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Smart network interface cards for efficient high-bandwidth GigE Vision acquisition

Matrox® GevIQ is the industry’s first network interface card (NIC) offering generic GigE Vision® acquisition offload at speeds up to 25 Gigabits/s per port. With GigE Vision packet processing performed directly onboard, Matrox GevIQ boards enable capture from one or more cameras without any image data loss.

GigE Vision is a camera interface standard that delivers rapid image transfer over distances up to 100 m using standard copper, and up to 5,000 m using standard fiber-optic Ethernet cabling. The standard supports physical links from 1 to 25 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE). Use of 10 and 25 GbE by cameras are gaining industry popularity as they are ideal for vision applications requiring the utmost imaging speed and resolution. Machine vision applications requiring cameras with a 10+ GbE interface can, however, be challenging—they benefit from a high data transmission rate but suffer from increased demands on the host system, resulting in corrupted or dropped image frames, and increased processing latency.

Matrox GevIQ NICs provide a more versatile and widely compatible alternative to custom-built or proprietary solutions based on 10+ GbE. The board is equipped with two 25 GbE ports and acquires from these with very little host CPU usage. Multiple 1, 2.5, 5, or 10 GbE cameras can be aggregated at each port for a total of up to 32 input sources. Support of the standard SFP28 connector allows users to select from standard direct attach copper (DAC) or fiber-optic Ethernet cables for their specific installation requirements.

Multi-port Gigabit Ethernet adaptors with PoE for GigE Vision

Matrox® Concord PoE is a new generation of Gigabit Ethernet adaptors for interfacing one or more GigE Vision® cameras supporting Power-over-Ethernet (PoE). Available with two or four Gigabit Ethernet ports, these network interface cards (NICs) simplify system configuration, not only by handling command and streaming protocols but also providing power over a single standard Cat 5e/6 cable per camera connection. An isolated PoE implementation protects cameras, board, and host computer from damage due to electrical faults and stray current that adversely affects camera detection.

Matrox Concord PoE also provides—as an option—a useful Trigger-over-Ethernet (ToE) capability for multiple cameras working together. The hardware-assisted ToE capability allows the sending of a software trigger or an action-command to one or more cameras based on an external input event. The ToE applies to camera(s) on the same or multiple Ethernet ports for a given trigger event. Moreover, this ToE feature helps reduce trigger latency and remove jitter brought on by a non-deterministic host environment.