Sony FCB camera block
The MIPI to IP Interface Board is a device specially developed and designed by Shenzhen Ruilong Electronic Information Technology Co.,Ltd for the SONY camera block: FCB-EV9500M and other camera blocks compatible with Sony Visca command. It serves as a converter that transforms video signals from MIPI interface cameras into network video signals. This board also supports serial port transparent transmission, enabling remote control of MIPI interface cameras via a network or other interfaces.
In addition, the MIPI to IP Interface Board also features an LVDS interface, capable of outputting network video signals for LVDS interface cameras. It performs video capture, conversion, transmission, and related control for the cameras. Under the Windows system, executing serial port transparent transmission through the SDK (Software Development Kit) typically involves several steps. Now, Danny Wong, a senior engineer from Ruilong, will explain these steps for us:
Preparation Stage
- FCB-EV9520L Zoom Camera
- MIPI to IP Control Board
- 30Pin LVDS Cable: A data cable used to connect the camera and the interface board.
- Passive POE Adapter Cable (including a 6Pin Ethernet cable and a 2Pin power cable)
Next, use the Internet Explorer (IE) method to properly connect the MIPI to IP Interface Board with both the FCB-EV9520L Zoom Camera and the computer.
Configuration Stage
- Downloading the Compiler:
The first step is to download a g++ compiler. After downloading, you need to copy it into a new folder, such as: C:\Program Files\mingw64\bin. - Configuring Environment Variables:
Under the “Advanced” menu of the Windows system properties, open “Environment Variables”. Under the “Path” variable, create a new entry and add the path where the g++ compiler is stored: C:\Program Files\mingw64\bin. Only after this configuration is complete can the compilation environment run. - Modifying the Program Document:
Before compilation, you also need to modify the demo.c program.
Open the “demo.c program file” using a text editor, find “// test_serial(userID); // Transparent Serial Port”, and remove the “//” in front to enable the serial port transparent transmission function.
Then, find “UNIV_DEV_SerialSend(handle, 1, data, len);” and change the “1” inside to “3”. The “1” represents the RS232 channel, which is the default value, while “3” represents the digital camera module channel. Changing it to “3” indicates that the serial port transparent transmission function is now connected to the camera’s channel, allowing normal communication between the two.
Finally, save the file and exit.
Execution Stage
- Opening the SDK
Depending on whether your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit, open the corresponding bit version of the SDK. My computer is 64-bit, so I open the 64-bit SDK and click “File” in the top left corner. In the drop-down menu, select “Open Windows Power-Shell”. - Compilation
Once Windows PowerShell is open, you can begin the compilation process directly. Input the command “mingw32-make.exe” in the command window and run it.
To verify if the command has been executed successfully, you can send the command “./demo”. If it returns “./demo {ip} {admin} {passwd}”, it indicates that the compilation has been successful.
Next, you can input the IP address, username, and password to open the serial port transparent transmission channel. In the command window, input “./demo 192.168.0.123 admin abcd1234” to open the serial port transparent transmission channel.
Opening the Internet Explorer browser, you can now see the output image from the SONY FCB-EV9520L camera. In the command window, input “8101040727FF”. If you receive the response “90 41 FF 90 51 FF” and the camera simultaneously performs the “zoom in” action, it means that you can normally control the FCB-EV9520L camera.
Next, input the command “8101040737FF”. Similarly, you will receive the response “90 41 FF 90 51 FF” and the camera will simultaneously perform the “zoom out” action.
The advantage of using the SDK for serial port transparent transmission is that it not only allows remote control of the FCB-EV9520L camera, simplifying the communication process with the MIPI to IP interface board and improving development efficiency. Moreover, the SDK provides a wealth of functions and flexible configuration options, enabling developers to customize their developments according to specific needs.