Euresys Coaxlink Series Manual

Coaxlink

Coaxlink Driver Version 9.5.2

PROGRAMMER GUIDE

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other special, incidental, indirect, consequential or punitive damages of any kind arising in connection with the use

of the hardware or the software of EURESYS s.a. or resulting of omissions or errors in this documentation.

This documentation is provided with Coaxlink 9.5.2 (doc build 2015).

Coaxlink Programmer Guide

Contents

1. Introduction 5

2. GenApi 6

3. GenTL 8

3.1. System module 9

3.2. Interface module 9

3.3. Device module 9

3.4. Data stream module 10

3.5. Buffer module 10

3.6. GenTL API 10

4. Euresys::EGenTL 11

4.1. A first example 12

4.2. Relevant files 13

5. Euresys::EGrabber 14

5.1. A first example 15

5.2. Acquiring images 16

5.3. Configuring the grabber 18

5.4. Events 20

Background 20

Counters 21

Notifications 21

Callback functions 22

Event identification 23

Examples 24

5.5. EGrabber flavors 24

5.6. Events and callbacks examples 26

On demand callbacks 26

Single thread and multi thread callbacks 28

New buffer callbacks 29

5.7. Relevant files 30

Coaxlink Programmer Guide

6. Euresys GenApi scripts 31

6.1. doc/basics.js 31

6.2. doc/builtins.js 37

6.3. doc/grabbers.js 38

6.4. doc/module1.js 40

7. EGrabber for MultiCam users 42

8. .NET assembly 49

8.1. A first example 49

8.2. Differences between C++ and .NET EGrabber 50

8.3. Single thread callbacks 51

9. Definitions 53

Coaxlink Programmer Guide

1. Introduction

The Application Programming Interface (API) for Coaxlink cards is based on GenICam.

The goal of GenICam is to provide a standardized, uniform programming interface for using

cameras and frame grabbers based on different physical interfaces (CoaXPress, GigE Vision, etc.)

or from different vendors.

GenICam is a set of EMVA standards (GenApi and GenTL), as well as related conventions for

naming things (the SFNC for standard features, the PFNC for pixel formats).

nGenApi is about description. At the core of GenApi is the concept of register description.

registers to high-level features.

GenApi allows applications to detect, configure and use the features of cameras and frame

grabbers in a uniform and consistent way.

nGenTL is about data transport. The TL suffix stands for Transport Layer.

The GenTL standard defines a set of C functions and data types for enumerating, configuring,

and grabbing images from cameras and frame grabbers. This API is defined by a C header file.

Frame grabber vendors provide libraries that implement this API (i.e., libraries that export the

functions declared in the standard header file). These libraries are referred to as GenTL

producers, or Common Transport Interfaces (CTI) and use the cti file extension. The GenTL

producer for Coaxlink cards is coaxlink.cti.

This document is meant to be read from beginning to end. Each chapter and section builds

upon the preceding ones. If you skip parts of the text, some of the explanations and examples

may seem cryptic. If that happens, you should go back and read the parts that you've skipped

over.

1. Introduction Coaxlink Programmer Guide

2. GenApi

GenApi addresses the problem of configuring cameras. The way this is achieved is generic, and

applies to different kinds of devices, including frame grabbers. In this chapter, everything we say

about cameras also applies to frame grabbers.

GenApi requires two things to work: a register description, and a GenApi implementation.

Aregister description is an XML file that can be thought of as a computer-readable datasheet of

the camera. It defines camera settings (such as PixelFormat and TriggerSource), and

instructions on how to configure them (e.g., to set ExposureMode to Timed, write value 0x12 to

GenApi implementation

AGenApi implementation is a software module that can read and interpret register description

files.

The EMVA provides a reference implementation, but it is fairly difficult to use, and logging is

very poor. Instead, we recommend using the Euresys implementation bundled with the Coaxlink

software package. This implementation also allows writing powerful configuration scripts.

Features

What the user gets from GenApi is a bunch of named features, organized in categories.

Set/get features

Set/get features are simple settings (called parameters in MultiCam), and can be of different

types:

ninteger (e.g., Width)

nfloat (e.g., AcquisitionFrameRate)

nenumeration (e.g., PixelFormat)

nboolean (e.g., LUTEnable)

nstring (e.g., DeviceVendorName)

The value of features can be retrieved/modified using get/set functions. Some features are read-

only and some are write-only, but most allow read/write access.

Coaxlink Programmer Guide 2. GenApi

Commands

There is also another kind of features: commands (e.g., AcquisitionStart). Commands are

special: they don't have any associated value; they have side effects. Command features are

meant to be executed. When a command is executed, some action happens in the camera (e.g.,

a software trigger is generated). Obviously, get/set functions don't make sense for commands

and can't be used.

2. GenApi Coaxlink Programmer Guide

3. GenTL

GenTL defines 5 types of objects, organized in a parent/child relationship:

1. the system module

2. the interface module

3. the device module

4. the data stream module

5. the buffer module

Each module:

●corresponds to a particular element of the system;

●defines relevant pieces of information (info commands) that can be queried (using get info

functions);

●allows exercising that module's functionality (using specific functions).

Additionally, all modules except the buffer module behave as ports that allow read/write

operations. These port functions are used by GenApi to load that module's description file, and

to use its GenApi features.

GenTL Module Hierarchy

Coaxlink Programmer Guide 3. GenTL

3.1. System module

The system module (also referred to as TLSystem), represents the GenTL producer (the

coaxlink.cti library). This module is at the top of the parent/child tree.

The system module provides basic information about the GenTL producer: things like the

complete path to coaxlink.cti and the vendor name (Euresys).

The real point of the system module is to list the interfaces (or frame grabbers) present in the

system. The most important functions of the system module are TLGetNumInterfaces (to

retrieve the number of frame grabbers in the system) and TLOpenInterface (to get access to

one of the frame grabbers).

3.2. Interface module

The GenTL standard calls frame grabbers interfaces. The system module has one child interface

for each frame grabber: if there are 2 Coaxlink cards in the computer, the system module will

have two child interfaces.

Each interface represents a frame grabber. Global frame grabber features such as digital I/O

lines belong in the interface module. This means that the GenApi features controlling the I/O

lines are attached to the interface.

Each interface also acts as parent to one or several devices. The most important functions of the

interface module are IFGetNumDevices (to retrieve the number of cameras that can be

connected to the interface) and IFOpenDevice (to get access to one of the devices).

3.3. Device module

The GenTL standard uses the terms device and remote device for two related but different

concepts. A remote device is a real camera, physically connected to a frame grabber. This is

different from the device module we describe here.

The device module is the module that contains the frame grabber settings relating to the

camera. This includes things like triggers and strobes.

The device module also acts as parent to one data stream, and can be viewed as the sibling of

the remote device. The most important functions of the device module are DevOpenDataStream

(to get access to the data stream) and DevGetPort (to get access to the remote device).

3. GenTL Coaxlink Programmer Guide

3.4. Data stream module

The data stream module handles buffers. During acquisition runs, images are sent from the

camera to the frame grabber, which transfers them to memory buffers allocated on the host

computer. The data stream module is where image acquisition occurs. It is where most of the

functionality resides.

Buffer handling is very flexible. Any number of buffers can be used. Buffers are either in the input

queue, in the output queue, or temporarily unqueued. The application decides when empty

buffers are queued (to the input FIFO), and when filled buffers are popped (from the output

FIFO).

3.5. Buffer module

The buffer module simply represents a memory buffer given to a parent data stream. Useful

metadata is associated to buffers. This includes the image width, height, pixel format,

timestamp... These are retrieved through info commands (see BUFFER_INFO_CMD_LIST in the

standard GenTL header file).

The buffer module is the only module that doesn't have read/write port functions; it doesn't

have GenApi features.

3.6. GenTL API

GenTL makes it possible to detect, control and use all camera and frame grabber features, but

its usage is tedious:

ncti files must be dynamically loaded, and the functions they export must be accessed

through pointers.

nFunctions return an error code that must be checked by the application.

nMost functions read from/write to untyped buffers: the application must determine the

required buffer size, allocate a temporary buffer, convert data to/from this buffer, and finally

release the buffer memory.

Instead of using the GenTL API directly, we recommend using either:

nthe Euresys::EGenTL library which deals with these complications so that the user doesn't

have to;

nor the Euresys::EGrabber library which provides a high-level, easy-to-use interface.

Coaxlink Programmer Guide 3. GenTL

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