ArduCAM Mini is optimized version of ArduCAM shield Rev.C, and is a high definition SPI camera, which reduce the complexity of the camera control interface. It integrates 5MP CMOS image sensor OV5642, and provides miniature size, as well as the easy to use hardware interface and open source code library. The ArduCAM mini can be used in any platforms like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Maple, Chipkit, Beaglebone black, as long as they have SPI and I2C interface and can be well mated with standard Arduino boards. ArduCAM mini not only offers the capability to add a camera interface which doesn’t have in some low cost microcontrollers, but also provides the capability to add multiple cameras to a single microcontroller.
Features
5MP image sensor OV5642
M12 mount or CS mount lens holder with changeable lens options
IR sensitive with proper lens combination
I2C interface for the sensor configuration
SPI interface for camera commands and data stream
All IO ports are 5V/3.3V tolerant
Support JPEG compression mode, single and multiple shoot mode, one time capture multiple read operation, burst read operation, low power mode and etc.
3~10fps video output at low resolution
Well mated with standard Arduino boards
Provide open source code library for Arduino, STM32, Chipkit, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black
Small form of factor
Key Specification
Key Specification
5MP
Image Sensor
OV5642
Active array size
2592×1944
Shutter
rolling shutter
Lens
1/4 inch
SPI speed
8MHz
Frame buffer Size
512KB
Board Size
34 x 24 mm
Weight
25g
Temperature
-10??+55?
Power Consumption
Normal :5V/390mALow power mode: 5V/20mA
Pin Definition
Table 1 ArduCAM Mini Pin Definition
Pin No.
PIN NAME
TYPE
DESCRIPTION
1
CS
Input
SPI slave chip select input
2
MOSI
Input
SPI master output slave input
3
MISO
Output
SPI master input slave output
4
SCLK
Input
SPI serial clock
5
GND
Ground
Power ground
6
+5V
POWER
5V Power supply
7
SDA
Bi-directional
Two-Wire Serial Interface Data I/O
8
SCL
Input
Two-Wire Serial Interface Clock
Block Diagram
Figure 2 shows the block diagram of ArduCAM mini shield which is composed by lens, image sensor and an ArduChip. The lens is changeable and can be mounted by S-mount (M12x0.5) or CS-mount lens holder. The ArduChip uses ArduCAM proprietary third generation camera controller technology which handles the complex camera, memory and user interface hardware timing and provides a user friendly SPI interface.
Functions
Single Capture Mode
Single capture mode is the default capture mode of the camera. After issuing a capture command via SPI port, the ArduCAM will wait for a new frame and buffer the one entire image data to the frame buffer, and then assert the completion flag bit in the register. User only needs to poll the flag bit from the register to check out if the capture is done.
Multiple Capture Mode
Multiple capture mode is advanced capture mode. By setting the number of frames in the capture register, the ArduCAM will capture consequent frames after issuing capture command. Note that number of frames should be set properly and make sure do not exceed the maximum memory space.
JPEG Compression
The JPEG compression function is implemented in the image sensor. With proper register settings to the sensor, user can get different resolution with JPEG image stream output. It is recommended to use JPEG output to get higher resolution than RGB mode, due to the limitation of frame buffer.
Normal Read and Burst Read Operation
Normal read operation reads each image data by sending a read command in one SPI read operation cycle. While burst read operation only need to send a read command then read multiple image data in one SPI read operation cycle. It is recommended to use burst read operation to get better throughput performance.
Rewind Read Operation
Sometimes user wants to read the same frame of image data multiple times for processing, the rewind read operation is designed for this purpose. By resetting the read pointer to the beginning of the image data, user can read the same image data from the start point again.
Low Power Mode
Some battery power device need save power when in the idle status, the ArduCAM offers the low power mode to reduce power consumption, by shutdown the sensor and memory circuits.
Image Sensor Control
Image sensor control function is implemented in the image sensor. By setting proper set of register settings, user can control the exposure, white balance, brightness, contrast, color saturation and etc.
