The Camera Interface block or CAMIF is the hardware block that
interfaces
Interface or interfacing may refer to:
Academic journals
* ''Interface'' (journal), by the Electrochemical Society
* ''Interface, Journal of Applied Linguistics'', now merged with ''ITL International Journal of Applied Linguistics''
* '' Inte ...
with different
image sensor
An image sensor or imager is a sensor that detects and conveys information used to make an image. It does so by converting the variable attenuation of light waves (as they pass through or reflect off objects) into signals, small bursts of c ...
interfaces and provides a
standard output
In computer programming, standard streams are interconnected input and output communication channels between a computer program and its environment when it begins execution. The three input/output (I/O) connections are called standard input (stdin ...
that can be used for subsequent
image processing
An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimension ...
.
A typical Camera Interface would support at least a parallel interface although these days many camera interfaces are beginning to support the
Mobile Industry Processor Interface
MIPI Alliance is a global business alliance that develops technical specifications for the mobile ecosystem, particularly smart phones but including mobile-influenced industries. MIPI was founded in 2003 by ARM, Intel, Nokia, Samsung, STMicroel ...
(MIPI)
Camera Serial Interface The Camera Serial Interface (CSI) is a specification of the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Alliance. It defines an interface between a camera and a host processor. The latest active interface specifications are CSI-2 v3.0, CSI-3 v1.1 an ...
(CSI) interface.
Electrical connections
The camera interface's parallel interface consists of the following lines:
8 to 12 bits parallel data line
These are parallel data lines that carry pixel data. The data transmitted on these lines change with every Pixel Clock (PCLK).
Horizontal Sync (HSYNC)
This is a special signal that goes from the camera sensor or
ISP
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privatel ...
to the camera interface. An HSYNC indicates that one line of the frame is transmitted.
Vertical Sync (VSYNC)
This signal is transmitted after the entire frame is transferred. This signal is often a way to indicate that one entire frame is transmitted.
Pixel Clock (PCLK)
This is the pixel clock and it would change on every pixel.
NOTE: The above lines are all treated as input lines to the Camera Interface hardware.
See also
*
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that captures photographs in digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film. Digital cameras are now widely incorporated into mobile devic ...
*
Digital photography
Digital photography uses cameras containing arrays of electronic photodetectors interfaced to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to produce images focused by a lens, as opposed to an exposure on photographic film. The digitized image i ...
*
Demosaicing A demosaicing (also de-mosaicing, demosaicking or debayering) algorithm is a digital image processing, digital image process used to reconstruct a full color image from the incomplete color samples output from an image sensor overlaid with a color f ...
*
Digital image processing
Digital image processing is the use of a digital computer to process digital images through an algorithm. As a subcategory or field of digital signal processing, digital image processing has many advantages over analog image processing. It allow ...
*
Camera Serial Interface The Camera Serial Interface (CSI) is a specification of the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Alliance. It defines an interface between a camera and a host processor. The latest active interface specifications are CSI-2 v3.0, CSI-3 v1.1 an ...
(CSI)
References
{{Reflist
Image processing
MIPI Alliance standards