Digital camera interface available for Ariel's PCIbus image processing board; targets machine vision applications

Business Wire, May 31, 1996

CRANBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 1996--Ariel Corp. announced GMI-DCAM, a mezzanine module that provides a digital camera interface for the company's TMS320C80-based Griffin PCI Bus image processing board.

Targeting machine vision applications such as high-speed inspection, alignment, pattern verification and motion control, DCAM links 8- and 16-bit digital cameras with Griffin's high-speed image processing engine. DCAM supports line- and area-scan cameras from a broad range of popular manufacturers, including Dalsa (line and area scan), Kodak (Megaplus) and DVC.

The DCAM module provides a pair of RS-422 ports, which implement two separate 16-bit digital camera data channels, including data, sync and pixel clock I/O lines. Featuring a maximum clock rate of 40 MHz with separate clock and data lines, the two channels may be operated independently or synchronously. They may also be configured via software as a single 32-bit channel.

The DCAM module also provides a header with six auxiliary TTL-level programmable input and output lines. These lines are ideal for machine vision applications, enabling Griffin to provide real-time control over manufacturing and inspection processes.

The DCAM module interfaces to Griffin via a synchronous, 64-bit 400-Mbyte/sec mezzanine interface dubbed GMIbus. An extension of the TMS320C80's memory bus, the GMI bus gives digital cameras direct access to the C80's high-speed processing facilities.

The C80's transfer controller handles packet and interrupt-based data transfers between DCAM and Griffin's system memory. A pair of 512 x 32-bit FIFOs decouple the DCAM module from the GMIbus, which enables C80 program execution to proceed in parallel with digital camera I/O.

The DCAM module's RAM-based FPGA can be easily configured to support a broad range of digital cameras. The FPGA also supports simple data processing such as triggering on a threshold and byte ordering. The C80 downloads the FPGA program when the module is initialized.

DCAM module operating modes include external trigger, strobe control, internal/external pixel clock source and internal/external synchronization. The pixel clock, line-valid and frame-valid may be derived from an external digital camera or the DCAM module. The pixel rate is programmable from 200 kHz to 40 MHz.

Camera support packages, which enable GMI-DCAM to be configured for a particular camera, include cabling, software, and rear-panel brackets and connectors.

DCAM costs $1,495 and is available immediately.

More on Griffin

Griffin, the heart of Ariel's image processing and machine vision systems, is a PCI-bus plug-in board based on Texas Instruments' TMS320C80 parallel digital signal processor. Griffin features a full 32-bit master/slave PCI bus interface, a 24-bit RGB graphics display interface with a 4-Mbyte video RAM frame buffer, and up to 8 Mbytes of DRAM.

To support memory expansion, I/O and other peripheral options, Griffin also provides a high-performance stackable mezzanine bus interface known as GMIbus.

Griffin's GMIbus mezzanine interface is a stackable design that gives designers direct access to the C80's address and data buses, including interrupts, clock, and control signals. Up to four mezzanine cards, measuring 3.05 x 5.40 inches, can be stacked on 0.452-inch centers.

Griffin is available with a variety of GMIbus modules. In addition to the GMI-DCAM digital camera interface, Griffin is available with DRAM and SDRAM memory expansion modules, a prototyping debug module and video input/output modules.

The analog video input module, known as GMI-VIDEO-IN, supports Y/Cr/Cb, RGB and monochrome video modes, and features programmable hue, brightness, contrast and saturation. The module converts analog video signals (component or composite video in a NTSC or PAL format) to a 16-bit Y/Cr/Cb or 24-bit RGB format.

The VIDEO-IN module can signal the C80 via interrupts or through externally generated packet transfers (XPT).

Griffin's composite video output module, known as GMI-VIDEO-OUT, enables Griffin to output video to cameras, VCRs, television monitors and virtual-reality glasses. The module provides both PAL and NTSC CCR601 video outputs and supports 15-bit RGB, 24-bit RGB and 16-bit Y/Cr/Cb data formats. The module also includes a 1-Mbyte video RAM frame buffer.

Griffin also provides an on-board RGB video output based on the Texas Instruments TVP3025 RAMDAC. The RGB RAMDAC supports a wide variety of video resolutions, an overlay plane, and a VGA pass- through input with hardware windowing. The video output provides resolutions of up to 1600 x 1280 at 16 bits/pixel with up to 65,336 colors, and 1024 x 768 at 24 bits/pixel with up to 16 million colors.

Software support for Griffin includes drivers for Windows NT, Windows 95 and Windows 3.x supporting Microsoft, Borland and WATCOM C compilers; a C80 ANSI C compiler; native PCIbus and external JTAG in-circuit emulators for both PC and SPARC (external only) hosts. Ariel's comprehensive C80-optimized image processing library (IMPLIB) is optional.