Joining hands with domestic chips to jointly produce nationwide USB 3.0 cameras

1. preface

Due to the international situation and constraints such as chip wars, the hottest topic in the current IT industry is undoubtedly the localization of chips. From operating systems to CPUs, from sensors to power chips, with the wisdom and indomitable spirit of the working people, China is flourishing in various industries and gradually having its own substitutes.

Despite repeated failures and challenges, as well as heavy responsibilities and a long way to go, the trend of localization is unstoppable, especially for institutions such as military research institutes. The selection of localization is not only a matter of supply, but also a choice that must be made due to national defense security and independent control.

 

In view of this,AoweisiJoining hands with the national chip production plan, it took several months to create a high-performance, low light, and nationally produced 1080P60 USB3.0 industrial camera solution. At present, the plan has been mass-produced in small batches and successfully integrated into domestic platforms such as Windows, Linux, and RK3588. It has been delivered to alpha customers and has begun to meet their needs to assist in the overall localization plan. As shown below, it is the fully domestically produced USB3.0 camera solution implemented by Aoweisi:.

 

 

2. National U3 Camera Description

2.1Camera scheme selection

The VU3-1S130/200MG/CR national industrial camera module adopts the Yilingsi FPGA Jiangbolong DDR3 square inch micro USB chip to achieve high-performance and national production of the USB3.0 industrial camera solution. The camera is equipped with Sitewe image sensors (global 130W, roller shutter 2 million, etc.), and image transmission is achieved through the USB3.0 interface based on libUSB. It can transmit data in real-time, with good signal-to-noise ratio and excellent image quality. Users can also customize image processing and other related functional requirements.

As shown in the figure below, the hardware architecture of the national industrial camera module designed by Aoweisi is presented. Almost 100% of the main components of the camera are domestically produced, meeting the urgent need for localization and achieving independent and controllable positioning.

 

The main controller is a titanium 16nm (low-power, high-speed) FPGA from Shenzhen Yilingsi, which completes MIPI image acquisition/storage, ISP image processing, and US3.0 data transmission and reception protocol processing.

 

 

There are imported image sensors such as Sony and Micron in the industry, and domestic ones are not inferior. Although there is still a certain gap in the cutting-edge field, the cake in the middle and low-end fields has almost been taken by domestic manufacturers. Therefore, we have chosen the image sensor from domestic leader Site Micro (Shanghai) Electronic Technology to complete the camera's image sensing acquisition.

 

 

At the same time, USB 3.0 transmission is one of the most important components of industrial cameras. Currently, Cypress's CY3014 is the main foreign component, which has captured the vast majority of the market; At the same time, Taiwan's FTDI FT601 USB3.0 chip also has a certain share in USB3.0 applications. In recent years, domestic USB3.0 control chips have also emerged, with a typical example being Shandongfang Cunwei. Its T630 USB3.0 control chip, launched in 2019, is not inferior to CY3014.

 

 

2.2Camera characteristic parameters

model	VU3-1S130MG	VU3-1S130CG	VU3-1S200CR
sensor	Site Wei SC130GS	Site Wei SC130GS	Site SC2210
interface	USB3.0 TypeC	USB3.0 TypeC	USB3.0 TypeC
power supply	USB powered	USB powered	USB powered
resolving power	1280 * 1024	1280 * 1024	1920 * 1080
Frame rate	240FPS	240FPS	60FPS
color	black and white	colour	colour
Exposure mode	Global exposure	Global exposure	Roller shutter exposure
Pixel size	4 * 4um	4 * 4um	4 * 4um
Pixel depth	8/10/12bit	8/10/12bit	8/10/12bit
Target surface	1/2.7 inch	1/2.7 inch	1/1.8 inch
lens	M12 lens	M12 lens	M12 lens
focal length	3.6mm	3.6mm	8mm
External trigger	support	support	support
power dissipation	TBD	TBD	TBD
working temperature	-40 º C~85 º C	-30 º C~85 º C	-30 º C~85 º C
weight	34g	34g	33g
characteristic	High frame rate, global exposure Industrial applications	High frame rate, global exposure Industrial applications	Large target area, low illumination, High sensitivity, near-infrared enhancement
drive	Libusb driver	Libusb driver	Libusb driver
operating system	Windows Linux Android	Windows Linux Android	Windows Linux Android

2.3FPGA ISP algorithm

For black and white sensors, many times customers hope to obtain raw RAW data, which is unprocessed data, and then the application performs the final image processing. Therefore, customers need to control parameters such as exposure and gain in order to obtain better images under better conditions.

But for color sensors, if the customer only receives raw RAW data, then after being converted to RGB by Bayer, only a dark green image is obtained. In addition to the image that the customer can ultimately use for algorithms, a series of image processing processes are required, which are professionally referred to as ISP (Image Signal Processor).

With the high-speed and low-power characteristics of the Yilingsi 16nm titanium series FPGA, a 60K LUT model was selected, and the camera completed the necessary ISP processing at the module end. The relevant pipeline is shown below:

 

Remarks:

1) Some modules can be turned on or off, while others can adjust parameters.

2) Future plan: Release Training Tool

3. Introduction to Domestic U3 Camera Hardware

3.1Yilingsi Ti60 FPGA SOM

 

3.2Site Micro Sensor Module

 

 

 

3.3Square inch micro USB 3.0 tail board

 

3.4Introduction to Camera Dimensions

 

3.5Camera equipment list

 

4. Introduction to Domestic U3 Camera Software

4.1Data Introduction

 

4.2Driver installation

Ovis USB 3.0 camera uses libUSB as the driver. Seamless compatibility with Windows, Linux, Android, making it easy to port on ARM platforms such as RK/Quanzhi.

 

LibUSB is a cross platform user library written in C language for accessing USB devices, with the following features:

1) Portability: Using a single cross platform API, supporting Windows, Linux, Android and other systems;

2) User mode: Communication between applications and devices does not require special permissions or elevation;

3) Version independent: Supports all current versions of the USB protocol, from 1.0 to 1.1.

 

4.2.1Windows driver installation

Open the USB Driver folder provided in the package, double-click on InstallDriver to complete the installation of the driver with just one click. Then, you can load it in the Device Manager and see the Camera device for OVS.

 

 

4.2.2Linux driver installation

To be supplemented

 

4.3Software Introduction

After installing the OVSCamera driver, connect the camera to the PC via a USB TypeC data cable, and open the upper computer to obtain the image. Taking SC2210 with 1080P60 as an example, the Windows client collects images as shown below.