NVIDIA JETSON TEGRA TX1 BASED Airborne DUAL CAMERA DEVELOPMENT

#product JETSON TX1 #company embien  #project AIRBORNE CAMERA SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

Typically, in such aerial camera systems, there are multiple cameras that operate at different spectral frequencies and conditions. For example, one such camera may operate at high resolution and suitable for capturing illuminated areas. Another camera might be a FLIR camera – Forward Looking InfraRed, operating in infra-red spectrum at a lower frame rate and is idle for thermographic vision. Such infrared thermal imaging cameras are used for low or no illumination conditions. Or there might be a multispectral camera that can operate across varied frequencies. Each of these cameras is typically have different data interfaces and acquisition needed to be performed in parallel without compromising the data rate or quality. Image quality need to be improved further in real-time using image processing techniques.

In our case of airborne camera systems development, the challenge is to acquire image sensor raw data from two different image sensors with a minimal glass-to-glass latency. One of these camera’s output a YUV422 stream with only valid luminous information in a single CSI lane and another a RGB888 stream over dual CSI lane interface. After data acquisition, image quality needs to improved/enhanced using complex image processing algorithms in real time. Then various pattern extraction algorithms are to be run on the processed image and features extracted from them.

JETSON TX1 CAMERA MODULE INTEGRATION

Having an excellent understanding of underlying hardware, Linux drivers and end application needs, Embien helped identify the right hardware platform. Since customer technical team already has experience in NVIDIA technologies, Jetson Tegra TX1, a powerful embedded system-on-module (SoM) with quad-core ARM Cortex-A57, 4GB LPDDR4 and integrated 256-core Maxwell GPUs was chosen as the processing module. Elroy carrier card was selected as TX1 development platform to meet 2 CSI interface requirement and address form factor constraints.

Embien developed device drivers based on the NVIDIA’s Linux4Tegra kernel base for the two independent MIPI CSI 2 camera modules. Presented as V4L2 (Video for Linux 2) devices, these cameras were available as standard /dev/video nodes. In line with modern Linux kernel requirements, the driver configuration was done via Device Tree Source (DTS) files. Up on compilation the Device Tree Blobs (DTB) were created and are loaded before running the kernel. Since the actual camera set up was done by an external FPGA connected over PCIe, the drivers are automatically loaded. Any changes in the camera settings were done over PCIe address space. The system takes full advantage of the Tegra TX1’s VI interfaces for effective CSI data extraction and storage.

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ABOUT EMBIEN

Embien has been working in the NVIDIA technologies and Tegra development kits for the past few years with hands-on experience in Jetson TK1, TX1 and TX2 systems. Our team’s expertise in associated technologies spans driver development, boot loader customization, fail safe recovery mechanism’s, space optimization, CUDA framework developments, GStreamer plugin developments etc. Engaging with Embien for NVIDIA centered developments will bring down your product realization time significantly and get real-time service around the world.