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Interview with Andreas Rittinger | Stemmer Imaging

Standardization is the key to the success of machine vision technology. Machine vision standards are commonly developed in the standard working groups and here by dedicated individuals. The EMVA interview series ‘Faces of Machine Vision Standards‘ introduces engineers having joined a standard working group and talk about their motivation to contribute and which experience they take out for their daily work.

EMVA recently spoke with GenICam working group member Mr. Andreas Rittinger, Team Manager Software Development at Stemmer Imaging AG:

 

Why do you participate in the GenICam WG?

When I started as a Field Application Engineer in 2010, GenICam already existed, but it was not as widely used as it is today. As a result, I had to deal with various vendor specific SDKs, which I mainly used for image capture and device configuration. Not only did this feel like repetitive work, but it was also quite error prone as I couldn’t always remember all the little differences. On the other hand, using GenICam felt more complicated at first because it was more generic , but it simplified my daily wo rk. Therefore, I focused on it whenever possible.
Fortunately, I had colleagues around me who were GenICam veterans and had been with me from day one. They supported me and gave me the opportunity not only to use the standard, but also to implement part of it for our own SDK. When I first attended IVSM in 2014, I got to know the other people and companies behind GenICam. Surprisingly, the mood in the working group was exactly the opposite of what I was used to in projects no focus on a quick pragmatic solution, but a careful discussion of a large number of current and future use cases to be as comprehensive as possible. This was exhausting at times but
worth the effort in my opinion.

Which GenICam parts do you intend to shape with your input?

As we develop our own software Common Vision Blox we naturally have a high interest in shaping all software related parts , which are essential the different standards referred to by GenICam. However at Stemmer Imaging we have a large portfolio of v ision related products including many hardware components. Therefore, we are also interested in more hardware related aspects of related standard s like GigE or USB 3 Vison This is especially important as GenICam must work with different technologies. In the end it all comes down to making hardware and software work together seamlessly.

How does your company benefit from your WG participation?

I see two main aspects of the benefit . On the one hand w e want to offer our customers the best solution for their applications . So, it is obviously beneficial to have different components to choose from. However, a variety of products alone will not be enough as the design in must be as cheap as possible. Tha t is where a standard is required. By participating we can help our customers to base their application standard technology and e.g., achieve a dual sourcing policy. On the other hand, we may see a market demand for technology that is not part of any standard. Bringing something new into a standard can significantly improve its acceptance in the vision market and will also increase our business.

What was your biggest light bulb moment in the GenICam collaboration?

Light bulb moments would naturally occur during a plug fest. Because even after carefully implementing a specification and running through test and validation things just don’t work as expected when bringing together a new software release with a new device. Discussing this may then reveal some details that are not done as robust as possible of even something that a re unclear in the specification. Having around a lot of experts it is usually easy to get things fixed quickly.

Interview with Frederik Voncken | Adimec

Standardization is the key to the success of machine vision technology. Machine vision standards are commonly developed in the standard working groups and here by dedicated individuals. The EMVA interview series ‘Faces of Machine Vision Standards‘ introduces engineers having joined a standard working group and talk about their motivation to contribute and which experience they take out for their daily work.

EMVA recently spoke with GenICam working group member Mr. Frederik Voncken, Senior Electrical Designer at Adimec:

 

Why do you participate in the GenICam WG?

Our company develops cameras and is less involved at the PC side (although customers expect you to have knowledge about that part too), so our participation is more about the use and knowledge of GenICam in our products. We do promote the use of GenICam as it unifies our products interface.
As an original developer of CoaXPress we (and our partners) have made it clear that the use of GenICam and its components, had to be mandatory for CoaXPress.
And like GenICam, CoaXPress needed and still needs to be open for all, every voice to be heard, no activities behind closed doors.

Which GenICam parts do you intend to shape with your input?

There are many interesting subjects within GenICam that influence our thoughts, and where needed we participate and give our thoughts. On of these recent parts is GenDC, having a generic data container to transport the needed data, not needing to keep updating standards (which is slow) and being in essence standard independent.

How does your company benefit from your WG participation?

Involvement and knowledge does help the development of our products and by using GenICam (and in general standards) we can concentrate on our core activities. This also transfers to our users, they then also can concentrate on their core business, not worrying about the “interface” (hardware, software, discover mechanism, etc.). And when in need we do have in depth answers to their questions / worries.

What was your biggest light bulb moment in the GenICam collaboration?

GenICam is a common effort. Large, middle, small contributions, even being at the meetings and discussions does help.
Just because you are new or from a small company does not mean that you are not allowed to ask questions and get answers.

IVSM in Vienna: Standards for multi-billion vision-tech market

With standards working group meetings, Future Standards Forum and Plugfest the spring International Vision Standards Meeting laid once again the foundation for interoperability of cameras, systems and software.

Vienna/Barcelona, April 28th, 2023. More than 100 developers from Europe, North America and Asia representing about forty machine vision companies met during the spring edition of the International Vision Standards Meeting (IVSM) from 17-20 April in Vienna which was hosted by the EMVA and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) where the event was held. The International Vision Standards Meeting combines the global machine vision standardization efforts and goes back two decades to the kick-off meeting for the GigE Vision standard in June 2003. Since then, the supporting associations A3 (North America), CMVU (China), EMVA (Europe), JIIA (Japan), and VDMA (Germany) alternate as hosts for the biannual meetings.

Standardization as the basis for success for machine vision breakthrough

EMVA Standards Manager Werner Feith points out the meaning of the biannual standards meetings to the entire industry. ‘Alone in Europe and North America vision-tech in 2022 has generated some 3.8 billion Euros and 3.1 billion US$, respectively. Standardization, which becomes clearly visible at the IVSM meeting, lays the foundation of all this as it generates compatibility amongst products which are being sold into multiple industries. Such customer as engineering value generated for the entire industry during the semi-annual IVSM as the vision-tech heart chamber cannot be overestimated.’

The event was a complete success for both EMVA and AIT. Markus Clabian, Head of the High-Performance Vision Systems research group at the Center for Vision, Automation & Control (VAC), comments: ‘For us, it was a strategic decision to host the IVSM. Our aim is to significantly increase the visibility of AIT and our technologies in the professional community, demonstrating the deep expertise in the field of machine vision at the AIT Center for Vision, Automation & Control. In addition, as a research and development organization, the exchange with experts is crucial to us, not only on a professional level but also to understand the needs of the market. At the IVSM we talked to the experts and companies from China, Japan, Canada, USA, Belgium, Germany, and many more, and discussed opportunities for collaboration. Thirdly, during the tours through various AIT Labs, we were able to show different innovative application fields of machine vision, where vision standards clearly demonstrate its value.’

Christoph Zierl, Vice-Chair of the GenICam Standard and Director Organization Development of MVTec Software GmbH, is equally satisfied with the outcomes of the International Vision Standards Meeting in Vienna: ‘The plugfest on April 18th has shown again that cross-vendor practical testing of interoperability between cameras and software applications is indispensable. The GenICam Working Group, newly formed on a sound legal basis, now again comprises about 45 companies with a total of more than 150 involved members, including some new members. GenICam is the basis for plug&play operation of cameras and devices in industrial image processing. All hardware interface standards represented at the IVSM build on this standard. Closer cooperation was agreed between the GenICam and EMVA1288 standards in a joint working meeting of both standards committees here in Vienna.’ For Christoph Zierl, all this shows the immense importance of the biannual meetings for the further development of the entire industry.

Plugfest: live tests for software and components compatibility and interoperability

The ‘Plugfest’ is a special highlight at each meeting, where experts apply the standards and connect a wide range of products, some of which are new. Reynold Dodson is President of the company BitFlow and Chair of the CameraLink standard, as well as a member of the CoaXPress working group. He describes the plugfest function as an important part of the meeting: ‘In the machine vision industry, a plugfest is chance for all the firms that work on the standard to test the interoperability of their products. These plugfests serve a number of purposes, they improve specifications, they provide a venue for mandatory interoperability testing and they tighten and enhance the social aspects of standards creation. The ultimate goal of plugfests, like the standards they exercise, is to improve the customer experience. For CoaXPress, this was the first year that products were required to pass a validation framework, which presented some new challenges, but which will ultimately strengthen market confidence in the standard.” During the meeting in Vienna, the plugfest for the first time was opened to the professional community outside the companies and institutions involved in the standards working groups.

EMVA Standards Manager Werner Feith also thanks the organization partner AIT where the event was held: ‘It was a great pleasure for the standards community to be guest in Vienna and we are grateful about the support given by the Austrian Institute of Technology.’

A summary of the decisions made in the working groups for the various machine vision standards will be published on a separate occasion.

The press release of our cooperation partner AIT about this event can be found at https://www.ait.ac.at/media/presseaussendungen.


About EMVA                     

Founded in 2003, the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) is a non-for-profit and non-commercial association representing the Machine Vision industry in Europe that is open for all types of organizations having a stake in machine vision, computer vision, embedded vision or imaging technologies: manufacturers, system and machine builders, integrators, distributors, consultancies, research organizations and academia. The EMVA hosts four international vision standards, and all members – as the 100% owners of the association – benefit from the dedicated networking, standardization, and cooperation activities of the EMVA. www.emva.org

 

About AIT

The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria’s largest applied research institute. Among the European research institutes, AIT is a specialist in the key infrastructure issues of the future. The Center for Vision, Automation & Control (VAC) is one of a total of 7 research units at AIT and is dedicated to industrial automation and digitalization. It´s set goal is to increase the flexibility, adaptivity and resilience of production processes and machines. The Center conducts research in the areas of computer vision, automation and control, as well as AI. Thus, VAC covers the entire automation chain, from the acquisition of information by intelligent sensor systems to AI-based decision-making by autonomous systems. Research at the Center results in innovations to increase the flexibility, adaptivity and resilience of companies while improving energy and resource efficiency and minimizing production costs.

www.ait.ac.at

‘Kamaros’ is unveiled as the official name of the Khronos / EMVA Embedded Camera System API

In March 2022, The Khronos® Group and the EMVA joined forces to establish a Khronos working group to develop an open royalty-free API standard for controlling cameras and sensors in embedded, mobile, industrial, XR, automotive, and scientific markets.
The design of the API is making significant progress and will include loadable layers and multiple language bindings as well as flexible, low-level control over camera functionality. In addition to the work on the API specification, the formal name of the initiative has now been unveiled: ‘Kamaros’ (pronounced Kam-ah-ross).

“Establishing a unique and trademarkable brand in parallel with drafting the specification itself is an important part of the standardization process,” said Neil Trevett, Khronos President. “Early and consistent branding builds industry awareness and recognition that will help promote the wide adoption of Kamaros when it ships.”
Kamaros evolved from an extensive exploratory process involving over 70 companies working together from March to December 2021 to forge an industry consensus on the need, terminology, scope, requirements, and design methodology for a new open standard camera system API.

Any company is welcome to join Khronos for a full voice and a vote in the evolution of the Kamaros standard. In addition, EMVA members are invited to join the Kamaros Advisory panel at no charge to provide feedback on specification drafts and design directions. Kamaros is expected to be of particular interest to sensor and camera manufacturers, silicon vendors, embedded and mobile platform vendors, and software developers working on vision and sensor processing.
Read more at https://www.khronos.org/blog/khronos-unveils-kamaros-as-the-name-for-the-embedded-camera-system-api-and-working-group

Results from IVSM Spring 2022

Two times a year, the International Vision Standards Meeting (IVSM) gathers machine vision experts in the standard working groups to further develop the most commonly used standards in the machine vision industry. Due to ongoing pandemic restrictions in some parts of the world the last IVSM from 23-27 May once again was held virtual. During the event, major online-meetings took place within the standard working groups of GenICam, OOCI, GigEVision, USB3Vision, CoaXPress and OPC-UA:

  • The GenICam WG has presented and discussed the first version of the GenICam validation framework, which shall enhance GenICam logo certification process and future product compatibility. That validation framework is an independent part of the new test software for GigEVision, USB3Vision and CoaXPress and will be tested in the upcoming Plugfest in Detroit and Tokyo.
  • In addition, GenICam decided on a 2022.06 maintenance release, which is the mainly “GenICam reference implementation v3.4.0” and the 12th maintenance release for GenICam main version 3 since 2016.
  • OOCI started their work on the connectivity between camera and lens with the hardware technologies I2C and single-wire-ethernet and the software technology GenCP, which was and is used in CameraLink products. A first standards draft and demonstrator is expected for the Vision show in Stuttgart in October 2022.
  • GigEVision has finished their work on the GEV2.2 validation framework as well and can release GEV2.2 specification soon, to go on with 10/25Gbit bandwidth extensions in a planned GEV V3 version.
  • CoaXPress has almost completed the updates to the CoaXPress over Fiber document to add support for 25G link speeds. It is also working on a new Validation Framework to improve product validation.
  • OPC-UA has finished formal work on the OPC-UA companion specification and will approach GenICam for the next IVSM to formally include the GenICam concept into the OPC-UA part 2 machine vision framework.

All standards have teamed up and succeeded over the last meetings to enhance common standards testing methods as testing coverage for good product compatibility in the market. The next and hopefully again physical IVSM is scheduled to take place 26-29 September 2022 in Tokyo/Japan.

Relicensing for EMVA 1288 standard use and GenICam Standard Working Group

The EMVA informs that the old EMVA 1288 standard license expired for all users on June 21, 2022. From this date on, new datasheets in which data is designated as EMVA 1288 compatible and marked with the EMVA 1288 logo may only be published if the new EMVA 1288 license has been applied for and approved by the creator of the datasheets. The usage remains free of charge under the new license. The new license application can be downloaded here.

 

Also, the general conditions for participation and thus active involvement in the GenICam standard working group hosted by EMVA have changed, which requires a re-registration for all participating company representatives. Thus, on June 30, 2022, the old membership expires for GenICam working group members and access to the working group, its meetings and documents is only possible after a new registration. The use of the GenICam logo as well as the use of the reference implementation, both available here, will remain free of charge under the new license.

Updated terms in EMVA 1288 and GenICam standard require relicensing

Communication of EMVA 1288 standard logo and compatibility of data sheets as of June 21 requires new license
 Also co-designing terms of GenICam standard in working group adjusted

Barcelona, Spain; June 23rd, 2022. With the release 4.0 of the EMVA 1288 standard last year also new terms of use came into force, which are now applied after a transition period of one year. Thus, the old license expired for all users on June 21, 2022. From this date on, new datasheets in which data is designated as EMVA 1288 compatible and marked with the EMVA 1288 logo may only be published if the new EMVA 1288 license has been applied for and approved by the creator of the datasheets. The usage remains free of charge under the new license. Download the new license application.

GenICam working group with new registration
Furthermore, the general conditions for participation and thus active involvement in the GenICam working group hosted by EMVA have changed, which requires a re-registration for all participating company representatives. Thus, on June 30, 2022, the old membership expires for GenICam working group members and access to the working group, its meetings and documents is only possible after a new registration with this application. The use of the GenICam logo as well as the use of the reference implementation, both available here, will remain free of charge under the new license.


About EMVA

The European Machine Vision Association is a non-for-profit and non-commercial association representing the Machine Vision industry in Europe. The association was founded in 2003 to promote the development and use of vision technology in all sectors, and represents members from within Europe, North America, and Asia. The EMVA is open for all types of organizations having a stake in machine vision, computer vision, embedded vision or imaging technologies: manufacturers, system and machine builders, integrators, distributors, consultancies, research organizations and academia. All members – as the 100% owners of the association – benefit from the networking, cooperation, standardization, and the numerous and diverse activities of the EMVA. The EMVA is the host of four global machine vision standards: The two widely established standards GenICam and EMVA 1288 as well as the two standardization initiatives Open Optics Camera Interface (OOCI) and Embedded Vision Interface Standard (emVision).