Camera Link Standard: Advantages and Disadvantages

This page covers the advantages and disadvantages of the Camera Link standard, along with its basics. It highlights the benefits and drawbacks of using this standard.

What is Camera Link Standard?

Introduction: The Camera Link standard was developed by a consortium of frame grabber and camera manufacturers. Cameras adhering to this standard rely on camera files, which define how the camera interacts with the frame grabber.

The figure depicts camera link splitters used to distribute video from camera to frame grabbers. They are interfaced using camera link standard cables.

Here are some key features of the Camera Link standard:

• Achievable bandwidth: 250 Mbps (Base), 850 Mbps (Deca)
• Scalability using parallel lanes: Yes
• Maximum cable length: 10 meters
• Power supply via data cable: Yes
• Real-time trigger: Excellent

Benefits or Advantages of Camera Link Standard

Here are the advantages of using the Camera Link standard:

• Higher Speed: Camera Link offers faster data transfer rates.
• Higher Pixel Depth: It supports greater pixel depth in images.
• Large Image Sizes: It can handle large image sizes effectively.
• Easy Configuration: Camera attributes are easy to configure.
• Deterministic Trigger and Timing: Offers precise trigger and timing control.
• Large Data Processing: A large amount of data can be processed on the CPU using Camera Link extensions.
• Uniform Cabling: Standardized cabling can be used between cameras and image acquisition devices from different manufacturers.

Drawbacks or Disadvantages of Camera Link Standard

Here are the disadvantages of using the Camera Link standard:

• Limited Product Availability: There are relatively few products available that utilize this standard.
• Expense: It is more expensive compared to IEEE 1394, Gigabit Ethernet, and analog standards.
• Camera File Requirement: Requires camera files for use with NI IMAQ image acquisition.