E-con’s STEEReoCAM is a 2-megapixel MIPI CSI-2 stereo vision camera designed to work with Jetson TX2 and Xavier modules using a Linux-based TaraXL SDK.

E-con Systems has launched a MIPI CSI-2 connected follow-on to its USB 3.0 linked TaraXL stereo vision camera. Like the TaraXL, the new STEEReoCAM is designed to work with Nvidia’s hexa-core Jetson TX2 compute module and runs the Linux-based, CUDA-accelerated TaraXL SDK. Like its four-camera, CSI-2 driven e-CAM130_CUXVR camera, it also supports the new octa-core Jetson AGX Xavier module.

STEEReoCAM (left) and with tripod and baseboard plugged into Jetson TX2 Developer Kit
(click images to enlarge)

The STEEReoCAM sells for $299, or as little as $99 in volume. The camera is designed for robotics and autonomous guided vehicles, drones, surgical robotics, depth sensing, gesture recognition, 3D video recording, 3D measurements, and embedded vision.

While the earlier TaraXL can stream 3D depth maps with 752 x 480 resolution at up to 50fps over USB 3.0, the 2-megapixel STEEReoCAM can stream dual 1600 x 1300-pixel images at 30fps and can “provide 3D depth maps for 1600 x 1300 resolution at 22fps without stressing the CPU,” says E-Con. On the TX2, the camera supports three modes: ultra-accuracy with 5fps depth mapping, high-accuracy at 15 fps, and high frame rate at 22fps.

Measuring 135 x 20 x 23.65mm (without enclosure), the STEEReoCAM has a 2-megapixel global shutter sensor and 10-bit monochrome output format. The camera is equipped with 2x OmniVision 1/2.9-inch OV2311 CMOS sensors separated by an inter-ocular distance or baseline of 100mm. There’s also a pre-calibrated lens pair mounted on S-Mount (M12) holder.

The STEEReoCAM is primarily intended to connect to a Jetson TX2 Developer Kit via a supplied MIPI-CSI2 adapter baseboard. The MIPI interface enables the camera to stream uncompressed stereo, which is processed by TaraXL SDK on the Jetson module to generate a depth map.

There’s a flexible 0.95-meter to 8-meter range and a 6-axis IMU to facilitate autonomous guided vehicle applications “along with visual odometry and SLAM,” says E-con. Kit contents include the camera, tripod, baseboard, and cable. The system works at -30 to 85°C.

The TaraXL SDK is built with CUDA APIs that tap into the Jetson GPUs and provides a TaraXL Studio software library with sample applications. Features include disparity and depth maps for developing applications for autonomous roving and other machine vision applications. Native C++ bindings can be used to develop wrappers for Robot Operating System (ROS).

E-con provides sample applications with source code for demonstrating synchronous stereo image streams, disparity maps, and depth measurement. Customers can build their depth sensing-based applications on top of the SDK. The company offers customization services for “baseline or lens and interface” options.

 
Further information

The STEEReoCAM is available now for single-unit sample purchases at $299 and can be pre-ordered in volume at prices as low as $99 (5K volume). More information may be found in the E-Con Systems STEEReoCAM product page.