The Frame Rate Calculator application allows users to calculate a frame rate and approximate bandwidth utilization for a particular camera at the specified settings. This information might be useful for approximating potential bandwidth limitations for a single camera, which can be used to estimate the limitations for multi camera applications. The Frame Rate Calculator can be downloaded from the Pixelink website at


https://pixelink.com/products/software/frame-rate-calculator/



General Usage


The Frame Rate Calculator allows you to select a camera model and specify the following camera settings, that are needed for calculating frame rate

  • ROI Width (Min to Max)

  • ROI Height (Min to Max)

  • Exposure Time (Min to Max in ms)

  • Bits per Pixel (Pixel Format)

  • Decimation NxN (Min to Max)


As a result, the Frame Rate Calculator returns the following fields

  • Max Theoretical Frame Rate

  • Max 1394 Frame Rate

  • Max USB2.0 Frame Rate

  • Max GigE Frame Rate

  • Max USB3.0


See the picture below



Picture 1. Frame Rate Calculator



Examples


The examples below show results for the PL-D755 in both the normal mode and Fixed Frame Rate mode (Special Camera Mode) of operation. Note that the Fixed Frame Rate mode is only available for cameras with Sony sensors. 


Normal Mode


Since the PL-D755 camera model uses the USB3.0 communication interface, the Max Theoretical Frame Rate and Max USB3.0 fields are calculated and returned by the Frame Rate Calculator. The Frame Rate Calculator shows that if the PL-D755 is used at the full region of interest (ROI), with pixel format set to Mono/Bayer 8, minimum exposure time, and decimation 1x1 under the normal mode of operation, see Picture 2, the camera will stream with the frame rate of 79.8 fps, and utilize 100% of the USB3.0 bandwidth (from a single USB3.0 host controller). Here, connecting a second PL-D755 camera model with the same settings will limit the output of both cameras. However, if the frame rate of the PL-D755 camera is reduced to 10 fps, see Picture 3, one camera utilizes approximately 12.5% of the total USB3.0 bandwidth. It may then be possible to stream up to 8 of these cameras connected to the same USB3.0 host controller.



Picture 2. PL-D755 camera utilizes 100% of 

USB3.0 bandwidth under normal mode


Picture 3. PL-D755 camera utilizes 12.5% of 

USB3.0 bandwidth under normal mode


Fixed Frame Rate Mode


As the PL-D755 uses the Sony IMX250 sensor, its USB3.0 bandwidth utilization can also be calculated in the Fixed Frame Rate mode of operation. Picture 4 shows that if the PL-D755 camera is set with an ROI of 1280 x 640, pixel format Mono/Bayer 8, minimum exposure time, and decimation 1x1 in Fixed Frame Rate mode, the camera will stream with a frame rate of approximately 249 fps and will utilize approximately 51% of the USB3.0 bandwidth from one USB3.0 host controller.



Picture 4. PL-D755 camera utilizes 51% of 

USB3.0 bandwidth under Fixed Frame Rate mode



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