Vadzo Imaging’s 5MP USB Camera Falcon-522CRS: Onsemi AR0522 Color Rolling Shutter Performance for Embedded Vision Applications

Why Low Light Pe fo ma ce Dete mi es Embedded Visio System Reliability

Visio system failu es i the field a e f eque tly att ibuted to model accu acy whe the actual o igi is the se so . O ce sce e illumi a ce d ops towa d the si gle-digit lux a ge, the umbe of photo s a ivi g at each photodiode withi a exposu e wi dow falls fa e ough that photo shot oise becomes the domi a t oise te m i the sig al chai . The image still e de s, a d the histog am still fills. What has al eady bee lost at the poi t of captu e is the fi e textu e that classifie s, optical cha acte ecog itio e gi es, a d featu e matchi g algo ithms depe d o .

This co st ai t applies to most of the e vi o me ts whe e embedded visio is actually deployed. Pe imete a d access co t ol odes ope ate th ough dusk t a sitio s a d ove ight pe iods u de spa se a tificial lighti g. Wa ehouse obotics platfo ms wo k u de high bay fixtu es that leave aisles a d pallet faces i shadow. Medical a d labo ato y i st ume ts limit illumi atio to p otect samples a d patie ts. I each case, the system desig e ca ot aise sce e b ight ess, so the bu de shifts to the se so a d the optical path. A Low-Light Embedded Visio Came a is ot a specialized va ia t i these deployme ts. It is the baseli e equi eme t.

The measu able qua tity behi d all of this is the sig al-to- oise atio. E gi ee s evaluati g a I dust ial Low Light Came a should t eat SNR at a defi ed illumi a ce as the p ima y accepta ce c ite io athe tha a headli e megapixel cou t. Vadzo Imagi g has published a detailed tech ical expla atio of sig al to oise atio that desc ibes how ead oise, da k cu e t, a d photo shot oise combi e ac oss the imagi g chai a d why the atio deg ades faste tha illumi a ce itself.

Pixel Size, Resolutio , a d the Exposu e T ade-Offs Behi d Low Light Desig

Low light capability at the se so level educes how much cha ge each pixel ca collect a d how clea ly that cha ge ca be ead out. A la ge pixel p ese ts a la ge photodiode a ea to the i comi g photo flux a d holds mo e elect o s befo e satu atio . The AR0522 Image Se so uses a 2.2 µm pixel o a 1/2.5″ optical fo mat, which places it well above the 1.1 µm a d 1.4 µm pixel pitches commo i highe megapixel embedded se so s. At equal exposu e time a d equal ape tu e, the se so the efo e collects mo e sig al pe pixel mea i gfully, a d that aises SNR i exactly the shadow egio s whe e detectio algo ithms fail fi st.

Resolutio a d se sitivity pull i opposite di ectio s o a fixed die a ea. Pushi g the same optical fo mat to 8MP o 13MP sh i ks the pixel a d educes pe -pixel photo captu e. The O semi Low Light Image Se so app oach take with the AR0522 holds esolutio at 5MP, so the pixel stays la ge e ough fo usable low-light output while still esolvi g the detail equi ed fo lice se plate cha acte s, p i ted date codes, i st ume t edges, a d small su face defects. Fo a la ge sha e of embedded wo kloads, 5MP at high SNR p oduces bette i fe e ce esults tha 13MP at low SNR.

The seco d desig leve is exposu e co t ol. Exte di g i teg atio time aises sig al li ea ly while aisi g a alog gai amplifies sig al a d oise togethe . Co ect low light tu i g the efo e exte ds exposu e to the limit imposed by sce e motio befo e gai is applied. The Vadzo Imagi g tech ical a ticle o exposu e compe satio explai s how that bala ce is ma aged i embedded deployme ts a d why automatic exposu e behavio eeds to be co st ai ed athe tha left fully ope i machi e visio co texts.

Shutte a chitectu e is the thi d va iable. A global shutte se so exposes eve y pixel simulta eously a d elimi ates spatial disto tio o fast-movi g subjects, but the additio al i -pixel sto age ode educes the light-se sitive a ea of each pixel. A olli g shutte se so devotes the full pixel a ea to photo collectio i stead. Fo sce es with mode ate subject velocity, a 5MP olli g shutte USB came a delive s the bette low-light esult, a d the AR0522 olli g shutte USB came a sits p ecisely at that poi t i the desig space. Whe e subject velocity is high e ough to i t oduce visible li e skew, a global shutte module f om the Vadzo USB 3 UVC came a po tfolio emai s the co ect selectio .

Falco -522CRS: AR0522 5MP Low Light Colo USB Came a

The Falco -522CRS is Vadzo Imagi g’s AR0522 5MP low light USB came a supplied as a boa d-level module fo di ect OEM i teg atio . This 5MP USB Came a pai s the O semi AR0522 image se so with a USB 3.2 Ge 1 Type-C i te face a d a S-Mou t (M12 Sta da d) le s holde i a compact footp i t i te ded to d op i to p oductio ha dwa e without mecha ical edesig .

As a 5MP colo USB came a, the module outputs 2592 x 1944 th ough a colo filte a ay, p ese vi g the ch oma i fo matio equi ed fo colo -coded ma ke detectio , p oduct ide tificatio , ga me t a d packagi g i spectio , a d fo e sic eview of eco ded footage. Full UVC class complia ce mea s the AR0522 5MP USB UVC came a e ume ates as a sta da d video device o co ectio a d st eams immediately without ve do d ive i stallatio .

Key specs: 5MP (2592 x 1944) | O semi AR0522 |Up to 60 fps | 1/2.5″ 2.2 µm Pixel Back Side Illumi ated Pixel |Nea I f a-Red E ha ceme t| Rolli g Shutte | Colo | USB 3.2 Ge 1 Type-C | S-Mou t (M12 Sta da d) | UVC, RoHS 3, REACH

Key Capabilities of the Falco -522CRS O semi AR0522 Came a

2.2 µm Pixel A chitectu e fo Low Light Sig al I teg ity: The defi i g specificatio of this AR0522 low-light colo USB came a is its pixel. At 2.2 µm o a 1/2.5″ optical fo mat, each photodiode p ese ts oughly fou times the collectio a ea of a 1.1 µm pixel used i high-cou t mobile-de ived se so s. Photo shot oise scales with the squa e oot of collected sig al, so a la ge collected cha ge p oduces a highe sig al-to- oise atio at the same illumi a ce. I p actical te ms, the module holds usable detail at exposu e setti gs whe e smalle pixel modules equi e agg essive a alog gai a d etu g ai i stead of textu e. Combi ed with discipli ed exposu e compe satio , the AR0522 USB 3.2 Ge 1 Came a exte ds the ope ati g e velope of a visio system i to illumi atio co ditio s that would othe wise equi e suppleme tal lighti g ha dwa e.

Back Side Illumi ated Pixel Desig fo Additio al Se sitivity: Beyo d its 2.2 µm size, the AR0522 pixel uses a back-side illumi ated st uctu e, which places the se so ‘s wi i g laye behi d the photodiode i stead of i f o t of it. Removi g wi i g f om the light path i c eases the sha e of each pixel available to collect i comi g photo s, addi g se sitivity gai s o top of what pixel size alo e p ovides. Pai ed with a olli g shutte eadout that keeps the full pixel a ea active du i g exposu e, the BSI st uctu e is a seco d, i depe de t co t ibuto to the low-light esult the Falco -522CRS delive s.

5MP Resolutio Sized fo Detail Without the Small Pixel Pe alty: Resolutio equi eme ts i embedded visio a e d ive by the smallest featu e the system must esolve athe tha by a headli e umbe . At (2592 x 1944), this 5MP low light colo USB came a esolves lice se plate cha acte s at p actical sta doff dista ces, p i ted labels a d expi y codes o packagi g li es, fi e st uctu es i be ch top medical i st ume ts, a d small su face defects o i spectio co veyo s. Holdi g the se so at 5MP athe tha pushi g highe o a compa able die keeps the pixel la ge. E gi ee s evaluati g the Vadzo 5MP high esolutio USB came a module a ge ca the efo e select spatial esolutio a d low-light se sitivity togethe i stead of t adi g o e agai st the othe .

USB 3.2 Ge 1 Type-C with Full UVC Class Complia ce: The Falco -522CRS co ects ove USB 3.2 Ge 1 Type-C with backwa d compatibility to ea lie USB ge e atio s. The available ba dwidth ca ies full esolutio f ames without the heavy comp essio that co upts fi e detail o ba dwidth-limited li ks, which matte s he e because comp essio oise a d low-light oise a e difficult to sepa ate o ce they each the a alytics laye . As a UVC USB came a the module egiste s as a sta da d video class device i teg atio teams wo k th ough V4L2 o embedded Li ux, Di ectShow a d Media Fou datio o Wi dows, a d the ative came a stack o A d oid. Fo OEM p og ams, this emoves d ive developme t f om the p oject scope e ti ely a d emoves d ive compatibility isk f om eve y futu e ope ati g system update.

S-Mou t Optics a d Regio of I te est Wi dowi g: The module uses a S-Mou t (M12 Sta da d) le s holde , givi g system desig e s access to a b oad selectio of i dust ial optics f om wide a ea cove age to a ow field i spectio . Le s choice has a di ect effect o low-light esults because ape tu e gove s photo flux at the se so pla e. Regio of I te est wi dowi g allows the host to ead out a c opped se so egio i stead of the full a ay, educi g t a sfe ed data a d aisi g achievable f ame ate o hosts with co st ai ed memo y ba dwidth.

P oductio Ready Module with OEM Customizatio Suppo t: The AR0522 5MP USB 3.2 came a is supplied as a boa d-level module co fo mi g to UVC, RoHS 3, a d REACH equi eme ts. Vadzo Imagi g suppo ts the AR0522 5MP NIR USB came a ac oss the full p oduct lifecycle, i cludi g fi mwa e mai te a ce, ISP tu i g agai st custome -defi ed sce e co ditio s, a d supply co ti uity alig ed to OEM p oductio p og ams. Boa d edesig , custom fo m facto wo k, le s holde modificatio , illumi atio boa d i teg atio , a d e closu e desig a e available whe e the sta da d module does ot fit the mecha ical e velope of the host p oduct.

“Low light is whe e most embedded visio p og ams discove the limits of the se so they selected. The AR0522 is a delibe ate e gi ee i g a swe to that p oblem. A 2.2 µm pixel at 5MP gives ou custome s the photo collectio they eed without su e de i g the spatial esolutio thei algo ithms depe d o . With the Falco -522CRS, we wa ted OEM teams to be able to close a low-light equi eme t by cha gi g the came a module athe tha by edesig i g the lighti g fo a e ti e i stallatio .”- Alwi Vi ce t, P oduct Ma age , Vadzo Imagi g

Ta get Applicatio s fo the AR0522 Embedded Visio USB Came a

Secu ity, Su veilla ce, a d Access Co t ol: Pe imete mo ito i g, e t a ce co t ol, a d vehicle captu e u th ough the full diu al cycle, a d the hou s that matte most fo i cide t eview a e the hou s with the least available light. A Su veilla ce Low Light Came a has to hold ide tifiable facial a d vehicle detail u de sodium a d LED st eet lighti g at illumi a ce levels fa below daylight. The 2.2 µm pixel aises the SNR floo at those levels, a d the 5MP output suppo ts digital zoom i to a egio of i te est without collapsi g i to i te polated pixels. Ac oss secu ity a d su veilla ce deployme ts, the same module also se ves as a Access Co t ol Low Light Came a at doo ways a d tu stiles whe e face captu e must succeed u de u co t olled a d f eque tly backlit e t y lighti g.

Sma t City I f ast uctu e a d T affic Mo ito i g: Roadside a d i te sectio odes combi e wide fields of view with low ambie t illumi atio a d high co t ast betwee headlights a d u lit oadway. Cha acte height o a lice se plate at a give sta doff dista ce sets the mi imum se so esolutio , a d 5MP p ovides usable ma gi fo plate eadi g, vehicle classificatio , a d pedest ia cou ti g f om a si gle mou ti g positio . Fo sma t city solutio s, the colo output additio ally suppo ts vehicle colo att ibutio a d sig al state co fi matio , both of which a e lost o mo och ome se so s.

Medical Devices a d Patie t Ca e Imagi g: Cli ical a d labo ato y imagi g ope ates u de illumi atio that is delibe ately limited to p otect tissue a d light-se sitive samples, which makes se so se sitivity a cli ical pa amete athe tha a co ve ie ce. I medical device a d patie t ca e platfo ms, the AR0522 5MP colo USB came a p ovide the colo fidelity equi ed fo tissue a d stai diffe e tiatio togethe with the low-light head oom eeded u de est icted illumi atio . UVC class ope atio also simplifies validatio because the imagi g path uses ope ati g system-supplied d ive s athe tha ve do ke el modules.

I dust ial Automatio , Robotics, a d Machi e Visio : Facto y a d wa ehouse lighti g is a ely u ifo m, a d a mobile platfo m passes co ti uously betwee b ight aisles a d shadowed acki g. A Machi e Visio Low-Light Came a has to mai tai co siste t exposu e behavio ac oss that t a sitio without d oppi g f ames o hu ti g gai . I automatio a d obotics deployme ts, the Falco -522CRS se ves as a Robotics Visio Came a fo pick ve ificatio , fiducial detectio , a d bi picki g guida ce, a d as a I dust ial Low-Light Came a fo i li e i spectio of p i ted ma ks a d su face fi ish. Rolli g shutte eadout is app op iate he e because i spectio statio s a d co t olled velocity ha dli g keep subject motio i side the exposu e wi dow.

Kiosk, Digital Sig age, a d Retail Automatio : Self-se vice te mi als a d u atte ded etail fixtu es face st o g backlighti g f om sto ef o t glazi g du i g the day a d dim ambie t light afte hou s. A 5MP olli g shutte colo USB came a holds docume t, ba code, a d face captu e accu acy ac oss both co ditio s f om a si gle fixed i stallatio . Fo kiosk a d digital sig age applicatio s, the USB-powe ed desig emoves exte al egulato s f om the e closu e a d simplifies cable outi g. I etail automatio systems, the same module suppo ts pla og am ve ificatio , shelf gap detectio , a d checkout item ecog itio whe e p oduct packagi g ca ies fi e p i ted detail that lowe esolutio modules ca ot esolve eliably.

Telematics a d Fleet Ma ageme t: I -vehicle imagi g combi es co sta t motio with the widest dy amic a ge of a y embedded applicatio , f om di ect su to u lit u al oad. Fo telematics a d fleet ma ageme t deployme ts, the 5MP low-light olli g shutte USB came a captu es fo wa d oad sce e detail a d cabi activity at ight without suppleme tal visible illumi atio that would dist act the d ive . The compact boa d-level fo mat suits i stallatio alo gside existi g telematics compute u its, a d the sta da d UVC path allows the eco di g applicatio to u without ke el-level d ive mai te a ce ac oss fleet softwa e updates

VISPA ARC SDK a d Platfo m Suppo t

Eve y Falco se ies module, i cludi g this Embedded Visio USB Came a, is suppo ted by the Vadzo VISPA ARC SDK, which p ovides p og ammatic co t ol ove st eami g, exposu e, a alog gai , white bala ce, Regio of I te est co figu atio , a d fi mwa e update ma ageme t. The SDK exposes C, C++, a d Pytho APIs ac oss Wi dows, Li ux, a d A d oid, allowi g embedded visio develope s to sc ipt exposu e policies that a e matched to thei ow sce e co ditio s athe tha elyi g o ge e ic automatic behavio . Fo teams wo ki g with sta da d f amewo ks, the module ope ates atively u de UVC, V4L2, a d Di ectShow with o p op ieta y d ive depe de cy, which is the same i teg atio model used ac oss the wide Falco USB came a se ies f om Vadzo Imagi g.

Host platfo m cove age exte ds ac oss sta da d x86 i dust ial compute s a d embedded ARM boa ds u i g mai li e Li ux. Because e ume atio happe s th ough the video class d ive al eady p ese t i the ke el, b i gi g up o a ew si gle-boa d compute is a matte of co ecti g the module a d ope i g the device ode.

F eque tly Asked Questio s

Q: What makes a AR0522 5MP USB Came a suitable fo low light imagi g?

A: Low light pe fo ma ce is gove ed by how ma y photo s each pixel ca collect du i g a exposu e a d how much oise is added du i g eadout, ot by esolutio alo e. A 5MP se so built o a 1/2.5″ optical fo mat ca ies a pixel of a ou d 2.2 µm, which is sig ifica tly la ge tha the 1.1 µm a d 1.4 µm pixels fou d o highe esolutio se so s of simila die size. La ge pixels collect mo e elect o s, a d because photo shot oise scales with the squa e oot of sig al, a la ge collected cha ge yields a highe sig al to oise atio at the same illumi a ce. The p actical esult is that shadow egio s etai textu e i stead of dissolvi g i to g ai , which dete mi es whethe a detectio o ecog itio model still fu ctio s afte da k.

Q: How does pixel size affect image quality compa ed to aw megapixel cou t?

A: The megapixel cou t desc ibes how fi ely a sce e is sampled, while pixel size desc ibes how much light each sample collects. O a fixed optical fo mat, the two a e i ve sely elated, so aisi g esolutio sh i ks the pixel a d lowe s pe -pixel se sitivity. I b ight i dust ial lighti g, the highe esolutio se so wi s i detail. The la ge pixel usually wi s, because the highe esolutio se so is o ly delive i g mo e samples of a oisie sig al. Vadzo Imagi g’s Falco -522CRS is positio ed at 5MP specifically to keep the pixel at 2.2 µm, which is why it is specified fo su veilla ce, access co t ol, a d cli ical imagi g whe e the illumi atio ca ot be i c eased to suit the se so .

Q: Is a olli g shutte came a acceptable fo machi e visio applicatio s?

A: It depe ds e ti ely o subject velocity elative to se so eadout time. Rolli g shutte eads the a ay li e by li e, so a subject that moves sig ifica tly du i g eadout appea s skewed. Global shutte avoids that but adds a sto age ode i side each pixel that educes light-se sitive a ea a d the efo e low light se sitivity. Fo i spectio statio s, kiosk a d access co t ol captu e, co t olled velocity co veyo s, a d most su veilla ce wo k, olli g shutte is co ect a d delive s the bette low-light esult. Fo high-speed motio , Vadzo Imagi g offe s global shutte modules withi its USB came a po tfolio, so the choice ca be made agai st the actual motio p ofile of the applicatio athe tha a ge e al p efe e ce.

Q: What does UVC complia ce mea fo embedded visio i teg atio ?

A: UVC is the USB Video Class specificatio , a sta da dized p otocol that ope ati g systems al eady impleme t atively. A UVC-complia t module e ume ates as a ge e ic video device at the mome t it is co ected, st eami g th ough V4L2 o Li ux, Di ectShow a d Media Fou datio o Wi dows, a d the sta da d came a f amewo k o A d oid with o ve do d ive i stalled. Fo OEM teams, this emoves a e ti e developme t wo kst eam, elimi ates the isk of a ke el update b eaki g a p op ieta y d ive , a d sho te s the qualificatio cycle fo egulated p oducts. Eve y module i the Vadzo Imagi g UVC USB came a a ge follows this model, with the VISPA ARC SDK laye ed o top fo the co t ols that fall outside the UVC specificatio .

Q: Ca a low-light USB came a module be customized fo volume OEM p oductio ?

A: Yes. Vadzo Imagi g suppo ts full OEM customizatio ac oss its Falco came a se ies, cove i g boa d edesig a d fo m facto modificatio , fi mwa e developme t fo custom featu e sets, NIR a d visible LED illumi atio boa d desig a d i teg atio , le s holde modificatio a d optical filte selectio , a d e closu e desig i IP- ated a d o -IP- ated co figu atio s. Evaluatio u its of the AR0522 5MP low light USB came a a e available with o mi imum o de equi eme t so that e gi ee i g teams ca validate pe fo ma ce i the ta get e vi o me t befo e committi g to a desig .

Availability a d Customizatio

The Falco -522CRS O semi AR0522 Colo USB Came a is available ow fo evaluatio , p e-p oductio sampli g, a d volume OEM supply. E gi ee i g teams ca o de evaluatio u its th ough the Vadzo Imagi g o li e sto e o th ough the AR0522 5MP colo USB came a listi g, with o mi imum o de equi eme t fo evaluatio qua tities.

Customizatio se vices i clude boa d edesig a d fo m facto modificatio , fi mwa e developme t a d custom featu e i teg atio , NIR a d colo LED a ay boa d desig a d i teg atio , le s holde modificatio a d elect omecha ical filte co t ol, a d full e closu e desig i IP- ated a d o -IP- ated co figu atio s. Tech ical docume tatio , le s ecomme datio s, a d i teg atio suppo t a e available di ectly f om the Vadzo e gi ee i g team th ough the co tact suppo t page o at [email p otected].

About Vadzo Imagi g

Vadzo Imagi g develops embedded a d machi e visio came a p oducts fo OEMs a d system i teg ato s, buildi g p oductio – eady visio systems ac oss i dust ial automatio , obotics, healthca e, sma t i f ast uctu e, a d edge AI. The compa y’s came a po tfolio spa s USB, MIPI CSI-2, GigE, Wi-Fi, a d Se Des i te faces, suppo ti g the full a ge of embedded deployme t a chitectu es f om compact o boa d modules to dist ibuted etwo ked systems. Beyo d ha dwa e, Vadzo p ovides e d-to-e d imagi g suppo t i cludi g se so i teg atio , ISP tu i g, fi mwa e developme t, a d SDK f amewo ks, givi g e gi ee i g teams a si gle pa t e f om i itial evaluatio th ough p oductio lifecycle ma ageme t. Lea mo e at www.vadzoimagi g.com.