openeye CamSI — Open source camera interface with robust…

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About this project

openeye-CamSI provides a fully open-source camera serial interface designed for low-budget projects, ensuring outstanding signal integrity without compromising security. Targeting Sony Series 7 and open FPGA makers, it focuses on creating a reliable high-resolution video pipeline using integrated resources, making it a practical choice for innovative imaging applications.

openeye-CamSI is a fully open-source camera serial interface designed to enhance the performance and functionality of various high-resolution imaging sensors. This repository is targeted at users employing low-cost Artix7 FPGAs, particularly for those utilizing the popular Sony sensors such as the IMX219 and IMX283, as well as the OV2740. This ambitious project aims to deliver a comprehensive video pipeline that supports high-definition (HD) and full high-definition (FHD) resolutions while ensuring robust signal integrity and seamless performance.

Objectives

Upgrade openCam Performance and Functionality

The first objective is to develop a complete video pipeline compatible with three renowned sensors:

2-lane RPiV2.1 (Sony IMX219) with 1280x720P@60Hz RGB888 (HD)
4-lane OneInchEye (Sony IMX283) with 1920x1080P@60Hz RGB888 (FHD)
2-lane OV2740 for Lukas Henkel's openLaptop project, configured for webcam use.

This project emphasizes minimal external storage requirements, opting for efficient use of the internal BRAM of the FPGA. It aims to outshine the previous StereoNinja project, pushing the boundaries in terms of performance and resolution capabilities.

Video feeds will be streamed in real-time to an HDMI monitor and over 1Gbps Ethernet utilizing UDP packets, with future plans to support USB Video Class (UVC) functionality.

Add to Open-source Ecosystem for Xilinx

The project promotes the expansion of the openXC7 ecosystem by leveraging its web-based CI/CD flow for enhanced security in media handling, and contributing to the robustness of open-source design tools. The openeye-CamSI serves as a test case for openXC7, revealing practical challenges that arise from complex designs in an open-source environment.

Technical Highlights

Utilizes Artix7 FPGA with focus on IBUFDS, IDELAY, and ISERDES primitives for improved signal integrity without relying on external D-PHY solutions.
Achieves video streaming without external chips by using innovative designs focused on efficient signal processing.
Employs I2C for camera configuration with comprehensive register settings to achieve desired performance metrics such as frame resolution and rate.

Key Features

Real-time Streaming: Video can be streamed live to HDMI monitors and remote PCs, showcasing flexibility in deployment.
Robust Signal Processing: Implementations such as line buffering for synchronization and color space conversion are designed to maintain high-quality video output.
Open-source Collaboration: Continuously seeks community involvement and improvements to push design capabilities further.

Future Enhancements

The project is structured into phases, with upcoming features including extensive image signal processing capabilities (white balance, color correction, gamma adjustment) and JPEG compression for webcam applications.

The innovative design allows for continuous evolution, making openeye-CamSI a critical contribution to the field of open-source hardware in camera technology, targeting enthusiasts and professionals alike.