Xtium2-CL MX4 User's Manual
Camera Link Interface
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Camera Link Interface
Camera Link Overview
Camera Link is a communication interface for vision applications developed as an extension of
National Semiconductor's Channel Link technology. The advantages of the Camera Link interface
are that it provides a standard digital camera connection specification, a standard data
communication protocol, and simpler cabling between camera and frame grabber.
The Camera Link interface simplifies the usage of increasingly diverse cameras and high signal
speeds without complex custom cabling. For additional information concerning Camera Link, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Link
.
Rights and Trademarks
Note:
The following text is extracted from the Camera Link Specification 1.1 (January 2004).
The Automated Imaging Association (AIA), as sponsor of the Camera Link committee, owns the
U.S. trademark registration for the Camera Link logo as a certification mark for the mutual benefit
of the industry. The AIA will issue a license to any company, member or non-member, to use the
Camera Link logo with any products that the company will self -certify to be compliant with the
Camera Link standard. Licensed users of the Camera Link logo will not be required to credit the AIA
with ownership of the registered mark.
Data Port Summary
The Camera Link interface has three configurations. A single Camera Link connection is limited to
28 bits requiring some cameras to have multiple connections or channels. The naming conventions
for the three configurations are:
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Base: Single Channel Link interface, single cable connector
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Medium: Two Channel Link interface, two cable connectors
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Full: Three Channel Link interface, two cable connectors
A single Camera Link port is defined as having an 8-bit data word. The "Full" specification supports
eight ports labeled as A to H.
