Hardware and Software

Hardware

The leanXcam is a smart camera. It contains a Blackfin-DSP processor, which can process and analyse image data directly, making it possible to operate without a PC. The camera sensor itself supplies images in 752x480 resolution, with up to 60 images per second. Communication with the outside world is via Ethernet or directly via I/Os on the camera.

Please consult the fact sheet (PDF, German) and the data sheet (PDF, English) for details of hardware equipment. Schematics, layout and BOM are available from the download section. Please contact us if you require the data in electronic form.

Operating system

The leanXcam runs with the freely available operating system μClinux. This enables it to benefit from a huge number of standard programmes (web servers etc.).

U-Boot, which is also available under open-source license, is used as boot loader. Both projects are maintained and developed by blackfin.uclinux.org. The download section describes where current binary files can be acquired.

Development environment

The OSCar (Open-Source Camera) Software Framework, which abstracts the hardware of the leanXcam and makes available simple functions for use by the developer, is included to simplify start-up and to keep development work as minimal as possible. This library of programs is also freely available together with the source code (LGPL license model) and is constantly expanded as the result of community contributions. In this way, everyone can benefit from team input.

Included in the scope of supply of the leanXcam is a DVD with the development environment, including software framework and sample programmes. This runs on what is already a fully constituted Linux virtual machine. So you don’t have to first spend time installing and preparing, but can start straight away.

Screenshots of development environment, live view in the browser and maintenance tool: