HawkEye-CXP12: Quad CoaXPress Frame Grabber

HawkEye-CXP12: Quad CoaXPress 12 Frame Grabber

The HawkEye-CXP12 is a high-performance Quad CoaXPress 12 Frame Grabber designed for real-time image acquisition, preprocessing, and compression in demanding multi-camera vision systems. Powered by Altera Arria 10 FPGA technology, it delivers up to 50 Gb/s bandwidth via 4 × CXP-12 links. As a result, it ensures zero frame loss, ultra-low latency, and negligible CPU load, making it ideal for mission-critical applications.

Performance and Real-Time Image Processing

The HawkEye-CXP12 is available as a plug-and-play CoaXPress grabber or as part of a complete system. This full system integrates image acquisition, modular real-time preprocessing, enhancement, and advanced compression IPs (.JPEG, Lossless, Quality+).

Inline enhancement features include:

High Dynamic Range (HDR) – Captures superior details in high-contrast lighting conditions.
White Balance – Maintains color accuracy across variable lighting conditions.
Dynamic Luminance Balance – Preserves consistent brightness under changing illumination.
Gamma Correction – Optimizes brightness and contrast for improved clarity.

Real-time compression with Dynamic ROI delivers:

Extended recording times without compromising quality.
Lower transmission bandwidth for efficient data handling.
Accelerated offline compression, reducing storage needs and post-processing time.

InfiniVision Architecture – Multi-Camera CoaXPress 12 Frame Grabber

Gidel’s InfiniVision architecture addresses key multi-camera challenges, including bandwidth, synchronization, connectivity, and scalability. As a result, the HawkEye-CXP12, Quad CoaXPress 12 Frame Grabber supports up to four CXP-12 links, enabling 1–4 cameras to operate simultaneously with precision.

In addition, a PCIe Gen.3 x8 interface delivers CPU-free, ultra-fast data transfer, while on-board buffers of up to 16 GB boost acquisition stability and real-time image processing. Consequently, users achieve smooth, reliable performance in high-speed, high-resolution systems.

Flexible Operating Modes

The HawkEye-CXP12 can switch between InfiniVision Mode and ProcFG Mode via firmware update:

InfiniVision: Ideal for synchronized multi-camera setups, combining all camera data—even across multiple cards—into a single buffer with support for dynamic resolutions and formats.
ProcFG: Optimized for line-scan cameras, offering fixed frame sizes, pixel formats, and ROI grabbing (uncompressed).

As a result, the HawkEye-CXP12 adapts seamlessly to various workflows, supporting everything from dynamic multi-camera systems that require precise synchronization to streamlined single-camera operations demanding consistent performance.

SDK and Development Tools

The HawkEye-CXP12 is supported by Gidel’s SDK, which includes intuitive GUIs and APIs for streamlined integration. In addition, the ProcVision Suite provides FPGA programming, debugging, and validation tools, enabling rapid customization of data flows, image processing, and compression pipelines. Consequently, developers can create optimized, application-specific solutions faster and with reduced risk.

Why Choose the HawkEye-CXP12 Quad CoaXPress 12 Frame Grabber?

Up to 4 × CXP-12 links for 50 Gb/s bandwidth.
Real-time preprocessing, HDR, white balance, and gamma correction.
Dynamic ROI compression for bandwidth and storage efficiency.
Flexible operating modes to support diverse camera setups.
Advanced SDK and ProcVision Suite for rapid development.

Looking for an Octo CoaXPress-12 Frame Grabber solution? see Proc1C10N-CXP12.
Need an Octo CoaXPress-6 Frame Grabber, refer to Proc10A-CXP6.
For a Jetson-based Quad CoaXPress-12 solution, visit FantoVision40-CXP12 Edge Computer Vision System.
For a Jetson with Quad CXP12 & 10GigE Vision Interfaces, see FantoVision40 Edge Computer Vision System.

Target Applications

Military & Defense
Recording & Streaming Applications
Aerospace (including drones and UAVs)
Medical Imaging
Outdoor Imaging
Sports Analytics
ATE (Automated Test Equipment)
Electron Microscopy
Industrial Inspection & Sorting Machines
Agriculture
Scientific Research

General

Camera Input

4x CoaXPress-12 links
2x CoaXPress-12 links
1x CoaXPress-12 link
PoCXP

CoaXPress Version

CoaXPress 2.1

Camera Input Connectors

4x Micro-BNC

Additional Connectors

VGA15-pin for connecting GPIO's to the bracket
16-pin board-to-board header
JTAG

Supported down-connection speeds

1.25 Gb/s | CXP-1
2.5 Gb/s | CXP-2
3.125 Gb/s | CXP-3
5 Gb/s | CXP-5
6.25 Gb/s | CXP-6
10 Gb/s | CXP-10
12.5 Gb/s | CXP-12

Supported up-connection speeds

20.83 Mbps (CXP-1 to CXP-6)
41.66 Mbps (CXP-10, CXP-12)

Maximum Stream Packet Size

8,192 bytes

Advanced ROI feature

On-the -fly selective ROI acquisition

Image Formats

Mono, Bayer, RGBA (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 bits/color)
RGB (8, 10 and 12 bits/color)

Max Resolution

Horizontal: 16 K pixels (64-bit)
Vertical: 65 K lines

Maximum Acquisition Throughput

40 Gb/s

Compression & Image Enhancements

Compression Options:

Image Enhancements Options:

High Dynamic Range (HDR) correction

For more modular image-processing options - Contact Us

Host Bus

PCIe x8 Gen. 3

On Board Memory

Up to 17 GB

Camera Types

Area
Line Scan

Form Factor

Full-height, single-slot, half-length PCIe card

GPIO

GPIO #1:

4 X RS422 INPUTS
Optional input clk
1x Optocoupler input

GPIO #2:

1 X RS422 INPUTS
2x Opto-coupler inputs
2X 3-30V @ 0.8A outputs
LVTTL IO
12V/1A power supply

GPIO #3 (for board-to-board connection):

12x LVTTL IO (5V TTL tolerant)

Power

5-32W: Depends on user application and FPGA Type

Cooling

Passive cooling | Active cooling (fan)

MTBF

Passive colling:

1.8M hours

Active colling:

HE CXP-48 > 300K hours
HE CXP-16 > 450K hours

Environmental conditions

Temperature

Operating ambient air temperature: 0 – 55° C

Humidity

Continuous Operation: 10 - 80% (non-condensing)
Peak Operation: 10 - 90% (non-condensing)

Environmental Compliance

Modular Real-Time
Image Processing

Gidel FPGA flow can integrate advanced image processing algorithms, including:

Compression encoders: JPEG | Lossless | Quality+
High Dynamic Range (HDR) correction from a single exposure
White Balance – Maintains color accuracy across variable lighting conditions
Dynamic Luminance Balance – Preserves consistent brightness under changing illumination
Morphological operations such as Open/Close using a round structuring element

User FPGA code

Users can integrate their own FPGA code with Gidel’s IPs

For more information, refer to the FPGA Processing tab

Power

PoCXP 32W | PoCXP 42W | PoCXP 52W

CXP Links

1,2 or 4 CXP12

Form Factor

Low profile (Comes without the IO connector)

The HawkEye-CXP12 Frame Grabber is a highly modular solution, designed to be tailored to meet unique application requirements.

Looking to adapt the HawkEye-CXP12 to match your vision?

Contact Our Experts

The HawkEye-CXP12 frame grabber offers two powerful customization paths to meet specific application requirements:

Modular Pre-Configured Features
Gidel provides a range of pre-embedded modules tailored to your specifications—such as real-time compression, HDR, and other advanced features. (See the Options tab for available configurations.)
User-Level FPGA Customization
Leverage Gidel’s development tools and IP libraries to integrate your proprietary FPGA logic and extend the system’s capabilities for acquisition, image processing, and control.

The Gidel ProcVision Suite delivers a complete toolchain for advanced user-level FPGA customization of the data flow, image pipeline, image processing, and more—ensuring optimal performance for your vision or imaging application.

HawkEye-CXP12: FPGA resource comparison

Model	HawkEye-CXP-48	HawkEye-CXP-16
FPGA	Arria 10 480 GX	Arria 10 160 GX
FPGA-ALM	182K	61K
FPGA-M20K	1,431	440
FPGA - 18x19 Multipliers	2,736	312
DRAM A capacity	1 GB	1 GB
DRAM A sustain bandwidth	5.6 GB/s	6.4 GB/s
SoDIMM B capacity	0,4,8,16 GB	-
SoDIMM B sustain bandwidth	9.6 GB/s	-

Grabbers SDK

InfiniVision

Designed for acquisition from a large number of cameras (100+), with an option for embedded real-time compression.

ProcFG

Optimized for line-scan camera acquisition, combining ROI-based grabbing with integrated debugging and analysis tools.

Application Interfaces

GUI Applications

InfiniVision
ProcFG
CameraConfig – Camera discovery and configuration
ggvcon – GigE Vision network configuration

APIs

InfiniVision with supporting examples
ProcFG with supporting examples
Gen<i>Cam GenTL producer libraries compatible with C/C++ compilers
InitCam for developing user Gen<i>Cam camera configuration application
GigE for developing camera network communication applications

Software Compatibility

Third-party software

MVTec Halcon machine vision software
Camera control Gen<i>Cam based application

Operation Systems supported

Windows 11
Windows 10
Windows Server 2022
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2016
Linux (kernel 2.6.x- 6.12)

Please note: Linux version doesn’t include the ProcFG/InfiniVision GUI, just the API.

Documentation

HawkEye-CXP12 Datasheet Open

Gidel HawkEye-CXP12: System Block Diagram

HawkEye-CXP12 Block Diagram Open

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