MATRIX VISION's Sony Pregius sensor-based camera modules transmit image data to congatec's Intel Atom processor-based SMARC module at speeds of up to 226.5 frames per second (FPS) and 1.6-megapixel resolution. This high transmission speed enables intensive real-time operation at clock speeds of approximately 4 milliseconds. This synchronization is also ideal for actuator commands via TSN (Time Sensitive Networking)-based Ethernet, which provides intensive real-time operation at clock speeds.

"PCIe-based camera implementations are ideally suited for ultra-low latency, high-speed, real-time vision applications. One reason is that, unlike GbE, USB, or MIPI, there is no protocol overhead. Secondly, the interface is always natively supported by the processor, which is not always the case with GbE, USB, or MIPI," explains Martin Danzer, Director of Product Management at congatec.

“The ability to use multiple channels in parallel makes PCIe performance highly scalable across multi-camera system solutions, keeping overall system costs low. PCIe also offers strong future-proofing, as this bus is tightly coupled to the x86 processor bus,” explains Uwe Hagmaier, Director of R&D at MATRIX VISION.

The live demonstration, which can run up to four camera modules, is designed for SMARC modules with Intel Atom, Intel Pentium, and Intel Celeron processors (known as Elkhart Lake and Apollo Lake). Variants with SMARC modules based on the NXP i.MX8 M Plus processor are also available. The MATRIX VISION mvBlueNAOS camera module family utilizes the latest global shutter sensors from Sony’s Pregius and Pregius S series. Offering high image quality, small pixel size, and high data transfer speeds, they are a perfect fit for this camera platform. To support the various processor architectures available in SMARC, the mvIMPACT Acquire SDK is included. Manufacturer GenICam GenTL ensures compatibility with existing developments and guarantees a smooth transition between different hardware platforms. Additional packages are also available for LabVIEW, DirectShow, VisionPro, and Halcon.

Developers interested in testing the mvBlueNAOS family of PCIe vision boards in combination with congatec's SMARC modules based on Intel Atom, Intel Pentium, and Intel Celeron processors, as well as NXP i.MX8 M Plus processors, can choose from six different camera models with resolutions ranging from 1.6 MP (1456 x 1088) to 24.6 MP (5328 x 4608) and frame rates from 226.5 to 24.1 FPS.

[1] The raw transfer speeds are 16 Gbps for PCIe Gen 2 x4, 10 Gbps for USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 and 10 Gbps for GigE Vision, 6 Gbps for 4-channel MIPI-CSI2 and 1 Gbps for GigE Vision.