MARCH 4, 2009--Advanced digital-camera technology provider Point Grey Research (Richmond, BC, Canada; www.ptgrey.com) and IEEE-1394 technology, test tools, and services supplier Quantum Parametrics (QP; Colorado Springs, CO, USA; www.quantumparametrics.com) have announced an agreement under which QP will market, sell, and further develop Point Grey's proprietary FirePRO LDR IEEE-1394 Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) UTP long-haul technology.
The FirePRO LDR technology lets current and potential users of IEEE-1394 (FireWire) take advantage of 1000Base-T (GigE) pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-5) signaling to achieve gigabit transfers at distances up to 100 m with Cat 5e, 6, or 7 cables at a fraction of the cost of optical fiber. The technology was designed to enable the seamless connection of a GigE physical layer (PHY) to one port of an IEEE-1394b PHY with minimal external circuitry. This enhancement, says Point Grey, enables S800 operation over inexpensive UTP cable on one 1394 PHY port while allowing non-FirePRO LDR connectivity on the other PHY ports. This technology may be integrated into hubs and repeaters or directly into devices. It has been integrated by Point Grey into a long-distance repeater.
"FireWire has guaranteed isochronous bandwidth, which is ideal for machine-vision applications requiring multiple cameras streaming with very low latency," says Michael Gibbons, product marketing manager at Point Grey Research. "The FirePRO LDR technology removes the only real advantage -- cable length -- that GigE Vision cameras have over FireWire. We look forward to working with Quantum Parametrics to make the launch of this new technology a success."
"Providing a cost-effective and robust long-haul solution is important as 1394 looks to compete in the industrial marketplace," says Richard Mourn, president of Quantum Parametrics. "Our goal is to make the FirePRO LDR technology widely available and we believe our agreement with Point Grey makes this possible."
QP plans to provide devices (QPLDR11) based on the FirePRO LDR technology to select customers this quarter, with a general release early in 2Q09. Devices will be offered in a 144-pin TQFP with plans to support a 132-ball csBGA later.
-- Posted by Vision Systems Design, www.vision-systems.com
