VOXL2 / Starling 2 compatible color global shutter camera for low-motion-blur imaging at 1 m/s

[j-angel]

Hi ModalAI team,

We are using a VOXL2 / Starling 2 platform. Currently we use the M0166 AR0144 tracking camera, which works well because it is global shutter, but our module is monochrome.

We would like to collect RGB/color images while moving at around 1 m/s. The issue is that rolling-shutter color cameras such as IMX412/IMX664 can show motion blur unless exposure is very short and lighting is strong.

Is there any VOXL2-compatible color global shutter camera module available or recommended?

Specifically:

1. Is there an AR0144 color global shutter module compatible with VOXL2?
2. Is it supported by voxl-camera-server and MPA as an RGB output pipe?
3. Is it compatible with the M0173 adapter used on Starling 2?
4. If not officially available, is there any recommended camera module, sensor, or integration path for color + global shutter on VOXL2?
5. Would the AR0144 color Bayer output be supported with CPU debayering or MISP, similar to the RGB output discussed in this thread?
6. Are there known limitations in FPS, resolution, exposure control, or CPU load when using AR0144 color as RGB?

Our use case is downward-facing perception and dataset collection at approximately 1 m/s, where we need color information while minimizing motion blur.

Thanks!

[Alex Kushleyev]

@j-angel ,

We had a small batch of color AR0144, but those have run out and due to low demand, we do not have any stock.

I would like to clarify something. Motion blur is present when using any camera (global shutter or rolling shutter). Global shutter cameras also have exposure control and long exposure times will cause motion blur.

I think what you may be referring to, which is different in rolling shutter cameras (compared to global shutter), is the rolling shutter skew. Rolling shutter cameras use a technique where the start of exposure of each image row is offset slightly, so each row is essentially exposed over a different time frame. The offset is usually very small (4-30 microseconds per line, depends on the camera, mode), but from top to bottom, the rolling shutter effect can add up and be visible when there are moving features in the scene.

The fastest rolling shutter camera we have right now is IMX412 and in the 2x2 binning mode, the 1920x1080 resolution, the total frame readout time is 4ms. (https://docs.modalai.com/camera-video/low-latency-video-streaming/#camera-pipeline-latency-in-different-operating-modes). This means that the difference of the center of exposure between the first and last image row is 4ms.

Considering the information above, 4ms can seem a lot, but keep in mind that is the time delay across the whole image. depending on the size of features, the rolling shutter effect across a smaller image area will be smaller. Using the height of 1080, we can compute the time offset for each line, 4ms / 1080 ~ 4us.

Depending on the size of features that are being tracked, the rolling shutter may not create a lot of local skew. Additionally, the camera timing is deterministic, so it is possible to calculate the time offset of the center of exposure of each line (with respect to the first line). If you want to provide some more details on type of perception, I could provide more guidance.

Unfortunately, right now, we do not have a color global shutter camera option.

Alex