Stadtroda, Germany, May 6, 2021 – Allied Vision expands its range of Alvium CSI-2 camera series with a high-resolution Alvium 1800 CSI-2 model equipped with high quality Type 1.2 (19.3 mm diagonal) Sony fourth generation IMX540 back-illuminated CMOS sensor with Pregius S global shutter technology.
Together with the high-performance CSI-2 camera Allied Vision releases a new MIPI CSI-2 driver for all NVIDIA Jetson modules including the NVIDIA® Jetson Nano™ 2GB with NVIDIA JetPack™ SDK version 4.4.1. (L4T 32.4.4), a beta driver for JetPack 4.5.1 (L4T 32.5.1) will also be available shortly.
CSI-2 camera with high-quality Sony sensors
The Alvium 1800C-2460 combines a compact sugar cube format with a large high-resolution sensor und thus offers the highest possible resolution within such a small housing. High quantum efficiency, lower readout noise and higher spatial resolution result in excellent image quality with high dynamic range. Because of the decreased pixel size of 2.74µm higher pixel densities (i.e. resolutions) for the same optical format are possible. In addition, Pregius S BSI (Back Side Illuminated) sensors support wider light incidence angles, enabling simpler lens designs with less sensor shading.
Moreover, the 1800 C-2460 and all other Alvium 1800 C camera models now support 10-bit and 12-bit raw pixel formats, for both mono and color raw formats. Offering the highest image quality in terms of bit depth, the cameras deliver more precise image data enabling exact analysis results for demanding applications. The new MIPI CSI-2 driver for NVIDIA Jetson also supports the 10-bit and 12-bit raw pixel formats.
With this new Alvium 1800 C camera Allied Vision introduces a new feature for all CSI-2 camera modules, the so-called exposure active output or flash out signal. The existing two GPIOs of the camera can be set as output signal now. It is mainly used to signal to other devices about the status of an exposure, especially in connection with lighting control. With this new feature in the Alvium CSI-2 camera series, it is possible not only to trigger the camera but also to generate an output signal when the camera is exposing.
Alvium 1800 C-2460 at a glance
| Model | Alvium 1800 C-2460 |
| Sensor | Sony IMX540 |
| Sensor type | CMOS Global shutter |
| Sensor size | Type 1.2 |
| Pixel size | 2.74 μm × 2.74 μm |
| Resolution (H × V) | 24.6 MP, 5328 × 4608 |
| Aspect ratio | 7:6 |
| Framerate | 21 fps (12-bit) |
The Alvium 1800 C-2460 is also available with USB3 interface. Allied Vision is also releasing two more Alvium 1800 USB models with Sony 4th generation IMX sensors: 20.4 MP Alvium 1800 U-2040 with IMX541 and 16.2 MP Alvium 1800 U-1620 with IMX542.
One driver for all Alvium cameras
The new NVIDIA CSI-2 driver for NVIDIA Jetson Nano (4GB and 2 GB), TX2, Xavier NX, and AGX Xavier with Jetpack 4.4.1 supports all current and future Alvium camera modules with MIPI CSI-2 interface, no matter which sensor the camera module uses. With minimal development effort, various cameras can be tested with different sensors, diverse resolution variants of a system can be developed, or existing systems can be upgraded to latest sensors. This not only saves time, but also significantly reduces development costs. Comprehensive documentation and support further facilitate system integration and simplifies prototyping. The one common driver for NVIDIA’s Jetson SoMs is available on https://github.com/alliedvision.
