GigE Vision: Gigabit Ethernet Cameras for Industrial Applications
Background
Camera interface standards for machine vision cameras have evolved over the last ten years. A decade ago, industrial digital cameras were very difficult to install and integrate into machine vision systems. The difficulty was largely because there were no camera interface standards. System integrators and end users desperately needed something more standardized.
From Cameralink to DCAM
In the late 90's, the AIA formed a camera interface standard based on channel link, a parallel bus designed particularly for laptop computer displays. By defining a standard cable and connector, together with some standardized signal assignments, the Cameralink™ standard was born. Around the same time, IEEE-1394 firewire cameras were conforming to a digital camera interface standard called DCAM, now more commonly known as IIDC. The DCAM (IIDC) camera interface standard went further than Cameralink in that it not only defined a standardized hardware interface but also defined a standardized software control interface making DCAM-compliant firewire cameras truly plug and play. Until recently, these two interfaces have dominated the industrial digital camera market.
GigE Vision for high performance
The AIA GigE Vision™ standard for Gigabit Ethernet cameras has now become the state of the art interface for high-performance digital cameras for machine vision and industrial applications.
