We are thrilled to announce that Sundance DSP has officially begun development on our latest high-speed imaging solution: the FMC-CLV. This new FMC (FPGA Mezzanine Card) is set to revolutionize how you interface Camera Link cameras with the latest high-performance processing platforms, especially the AMD Versal series.
Bridging the Gap to High-Speed Imaging
The FMC-CLV is being engineered as the successor to our widely successful FMC-CL Camera Link Frame Grabber. It is designed to be fully compatible with the new generation of Xilinx Versal boards, finally allowing these powerful platforms to seamlessly connect with and process data from Camera Link cameras.
Key Advantages of the FMC-CLV
The core innovation of the FMC-CLV lies in its on-board, dedicated Artix-7 FPGA. This component is critical for overcoming a common integration hurdle and providing unparalleled multi-camera capability:
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Voltage Level Compatibility: The FMC-CLV is particularly suitable in applications where the main processing FPGA, like a Versal device, is not compatible with the voltage level of the Camera Link standard. The dedicated Artix-7 FPGA handles the signal conversion and buffering, protecting your main processing board and ensuring reliable data transfer.
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Triple Camera Support: The FMC-CLV is designed to handle three Camera Link cameras simultaneously, supporting Base, Medium, or Full mode for each connection, ensuring maximum flexibility for complex vision systems.
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Full 80-Bit Data Capture: The on-board Artix-7 FPGA is responsible for converting the Camera Link signals directly into the full 80-bit image data stream, as defined in the Camera Link standard, preparing it for the main processor.
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Pre-Processing Capabilities: This dedicated on-board Artix-7 FPGA offers a significant advantage: the firmware on the FMC-CLV Artix-7 FPGA is available for customers to extend its capability. This means you can implement custom pre-processing logic, such as filtering, cropping, or even basic image analysis, directly on the FMC-CLV, dramatically reducing the data bandwidth and latency before the information is sent to the main processing FPGA (the Versal device).
The FMC-CLV will ensure that all Versal boards can efficiently and reliably connect to any Camera Link camera, unlocking their potential for applications like industrial vision, defense, medical imaging, and scientific research.
Diving Deeper: The FMC-CLV Architecture
To fully appreciate the power of the FMC-CLV, one must look at the smart architectural design that enables this next-generation capability:
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Multi-Channel Camera Link Connectors: The board features the standard high-density connectors required to connect directly to the cameras’ outputs. Crucially, the interface is designed to support three simultaneous Camera Link inputs, configurable in Base, Medium, or Full mode, giving users the power to implement complex, multi-view imaging systems on a single FMC card.
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Dedicated Artix-7 FPGA: This is the heart of the FMC-CLV. The Artix-7 FPGA is specifically chosen for its ability to handle high-speed I/O and its compatibility with the Camera Link standard’s signaling voltage levels (often 3.3V LVDS). It is powerful enough to manage the simultaneous acquisition, deserialization, and clock recovery for all three camera streams. It serves three crucial roles:
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Physical Layer Interface (PHY): It receives the raw Camera Link signals, handles clock recovery, deserialization, and crucial low-level signal timing for all channels.
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Data Conversion: It converts the serialized Camera Link signals into the parallel 80-bit image data format.
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Voltage and Signal Isolation: It acts as a necessary bridge, isolating the host Versal board from the I/O requirements of the Camera Link standard, ensuring compatibility and protecting the cutting-edge silicon of the Versal device.
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High-Speed FMC Connector: This standard interface (likely a High Pin Count, or HPC, connector) ensures maximum compatibility with Versal host carrier boards. It is through this link that the clean, 80-bit parallel data streams, along with status and control signals, are transmitted to the main processing FPGA at high bandwidth.
Why the FMC-CLV is Critical for Next-Gen Systems
The importance of the FMC-CLV extends beyond simple connectivity; it is a critical enabler for modern, high-performance embedded vision:
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Future-Proofing Legacy Integration: Camera Link remains a dominant standard in high-end industrial and scientific imaging. The FMC-CLV allows organizations to adopt the unparalleled processing power of Versal AI Engines and Adaptable Compute without abandoning their investment in high-quality Camera Link cameras.
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Decoupled Processing: By placing an independent Artix-7 FPGA on the FMC-CLV, we offer a truly decoupled processing architecture. The Artix-7 handles the highly deterministic, low-level task of data acquisition and pre-processing. At the same time, the Versal host is completely free to focus on its primary, high-value tasks, such as running complex AI/ML inference models or advanced control loops.
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Mitigating I/O Risks: As semiconductor technology advances, the core and I/O voltages of main processing FPGAs (such as Versal) often trend downward. This creates a fundamental incompatibility with older or standardized I/O interfaces like Camera Link. The FMC-CLV’s dedicated Artix-7 FPGA eliminates this compatibility headache and potential hardware risk.
Target Applications: Where the FMC-CLV Excels
The combination of high-speed, multi-camera Camera Link acquisition and Versal processing power makes the FMC-CLV ideal for the most demanding applications:
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High-Speed Industrial Inspection: Real-time 100% quality inspection on manufacturing lines, where multiple camera angles are required simultaneously for complete coverage (e.g., 360-degree inspection, 3D reconstruction).
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Defense and Aerospace: High-resolution sensor processing for electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) surveillance, target tracking, and situational awareness systems where data must be pre-filtered and transmitted with minimum latency.
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Scientific and Medical Imaging: Applications such as confocal microscopy, high-throughput screening, and spectroscopy that rely on the bandwidth and determinism of the Camera Link standard to acquire large volumes of high-fidelity data for analysis.