Astra S36 Stereo Camera

Overview

The S36 is a stereo camera specifically engineered for embodied intelligence applications. It features dual 3MP High Dynamic Range (HDR) sensors and achieves an overall IP65 protection rating, making it adaptable to both indoor and outdoor robotic environments. The module is equipped with a 6-axis IMU sensor and boasts a human-like 60mm baseline, integrated with wide-angle lenses that provide a 120° Horizontal Field of View (HFOV). It utilizes a high-precision stereo Active Alignment (AA) process to ensure superior optical axis consistency.

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Key Features and Application

Features:
• GMSL2 Stable Serial Interface
• High Dynamic Range (HDR)
• Stereo Trigger Synchronization
• Integrated 6-axis IMU
• H120° Ultra Wide-Angle
• 60mm Human-eye Baseline

Application:
• Humanoid Robots
• Robot Dog
• Robotic Arm
• Deep Computing

Getting Started

Specifications

Parameter	Specification
QTY Of Sensor	2
Resolution	3840(H) × 1536 (V) 3840(H) × 1080 (V)
Frame Rate	1920 (H) × 1536 (V) @30FPS 1920 (H) × 1080 (V) @60FPS
Shutter	Rolling shutter
Recommended Working Distance	0.4m~8m
Output Format	YUV422
Baseline	60 mm
Color / Mono	Color sensor
HDR support	140dB
IMU	BMI088
Camera Interface	GMSL2
Power Supply	9 ~ 16 VDC
Current	< 250mA
Connector	Amphenol (Z Type Fakra)
Operating Temp	-40~+85°C
Active speckle projector	No
Dimensions	W: 30mm, L:84mm, H:35.8mm
Ingress Protection	IP65
Weight	< 200g

Dimensions

Hardware Overview

Block Diagram

IMU Configuration Note

IMU： BMI088 (6-axis IMU)
The camera is equipped with a 6-axis IMU sensor, which provides accurate orientation and motion tracking information.

I2C Address Information

Component	Parameter	Value
Serializer	Model	MAX9295D
	I2C Address	0x80 (8bit address)
	GMSL Rate	GMSL2 (6G bps)
Sensor-1	I2C Address	0x34 (8bit address)
	Frame Sync	Controlled by MAX9295D MFP7
	Reset	Controlled by MAX9295D MFP3
	Data Type	YUV 422
Sensor-2	I2C Address	0x36 (8bit address)
	Frame Sync	Controlled by MAX9295D MFP7
	Reset	Controlled by MAX9295D MFP8
	Data Type	YUV 422

Lens Options

Resolution	HFOV	VFOV	F.No	EFL (mm)	DOF
Sensor1 -1920(H) × 1536 (V) Sensor2 -1920(H) × 1536 (V)	120°	92°	2.0	3mm	0.4m~8
Sensor1 -1920(H) × 1080 (V)	120°	63°	2.0	3mm	0.4m~8

Employing Camera

1. Adaptation to NVIDIA® Jetson™ platform

Step 1: Installation Steps

Quick Setup

Connect the S36 stereo camera to the SG10A-AGON-G2M-A1 board using the coaxial cable
Mount the SG10A-AGON-G2M-A1 board onto the Jetson AGX Orin module
S36 stereo camera Connect the power supply
SG10A-AGON-G2M-A1 board Connect the power supply
Power on the system

Step 2: Software Preparation

SDK Download

-Select the appropriate driver package based on your camera type and JetPack version:

-Copy the full link address to DownGit to download

NO.	JetPack Version	Camera	NVIDIA Jetson Devices	Adapter Board	Download Link
1	JP6.2	S36 stereo camera	Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit	SG10A-AGON-G2M-A1	Download

JetPack Versions

NVIDIA JetPack (Jetpack 5.1.2 or Jetpack 6.0 ) is the official software development kit (SDK) for the Jetson series of development boards. It includes the operating system, drivers, CUDA, cuDNN, TensorRT, and other development tools and libraries. Each JetPack version typically corresponds to a specific Jetson Linux version (formerly known as L4T - Linux for Tegra).

36.4.3: L4T R36.4.3 (Jetpack 6.2)
36.4: L4T R36.4 (Jetpack 6.1)
36.3: L4T R36.3 (Jetpack 6.0)
35.4.1: L4T R35.4.1 (Jetpack 5.1.2)

For more information, visit NVIDIA's official Jetson Download Center.

2. Camera Integration with Customer's Self-developed Platform

For customers with their own deserializer who want to adapt our camera (serializer) to their platform, detailed technical coordination is required.

The diagram illustrates the communication architecture between a camera and controller system. It shows how data flows from the Sensor/ISP through the Serializer on the Camera side, across to the Deserializer and SOC on the Controller side. The system utilizes Fsync signals for synchronization and MFP7 interfaces for control. This architecture is essential for proper integration of SENSING cameras with customer-developed platforms.

Step 1: Link Register initialization

SENSING will provide:

Serializer and Deserializer Configuration
- Register configuration for the camera module-Getting Camera Information
- I2C communication protocol details
Link Status Troubleshooting Guide
- Link training parameters
- Error detection settings

tip

Please refer to the software flow and demo code below to develop your driver code.

Software Development

Driver Development:

/* Example code for MAX9296 I2C initialization */
#define MAX9296_I2C_ADDR 0x90 // 8-bit address

int max9296_init() {
    // Initialize I2C bus
    i2c_init();
    
    // disable MIPI output
    i2c_write(MAX9296_I2C_ADDR, 0x0313, 0x00);
    delay_ms(100);
    // Configure link settings for GMSL2 (6Gbps)
    i2c_write(MAX9296_I2C_ADDR, 0x0001, 0x02);

    // Configure linkA and linkB settings for GMSL2 selection (default value)
    i2c_write(MAX9296_I2C_ADDR, 0x0006, 0xC0);
    
    // Configure MIPI rate 1200Mbps
    i2c_write(MAX9296_I2C_ADDR, 0x0320, 0x2C); 
    
    // enable MIPI output
    i2c_write(MAX9296_I2C_ADDR, 0x0313, 0x02);
    
    return 0;
}

Camera Configuration:

/* Example code for   initialization */

#define MAX9295_I2C_ADDR 0x80 // 8-bit address

int camera_init() {
    // Initialize deserializer first
    max9296_init();
    
    // Reset ISP through MAX9295A
    i2c_write(0x80, 0x02BE, 0x10); // MFP0 high
    // 
    i2c_write(0x80, 0x0057, 0x12); 
    i2c_write(0x80, 0x005B, 0x11); 
    //  Configure datatype  YUV422 8bit
    i2c_write(0x80, 0x0318, 0x5E); 

    //  camera trigger  MFP7  low to  high
    i2c_write(0x80, 0x02D3, 0x00); // MFP7 low
    delay_ms(300);
    i2c_write(0x80, 0x02D3, 0x10); // MFP7 high

    return 0;
}

Integration Steps

BSP Integration:
- Modify the device tree to include the CSI interface configuration
- Add camera driver to kernel build configuration
- Configure media controller pipeline for the camera
Application Development:

/* Example code for capturing camera frames */
#include "camera_api.h"

int main() {
    // Open camera device
    int fd = open("/dev/video0", O_RDWR);
    if (fd < 0) {
        perror("Failed to open camera device");
        return -1;
    }
    
    // Configure video capture format
    struct v4l2_format fmt = {0};
    fmt.type = V4L2_BUF_TYPE_VIDEO_CAPTURE;
    fmt.fmt.pix.width = 1920;
    fmt.fmt.pix.height = 1536;
    fmt.fmt.pix.pixelformat = V4L2_PIX_FMT_UYVY;
    
    if (ioctl(fd, VIDIOC_S_FMT, &fmt) < 0) {
        perror("Failed to set format");
        close(fd);
        return -1;
    }
    
    // Request and map buffers
    // ... (buffer setup code) ...
    
    // Start streaming
    // ... (streaming code) ...
    
    // Capture and process frames
    // ... (frame processing code) ...
    
    // Cleanup
    close(fd);
    return 0;
}

Step 2: Data Processing

After receiving the module data through the MIPI CSI interface:

Data Reception
- MIPI CSI-2 protocol implementation
- Data rate configuration
Image Processing
- YUV422 data parsing
- Image format conversion
- Display configuration

Technical Support

Documentation
- Detailed register descriptions
Engineering Support
- Technical consultation
- Debug assistance
- Performance optimization

tip

SENSING Technology provides technical support for integration with most platforms. For detailed documentation, sample code, and technical assistance, please contact our support team.

Overview​

Key Features and Application​

Getting Started​

Specifications​

Dimensions​

Hardware Overview​

Block Diagram​

I2C Address Information​

Lens Options​

Employing Camera​

1. Adaptation to NVIDIA® Jetson™ platform​

Step 1: Installation Steps​

Step 2: Software Preparation​

2. Camera Integration with Customer's Self-developed Platform​

Step 1: Link Register initialization​

Software Development​

Integration Steps​

Step 2: Data Processing​

Technical Support​