Blaze¶

The blaze module is a base module which is available on every rc_cube and provides disparity, confidence and error images of a connected Basler blaze camera in an RGB-D setup, i.e. the blaze Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera in combination with the Basler aceA1300 color camera.

After connecting the Basler blaze sensor to the rc_cube, it can take up to about one minute until it is found. Upon first connection of the sensor to the rc_cube, the sensor must be calibrated before it can be used. Calibration can be done through the Web GUI on the page Camera calibration under Configuration in the respective pipeline. After storing the calibration, it will persistently reside on the rc_cube and automatically be used whenever the sensor is connected to the rc_cube again, regardless of the port or pipeline.

The blaze module only runs in camera pipelines of type blaze.

Viewing and downloading images and point clouds¶

The rc_cube provides time-stamped disparity, error, and confidence images over the GenICam interface (see Provided image streams). Live streams of the images are provided with reduced quality on the Depth Image page in the desired pipeline of the Web GUI.

The Web GUI also provides the possibility to download a snapshot of the current scene containing the depth, error and confidence images, as well as a point cloud in ply format as described in Downloading depth images and point clouds.

Parameters¶

The blaze module is called rc_blaze in the REST-API and it is represented by the Depth Image page in the desired pipeline in the Web GUI, when a Basler blaze camera is connected and running in the corresponding pipeline. The user can change the blaze parameters there, or use the REST-API (REST-API interface).

Parameter overview¶

This module offers the following run-time parameters:

Table 8 The `rc_blaze` module’s run-time parameters¶
Name	Type	Min	Max	Default	Description
`acquisition_mode`	string	-	-	Continuous	Acquisition mode: [Continuous, SingleFrame]
`ambiguity_filter`	bool	false	true	true	Ambiguity filter
`ambiguity_filter_threshold`	int32	0	255	204	Ambiguity filter threshold
`exp_value`	float64	0.0001	0.001	0.001	Exposure time of ToF camera
`fill`	int32	0	4	3	Tolerance for hole filling in pixels
`gamma_correction`	bool	false	true	true	Gamma correction
`maxdepth`	float64	0.01	10.0	10.0	Maximum depth in meters
`minconf`	float64	0.0	1.0	0.00488	Minimum confidence
`mindepth`	float64	0.1	10.0	0.1	Minimum depth in meters
`outlier_removal`	bool	false	true	true	Outlier removal
`outlier_removal_threshold`	int32	0	8	5	Outlier removal threshold
`seg`	int32	0	4000	200	Minimum size of valid segments in pixels
`spatial_filter`	bool	false	true	true	Spatial filter
`temporal_filter`	bool	false	true	true	Temporal filter
`temporal_filter_strength`	int32	50	255	200	Temporal filter strength
`thermal_drift_correction`	bool	false	true	true	Thermal drift correction

Description of run-time parameters¶

Each run-time parameter is represented by a row on the Web GUI’s Depth Image page. The name in the Web GUI is given in brackets behind the parameter name and the parameters are listed in the order they appear in the Web GUI:

`exp_value` (Exposure Time)¶

This parameter is the exposure time of the blaze camera in seconds. It controls for how long the photosensitive cells are exposed to light. If the operating mode is changed, the exposure time is set to the recommended default value. Reducing the exposure time may reduce measurement accuracy and is only recommended when the image is overexposed.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?exp_value=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?exp_value=<value>

`acquisition_mode` (Acquisition Mode)¶

The acquisition mode can be set to Continuous (Continuous) or SingleFrame (Single). The first one is the default and continuously provides depth images. In single frame mode, images are only captured when the Acquire button is clicked.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?acquisition_mode=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?acquisition_mode=<value>

`mindepth` (Minimum Distance)¶

The minimum distance is the smallest distance from the camera at which measurements should be possible. The minimum distance is given in meters.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?mindepth=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?mindepth=<value>

`maxdepth` (Maximum Distance)¶

The maximum distance is the largest distance from the camera at which measurements should be possible. Pixels with larger distance values are set to invalid in the disparity image. The maximum distance is given in meters.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?maxdepth=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?maxdepth=<value>

`fill` (Fill-in)¶

This option is used to fill holes in the disparity image by interpolation. The fill-in value is the maximum allowed disparity step on the border of the hole. Larger fill-in values can decrease the number of holes, but the interpolated values can have larger errors. At most 5% of pixels are interpolated. Interpolation of small holes is preferred over interpolation of larger holes. The confidence for the interpolated pixels is set to a low value of 0.5. A fill-in value of 0 switches hole filling off.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?fill=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?fill=<value>

`seg` (Segmentation)¶

The segmentation parameter is used to set the minimum number of pixels that a connected disparity region in the disparity image must fill. Isolated regions that are smaller are set to invalid in the disparity image. Segmentation is useful for removing erroneous disparities. However, larger values may also remove real objects.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?seg=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?seg=<value>

`minconf` (Minimum Confidence)¶

The minimum confidence can be set to filter potentially false disparity measurements. All pixels with less confidence than the chosen value are set to invalid in the disparity image.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?minconf=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?minconf=<value>

`spatial_filter` (Spatial Filter)¶

This parameter enables the spatial noise filter. The spatial noise filter uses the values of neighboring pixels to filter out noise in an image. It is based on the raw data of the image.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?spatial_filter=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?spatial_filter=<value>

`temporal_filter` (Temporal Filter)¶

This parameter enables the temporal noise filter. The temporal noise filter uses the values of the same pixel at different points in time to filter out noise in an image. It is based on the depth data of the image.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?temporal_filter=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?temporal_filter=<value>

`temporal_filter_strength` (Strength)¶

This parameter represents the strength of the temporal filter. The higher the value, the stronger the filter. High values may cause motion artifacts, while low values reduce the efficacy of the filter.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?temporal_filter_strength=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?temporal_filter_strength=<value>

`outlier_removal` (Outlier Removal)¶

This parameter enables the outlier removal filter. It removes pixels that differ significantly from their local environment.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?outlier_removal=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?outlier_removal=<value>

`outlier_removal_threshold` (Threshold)¶

This parameter determines the strength of the outlier removal filter. The higher the value, the more outliers will be removed.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?outlier_removal_threshold=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?outlier_removal_threshold=<value>

`ambiguity_filter` (Ambiguity Filter)¶

This parameter enables the ambiguity filter. The ambiguity filter removes pixels whose depth data is ambiguous. In certain demanding scenes, e.g., because of stray light or multi-path effects, detection may fail. In this case, the filter should be disabled.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?ambiguity_filter=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?ambiguity_filter=<value>

`ambiguity_filter_threshold` (Threshold)¶

This parameter determines the strength of the ambiguity filter. The higher the value, the stronger the filter. Higher values increase the reliability of the filter.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?ambiguity_filter_threshold=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?ambiguity_filter_threshold=<value>

`gamma_correction` (Gamma Correction)¶

This parameter enables gamma correction on the intensity image, which is a nonlinear operation to lighten the dark regions of the image.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?gamma_correction=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?gamma_correction=<value>

`thermal_drift_correction` (Thermal Drift Correction)¶

This parameter activates the correction of the thermal drift.

Via the REST-API, this parameter can be set as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?thermal_drift_correction=<value>
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/parameters?thermal_drift_correction=<value>

Status values¶

This module reports the following status values:

Table 9 The `rc_blaze` module’s status values¶
Name	Description
`fps`	Actual frame rate of the disparity, error, and confidence images. This value is shown in the Web GUI below the image preview as FPS (Hz).
`latency`	Time in seconds between image acquisition and publishing of disparity image
`width`	Current width of the disparity, error, and confidence images in pixels
`height`	Current height of the disparity, error, and confidence images in pixels
`mindepth`	Actual minimum working distance in meters
`maxdepth`	Actual maximum working distance in meters

Services¶

The Blaze module offers the following services.

`acquisition_trigger`¶

Signals the module to acquire a depth image, if the parameter acquisition_mode is set to SingleFrame.

Details
An error is returned if the acquisition_mode is set to Continuous.

This service can be called as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/services/acquisition_trigger
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/services/acquisition_trigger
Request

Response

This service has no arguments.
Possible return codes are shown below.

Table 10 Possible return codes of the acquisition_trigger service call.¶

Code Description

0 Success

-8 Triggering is only possible in SingleFrame acquisition mode

101 Trigger is ignored, because there is a trigger call pending

102 Trigger is ignored, because there are no subscribers

The definition for the response with corresponding datatypes is:
{
  "name": "acquisition_trigger",
  "response": {
    "return_code": {
      "message": "string",
      "value": "int16"
    }
  }
}

`reset_defaults`¶

Restores and applies the default values for this module’s parameters (“factory reset”).

Details
This service can be called as follows.
API version 2

API version 1 (deprecated)
PUT http://<host>/api/v2/pipelines/<0,1,2,3>/nodes/rc_blaze/services/reset_defaults
PUT http://<host>/api/v1/nodes/rc_blaze/services/reset_defaults
Request

Response

This service has no arguments.
The definition for the response with corresponding datatypes is:
{
  "name": "reset_defaults",
  "response": {
    "return_code": {
      "message": "string",
      "value": "int16"
    }
  }
}

Blaze¶

Viewing and downloading images and point clouds¶

Parameters¶

Parameter overview¶

Description of run-time parameters¶

exp_value (Exposure Time)¶

acquisition_mode (Acquisition Mode)¶

mindepth (Minimum Distance)¶

maxdepth (Maximum Distance)¶

fill (Fill-in)¶

seg (Segmentation)¶

minconf (Minimum Confidence)¶

spatial_filter (Spatial Filter)¶

temporal_filter (Temporal Filter)¶

temporal_filter_strength (Strength)¶

outlier_removal (Outlier Removal)¶

outlier_removal_threshold (Threshold)¶

ambiguity_filter (Ambiguity Filter)¶

ambiguity_filter_threshold (Threshold)¶

gamma_correction (Gamma Correction)¶

thermal_drift_correction (Thermal Drift Correction)¶