25GigE: When Speed Matters and Data Handling Makes the Difference

The new 25GigE Vision interface standard, available with Emergent Visions (EVT) Latest High-Speed Area Scan and Line Scan Cameras, takes vision system speeds and data capacity to new levels.

Emergent Vision Technology (EVT), the pioneer camera company that brought 10GigE Vision cameras to the imaging and vision market just announced the addition of 25GigE Cameras to their product line up. The 10GigE standard provides all the advantages of GigE Vision, aside from being the leading interface for machine vision applications, with features like IP trust, different cabling possibilities and the easy synchronisation of multiple cameras. The just released 25GigE Vision successor includes all GigE benefits, but with a 2.5x increase in data and frame rates over 10GigE. The 25GigE interface used in the Emergent Vision’s BOLT and ACCEL cameras are the answer to the ever-increasing demands in resolution and speed, that drive industrial automation and cutting-edge consumer vision.

Accurate and precise analyses paired with high-speed for real-time operations have been the drivers in imaging and machine vision for decades. AR/VR/MR applications and vision with intelligent algorithms that have become an integral part of smart devices, dictate that resolution and speed are more important than ever before. New image sensors with up to 50 Megapixels resolution are available off-the-shelf that are driven by new cutting-edge applications in entertainment, sports and broadcasting, striving to embrace the new possibilities available with larger resolutions and faster data rates. The current bottlenecks are both bandwidth and data handling; increases in the resolution of vision systems always implies an increase in the bandwidth to maintain the same frame rate. Image data must not only be transferred, but be effectively processed, too. New 25GigE interface solutions provide a superior answer to the challenges of transmitting massive amounts of data.

25GigE’s Differentiator is a Combination of Speed, Handling, and Reliability
Emergent Vision Technologies has not only pioneered 10GigE cameras and tripled the former available speed from USB3. Now, they offer 25GigE devices that provide extreme high-speed interfacing with 3.125 Mbytes/s, to maximize the throughput in real-time applications. Until now, this speed was only attainable with 4-channel CoaXPress. The new interface requires only a single fiber cable compared to the Quad CoaXPress interface that required four cables. Handling and integration are becoming much easier and cost effective; the 25GigE interface provides a great combination of speed and distance capability. For cabling solutions for the 25GigE Cameras, the use of SFP28 fiber cables plus step-up transceivers provide cables lengths up to ten kilometres. Therefore, users can take full advantage of the latest generation of high-performance sensors with higher resolution and faster frame rates, with extreme low latency. 25GigE provides an ideal solution for real-time video applications like marker-less motion tracking, immersive sports, broadcast, video conferences, industrial non-contact detection, and inspection systems.

The new interface offers network support and synchronization via IEEE1588 and is GigE Vision and Gen<I>Cam compliant. The provision of IP trust and the reliable synchronization of the GigE Vision standard allows the 25GigE Vision interface to be an easy upgrade to accelerate all types of vision systems, with an extra measure of speed and innovation.

Emergent Vision’s 25GigE Camera Solutions

CPU Usage was a Killer – Until Now
High-speed applications force vision engineers to face new challenges. A 25GigE camera produces much more data through the transmission channel. The interface must not only provide bandwidth, but developers have to account for processing requirements.  EVT has solved this problem by offering NIC card solutions that are optimized to their cameras, managing video triggering and streaming. Emergent Vision has partnered with Mellanox Technologies, another 25GigE pioneer and member of the initial industry consortium, to further drive development of the interface. Emergent has stated that the manner in which these NIC cards function with the camera is one criteria that separates these cameras from any other solution on the market. This synergy brings huge advantages for smooth integration and operation of the vision solution. Typically, Intel® based network cards offload the data from a GigE camera for processing by the PC. The amount of data and the speed at which it arrives from a 25GigE camera, would hamper most PCs on the market today. The EVT / Mellanox solution processes data from the camera directly on board the card. The CPU usage remains under 5% with these proprietary NIC cards, and the rest of the available CPU is free for other processing or intelligence, as required.

The Fastest Interface Standard Today
The 25GigE Vision interface displays huge potential to drive future imaging and vision applications, and innovations. Its compatibility to the GigE Vision and Gen<I>Cam standards, and uncomplicated integration, makes it easy for customers to adapt the new technology. Most early adopters, for example, are from the AR/VR/MR industry and innovative technology companies in the entertainment and broadcasting industries. Here, real-time imaging with multiple camera settings without latency issues are crucial. Nevertheless, the 25GigE interface opens multiple opportunities for factory automation, smooth industrial processes, and real-time application including inspection and robotics. Today, 25GigE solutions are the fastest and easiest way to produce ultra-high-speed imaging without latency, over long distances, and with easy integration and operation.