Smart network interface cards for efficient high-bandwidth GigE Vision acquisition
Matrox® GevIQ is the industry’s first network interface card (NIC) offering generic GigE Vision® acquisition offload at speeds up to 25 Gigabits/s per port. With GigE Vision packet processing performed directly onboard, Matrox GevIQ boards enable capture from one or more cameras without any image data loss.
GigE Vision is a camera interface standard that delivers rapid image transfer over distances up to 100 m using standard copper, and up to 5,000 m using standard fiber-optic Ethernet cabling. The standard supports physical links from 1 to 25 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE). Use of 10 and 25 GbE by cameras are gaining industry popularity as they are ideal for vision applications requiring the utmost imaging speed and resolution. Machine vision applications requiring cameras with a 10+ GbE interface can, however, be challenging—they benefit from a high data transmission rate but suffer from increased demands on the host system, resulting in corrupted or dropped image frames, and increased processing latency.
Matrox GevIQ NICs provide a more versatile and widely compatible alternative to custom-built or proprietary solutions based on 10+ GbE. The board is equipped with two 25 GbE ports and acquires from these with very little host CPU usage. Multiple 1, 2.5, 5, or 10 GbE cameras can be aggregated at each port for a total of up to 32 input sources. Support of the standard SFP28 connector allows users to select from standard direct attach copper (DAC) or fiber-optic Ethernet cables for their specific installation requirements.
BitFlow has been making Camera Link frame grabbers since 1999. With each successive generation of frame grabbers, BitFlow has improved the quality, flexibility and robustness of their interfaces. Meanwhile, much has changed on the backend; PCI to PCIe, Gen 1 to Gen 2, etc. Also the Camera Link Specification had been continuously evolving: 80-bit (10-tap) mode was added, Power over Camera Link (PoCL), new connectors, new tap formats. Even though the specification has been around a long time, it is still one of the simplest, efficient and least expensive ways to get camera data into a computer. It also benefits from 100s of thousands of pieces of CL equipment sold worldwide.
BitFlow has been on top of all these changes and has continuously improved and updated their Camera Link frame grabbers. The Axion-CL is the culmination of all of these improvements, the most powerful CL frame grabber BitFlow has ever manufactured.
The Axion-CL also benefits from other products in BitFlow’s line up. The Axion-CL uses the Cyton-CXP’s backend: the StreamSync DMA engine and buffer manager. A brand new PCIe Gen 2 interface, with DMA optimized for modern (fully loaded, fully busy) computers.
To develop the Cyton platform we first started with a clean slate and asked ourselves, “What does a next generation frame grabber need?”. For sure, For sure, it needs a high speed back end for the ultimate high speed access to host memory. It also needs a sophisticated DMA engine to handle the demands of new camera interface standards. New standards demand flexibility. CXP cameras will soon be able to put out streams of random sized ROIs, something our previous generation DMA engine was not capable of. Finally, we know based on years of experience of making frame grabbers that it needs flexible and powerful I/O, triggering, and routing. The CoaXPress front end is based on our Karbon-CXP, but upgraded and ready for the coming changes in the CXP standards. The Cyton platform is the foundation for today and tomorrow’s frame grabbers, whether it’s CoaXPress, Camera Link, or whatever new standards emerge from the Machine Vision industry.
The Cyton CXP4-V is designed for small form factor fanless computers where airflow isn’t sufficient to dissipate the FPGA heat.
The Axion-CL is the most powerful CL frame grabber BitFlow has ever manufactured. A natural addition to this family was obvious…a CL Base version. The Axion xB series will be replacing the Neon series of Camera Link frame grabbers.
The Axion-CL also benefits from other products in BitFlow’s line up. The Axion-CL uses the Cyton-CXP’s backend: the StreamSync DMA engine and buffer manager. A brand new PCIe Gen 2 interface, with DMA optimized for modern (fully loaded, fully busy) computers.
Moving from the Neon family to the Axion family is simple. No need to make changes to your code, just recompile with the latest SDK. If you are using a 3rd party application, such as Cognex Vision Pro or LabVIEW, just download the latest driver and your program will already be supported. The same application can support both the Axion and the Neon family (as well as our CXP line of frame grabbers).
Connectors on the Axion 2xB are the same as those on the Neon CLD, so your existing cable infrastructure will not need to be changed.
Multi-port Gigabit Ethernet adaptors with PoE for GigE Vision
Matrox® Concord PoE is a new generation of Gigabit Ethernet adaptors for interfacing one or more GigE Vision® cameras supporting Power-over-Ethernet (PoE). Available with two or four Gigabit Ethernet ports, these network interface cards (NICs) simplify system configuration, not only by handling command and streaming protocols but also providing power over a single standard Cat 5e/6 cable per camera connection. An isolated PoE implementation protects cameras, board, and host computer from damage due to electrical faults and stray current that adversely affects camera detection.
Matrox Concord PoE also provides—as an option—a useful Trigger-over-Ethernet (ToE) capability for multiple cameras working together. The hardware-assisted ToE capability allows the sending of a software trigger or an action-command to one or more cameras based on an external input event. The ToE applies to camera(s) on the same or multiple Ethernet ports for a given trigger event. Moreover, this ToE feature helps reduce trigger latency and remove jitter brought on by a non-deterministic host environment.
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