Introduction

Overview

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Version 1.0 | April 2026

The Holoscan Sensor Bridge (HSB) Native Latency Measurement Tool provides precision timing analysis for real-time computer vision pipelines built with the Holoscan SDK. This FPGA-based solution eliminates input-side measurement jitter by synchronizing directly to camera frame events, delivering sub-millisecond accuracy for camera-to-display latency analysis from camera sensor to display output.

The Challenge

As technology advances, real-time AI systems demand ultra-low latency with predictable timing behavior. Traditional measurement approaches suffer from:

  • Software-only measurement limitations: Cannot capture true sensor-to-display latency, only measures software pipeline boundaries
  • External controller limitations: Arduino-based systems cannot synchronize with camera frame events, lacking precise timing control
  • Manual synchronization errors: Human-induced measurement inconsistencies
  • Camera compatibility constraints: Not all measurement setups work with both global shutter and rolling shutter cameras

What Makes It Different

The HSB Native tool leverages the HSB FPGA for hardware-timed precision:

  • Hardware-synchronized timing eliminating software jitter through direct FPGA event detection
  • Direct camera event coupling using camera frame start/end signals for precise frame timing
  • Sub-millisecond precision with ~10us resolution
  • Real-time analysis without impacting system performance through dedicated timing hardware
  • GPIO-controlled LED triggers synchronized to camera frame events at the hardware level

Measured Performance (HSB Native)

Based on extensive testing with 1000+ samples using IMX274 at 1920x1080 @ 60fps (Holoscan pipeline, CPU scheduler):

MetricHSB Native
Average Latency (ms)16.20
Min Latency (ms)14.00
Max Latency (ms)18.80
Std Dev (ms)1.20
Coefficient of Variation (%)7.40
Max Jitter (ms)4.80

Target Audience And Applications

This tool is designed for developers building real-time applications using camera sensors with the HSB. Whether you’re developing autonomous vehicle perception systems, industrial automation solutions, medical imaging applications, or any real-time computer vision pipeline, the HSB Native Latency Measurement Tool provides the precision timing analysis needed to validate and optimize your system’s performance.

Key Results

Measurement Precision

  • Sub-millisecond accuracy: ~10us resolution
  • Hardware-synchronized timing: Direct FPGA event detection eliminates software scheduling jitter
  • Frame-accurate triggering: LED activation synchronized to exact camera frame start/end events

Measured Performance (HSB Native)

  • Rolling Shutter (IMX274): Avg 16.20 ms, Std Dev 1.20 ms, Max Jitter 4.80 ms
  • Global Shutter (VB1940): Avg 42.72 ms, Std Dev 0.87 ms, Max Jitter 6.80 ms
  • Universal compatibility: Works with all HSB-supported camera sensors

Technical Innovation

  • Input-side jitter elimination: Addresses the primary source of measurement uncertainty
  • Shutter-type adaptability: Optimized configurations for both rolling and global shutter cameras
  • Hardware event sequencing: Precise GPIO control with nanosecond-level timing

Production-Ready Capabilities

System Integration

  • Holoscan SDK compatibility: Seamless integration with existing AI/ML pipelines
  • Multiple platform support: NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin and IGX Orin validated

Technical Boundaries and Limitations

System Constraints

  • Camera compatibility: Limited to HSB-supported sensors (VB1940, IMX274 validated)
  • Physical setup requirements: LED positioning critical for rolling shutter cameras (lower right)
  • Hardware timing limits: 19.2ns GPIO event detection, 100us photodetector response

Support and Resources