October 9, 2019 – Vision Components supplies its MIPI camera modules with a shielded FPC (flexible printed circuit) cable, which is primarily designed for the MIPI modules and enables outstanding data transfer rates. The company uses the stalwart MIPI CSI-2 camera interface and the Raspberry Pi connector schema. Raspi boards are the most widely used single-board computers, and several other manufacturers have already adopted the same pinout. Until a standard is formulated, this choice ensures the widest possible suitability of the VC MIPI modules. The camera boards manufactured by VC in Germany can be connected to various popular CPU boards. This allows developers to quickly test image processing concepts and easily and cost-effectively configure embedded vision systems.
VC MIPI camera boards with 22-pin sockets can be connected with 15-pin and 22-pin MIPI interfaces via cables with two or four transmission lanes. Thanks to this configuration, the high speeds of the MIPI CSI-2 standard can be fully utilized. Most processors can handle 1.5 Gbps per lane; that makes 6 Gbps for four lanes and 600 MByte/s at 10-bit pixel resolution, twice as fast as USB3 cameras. The cables newly developed by Vision Components are high-tech components designed as flexible printed circuit boards with a fully shielded backside and 100-Ω differential line pairs. They ensure noise-free MIPI transmission. Vision Components has defined two pins as trigger input and flash output without compromising the function of the host systems. In addition to video streams, the trigger input also allows single image acquisition. All settings can be adjusted for each individual image: exposure time, gain, image size and position, and binning. Thus, very fast applications can be captured and synchronized. Vision Components is the manufacturer with the widest available variety of MIPI camera boards, offering image sensor resolutions up to 13 MP.
About Vision Components
Vision Components is a leading international manufacturer of embedded vision systems. The freely programmable cameras with powerful onboard CPUs perform image processing tasks on their own without the need for an additional computer. Vision Components offers OEMs versatile Linux-based embedded systems for 2D and 3D image processing, supplied as board cameras or in protective casings. These are complemented by a growing range of ultracompact MIPI camera boards, which connect to a variety of different CPU boards. In addition, Vision Components offers software libraries and develops customized solutions on request.
The team of experts can draw on extensive knowledge and over 20 years of experience with imaging applications. The company based in Ettlingen in southwestern Germany was founded in 1996 by Michael Engel, the inventor of the first industrial-grade intelligent camera. More world premieres followed, including the world's first intelligent vision sensors and the first-ever embedded 3D laser profiler. Today, Vision Components has sales offices in the United States and Japan and works with local partners in over 25 countries to provide consistent customer focus and readily available expertise throughout the world.
