Camera EMVA standards: GenICam, GigEVision, USB3Vision

The Camera Electronic Machine Vision Association (EMVA) standards play a crucial role in ensuring interoperability and compatibility among machine vision systems and components. Among these standards, three key ones stand out: GenICam, GigEVision, and USB3Vision.

GenICam is a generic programming interface for all kinds of cameras and devices used in machine vision. It provides a unified way to access features and parameters of imaging devices regardless of the interface technology or the camera manufacturer. GenICam aims to simplify the integration of cameras into imaging software by offering a common application programming interface (API) for controlling cameras and accessing their features. The GenICam standard support platform-independent API, allowing software developers to write camera control application that work with any GenICam-compliant camera. It also supports various transport layers such as GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, Camera Link, and CoaXPress.

GigEVision is a standard communication protocol specifically designed for high-speed data transfer and control of cameras over Gigabit Ethernet networks. It enables the transmission of uncompressed image data, camera control commands, and metadata over Ethernet cables, offering high bandwidth and low latency communication between cameras and computers. Due to its simplicity, scalability, and performance, the GigEVision communication protocol has seen wide adoption in industrial and scientific imaging applications.

USB3Vision is a standard interface for high-speed USB 3.0 cameras, providing a standardized way to control and stream data from USB 3.0 cameras to host computers. It leverages the high bandwidth and plug-and-play capabilities of USB 3.0 to deliver high-resolution, high-frame-rate imaging performance.

GenICam, GigEVision, and USB3Vision are the three primary standards in the field of machine vision, providing unified interfaces, communication protocols, and compatibility for cameras and imaging devices, regardless of their interface technology or manufacturer. These standards play a vital role in enabling the seamless integration of cameras into various imaging applications, from industrial inspection and automation to medical imaging and scientific research.