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RoveSoCameraServer Software C++

C++ stack for streaming and managing multiple camera feeds on RoveSoCameraServer_Hardware, with virtual testing support.

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Introduction

RoveSoCameraServer_Software is the dedicated software stack for operating the RoveSoCameraServer_Hardware. It supports streaming from multiple camera feeds and provides robust tools for managing camera inputs and outputs. For testing purposes, this software is compatible with v4l2loopback on Linux, allowing for virtual camera simulation on non-hardware setups.

API Documentation

Our documentation is automatically generated via Doxygen on each commit to the development branch. Ensure you use the correct documentation templates to keep the documentation consistent.

Click here for full API documentation.

Features

• Integrates seamlessly with RoveSoCameraServer_Hardware.
• Supports simultaneous streaming from multiple cameras.
• Easily configurable for streaming unique feeds to each camera.
• Virtual testing support using v4l2loopback on Linux.

Requirements

• Operating System: Ubuntu (tested on 24.04+)
• Hardware: RoveSoCameraServer_Hardware (for production use)
• Testing Dependencies (optional):
  • v4l2loopback for creating virtual cameras.
  • ffmpeg for streaming media files to virtual devices.

Installation

Install v4l2loopback (For Testing Only)

For testing purposes, you can install v4l2loopback using either the standard package or from the source on GitHub to increase the maximum number of virtual devices.

Installing from the Ubuntu Package (Up to 8 Devices)

1. Update package lists and install v4l2loopback:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install v4l2loopback-dkms v4l2loopback-utils

2. Load v4l2loopback with up to 8 virtual devices:

   sudo modprobe v4l2loopback devices=8 video_nr=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 exclusive_caps=1

Installing v4l2loopback from GitHub with Increased Device Limit

To support more than 8 virtual devices, follow these steps to install v4l2loopback from source and modify the maximum device limit:

1. Clone the v4l2loopback GitHub repository:

   git clone https://github.com/umlaeute/v4l2loopback.git
   cd v4l2loopback

2. Open v4l2loopback.c in a text editor and modify the maximum device limit:

   nano v4l2loopback.c

3. Find the line that defines VIDEO_MAX_DEVICES, which usually looks like this:

   #define VIDEO_MAX_DEVICES 8

4. Change 8 to 10 (or any other desired limit):

   #define VIDEO_MAX_DEVICES 10

5. Save and close the file.

6. Build and install v4l2loopback:

   make
   sudo make install
   sudo depmod -a

7. Load v4l2loopback with 10 virtual devices:

   sudo modprobe v4l2loopback devices=10 video_nr=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 exclusive_caps=1

Install ffmpeg (For Testing Only)

Install ffmpeg if not already installed:

sudo apt install ffmpeg

Setup

1. Clone the RoveSoCameraServer_Software repository:

   git clone --recurse-submodules -j8 https://github.com/MissouriMRDT/RoveSoCameraServer_Software.git
   cd RoveSoCameraServer_Software

2. Prepare your media files (for testing purposes):

   • Store images or videos you want to stream in a dedicated folder, such as media/.
   • Ensure they are named sequentially, e.g., image0.jpg, image1.jpg, etc., for easy configuration.

Usage

Running on RoveSoCameraServer_Hardware

To deploy and run RoveSoCameraServer_Software on RoveSoCameraServer_Hardware, follow the specific hardware configuration instructions provided in the hardware documentation.

Testing with v4l2loopback

If RoveSoCameraServer_Hardware is unavailable, you can simulate streams on Linux using v4l2loopback and ffmpeg.

Starting the Camera Streams

To stream images to each virtual camera:

nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image0.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video0 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image1.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video1 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image2.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video2 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image3.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video3 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image4.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video4 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image5.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video5 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image6.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video6 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image7.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video7 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image8.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video8 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
nohup ffmpeg -re -loop 1 -i media/image9.jpg -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video9 > /dev/null 2>&1 &

Repeat for each virtual camera, modifying the image and device as needed.

Verifying Streams

Use ffplay to verify each virtual camera:

ffplay /dev/video0

Stopping the Streams

To stop all ffmpeg processes:

killall ffmpeg

Troubleshooting

• Empty Streams: Ensure ffmpeg is configured with -vf format=yuv420p, as v4l2loopback may require specific formats.
• Device Limitations: v4l2loopback may limit the number of devices. Modify settings as needed for testing.

License

This project is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License. See the LICENSE file for details.