FLIR blackfly s usb3 industrial camera: how to use counters and timers

This document provides an overview of Blackfly S How to use the counter and timer in the camera .

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It's powerful , You can easily generate the exact image you need , And accelerate application development .
Including image capture and Automatic and precise manual control of camera preprocessing .
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The physical drawing is as follows ：

The concept is introduced

Counter and timer functions can be realized ：

• Create a function generator
• Record the number of times the signal is triggered

Some general applications include ：

• Input to logical block
• External signal output is used to control external devices
• Track the number of camera exposures
• Track the number of external input signal triggers
• Trigger the camera in a predefined time period

** Be careful ：** Use SpinView Application to demonstrate the configuration and execution of counter and timer control .

Configure counter and timer control

The following description corresponds to the red box serial number above

• 1. Select counter Counter 0 perhaps Counter 1
• 2. Select the signal source triggered by counter increase For example, in the picture Line0
• 3. Trigger events include low level trigger 、 High level trigger 、 Falling edge trigger 、 Rising edge trigger 、 Arbitrary edge trigger
• 4. Set the number of counter delays , To represent several counts to trigger the counter start event
• 5. Design the number of counter durations , To indicate that the timer end event is triggered after several counts
• 6. Select the signal source that controls the opening of the counter
  Select the trigger event that controls the start of the counter

The level sources of triggering events can include the following ：

• Trigger signal with fixed frequency
• Line input
• User output
• Counter start event
• Counter end event
• Logic module output
• Exposure begins
• The exposure is over
• Frame trigger wait

The status of the counter can be changed from nodemap Get active or idle

produce PWM（Pulse Width Modulation） Routine for

The goal of the example is to achieve a 50hz Duty ratio 70% Of PWM The signal

First step Set up GPIO The connection of the mouth

The first step is to set the output from the camera PWM Signal hardware . For this routine , Use an oscilloscope to display this signal .
Camera's GPIO The definition of mouth varies greatly according to the model of camera .

Blackfly S (BFS) Is defined as follows ：
BFS The camera has a 6 Pin GPIO mouth . It includes a non isolated output pin and an optically isolated output pin
If you use this optical isolation pin to output （ This routine is ）, The camera needs a pull-up resistor to enhance PWM The signal .

Configure hardware camera output PWM need :

• 1 Connected to the camera pin 4 Pin （ White line , Optical isolation output ） To the signal input end of the oscilloscope
• 2 Connected to the camera pin 5 Pin （ The blue line , Light isolation GND） To the ground signal of the oscilloscope

Configure the pull-up resistor to enhance the signal ：

• 1 Connect a 10kΩ One end of the resistor to the camera pin 3 Pin （ The red line ,3.3v Output ）
• 2 Connect the other end of this resistor to the camera pin 4 Pin （ White line , Optical isolation output ）
• 3 Connected to the camera pin 6 （ Brown thread ,GND） To the camera pin 5 （ The blue line , Light isolation GND）

Second parts Set up the upper computer software （SpinView）

The following section shows how to SpinView Set in PWM

• 1 Select a counter Counter 0 perhaps Counter 1

• 2 Select in counter events MHz Tick It stands for 1MHz The signal of

• 3 In order to establish 50Hz The periodic signal of , Need to set up Counter Duration by 20000 The calculation is 1MHz/50Hz=20000 cycles/duration

• 4 Definition Counter Duration and Counter Delay To establish 70% Duty cycle of
  The calculation method is Counter Delay = 30% x 20,000 = 6,000
  Counter Duration = 70% x 20,000 = 14,000

• 5 stay Counter Trigger Source Choose from FrameTriggerWait, Then set the Counter Trigger Activation by Level High
  

• 6 prohibit Exposure Auto, Set up Exposure Time Less than 1/50 s
  

• 7 Can make Trigger Mode choice Trigger Source by Counter0 Start
  

• 8 To configure GPIO bring Line1 by Output. then Line Source by Counter 0 Active
  

• 9 Can make 3.3V Of line （ The red line ）

• 10 You can see the configuration through the oscilloscope PWM Output

Routine to detect the number of missing triggers

Number of lost triggers = Total triggers - Number of exposures

adopt Counter0 Count Total number of triggers
adopt Counter1 Count Number of exposures

The method is as follows ：

• 1 prohibit Exposure Auto And set a longer Exposure Time such as 3.5s
• 2 Can make Trigger Mode And set up Trigger Source by line0 Rising edge
• 3 Connect Line0 To the camera
• 4 To configure Counter 0 Count the number of triggers ：Counter Event Source choice Line 0 ,Counter Event Activation Set up Rising Edge, then Trigger Source choice Line0 ,Counter Trigger Activation choice Rising Edge, Last Counter Duration Is a larger value ,Counter Delay by 0
  
• 5 To configure Counter 1 To record the number of exposures
  First Set up Counter Event Source by ExposureStart, Set up Counter Event Activation by Rising Edge
  then Set up Counter Trigger Source by ExposureStart, Set up Counter Trigger Activation by Rising Edge
  Last Counter Duration Is a larger value ,Counter Delay by 0
  
• 6 Can make 1Hz The trigger source of , The camera starts taking pictures
• 7 stay SpinView In the right , Refresh , such Counter Value The specific value will be displayed
  see Counter0 Of Counter Value
  
  And then choose Counter 1 , Write down the value of the counter
  
• 8 Finally, calculate the loss trigger
  Namely Counter0 Value – Counter1 Value Value 3-1 by 2.