CCD & USB

[Liquid360]

Just curious, cameras have just recently adopted USB2 across the board, yet we're at USB-C. Why does it take such a long time for cameras to adopt connection advancements?

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[riklaunim]

Machine vision cameras have been using USB2/3 for a long time, so I don't know what that "recent" means . And those are devices that aren't often plugged and unplugged. To provide USB 3.1 with the new connector you would need a new USB 3.1 controller as well as new cables which are more complex than previous. Not to mention SoC with USB 3.1 support for the camera, drivers, firmware. That all would cost a lot and will not happen quickly as it's just isn't a key factor/feature.

With time some machine vision cameras will adapt USB 3.1. But those will be high end fast framerate cameras.

[gkec]

It's a sort of inertia.

I am in the middle of a project that uses a fairly modern processor with various peripherals built in.  Including USB2.0.  We have probably spent a year designing the h/w and getting an OS running on it.  The documentation for the processor consists of two 2000+ page PDF files plus other assorted documentation, for example the DSP compiler manual again running at a few thousand pages.

So the h/w it's all up and running having spent several £10000s on prototypes not to mention wages.

Marketing droid rocks up and asks if we can we change it to USB3?

Why?

Because it is faster.

But USB2 is fast enough for the expected data rates.

But it is a USP we can say we have USB3. 

Needless to say it is still USB2.

Personally for cameras I think USB is the wrong technology.  It should be gigabit Ethernet if only because the cables don't fall out.

[riklaunim]

Personally for cameras I think USB is the wrong technology.  It should be gigabit Ethernet if only because the cables don't fall out.

Well, for USB3 some if not most machine vision cameras support cables with screws. GigE isn't as fast as needed for latest high framerate sensors (but stil sufficient for most and it is used).

[gkec]

Well, for USB3 some if not most machine vision cameras support cables with screws. GigE isn't as fast as needed for latest high framerate sensors (but stil sufficient for most and it is used).

I didn't know about the screws.  About time too!  I think machine vision is very different to astronomical imaging.  Imaging cameras don't need the bandwidth as they are limited by the digitisation rate.  Also the extended range of Ethernet is more useful than the extra bandwidth.