The Tara Stereo Vision USB 3.0 Camera, referred to as Tara, is a UVC compliant USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Stereo vision camera developed by e-con Systems, a company specializing in advanced camera solutions. This device is designed for various applications requiring stereo vision capabilities and integrates an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for enhanced functionality.
Function Description:
The Tara camera's primary function is to capture stereo vision data. It is based on the MT9V024 stereo sensor from ON Semiconductor, which enables it to capture images with a maximum resolution of WVGA (2 x 752 x 480) at 60 frames per second (fps) when connected via USB 3.0. The camera provides uncompressed Y16 format data, which is crucial for applications requiring high-fidelity image data.
A key feature of the Tara camera is its integrated IMU unit, specifically the LSM6DS0/LSM6DS33 chip. This 6-degrees-of-freedom (6dof) IMU includes a triaxial accelerometer and a triaxial gyroscope. The IMU's purpose is to measure the camera's motion and orientation, providing data on acceleration and angular velocity along three axes (x, y, and z). This data can be used to calculate the camera's rotation angles, which is demonstrated in the provided IMU sample application. The IMU's integration allows for applications such as motion tracking, stabilization, and spatial awareness, making the Tara camera suitable for robotics, augmented reality, and other computer vision tasks where understanding the camera's pose is critical.
The camera is designed to be UVC compliant, meaning it does not require special drivers to be installed on the host PC, simplifying its integration into various systems. It is also backward compatible with USB 2.0 host ports, offering flexibility in connectivity, albeit with reduced performance.
Important Technical Specifications:
- Sensor: MT9V024 stereo sensor from ON Semiconductor.
- Resolution (USB 3.0):
- WVGA (2 x 752 x 480) at 60 fps (uncompressed Y16).
- VGA (2 x 640 x 480) at 60 fps (uncompressed Y16).
- QVGA (2 x 320 x 240) at 60 fps (uncompressed Y16).
- Resolution (USB 2.0):
- WVGA (2 x 752 x 480) at 30 fps (uncompressed Y16).
- VGA (2 x 640 x 480) at 30 fps (uncompressed Y16).
- QVGA (2 x 320 x 240) at 60 fps (uncompressed Y16).
- Interface: USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (backward compatible with USB 2.0).
- Image Format: Uncompressed Y16.
- Lens: Monochrome camera with S-mount (M12 board lens) lens holder and pre-calibrated lens pair.
- Inter-ocular Distance (Baseline): 60 mm.
- IMU Unit: LSM6DS0/LSM6DS33 chip.
- Features: 6dof (triaxial accelerometer and triaxial gyroscope).
- Output Data Rate (ODR) Configuration:
- LSM6DS0: IMU_ODR_119HZ.
- LSM6DS33: IMU_ODR_104HZ.
- Accelerometer Sensitivity Configuration: IMU_ACC_SENS_2G.
- Gyroscope Sensitivity Configuration:
- LSM6DS0: IMU_GYRO_SENS_245DPS.
- LSM6DS33: IMU_GYRO_SENS_250DPS.
- UVC Compliant: Yes.
Usage Features:
The Tara camera offers several features that enhance its usability in various applications:
- Stereo Vision: The dual-sensor setup with a 60mm baseline allows for depth perception and 3D reconstruction, essential for applications like robotics navigation, object detection, and augmented reality. The pre-calibrated lens pair ensures accurate stereo measurements.
- High Frame Rate: With up to 60 fps at WVGA resolution over USB 3.0, the camera can capture fast-moving scenes, making it suitable for real-time processing and dynamic environments.
- Uncompressed Y16 Format: Providing uncompressed data ensures maximum image quality and allows developers to apply their own compression or processing algorithms without loss of information.
- Integrated IMU: The IMU provides crucial motion data (acceleration and angular velocity) that can be used to track the camera's orientation and movement. This data can be combined with visual information for robust pose estimation, visual-inertial odometry (VIO), and enhanced scene understanding.
- Configurable IMU Modes: The IMU supports different modes of configuration, allowing users to tailor its operation to specific application requirements. This includes configuring IMU modes (e.g., accelerometer and gyroscope enabled), output data rate, sensitivity settings for both accelerometer and gyroscope, and IMU value update mode. These configurations are managed via Human Interface Device (HID) commands.
- Sample Application: The Tara SDK includes a sample application that demonstrates how to retrieve and interpret IMU values. This application illustrates the camera's rotation around the x, y, and z axes, calculating output rotation angles (limited to -90 to +90 degrees for illustration). This provides a practical example for developers to understand how to integrate IMU data into their own applications.
- USB 3.0 SuperSpeed: The USB 3.0 interface ensures high bandwidth for streaming uncompressed high-resolution video and IMU data, facilitating real-time processing.
- USB 2.0 Backward Compatibility: While offering lower performance, compatibility with USB 2.0 ports provides flexibility for deployment in systems with older USB standards.
- Driverless Operation (UVC Compliant): Being UVC compliant means the camera functions as a standard webcam, eliminating the need for custom drivers and simplifying setup on various operating systems.
- Robust Design: The S-mount (M12 board lens) is a commonly used small form-factor lens mount, indicating a compact and potentially robust design suitable for embedded applications.
Maintenance Features:
The manual primarily focuses on the technical specifications and usage of the camera and IMU, with limited explicit details on maintenance features. However, based on the provided information, some aspects related to maintenance and support can be inferred:
- Software Development Kit (SDK): The availability of an SDK with a sample IMU application suggests that e-con Systems provides tools to facilitate development and integration. This SDK would likely include necessary libraries, documentation, and examples, which are crucial for troubleshooting and maintaining software aspects of the camera's operation.
- Documentation: The manual refers to a "Tara_Linux_Extension_Unit_API document," indicating comprehensive documentation is available for developers to understand HID commands and other advanced features. Good documentation is vital for effective maintenance and debugging.
- Support Channels: e-con Systems offers multiple support channels:
- Live Chat: For immediate assistance with Tara products.
- Ticketing System: For creating support tickets for any type of issue, allowing for structured problem resolution and tracking.
- RMA Policy: Information on the Return Material Authorization (RMA) policy is available, which is essential for handling hardware defects or returns, indicating a formal process for hardware maintenance and replacement.
- General Product Warranty Terms: Details on product warranty are provided, which covers potential manufacturing defects and offers a framework for repair or replacement within the warranty period.
While the manual does not detail routine physical maintenance (e.g., cleaning instructions), the emphasis on software support, comprehensive documentation, and clear RMA/warranty policies suggests that e-con Systems provides a robust framework for addressing technical issues and ensuring the long-term usability of the Tara camera. The UVC compliance also reduces maintenance overhead related to driver updates, as standard operating system drivers are typically sufficient.
Need help?
General
To Next Page
