# Camera USB This function block connects to USB cameras attached to your computer and provides live frames for processing or visualization. Use it to select a camera, change resolution, and control when the camera is active or released. ## đŸ“Ĩ Inputs (sockets) `Activate Signal` — Boolean input to enable frame retrieval. When not active, the block will hold and return the last captured frame. `Release Signal` — Boolean input to stop and release the camera resource. ## 📤 Outputs (sockets) `Camera Frame` — Live frame image from the selected USB camera. ## 🕹ī¸ Controls `Scan Connected USB Cameras` — Button to discover and list USB cameras attached to the system. `Select USB Camera` — Dropdown to pick which connected camera to use. `Camera Resolution` — Dropdown to choose a target capture resolution supported by the camera. `Current Resolution` — Read-only label that shows the resolution currently used by the camera. `Open Advanced Setting` — Button that opens the camera vendor settings window (when available on the platform). ## đŸŽ¯ Key features * Easy discovery and selection of multiple USB cameras. * On-the-fly resolution selection with visible current resolution. * Activate/release control to free camera for other apps. * Protection against corrupted or blank frames with automatic retries. * Works well as a live image source for downstream processing or saving workflows. ## 📝 How to use 1. Click the `Scan Connected USB Cameras` button to populate the camera list. 2. Choose the desired camera from `Select USB Camera`. 3. Optionally change `Camera Resolution` and verify the `Current Resolution` label. 4. Send `Activate Signal` (true) to start receiving frames on `Camera Frame`. 5. When finished, send `Release Signal` (true) to free the camera resource. ## ⚙ī¸ What happens when it runs When activated, the block captures the latest frame from the selected USB camera and outputs it through `Camera Frame`. If the camera fails or frames appear blank, the block will attempt to recover and will inform you via the message area and status indicators. ## 💡 Tips and Tricks * Preview live output by connecting `Camera Frame` to the `Show Image` block to inspect frames and open the image viewer. * Reduce workload before heavy AI blocks by adding an `Image Resizer` or `Image Resize` block to downscale frames. * Improve visual quality for detection tasks by inserting `Adjust Colors`, `Auto Contrast`, or `Denoising` before AI detectors. * Combine with `Image ROI Select` to crop a specific region and speed up downstream detectors like `Object Detection` or `Mask Detection`. * Save important frames using `Image Logger` or record continuous footage with `Record Video`. * For text extraction workflows, feed frames into `OCR` or `OCR (EasyOCR)` after ensuring clear focus and contrast. * Use `Blur` or `Image Threshold` to preprocess noisy scenes before `Find Object` or other template-based detectors. * If you plan to run cloud or remote logging, pair the camera source with `Image Logger` or `CSV Export` to store metadata along with frames. ## 🛠ī¸ Troubleshooting * No cameras listed: Ensure the camera is connected and powered. Try reconnecting the USB cable or switching ports, then press `Scan Connected USB Cameras` again. * Camera busy or cannot start: Close other applications that may be using the camera and try releasing then re-scanning. * Blank or corrupted frames: Try selecting a different resolution via `Camera Resolution` or press the scan button to restart the camera. If the problem persists, unplug and replug the camera. * Advanced settings not available: Platform limitations may prevent showing vendor settings; check platform-specific notes or use the camera's external utility. If problems persist, try combining the camera with a simple preview using `Show Image` to isolate whether the issue is hardware or a downstream processing block. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.augelab.com/function-blocks/input-output/image-inputs/camera-usb.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.