New Study from Fraunhofer IPMS Demonstrates Superior Performance of IEEE 1394 in Machine Vision Applications
Detailed Review Finds Gigabit Ethernet Hardware Difficult to Integrate and Optimize Compared with IEEE 1394; Report Available on 1394 Trade Association Website
Dallas, Feb. 26, 2008 – A comprehensive comparison of the
performance of the IEEE 1394 standard and Gigabit Ethernet (GigE Vision) in
machine vision applications concludes that 1394 provides easier integration
and optimization, and superior interoperability between systems from different
vendors.
Completed late last year by the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems
in Dresden, Germany, the report was developed for Sony Corporation’s Image
Sensing Solutions Division. It designed to objectively compare the
specifications and performance of GigE Vision with IEEE 1394, the most popular
and commonly used machine vision interconnect standard.
The Fraunhofer IPMS research concluded that 1394b is superior for machine
vision implementations, even though GigE Vision provides higher raw data rates
and maximum cable lengths than 1394b. In addition, GigE Vision lacks 1394’s
quality of service (QoS) guarantees, so it is less efficient in moving
real-time data. GigE Vision also requires significant CPU loading, which
encumbers the host processors in a system, and it requires designers to be
actively involved in low-level configuration tasks, such as setting packet
sizes. In contrast, 1394 lets integrators work with applications programming
interfaces, APIs, at high levels.
The report states that GigE Vision holds theoretical promise for future
applications, but that 1394 is more reliable, easier to integrate, and
provides superior interoperability. In addition, since the completion of the
report, IEEE-1394b now supports long distance connections eliminating the only
significant advantage for GigE Vision reported in the study.
Report Results Also Apply in Automotive, Networking Applications
The 1394 Trade Association views the Fraunhofer IPMS report as confirmation of
1394’s superiority in the industrial instrumentation market, as well as in
other market sectors such as automotive and home networking, according to
James Snider, executive director of the 1394 Trade Association. “The 1394
standard is widely available and a popular choice throughout a broad range of
industrial instrumentation applications, including machine vision,” Snider
said. “This report defines and explains in detail the benefits of 1394 in
these applications. It also identifies important differentiating features for
1394, such as ease-of-use and quality of service, that are critical for
emerging automotive and home networking applications and products.”
The complete report, including summary and methodology, is now available
here.
Now in its 14th year, the 1394 Trade Association is a worldwide organization
dedicated to the advancement and enhancement of the IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
standard. For more information visit www.1394ta.org
Contact:
Dick Davies
415 652 7515
ipra@mindspring.com
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