An updated version of the GigE Vision camera interface standard has been released. Version 1.2 of the standard brings new features, including control of non-streaming devices, says the Automated Imaging Association (AIA, www.MachineVisionOnline.org), Ann Arbor, Mich., which oversees development and administration of the standard.

GigE Vision is a camera interface standard developed using the Gigabit Ethernet communication protocol. GigE Vision allows fast, 1-gigabit/sec transfer of data using low cost standard cables at distances up to 100 meters. The standard enables multi-vendor hardware and software to interoperate seamlessly over Ethernet connections. The GigE Vision standard has been used by the machine vision industry since 2006, the AIA said in a Jan. 21 press release announcing the update.  

Auto-recognition

Version 1.2 introduces non-streaming device control to the standard. It accommodates networked video distribution applications that leverage switched Ethernet client/server video networks. Devices such as GigE Vision-enabled lights will now be automatically recognized by the computers on the network.

“Version 1.2 is a major milestone for GigE Vision, as it opens the doors for new classes of products beyond the traditional camera. It enables the integration of various types of devices through a common control protocol, greatly simplifying software development for system integrators. This demonstrates the direction GigE Vision is taking to be more than a simple camera interface by providing a complete networking model to machine vision,” said Eric Carey, chair of the GigE Vision Standard Committee and research and development director at Dalsa Corp. ( www.dalsa.com) , Billerica, Mass.

GigE Vision is a widely adopted interface, with dozens of leading companies offering hundreds of GigE Vision compliant products in the market today, according to the AIA. GigE Vision should not be confused with devices that only say they are “GigE,” said the association. While a GigE device may use Ethernet connectivity, it does not use the GigE Vision communication protocol and will not plug-and-play with GigE Vision compliant devices, the AIA said.

Compliance tests

The AIA tests the compliance of registered products, and encourages purchasers of vision equipment to look for the GigE Vision Logo for assurance that a product is compliant. Only registered compliant products may use the logo, the AIA said.  

Users can expect to see growth in the GigE Vision-compliant products on the market such as hardware-based video receivers, software-based video servers and network controlled devices, the AIA said. The highly scalable interface will follow the rapid growth of Ethernet bandwidth. The GigE Vision standard committee is already at work on GigE Vision 2.0 with an expected release in mid-2011.

Automated Imaging Association
www.MachineVisionOnline.org

Dalsa Corp.
www.dalsa.com

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