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USB 3.0 Interface In recent years USB 3.0 has developed into a major interface technology for industrial, medical and mass-market applications. From a technical standpoint, USB 3.0 is notable for transfer bandwidths of up to 350 MB/s. USB 3.0 is also completely plug and play ready. Thanks to its real-time compatibility and high bandwidth, USB 3.0 is poised in the medium term to replace two old, slower interfaces on the vision market — FireWire and USB 2.0.Nevertheless, users should evaluate which interface best meets their own individual needs. Each interface on the market has its own strengths and must be selected to match the application. USB 3.0 truly impresses when it comes to bandwidth and plug and play compatibility, while GigE offers better performance in terms of cable length (up to 100 meters) and compatibility with multi-camera setups. USB3 Vision Standard As for the GigE interface, which is defined as part of the GigE Vision standard, the USB 3.0 interface is also subject to a standard for industrial machine vision: the USB3 Vision standard. This standard was officially ratified in January 2013. It is hosted by the AIA (Automated Imaging Association) and serves as the official standard for the USB 3.0 interface when used in the image processing industry.The standard is intended to create uniform rules for the structure of USB 3.0 communication and configurations. Standards of this kind are essential in preventing a proliferation of countless incompatible accessories and proprietary solutions from individual manufacturers — a confusing nightmare for end users.Before the publication of the USB3 Vision standard, there was no norm for USB devices in the image procession industry. Until then, various camera makers had simply launched their own different proprietary solutions based around the USB 2.0 interface used on the mass market. This was generally not enough to ensure the stability and durability of the components and the robustness of the overall solution at the levels required for industrial applications. History has shown that the logical implementation of an interface and an accompanying standard are crucial for the successful penetration and widespread establishment of a given interface technology on the industrial image processing market.The design of the USB3 Vision standard draws on the GenICam standard, the common programming interface for all modern industrial camera interfaces. USB3 Vision and GenICam deliver users with stability and low latency values during image transfer and controlling of cameras. The use of USB3 Vision-certified cameras, software and accessories offer many benefits to users: a variety of different cameras can be used, and it is easy to swap out parts; there are also established communication protocols for the different hardware and software components in the system setup.The USB3 Vision standard also harmonizes the mechanical designs, such as how cable connectors must be designed to screw down. This increases the robustness of the interface and ensures the interchangeability of components.The USB3 Vision standard defines its own transport layers specially adapted to the needs of vision technology. This includes the Control Transport Layer and the Event Transport Layer to transfer asynchronous events from the device to the host, and the Stream Transport Layer that ensures that data can be transported reliably, quickly and with a low overhead. Advantages of the USB 3.0 interface ■ Transfer bandwidths up to 350 MB/s■ Outstanding real-time compatibility■ High stability and very good error handling■ Simple integration into all image processing applications (3rd party libraries)■ Standardization through USB3 Vision mStar USB3.0 Industrial Cameras Mstar offers a wide range of cameras with the USB3 Vision® interface. You can easily find the right cameras for your needs based on a variety of criteria, including resolution, sensor and optic dimensions.

GigE Vision® Cameras | Industrial Cameras with Gigabit Ethernet (GigE®) Ports GigE Vision® is the perfect interface for many vision applications. With the inexpensive Cat5e or Cat6 cabling reaching lengths of 100 meters this interface can go the distance. There is no need for a frame grabber because GigE is capable of transmitting 120 Mbytes per second. Mstar offers several cameras with the GigE Vision® interface and is available in VGA-29 MP. About GigE Vision® Gigabit Ethernet cameras are imaging cameras designed to connect to computer systems using GigE® ports. These cameras feature fast data transfer speeds of up to 1000 Mbps. They’re versatile for use with various imaging applications and from any location far from a dedicated computer. Gige® is also in wide use throughout the globe and so they are compliant with many products from leading manufacturers. With the GigE® technology, there is no limit to the number of interfaced devices. Therefore, a larger number of networked imaging cameras can effectively function in any setting. GigE Vision® Cameras For A Variety Of Industries Mstar manufacturers rugged, heavy-duty GigE Vision® Cameras for a variety of industrial, manufacturing & business applications, including optical inspection, LCD inspection (Dead Pixel cameras), Line scan, medical imaging (endoscopy, microscopes), military, aerial mapping. Our high resolution CCD cameras are available with resolutions up to 29 mega-pixel. Our bult-in imaging processing, built-in programmable corrections, auto-exposure, auto-gain, auto-Iris control, and programmable exposure with precision up to one microsecond make Mstar high speed Industrial Cameras the global choice for commercial, industrial, and military applications.

Industrial cameras are found nowadays in a variety of areas, especially in production monitoring and a range of complicated measurement tasks. Quality control is another field that relies strongly on industrial image processing. Digital industrial cameras are generally more robust than the standard digital cameras used for vacation snapshots. For starters, they must be capable of handling an entirely different set of external influences, such as applications in areas with high ambient temperatures.There are other differences as well: The image quality in industrial cameras is often higher than that found on a "normal" camera, since highly detailed images are frequently required for specialized measurement tasks. The familiar elements of a digital camera — such as a viewfinder, shutter release and flash — are nowhere to be found on industrial cameras. These cameras are connected to the computer using an interface. The camera is triggered using an I/O (input/output) cable. Software on the connected PC sends the signal to capture the image. In a figurative sense, this could be called the "shutter release."

The cameras are used to identify the goods. Beyond this, cameras can also be used to monitor these processes and provide the necessary safety. Finding the right camera is only half the battle. An industrial camera is generally just one part of a complete image processing system, also known as a vision system.

GenICam (Generic Interface for Cameras): A Generic Software Interface Standard for generic camera interfaces Cameras currently used in machine vision are all configurable in more or less the same way – by reading and writing parameters in registers. Protocols, formats, and register locations, however, tend to differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Why GenICam? GenICam offers a universally valid software interface. It provides an end-to-end configuration interface for a broad spectrum of standard interfaces, including GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, Camera Link ® and IEEE 1394, covering all camera types and image formats. This approach makes it easy to connect cameras compliant with the GenICam standard without the need for camera-specific configuration. How does GenICam work? The core of GenICam is a description of the camera's properties in an XML Descriptor File. Using this file, a translator from XML to C++ directly generates an application programming interface called GenAPI or the elements of a Graphical User Interface (GUI). This lets the user easily access the features, e.g. gain, exposure time etc., and functions available on the camera. The GigE Vision and USB3 Vision standards require that cameras with a GigE or a USB 3.0 interface provide the XML Descriptor File. Benefits of GenICam Software that complies with the standard and cameras that comply with the standard will always be compatibleForward-looking investment, as expansion or integration of the next generation of products is ensured low integration costs thanks to standardized components that harmonize with one another and low upkeep costs for the system when components are discontinued and must be replacedThe standard also allows for manufacturer-specific features to drive innovation