We have just improved our host clock syncing algorithm by 10x! OAK cameras (both PoE and USB models) synchronize the clock (timestamp) with the host computer by default. Timestamp is added to all OAK messages (frames, depth maps, IMU packets, etc.), so better synced timestamp with the host computer will improve:
- VIO/SLAM performance; Better sync with the host-connected devices, like IMUs, with the OAK data, means VIO algorithms will perform better
- Multi-camera syncing where you have multiple cameras connected to the same host computer, you can synchronize frames based on the timestamp
- Syncing with other sensors connected to the same host computer, such as LIDARs, thermal cameras, GPS/GNSS, line/laser sensors, thermal sensors, etc.
More information can be found here. You can use the latest 2.24 depthai version to get this improvement.
Specifications
Device clocks are synced at below 500µs accuracy for PoE cameras, and below 200µs accuracy for USB cameras at 1σ (standard deviation) with host clock. Below is a histogram showcasing the time difference between the host clock and OAK PoE device clock:
