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Camera customization / OEM camera

Updated: Sep 13, 2022


OEM camera
Custom camera / OEM camera

skoopia is committed to provide its customers the best possible solution meeting their application demands. For customers it is often a balancing act, finding the right partner for their specific demands.


Here skoopia offers several forms of customization, meeting each application its unique characteristic while bearing in mind the effective investment acceptable for the customization.


skoopia offers products having the following capabilities to customize:

  • Self customization - read the blog "Customized IP cameras" and/or the blog "Custom 22x26 mm EX SDI camera, Full HD 22x26 AHD camera or custom 22x26 mm Full HD CVBS camera" Self- customization solutions are focused on applications that require unique OEM vision solution settings. Such specific settings or GUI can be set with 1 command/upgrade without investing in camera (re)-design.

    • For low latency OEM cameras having SDI output, we offer block command as a solution.

    • For OEM IP cameras we offer OEM firmware that is fully configurable and transferrable from one camera to the next.

  • Microcontroller / API integraton skoopia offers IP OEM camera units having a clear API or SDI/ADH/CVBS OEM cameras clear direct commands to control cameras. Direct control buttons can be made, allowing OEMs to optimize productivity of the user. In great contrast with regular / security cameras that only require to implement settings one time, and hence only offer an On Screen Display menu requiring extensive navigation through plural layers of menu to select one function.

The difference between an On Screen Display function selection is described below.

  • Complementor integration offering smart video output solutions skoopia offers numerous smart complementor integrations, being:

    • video conversion integration (although skoopia offers integrated video output (SDI, TVI, AHD, CVBS and IP) in several products, all skoopia block are compatible with:

      • TWIGA converter boards (e.g. USB, HDMI output),

  • Integration of OEM applications/ customer application in the camera board.

    • skoopia is starting new camera platforms that include resources for customer applications, by offering free memory and surplus resources available on the ISP of the camera. Such solutions allow for easy OEM specific solutions, while minimizing the engineering effort on camera/video processing or separate hardware to run applications.

  • Complete camera design for OEMs. High quality OEM camera applications as well as high quantity OEM camera applications allow for unique product design customization. However, such solutions often hamper longevity in design. Even if the product can be continously produced, it lacks the support to remain contemporary, as it is a single unique solution. For high quantity OEM camera applications the benefits of having a superior cost price point per product could offset the continuous investment in electronics engineering dealing with changes. But lower quantity, high quality OEM camera applications would prefer to invest once, and then "go with the flow", implying that they would like to incorporate newest and latest firmware/ software features without redesigning the camera or worse the infrastructure the camera is based in.


 

Self-customized OEM camera via Block command


skoopia offers the unique ability of block command for its SDI cameras. Advantage of block command is that it allows you to combine near all camera settings in one single commando.


OEM custom SDI camera
21C14S (14mm x 14mm), 21C26S (22mm x 26mm) and 3 Euro cent (size 5 Euro cent)

The advantages are plural, but mostly found in:

  • OEM solution protection

    • You have no need to inform skoopia about the required settings, as you can set your own settings with one command, protecting your potentially long search for optimal settings required in your unique OEM application.

  • Product availability

    • Because you can so easily upgrade to your unique camera parameters yourself, skoopia can always provide cameras from stock. No need to plan ahead for a long time or warehouse high stock levels.

  • Single camera for plural solutions

    • Because the block command comprises all relevant functions, you can source one camera for multiple purposes.

    • If you use the same camera in multiple products, it can well be that each product requires unique settings. The block command allows you to set these unique product settings immediately, avoiding having multiple slightly different cameras on stock, one for each product.

    • If you supply goods world-wide, cameras are often adapted to the different regions. Whereas North America is 60Hz based, Europe is 50Hz as an example. Also for such subtle differences, the block command allows you to have just one camera on stock.

  • Fast operational settings switch

    • Cameras are used in different settings. E.g. an endoscopic research of the liver requires very different settings as compared to an endoscopic research of the knee. Still the same camera can be easily used.

    • Cameras require fast switch within one research. E.g. in pipe inspection the lighting setting and auto -exposure setting for viewing forward are quite different from the setting in which the welds are check (perpendicular to the forward viewing).

Example of the block commands of the 21C14S.


HEX code being:

8x 01 04 55 6m 6n 6o 6p 6q 6r 6s 6t 6u 6v 6w 6x 6y 6z 6a 6b FF


55 representing block command 1


assuming camera ID is 1, the default values for the camera are:


81 01 04 55 63 63 63 61 64 64 61 64 61 64 61 63 63 60 69 65 FF


CAM_AE is represented by value m in the block command, and is default 3 (manual control).

Every parameter is set in such a way, for three block commands. The other parameters are set similarly.


HEX code being:

8x 01 04 54 6m 6n 6o 6p 6q 6r 6s 6t 6u 6v 6w 6x 6y 6z 6a 6b FF


54 representing block command 2


assuming camera ID is 1, the default values for the camera are:


81 01 04 54 60 65 66 62 63 64 6A 6B 60 61 62 61 62 63 65 60 FF


Parameter X (represented by b in the block command) is a space holder parameter and for now set to zero.



HEX code being:


8x 01 04 53 6m 6n 6o 6p 6q 6r 6s 6t 6u 6v 6w 6x 6y 6z 6a 6b FF


53 representing block command 3


assuming camera ID is 1, the default values for the camera are:

81 01 04 53 61 62 63 64 65 60 65 60 66 60 67 60 68 63 64 60 FF


Parameter X (represented by b in the block command) is again a space holder parameter and for now set to zero.



Please contact skoopia for an overview of all direct parameters and details on the block command.

 

OEM IP cameras


skoopia's extensive IP cameras all use the same API as reported in a previous blog. But skoopia also offers OEM specific firmware, allowing customers to set multiple parameters on the camera.

4K OEM IP camera
4K OEM IP camera

Examples of settings that can be changed in the OEM firmware:

  • camera name and identification

  • network settings, such as IP address, Gateway, RTP addresses, RSTP port, HTTP port, bonjour name

  • passwords and user names

  • stream resolution, compression

Again, alike block cameras, this allows you to have a single unit on stock, while having plural settings, protect your ownership of the solution and/or allow you to source from skoopia without long customization waiting times.

 

Direct commands versus On Screen Display function selection

The difference between an On Screen Display function selection and a direct command can best be described in the amount of actions:


On Screen Display:


Action 1) Open Menu

Action 2) Navigate to Image section in Menu (three times down button)

Action 3) Open Image section (menu button)

Action 4) Navigate to Sharpness (three times down button)

Action 5) Open Sharpness section (menu button)

Action 6) Set Sharpness on 7 (six times right button)

Action 7) Navigate to Safe - six times down button, one time right

Action 8) Confirm by selecting save menu (menu button)

Action 9) Navigate to Back (return to higher menu) - One time down button

Action 10) Confirm out of sub menu (exit) (one time right button)

Action 11) Navigate to leave menu (three times down)

Action 12) Confirm exit (one time Menu button)


Total clicks: 29


OEM camera OSD menu















The contrast with Direct commands is huge.

Send HEX code for sharpness 6 with correct camera ID:

Send: 81 01 04 42 00 00 00 07 FF


Advantage of On Screen Display menu.

  • No need for establishing an independent communication, as it is already available in the camera.

  • No knowledge required on command structure


Advantage of direct commands

  • Productivity of operator is vastly improved. Particularly if a micro controller is used, one can have a single button to switch to a new setting.

  • Less mistakes (one click too much and you have to redo).

  • Multiple commands can be combined (Block Command).

 

OEM application integration in camera


Contemporary developments in ISPs (Image Signal Processors) are moving from just image / video processing to more advanced solutions such as motion detection / virtual fencing etc. Most of applications are seen in security, but also automotive (pedestrial detection, lane detection, parking assistance) applications running on camera hardware are becoming ubiquitous.


Here, skoopia has a clear strategy. As with block command, skoopia wants the OEM to be protected, and as such will NOT offer advanced / dedicated image recognition solutions. It will however, open up the available resources of the ISP, and will even allocate space on the Flash and DDR memory to allow OEM applications to be integrated in the camera.


Please contact us for more details, as this new principle is currently available on a limited set of products.



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