↓Skip to main content

Industrial Camera

Table of Contents

Industrial Camera for Product Inspection #

Overview #

This project involved designing an industrial camera system for product inspection, utilizing a dual-sensor setup for enhanced optical zoom capabilities. The system was built around a Xilinx FPGA and featured advanced image processing, enabling high-performance frame acquisition and manipulation.

Key Features and Achievements #

  • Dual-Sensor Setup: Integrated two identical Sony sensors with different lenses to achieve optical zoom functionality.
  • Advanced Image Processing Pipeline:
    • Frame acquisition from the Sony sensor.
    • Debayering, white balance adjustment, and vignette removal.
    • Image zooming and cropping for customized output.
  • High-Speed Sensor Interface:
    • Operated at the maximum bus speed of the device’s speed grade.
    • Implemented dynamic phase alignment (DPA) to ensure reliable communication.
  • AXI-Based Architecture:
    • Utilized an AXI bus for video data handling, ensuring compatibility and efficient integration of pre-existing Xilinx IPs.
  • Memory Management: Processed images were stored in memory for efficient access by a Zynq processor.
  • High-Speed Transmission: Images were further processed on Zynq and transmitted over Ethernet for real-time analysis.

Technical Details #

  • Hardware: Xilinx FPGA, Sony sensors, Zynq processing unit.
  • Development:
    • Designed and implemented the FPGA architecture in VHDL.
    • Verified using SystemVerilog testbenches.
    • Integrated pre-existing Xilinx IP cores into the design.
  • Technologies Used:
    • Xilinx Vivado for synthesis and implementation.
    • Verilog/SystemVerilog for verification.
    • AXI bus for internal video data routing.
  • Image Pipeline: Acquired and corrected images stored in memory before being accessed by Zynq for further processing.

Challenges and Solutions #

  • High-Speed Communication: Overcame bus speed limitations by implementing dynamic phase alignment (DPA) to maintain reliable sensor communication at maximum speed.
  • AXI Integration: Successfully adapted the design to incorporate pre-existing Xilinx IP cores, leveraging the AXI protocol for efficient video data handling.
  • Synchronization: Managed synchronization between two sensors for seamless optical zoom integration.
  • Processing Efficiency: Optimized FPGA resources to handle the entire image processing pipeline without bottlenecks.

Outcome #

The camera system delivered exceptional performance in industrial product inspection, leveraging dual-sensor optical zoom and real-time Ethernet transmission. Its robust image processing pipeline, AXI-based architecture, and high-speed communication met demanding industrial requirements.