Xtium-CL MX4 User's Manual Camera Link Interface • 116Camera Link InterfaceCamera Link OverviewCamera Link is a communication interface for vision applications developed as an extension ofNational Semiconductor's Channel Link technology. The advantages of the Camera Link interfaceare that it provides a standard digital camera connection specification, a standard datacommunication protocol, and simpler cabling between camera and frame grabber.The Camera Link interface simplifies the usage of increasingly diverse cameras and high signalspeeds without complex custom cabling. For additional information concerning Camera Link, seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Link.Rights and TrademarksNote: The following text is extracted from the Camera Link Specification 1.1 (January 2004).The Automated Imaging Association (AIA), as sponsor of the Camera Link committee, owns theU.S. trademark registration for the Camera Link logo as a certification mark for the mutual benefitof the industry. The AIA will issue a license to any company, member or non-member, to use theCamera Link logo with any products that the company will self-certify to be compliant with theCamera Link standard. Licensed users of the Camera Link logo will not be required to credit the AIAwith ownership of the registered mark.Data Port SummaryThe Camera Link interface has three configurations. A single Camera Link connection is limited to28 bits requiring some cameras to have multiple connections or channels. The naming conventionsfor the three configurations are:• Base: Single Channel Link interface, single cable connector• Medium: Two Channel Link interface, two cable connectors• Full: Three Channel Link interface, two cable connectorsA single Camera Link port is defined as having an 8-bit data word. The "Full" specification supportseight ports labeled as A to H.
