Integrating KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP on Jetson Orin Nano/NX using AstrOptix AI Platform
High-Performance 1080p60 Global Shutter Low-Latency Video for AI & Embedded Vision
Discover the AstrOptix AI Carrier Board with onboard LVDS to MIPI CSI-2 Conversion, designed to seamlessly integrate the KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP 40× optical zoom Global Shutter block camera with NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano / NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX platforms. Enable 1080p60 ultra-low-latency video streaming, real-time AI processing, and robust multi-protocol camera control — all in a compact, production-ready embedded solution.
Introduction
Integrating industrial LVDS block cameras with embedded AI systems traditionally required external bridge boards, complex wiring, and custom drivers. The AstrOptix AI Carrier Board eliminates this complexity by integrating onboard LVDS to MIPI CSI-2 conversion, allowing direct connection of KT&C LVDS block cameras to Jetson platforms.
What this means:
- No external bridge hardware
- Reduced latency and improved signal integrity
- Simplified deployment for production systems
- Native-like camera behavior on Jetson
- Global Shutter advantage for motion-critical applications
This makes the platform ideal for:
- ALPR / ANPR systems
- UAVs & drone inspection
- Machine vision & metrology
- Smart surveillance
- Industrial inspection
- Robotics
Onboard LVDS to MIPI CSI-2 Conversion
The AstrOptix AI Carrier Board converts the KT&C camera's LVDS video stream directly into MIPI CSI-2 D-PHY output — fully optimized for Jetson.
Key Technical Features
- Supports High-Speed (HS) and Low-Power (LP) MIPI signaling
- Integrated CSI-2 packetization (ECC & CRC)
- 4-lane MIPI CSI-2 output
- Fixed output: 1080p @ 60fps
- Ultra-low latency pipeline
- Reduced EMI and improved reliability (onboard conversion vs external cables)
YouTube Video
KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP Camera Block Integration
The KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP is a high-performance Global Shutter block camera designed for industrial, surveillance, and machine vision applications.
Camera Features
- 1/2.9" Progressive Scan Global Shutter CMOS sensor
- 40× optical zoom
- Native 1080p@60fps LVDS output
- Global Shutter — eliminates motion blur and rolling shutter artifacts
- Excellent low-light performance (0.01 Lux)
Combined with the AstrOptix AI Carrier Board, the KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP behaves like a native MIPI CSI-2 device, enabling zero-latency computer vision pipelines on Jetson.
Custom V4L2 Driver for Jetson Orin Nano/NX
AstrOptix provides a custom V4L2 driver that registers the onboard conversion pipeline as a media sub-device on Jetson.
Driver Capabilities
- Device Tree Overlay for media graph creation
- LVDS → UYVY formatted output
- videobuf2-DMABUF for zero-copy streaming
- Automatic MIPI link detection
- Exposes standard Linux node: /dev/video0
Camera exposure and gain are configured via VISCA or Pelco presets before runtime for consistent AI inference results.
Camera Control Overview
The carrier board includes I2C-to-UART control, enabling Jetson to send control commands to the KT&C camera.
Control Flow
- Jetson Orin Nano / NX
- I2C Interface
- Onboard I2C-to-UART Controller (Carrier Board)
- UART RS232-TTL (PELCO-D/P, VISCA)
- KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP Camera Block
Multi-Protocol Support
The KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP supports multiple control protocols via UART RS232-TTL:
- VISCA — Sony standard protocol
- Pelco-D — widely used in surveillance systems
- Pelco-P — extended Pelco protocol
This architecture ensures:
- Parallel video + control operation
- No added latency
- Stable real-time performance
- Flexible integration with existing control systems
Supported Camera Controls
Optical & Image Controls
- Optical zoom (tele / wide / absolute positioning)
- Digital zoom enable / disable
- Focus control (auto / manual / one-push)
- Iris control
- Gain adjustment
- Shutter speed control
Exposure & Image Quality
- Auto / manual exposure
- Wide Dynamic Range (WDR)
- Noise reduction (3D-DNR)
- White balance modes
- Low-light enhancement
- Defog
Operational Controls
- Camera power on/off
- Preset recall
- Day & Night mode (IR cut filter)
- Startup profiles
Hardware Setup & Connectivity
A robust hardware design ensures stable 1080p60 streaming without external converters.
Required Components
- Jetson Orin Nano / NX module
- AstrOptix AI Carrier Board
- KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP Block Camera
Camera Specifications
- Dimensions: 53.2 × 62.0 × 101.2 mm
- Weight: ~315 g
- Power: 12VDC (9V to 15VDC), max 8.4W
- Operating temperature: -10°C to +50°C
Interfaces
- Onboard LVDS input (KEL 30-pin micro-coax)
- Onboard MIPI CSI-2 connector for direct camera input (KEL 30-pin micro-coax)
Power
- 12V DC input (optimized onboard regulation)
Additional Compatibility
The AstrOptix AI Carrier Board supports a wide range of cameras:
LVDS Cameras
- Sony FCB LVDS block cameras
- Tamron LVDS block cameras
- Wonwoo LVDS cameras
- Videology LVDS cameras
- Skoopia LVDS cameras
MIPI CSI-2 Cameras
Thanks to the onboard MIPI connector, the board also supports:
- Direct MIPI CSI-2 cameras via onboard MIPI CSI-2 KEL 30-pin (USL00-30L-A) interface
- Native Jetson camera modules
Real-Time 1080p60 Video Streaming with GStreamer
Once initialized, the camera is available at: /dev/video0
Basic Pipeline
gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src device=/dev/video0 ! video/x-raw,format=UYVY,width=1920,height=1080,framerate=60/1 ! videoconvert ! autovideosink
Why It Works Efficiently
- Zero-copy buffer handling
- Stable 60 FPS pipeline
- Low CPU utilization
- No frame drops
GPU Acceleration Options
- nvoverlaysink → Hardware display
- nvv4l2h264enc → Hardware encoding
- rtph264pay + udpsink → Network streaming
Why Choose AstrOptix AI Carrier Board with KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP?
- Global Shutter eliminates motion blur — ideal for fast-moving targets
- 40× optical zoom for long-range identification
- Fully integrated LVDS → MIPI conversion
- Multi-protocol camera control (VISCA, Pelco-D, Pelco-P)
- Eliminates external bridge hardware
- Production-ready embedded design
- Optimized for real-time AI workloads
- Scalable across multiple camera ecosystems
Conclusion
The AstrOptix AI Carrier Board combined with the KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP delivers a powerful Global Shutter vision solution for embedded AI platforms. By combining onboard LVDS conversion, multi-protocol camera control, robust driver support, and seamless Jetson compatibility, it delivers a clean, low-latency, and scalable vision pipeline. Whether you're building ALPR systems, autonomous inspection drones, machine vision solutions, or intelligent surveillance platforms, this solution enables true real-time AI vision with the motion-free clarity of Global Shutter technology at 1080p60.
Product Details
Full specifications and datasheet: AstrOptix AI Carrier Board
FAQs
No, the KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP outputs LVDS, while Jetson requires MIPI CSI-2. The AstrOptix AI Carrier Board has onboard LVDS to MIPI CSI-2 conversion, allowing direct connection without external bridge hardware.
The carrier board converts the camera's LVDS output to UYVY format at 1080p @ 60fps for Jetson-compatible MIPI CSI-2 streaming.
Global Shutter captures the entire frame simultaneously, eliminating motion blur and rolling shutter artifacts. This is critical for ALPR, machine vision, metrology, and any application involving fast-moving objects.
Latency is ultra-low and does not affect AI or real-time applications.
Yes. The carrier board includes I2C-to-UART control supporting VISCA, Pelco-D, and Pelco-P protocols to control zoom, focus, exposure, gain, presets, and triggers.
The camera supports VISCA, Pelco-D, and Pelco-P control protocols via RS232 TTL UART at baud rates from 2400 to 115200 bps.
Yes. It supports LVDS cameras from Sony, Tamron, Wonwoo, Videology, and Skoopia, as well as direct MIPI CSI-2 cameras via the onboard MIPI connector.
Yes. A custom V4L2 driver and Device Tree Overlay configure the media graph and CSI-2 pipeline on Jetson.
The driver outputs UYVY (converted from LVDS) via /dev/video0.
Yes. You can use GStreamer, V4L2, ffmpeg, OpenCV, and DeepStream.
gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src device=/dev/video0 ! video/x-raw,format=UYVY,width=1920,height=1080,framerate=60/1 ! videoconvert ! autovideosink
Yes. The KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP supports external sync, allowing multiple cameras to be synchronized for multi-camera applications.
