Cheetah Python Camera with USB3 Interface
–
User Manual
December 5, 2017
Page
22
of
78
Rev 1.0
3 GenICam API Module
–
Configuring the Camera
3.1 Overview
Cheetah cameras are programmable and flexible. You can control all of the camera
’
s
resources (internal registers, video amplifiers, and parameter flash) using a GenICam
compliant USB3 compatible interface. The interface is bi-directional enabling you to issue
commands to the camera, and for the camera to issue responses (either status or
information). You can configure and monitor all
of the camera’s features and resources
.
The graphical user interface (GUI) configurator embedded within the Imperx IpxPlayer
software enables setting the camera’s parameters.
3.2 Camera Configuration
3.2.1 Configuration Memory
– Parameter Flash
The camera has a built-in configuration memory divided into four segments: Work Space,
Factory Space, User Space #1, and User Space #2. The Work Space segment contains the
current camera settings while the camera is powered up and operational. All camera
registers are located in this space. You can program these registers and issue commands
to retrieve data.
The Work Space is RAM based. All camera registers clear upon camera power-down. The
Factory Space segment is ROM based, write protected, and contains the default camera
settings. This space is available for read operations only. User Space #1 and User Space
#2 are non-volatile, flash-based, and used to store two user-defined configurations or
User Sets. Upon power up or software reset, the camera firmware loads the Work Space
registers from the Factory Space, User Space #1, or User Space #2 as determined by a
User Set Default Selector setting. At any time, you can instruct the camera to load its
Work Space with the contents of the Factory Space, User Space #1, or User Space #2
using the User Set Load command. Similarly, you can instruct the camera to save the
current Work Space settings into either User Space #1 or User Space #2 using the User
Set Save command
The non-volatile parameter Flash memory also contains the Defective Pixel Map, Hot
Pixel Map, LUT 1, and LUT 2, which can be loaded to the camera internal memory upon
enabling the corresponding camera feature. You can create your own DPM, HPM, and
LUT tables and upload them to the parameter Flash using the Imperx Upload Utility.
3.2.2 Camera Command Protocol
You can access Cheetah camera features and registers using the GenICam IpxPlayer, a
graphical user interface (GUI) included with the camera.
