Microsoft Windows XP Embedded
Customer Solution Case Study
Sony Division Increases Market Share
with Embedded Operating System
Overview
Country or Region: France
Industry: Manufacturing
Customer Profile
Sony Semiconductors and Electronic
Solutions (SES), with its 110 employees, is
part of Sony, which manufactures IT
products for consumer and professional
markets.
Business Situation
SES wanted to develop a Windows® XP
Embedded platform for its class-leading
XCI-SX1 Smart Camera and increase its
market share.
Solution
Working with Windows Embedded Partner
FDS Research, SES built the new platform
in six months and, after releasing the
solution to market, won new business with
leaders in the machine-vision industry.
Benefits
 SES gains access to new market.
 Programmers increase efficiency.
 Customers can deploy software faster.
 Partner expertise ensures platform
reliability.
“Through Windows XPe, Sony SES will continue to be
a leader in the machine-vision industry. We should
acquire more and more business because this is the
solution the market wants.”
Arnaud Destruels, European Marketing Manager, Sony SES
Sony Semiconductors and Electronic Solutions (SES) became a
leader in the machine-vision industry with its XCI-SX1 Smart
Camera. Historically, the camera operated on a Linux-based
platform. However, research showed that customers wanted a
platform based on the industry-standard Windows® environment.
Working with Windows Embedded Partner FDS Research, SES
created a platform running Windows XP Embedded in six months.
After testing, the organisation released a version of the camera with
the new platform in 2006. SES found programmers were more than
50 per cent more efficient using the Windows XP Embedded
operating system. In addition, customers could deploy their
software on the hardware more rapidly. With the launch of the
platform, SES has increased market share in the machine-vision
industry.
Situation
Companies understand the benefits of
integrating IT systems and business
processes. The obvious ones include lower
cost of ownership and greater efficiency
through better data access. Yet, compatibility
is key for integration. Therefore, before
making an investment decision, companies
want to ensure that new solutions will work
well with existing IT investments.
“I remember a
telephone conference
with Microsoft in France.
Very quickly, Microsoft
found a guy in Germany
to answer our questions.
The support was
excellent, especially
during testing, when we
need fast answers.”
Arnaud Destruels, European Marketing
Manager, Sony SES
Sony Semiconductors and Electronic
Solutions (SES), based in France,
experienced great success with its XCI-SX1
Smart Camera. Original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs), systems integrators,
and vision-tool manufacturers use the device
as a plug-in component for factory workflow
systems. Today, the camera has become a
staple in the machine-vision industry, often
monitoring quality-control tasks.
However, to increase market share, Sony SES
needed to increase the device’s compatibility
with potential customers’ IT infrastructures.
Historically, the camera had operated on a
Linux-based platform. Yet, research showed
that customers wanted the device to run on
the industry-standard operating system
Windows® XP.
Across multiple industries, the request was
the same. Businesses needed the camera to
be more compatible with their existing
investments. Arnaud Destruels, European
Marketing Manager, Sony SES, says: “An
important customer in the Nordic region, for
example, said that it was important to get an
embedded, Windows-based operating system
for its robots. Indeed, customers in different
industries, such as food and beverage, said
they needed a platform development around
Windows.”
Although the new platform was needed, Sony
had to maintain it existing brand values, such
as performance and reliability. To retain
these values required support. For Sony SES,
it was crucial to find a partner with the
expertise to develop a Windows XP
Embedded (Windows XPe) platform quickly
and cost effectively.
Solution
Microsoft has developed a global network of
Windows Embedded partners, offering
development expertise around Europe. Sony
SES took advantage of the high availability of
partners and contacted FDS Research, which
specialises in platforms for machine-vision
systems.
FDS Research developed the core platform,
creating the software drivers for the camera’s
AMD Geode GX533 processor and
configuring the environment. Programmers,
using the Windows Embedded Studio—which
includes Target Analyzer, Target Designer,
and Component Designer, coupled with
Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2005—created a
prototype platform in six months.
FDS Research and Sony SES then completed
an extensive eight-month testing phase on
the infrastructure before releasing the
Windows XPe compatible XCI-SX1 Smart
Camera to market in 2006. “FDS Research
provided a high level of expertise,” Destruels
says. “We knew it had the experience to
develop hardware and software for machinevision applications.”
During the testing phase, work focused on
the modification of the driver and some minor
debugging. However, Destruels says
Microsoft was always on hand to answer
queries. “I remember a telephone conference
with Microsoft in France,” he says. “Very
quickly, Microsoft found a guy in Germany to
answer our questions. The support was
excellent, especially during testing, when we
need fast answers.”
“It takes us three days
maximum to get a
hardware and software
environment completed.
I would multiple that by
three for any other
system.”
Arnaud Destruels, European Marketing
Manager, Sony SES
The new version of the XCI-SX1 Smart
Camera went to market in March 2006. In
the same year, Sony SES released a new
version of the XCI-V3 Smart Camera that is
also compatible with Windows XPe. The
organisation is currently developing a second
generation of the XCI-SX1 and XCI-V3 devices
running Windows XPe, with prototypes
scheduled for release towards the end of
2007. “Microsoft is a major partner for Sony
SES,” Destruels says. “With Windows XPe, we
have great software compatibility in the
cameras. It’s a very positive message for the
products.”
Benefits
With Windows XPe, Sony SES gained an
operating system based on industry-standard
Windows software. It ensures the XCI-SX1
and XCI-V3 Smart Cameras are compatible
with a large potential client base in the
machine-vision industry. Furthermore, ease of
programming around Windows XPe reduced
the development life cycle and cut costs.
Sony Executives Access Large Potential
Market to Drive Business Growth
Historically, Sony SES enjoyed success with a
Linux-based smart camera. However, by
making the devices compatible with a
Microsoft Windows environment, the
company has won significant new business.
For example, the Sony XCI-SX1 Smart Camera
now supports software from Tordivel, whose
vision systems operate in robotic systems of
large corporations such as Lear, which makes
automotive components.
Previously, with only a Linux version of the
camera, there were fewer business
opportunities for Sony SES and Tordivel. But
now the situation is reversed, according to
Destruels. “In the past, Tordivel wasn’t
interested in our camera because Linux
wasn’t compatible with its software,” he says.
“Now, the situation is different, and we can
work together.”
Programmers Gain Easy-to-Use Development
Environment, Promoting Efficiency
Compared with alternative embedded
solutions, Windows XPe reduces development
time by more than 50 per cent, says
Destruels. With the programming
environments such as Visual Studio 2005
and the tools created for embedded
developers, programmers can maximise their
productivity, reducing development life
cycles.
“To put software on smart cameras running
Windows XPe is easier than other types of
operating systems,” he says. “It takes us
three days maximum to get a hardware and
software environment completed. I would
multiple that by three for any other system.
“To develop XCI-V3 for Windows XPe, we only
needed to redesign of XCi-V3 driver. It wasn’t
a huge task because all of the rest of the
design has been already tested with XCiSX1.”
Customers Receive Flexible Environment
More Fitting to Business Needs
The ability to configure a software application
for a Windows XPe platform rapidly is a major
selling point for customers. Destruels says a
customer successfully configured his
software with the camera’s platform in a
single day.
“When you have a new hardware product and
say Windows XPe is your operating system,
it’s easier to attract customers,” he says. “If
we are talking about availability, quality, and
the evolution of the product, the customer
gets the best from Windows XP Embedded.”
Global Partner Network Delivers Support to
Reduce Development Life Cycles
For Sony SES, the Windows Embedded
partner network played a vital role in
delivering a reliable solution within a short
timeframe. The company gained not only the
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expertise of FDS Research, but the support of
Microsoft during the development of the
platform. Now, the company is well-placed to
drive business growth.
“Through Windows XPe, Sony SES will
continue to be a leader in the machine-vision
industry,” Destruels says. “We should acquire
more and more business because this is the
solution the market wants.”
For more information about Sony
Semiconductors and Electronic Solutions
products and services, visit the Web site at:
www.sonybiz.net/vision
Software and Services

Document published June 2007
The Windows Embedded family of products
helps you turn your vision and ingenuity into
superior business results. Windows
Embedded consists of Windows Embedded
CE, Windows XP Embedded and Windows
Embedded for Point of Service. These
operating system technologies combine with
the best set of tools and support to provide
you the control to build what you want,
accelerated time to market, and industryleading support.
For more information about Windows
Embedded, please visit:
www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded
For more information about FDS Research
products and services, visit the Web site at:
www.fdsresearch.si
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This case
study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO
WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Windows Embedded
Products
− Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
− Windows XP Embedded