Vindax is a technology comprising a methodology, an algorithm and processor architecture. This enables real-time, multi-variable, non-linear problem solutions to be formulated through development tools and deployed in FPGA or IP core products.

Vindax can be employed to a wide range of automotive and industrial applications that broadly fit into the groups of Change Detection, Function Approximation and Classification. Specific areas where Vindax is appropriate include novelty/abnormality detection, turbine/compressor monitoring, parameter estimation/verification, misfire detection and virtual sensing. The area of virtual sensing allows physical sensors to be replicated by a Vindax virtual sensor allowing verification of uncertain physical sensors, detection of sensor failure or replacement of a physical sensor. Virtual sensors can replace existing methods of monitoring mass airflow, torque, lambda, and flow rate, amongst others.

For solving complex non-linear problems Vindax tools and methods reduce development time allowing emphasis on problem understanding and solution accuracy. Applications can be implemented via a rapid and direct path through real-time prototyping into the multitasking FPGA or IP core products.

With Vindax embedded technology you will improve reliability and performance through providing ground breaking functionality to meet the challenges of the regulatory environment while at the same time dramatically reducing development, production and operating costs.

www.axeon.com