Introduction
The Arducam OV9281 camera breakout incorporates Omnivision 1/4-inch 1 Mp (1280×800) CMOS digital image sensor which is capable of operating at up to 60fps in 1MP ( 1280×800 ) resolution at 1-lane MIPI mode. The OV9281’s high frame rates make it an ideal solution for low-latency machine vision applications.
The global shutter technology allows you to reduce or eliminate unwanted image artifacts, which occur with traditional rolling shutter image sensors as a result of motion during image capture. The sensor’s global shutter and excellent low-light sensitivity allow it to be used for any application that needs gesture detection, head/eye tracking, and depth and motion detection.
Models in this Series
Currently, there are 4 models in Arducam OV9281 Series. The main difference between them is the sensitivity to infrared and the FOV of the lens.
| SKU | B0225 | B0224 | B0165 | B0162 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Sensitivity | 850±50nm IR | Infrared | Infrared | Visible Light Only |
| IR filter | 850±50nm Narrow Band IR Filter | No IR filter | No IR filter | Built-in 650nm IR cut-off filter |
| FOV | 130°(D) | 130°(D) | 70°(H) | 166°(D) |
- If you operate only in visible light, choose B0162.
- If IR is needed for your application, choose B0224 for a wide field of view or B0165 for a normal field of view.
- If you only need IR, choose B0225 and prepare your 850nm light source.
Wanna a stereo camera?
Arducam 1MP stereo camera dual OV9281 monochrome global shutter camera module is ready for you here.
Common Specs
The following specs applies to all products in this series.
Image sensor
| Sensor Model | OV9281 |
| Shutter Type | Global Shutter |
| Active Pixels | 1280 x 800 |
| Resolution | 1 MP |
| Image Sensor Format | Type 1/4″ |
| Pixel Size | 3μm×3μm |
| Color Filter Array | None(Monochrome) |
Lens
| SKU | B0225 | B0224 | B0165 | B0162 |
| Interchangeability | Not Interchangeable | Interchangeable | Interchangeable | Not Interchangeable |
| F/NO | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| Focus Type | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus | Manual Focus |
| Focusing Range | 30 mm~infinity | 30 mm~infinity | 30 mm~infinity | 30 mm~infinity |
| Effective Focal Length(EFL) | 2.4 mm | 2.4 mm | 2.8 | 0.83 |
| Field of View(FoV) | 130°×110°×90°(D×H×V) | 130°×110°×90°(D×H×V) | 70°(H) | 166°(D) |
Camera Board
| Camera Board Size | 40×40 mm |
| Pin No. | Pin Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | Power | 3.3V Power |
| 2 | FSIN | Input | Frame Sync Input |
| 3 | GND | Ground | Ground |
Connector & Cable
| Camera Connector | MIPI CSI-2 15pin |
| Cable Length | 80mm (22-pin), 150mm(15-22pin) |
| Pin # | Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GND | Ground | Power Ground |
| 2 | CAM_D0_N | Output | Pixel Data Lane0 Negative |
| 3 | CAM_D0_P | Output | Pixel Data Lane0 Positive |
| 4 | GND | Ground | Power Ground |
| 5 | CAM_D1_N | Output | Pixel Data Lane1 Negative |
| 6 | CAM_D1_P | Output | Pixel Data Lane1Positive |
| 7 | GND | Ground | Power Ground |
| 8 | CAM_CK_N | Output | Pixel Clock Output Form Sensor Negaitive |
| 9 | CAM_CK_P | Output | Pixel Clock Output Form Sensor Positive |
| 10 | GND | Ground | Power Ground |
| 11 | CAM_D2_N | Output | Pixel Data Lane2 Negative |
| 12 | CAM_D2_P | Output | Pixel Data Lane2 Positive |
| 13 | GND | Ground | Power Ground |
| 14 | CAM_D3_N | Output | Pixel Data Lane3 Negative |
| 15 | CAM_D3_P | Output | Pixel Data Lane3 Positive |
| 16 | GND | Ground | Power Ground |
| 17 | POWER-EN | Input | Power Enable |
| 18 | LED-EN | I/O | LED Enable/XCLK |
| 19 | GND | Ground | Power Ground |
| 20 | SCL | Input | SCCB serial interface clock input |
| 21 | SDA | I/O | SCCB serial interface data I/O |
| 22 | VCC | Power | 3.3V Power Supply |
Driver Performance (With Official V4L2 Driver)
| Picture Format | RAW/JPEG/H.264 |
| Video Format | |
| Output Interface | 2-lane MIPI serial output |
| Output Formats | 8/10-bit BW RAW |
| Maximum Frame Rates | 120fps |
Hardware Setup
NOTE
Please shut your Pi down and disconnect it from the power supply before connecting the camera module.
For Standard Raspberry Pi Models with 15-pin connector
- Locate the camera port (CSI). It’s between the HDMI and audio port of the Raspberry Pi board.
- Pull up on the plastic edges. Do it gently to avoid pulling it off.
- Push in the camera ribbon. Make sure the silver contacts are facing the HDMI port. Do not bend the flex cable, and make sure it’s firmly inserted.
- Push the plastic connector down. Do it while holding the flex cable until the connector is back in place.
For Raspberry Pi Zero and Compute Module with 22-pin connector
- Remove the default gold ribbon cable
- Push in the white ribbon cable to the camera board’s connector
- Connect the Module to the Raspberry Pi Zero/Compute Module
Software Setup
Check your firmware support
OV9281 is not native to the Raspberry Pi kernel, so it is not supported in the older firmware. Please first confirm whether you are on a proper firmware.
- Open your Terminal with
CTRL+ALT+T - In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enter:
ls /boot/overlays/ov9281.dtbo
If you get a successful result like the following picture, then you are good to go.
I get error no such file or directory?
If you get no such file or directory, please first double check whether you’ve typed the wrong command.
If not, then update your firmware with the following commands.
- In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enterline by line:
sudo apt update sudo apt full-upgrade sudo reboot
Enable OV9281 overlay for your Raspberry Pi
We will edit the config.txt to enable the OV9281 overlay.
- In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enter:
sudo nano /boot/config.txt
Edit config.txt to add OV9281 overlay.
- Use
↓to navigate to the bottom of the config.txt file, and - Add the following line to it as the picture shows.
dtoverlay=ov9281
Save the change and exit.
- Press
Ctrl+oto save the changes, then hitEnter - Press
Ctrl+xto exit.
After you exit Nano, go back to the Terminal and reboot so the changes can take effect.
- In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enter:
sudo reboot
Check your camera device
You can list the video device node to test whether your Raspberry Pi sees this camera module.
- Open your Terminal with
CTRL+ALT+T - In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enter:
ls /dev/video0
My RPi does not list the device?
If your Raspberry Pi does not list the device, make sure you have:
- Gone through the steps above, and then
- Double-check the cable connection, especially the orientation of the contacts on the cable and connector.
If the problems still exist after your troubleshooting, please:
- Contact Arducam with your order number included.
To take a step further, you can use the following command to know the camera runs well.
- In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enter: - If you get successful results, press
Ctrl+Cto stop the program.
v4l2-ctl --stream-mmap --stream-count=-1 -d /dev/video0 --stream-to=/dev/null
Preview the Camera Feed
We will use yavta to preview the camera feed. yavta stands for “Yet Another V4L2 Test Application”.
We need to clone yavta and then compile it.
- In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enterline by line:
git clone https://github.com/6by9/yavta.git cd yavta make
Preview the video feed in UYUV format.
- In your Terminal, type the following command then hit
Enter: - After you’ve done with the preview, hit
Ctrl+Cto exit.
./yavta --capture=1000 -n 3 --encode-to=file.h264 -f UYVY -m -T /dev/video0
Use OV9281 with Arducam Userland MIPI Camera Driver
Downloading the latest library here https://github.com/ArduCAM/MIPI_Camera.git
Then follow the user guide https://www.arducam.com/docs/cameras-for-raspberry-pi/mipi-camera-modules/camera-userland-driver-sdk-and-examples/
