Parameter Descriptions

This section offers a detailed overview of all image tuning parameters supported by the Percipio Viewer, helping you to better understand and utilize the software.

Device

The following are the settings descriptions for each attribute under the depth camera device components.

TriggerMode

When all data streams are in the off state, set TriggerMode according to actual requirements. For details about the TriggerMode, please refer to Capture and View Data.

Light Source

The following are the functions used for tuning the camera light source.

Auto Ctrl/Power (Laser Auto Control/Intensity Setting)

These parameters are mainly used to turn the laser on or off and adjust the laser’s brightness.

When all data streams are in the off state, set auto ctrl according to actual needs, and then turn on the data streams. The power option is used to set the brightness of the laser. The larger the set value, the brighter the laser.

Laser debugging function

Laser Debugging Function

Note

For details of the start-stop rules for the camera laser, see Laser Settings.

Flashlight (Floodlight)

This feature is used to assist with the online dynamic calibration of the camera.

When both the Left IR Stream and Right IR Stream are on, select ir flashlight enable and set the ir flashlight intensity according to actual needs.

Note

“Flashlight” refers to the floodlight in both the Percipio Viewer software and Camport SDK. For details on floodlight settings, please refer to Floodlight Settings.

Depth Stream

Controls

SGBM Parameters

Adjust SGBM parameters in real-time based on the depth map to optimize the camera’s ranging, accuracy, frame rate and depth map post-processing. Some camera models support SGBM parameters.

Note

The visibility level for SGBM parameters is set to Expert and Guru. Before debugging, click more > API level > Expert/Guru to access the SGBM parameters.

Ranging Performance Related Parameters

  • scale unit

    Sets the unit of the pixel values in the depth map.

    Maximum value of depth data = 65536 * scale unit.

    The smaller the set value, the higher the precision of depth calculation. However, if the set value is too small, it may cause errors in depth calculation.

  • disparity num

    Sets the disparity search range.

    The larger the set value, the greater the measurement range in the Z direction of the camera, but the computing power will increase. It is recommended to set it as a multiple of 16.

  • disparity offset

    Sets the starting value for the disparity search.

    The smaller the set value, the greater the maximum measurement value in the Z direction (Z max), meaning the measurement range is farther. However, the lower limit of the set value is affected by the depth of field.

  • match window height

    Sets the height of the disparity matching window.

    The set value must be an odd number.

  • match window width

    Sets the width of the disparity matching window.

    The set value must be an odd number.

    The larger the disparity matching window ( match window height * match window width ), the smoother the image, but the precision will decrease. The smaller the disparity matching window, the more details the depth map will show, but the probability of incorrect matches will increase.

  • image number

    Sets the number of IR grayscale used for depth calculation.

    The larger the set value, the better the quality of the output depth map, but the frame rate will decrease.

Note

Due to the limited computing power of the camera, there is a constraint between image number and match window height: ( image number + 1) / 2 * match window height < 48.

Edge Smoothing Parameters

  • semi global param p1

    Sets the penalty parameter P1 for disparity changes between neighboring pixels (+/-1).

    The larger the value, the smoother the depth map.

    Adjusting this parameter helps prevent discontinuities or unreasonable depth values, effectively suppressing noise and discontinuities.

  • semi global param p1 scale

    Sets the scaling factor for the penalty parameter P1 for disparity changes between neighboring pixels (+/-1).

    The smaller the value, the smoother the depth map.

  • semi global param p2

    Sets the penalty parameter P2 for disparity changes between surrounding pixels.

    The larger the value, the smoother the depth map. P2 > P1.

    This parameter effectively handles texture-rich areas, reducing the number of mismatches.

  • enable half window size

    Search filter switch.

    Further optimizes the depth map, removing noise and discontinuities, and making the point cloud at object edges more accurate.

  • uniqueness factor param

    Sets the uniqueness check parameter 1, which is the percentage difference between the best match and the second best match.

    The larger the value, the more unique the matching cost, and the more erroneous matches are filtered out.

  • uniqueness min absolute diff

    Sets the uniqueness check parameter 2, which is the absolute difference between the best match and the second-best match.

    The larger the value, the more unique the matching cost, and the more erroneous matches are filtered out.

  • enable LRC

    Left-right consistency check switch.

    After clicking enable LRC, adjust the parameter max LRC diff.

    During stereo matching, for pixels on the same object surface, the disparity from the left image to the right image is denoted as LR, and the disparity from the right image to the left image is denoted as RL. When ABS(LR-RL) < max LRC diff, the point is considered a reliable match.

    The smaller the max LRC diff value, the more reliable the matching result.

Median Filter

  • enable median filter

    Median filter switch. Eliminate isolated noise points while preserving edge information as much as possible.

    After clicking enable median filter, adjust the parameter median filter thresh.

    The larger the value set for median filter thresh, the more noise points will be filtered out, but it may also result in the loss of fine details in the depth map.

Depth Visualization

The following are the image tuning functions for depth map rendering at the software level.

Color Scheme

When the Depth Stream is on, set the Color Scheme.

Color Scheme

Color Scheme

Supports switching between four color schemes: Classic, Autumn, Turbo and Gray. These schemes are used to render the depth map and enhance the visual experience.

Effect diagrams of the four Color Schemes

Effect Diagrams of the Four Color Schemes

Analytical/Optimize

The following are the software-level quality assessment and post-processing functions for depth maps and point clouds.

Analytical Type

Data analysis of depth maps.

When the Depth Stream is on, set the Analytical Type.

  • Select single pixel, the following information is displayed in real-time at the bottom left corner of the depth view:

    • Depth of center : The depth value of the center point of the depth map.

    • Depth of (X,Y) : The depth value of the point indicated by the mouse cursor.

    single pixel

    Single Pixel

  • Select rectangle area, drag with the left mouse button on the depth map to select the region of interest (ROI). The following information is displayed in real-time at the bottom left corner of the depth view:

    • Mean distance of ROI(x1 y1 x2 y2): The average depth value of all points within the ROI.

    • Fit plane distance of ROI(x1 y1 x2 y2): The depth distance from the camera’s optical center to the fitted plane of the ROI.

    • Planarity of ROI(x1 y1 x2 y2): The planarity of the ROI. The more uniform the depth values within the ROI, the smaller the planarity value.

    rectangle area

    Rectangle area

Fill Hole

Fills in missing depth data. When used in conjunction with the Remove Outlier function, it achieves the better depth map.

When the Depth Stream is on, select Fill Hole and adjust the k Size and h Size.

Fill Hole

Fill Hole

Note

If the parameter values for k Size and h Size are set too large, it may cause distortion in the depth map.

Remove Outlier

Reduces outliers and mismatched points in the point cloud.

When the Depth Stream is on, select Remove Outlier and adjust the spk size and spk diff according to the depth map.

If the number of points in a region is less than the spk size setting, the points in that region are considered outliers and will be removed. If the depth difference between adjacent pixels in a region is less than the spk diff setting, the adjacent pixels in that region are considered part of the same outlier.

Remove Outlier

Remove Outlier

Time Domain Filtering

Averages multiple frames of data to remove noise and smooth the point cloud.

When the Depth Stream is on, select Time Domain Filtering and adjust the time-domain frame count according to the point cloud map.

The larger the value set for the time-domain frame count parameter, the smaller the depth value jitter and the smoother the point cloud.

Time Domain Filtering

Time Domain Filtering

Median Filtering

Eliminates isolated noise points while preserving edge information as much as possible.

When the Depth Stream is on, select Median Filtering and adjust the Ksize according to the point cloud map.

Median Filtering

Median Filtering

Color Stream

Controls

The following functions are used for tuning the exposure, brightness levels, and dynamic range of the color image.

Analog Gain

Adjusts the analog gain of the image sensor, optimizes image quality, balances brightness and detail, and reduces noise.

When the Color Stream is on, set the analog gain in real-time according to the image. The higher the set value, the higher the image brightness, but the noise will also increase.

R/G/B Gain

Adjusts the intensity of the red, green, and blue channels in the image to achieve color balance and correction.

When the Color Stream is on, adjust the parameters in real-time according to the color image. The higher the r gain value, the redder the color image. The higher the g gain value, the greener the color image. The higher the b gain value, the bluer the color image.

R/G/B Gain

R/G/B Gain

Note

To set the gain for the r, g, and b channels, you need to first turn off the RgbAWB (automatic white balance) function. Otherwise, the automatic white balance function will conflict with the manually set r, g, and b channel gains, affecting the image quality.

Exposure Time

Controls the exposure time of the image sensor, thereby affecting the brightness and clarity of the image.

When the Color Stream is on, set the exposure time in real-time according to the image. The higher the set value, the higher the image brightness.

AETargetLuminance

Optimizes the color image effect in high-contrast scenes by setting the ideal brightness level of the image.

When the Color Stream is on, adjust the AETargetLuminance in real-time according to the color image. The higher the set value, the higher the image brightness.

AETargetLuminance

AETargetLuminance

RgbAutoExpo

Dynamically adjusts the exposure time and gain of the color image based on the image brightness, thereby avoiding overexposure or underexposure.

When the Color Stream is on, check the RgbAutoExpo .

Effect of Setting RGB Auto ExPosure

Effect of Setting RGB Auto ExPosure

Struct Aec roi

Automatically adjusts the image exposure time and gain based on the brightness of the region of interest (ROI) in the image, achieving better image quality.

Follow these steps to set the struct aec roi function:

  1. When the Color Stream is on, select RgbAutoExpo.

  2. After selecting struct aec roi , use the left mouse button to drag and select the region of interest on the color image.

Effect of Setting Auto Exposure ROI

Effect of Setting Auto Exposure ROI

Note

Once this feature is successfully set, it will remain effective continuously. To restore the original state of the image, you will need to redraw the region of interest (ROI).

RgbAWB

Corrects color deviations caused by different light sources, improving image authenticity and color accuracy.

When the color stream is on, select RgbAWB and choose whether to enable auto white balance as needed.

Before enabling RgbAWB

Post-Processing

The following are the software-level image tuning functions for color images .

Auto ISP

This function is a software-level ISP post-processing for color images. It can convert BAYER images with color casts into color images in the normal color space.

Note

Cameras equipped with a hardware ISP module can output color images in the normal color space without the need for post-processing using the Auto ISP function.

When the Color Stream is on, select Auto ISP to correct BAYER color images with color casts.

Auto ISP

Auto ISP

Undistort EN

Performs distortion correction on the output color images.

When the Color Stream is on, select Undistort EN to obtain distortion-corrected color images.

Before undistort

Left/Right IR Stream

undistort

Performs distortion correction on the output left and right grayscale images.

  1. When the data stream is off, select undistort in either the Left IR Stream or Right IR Stream

  2. Enable the Left IR Stream or Right IR Stream to obtain the distortion-corrected grayscale image.

IR Undistort

Gain/Analog Gain

Adjusts the gain of the image sensor, optimizes image quality, balances brightness and detail, and reduces noise.

When the Left/Right IR Stream is on, set the gain/analog gain in real-time according to the image. The higher the set value, the higher the image brightness, but the noise will also increase.

Note

Simultaneously adjust the gain and analog gain parameters for both the Left IR and Right IR to ensure that the generated depth map has good quality.

Exposure Time

Controls the exposure time of the image sensor, thereby affecting the brightness and clarity of the image.

When the Color Stream or Left/Right IR Stream is on, set the exposure time in real-time according to the image. The higher the set value, the higher the image brightness.

Note

Simultaneously adjust the exposure time parameters for both the Left IR and Right IR to ensure that the generated depth map has good quality.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Optimizes depth imaging in high-contrast scenes. After setting the HDR parameters, you need to adjust the exposure time of the left and right IR to achieve the best depth map quality.

Steps to set up the HDR:

  1. When the Left IR stream and Right IR stream are on , select HDR, set Parameter 1 and Parameter 2, and press the Enter to confirm the settings.

    Note

    The setting range for Parameter 1 and Parameter 2 is 0, 1, 2.

    Set Parameter 1 and Parameter 2

    Set Parameter 1 and Parameter 2

  2. Set the exposure time for the left IR and right IR to achieve the best depth map quality.