GigE vision

GigE Vision^TM [ [http://www.machinevisiononline.org/public/articles/index.cfm?cat=167 GigE Vision™ Standard] ] is an interface standard for high-performance industrial cameras. It has been developed by a group of about 50 companies. The 12 major companies are [ [http://www.machinevisiononline.org/public/articles/gige_committee.htm GigE Vision™ Standard Development Committee] ] : Adimec, Atmel, Basler AG, CyberOptics, DALSA, JAI A/S, JAI PULNiX, Matrox, National Instruments, Photonfocus, Pleora Technologies, Stemmer Imaging. The Automated Imaging Association (AIA) [ [http://www.machinevisiononline.org/ Machine Vision Online] ] oversees the ongoing development and administration of the standard.

GigE Vision^TM is based on the Gigabit Ethernet standard which uses standard Ethernet category cabling. The standard is trying to unify protocols currently used in machine vision industrial cameras and let 3rd party organizations develop compatible software and hardware. The GigE Vision^TM standard is a closed standard available to AIA members only in spite of comments found on the Internet. [ [http://ethernet.industrial-networking.com/articles/articledisplay.asp?id=1266 Technical Article: GigE Vision: standard route to video over IP] ]

Features of the GigE Vision^TM standard:
*Fast data transfer rates - up to 1000Mbit/s (based on 1000BASE-T);
*Data transfer length up to 100m (some producers claim even 150m) exceeding maximum length of firewire, USB and Cameralink interfaces. The use of switches or repeaters increases the length;
*Based on established standard allowing with other ethernet devices and computers.

GigE Vision^TM has four main elements:
* GigE Vision Control Protocol. Runs on the UDP protocol. The standard defines how to control and configure devices. Specifies stream channels and the mechanisms of sending image and configuration data between cameras and computers;
* GigE Vision Stream Protocol. Covers the definition of data types and the ways images can be transferred via GigE;
* GigE Device Discovery Mechanism. Provides mechanisms to obtain IP addresses;
* An XML description file based on the GenICam standard. A datasheet that allows access to camera controls and image stream. [ [http://www.machinevisiononline.org/public/articles/details.cfm?id=2762 GenICam] ]

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