Introduction To EVS

EVS: Extended (or Exterior/) View System
EVS is independent of Automotive OS framework. It can be deployed separately for fast rear-view camera or surround view displays in an Android-based IVI system.

1. Android EVS software stack:

EVS Manager

Module name	android.automotive.evs.manager@1.0
Purpose	evs管理器，负责与HAL层的交互，实现HAL层的一些接口，例如openDisplay()，openCamera()等操作。
Register name	default
Service name	evs_manager
File location	/system/bin/android.automotive.evs.manager@1.0
Source location	/packages/services/Car/evs/manager/

EVS APP

Module name	evs_app
Purpose	evs应用层，负责初始化操作，监听倒车状态，OpenGL 显示, 倒车UI更新等逻辑处理
Service name	evs_app
File location	/system/bin/evs_app
Source location	/packages/services/Car/evs

EVS HAL

Module name	android.hardware.automotive.evs@1.0
Purpose	An automotive HIDL Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) that provides for imagery capture and display very early in the Android boot process and continues functioning for the life of the system
Source location	/hardware/interfaces\automotive\evs\1.0

• EVS HAL 定义四个界面

1. IEvsCamera Represents a single camera and is the primary interface for capturing images.
2. IEvsDisplay information about the EVS display
3. IEvsEnumerator Provides the mechanism for EVS camera discovery
4. IEvsCameraStream Implemented on client side to receive asynchronous video frame deliveries.

EVS default driver

Module name	android.hardware.automotive.evs@1.0-service
Purpose	提供一个模拟倒车测试，显示静态图片模拟倒车；用于测试功能逻辑，不是真实的倒车
Register name	EvsEnumeratorHw
Service name	evs-hal-mock
File location	/vendor/bin/hw/android.hardware.automotive.evs@1.0-service
Source location	/hardware/interfaces/automotive/evs/1.0/default

SampleDriver:

Module name	android.hardware.automotive.evs@1.0-sample
Purpose	驱动层实现，基于v4l2实现的一个驱动Demo程序，供HAL层调用，Camera操作和display操作核心，涉及到摄像头设备操作和display设备操作。
Register name	EvsEnumeratorHw
Service name	evs_driver
File location	/system/bin/android.hardware.automotive.evs@1.0-sample
Source location	/packages/services/Car/evs/sampleDriver

2. Code tracing

2.1 Start video flow:

EvsResult EvsV4lCamera::startVideoStream(IEvsCameraStream stream)  {
    mStream = stream;
    mVideo.startStream(forwardFrame());
    ...
}
bool VideoCapture::startStream( callback) {
{
    memset(&mBufferInfo, 0, sizeof(mBufferInfo));
    mBufferInfo.type     = V4L2_BUF_TYPE_VIDEO_CAPTURE;
    mBufferInfo.memory   = V4L2_MEMORY_MMAP;
    mBufferInfo.index    = 0;
    ioctl(mDeviceFd, VIDIOC_QUERYBUF, &mBufferInfo);
    //向 V4L2 driver询问buffer info 并要求queue 一块capture buffer
    mPixelBuffer = mmap(NULL, mBufferInfo.length, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE,
           MAP_SHARED, mDeviceFd, mBufferInfo.m.offset);
    memset(mPixelBuffer, 0, mBufferInfo.length);
    //Queue the first capture buffer
    ioctl(mDeviceFd, VIDIOC_QBUF, &mBufferInfo);
     
    // Start the video stream
    int type = mBufferInfo.type;
    ioctl(mDeviceFd, VIDIOC_STREAMON, &type);
     
    mCallback = callback;
    create_thread( collectFrames());          
}

2.2 Video capturing loop:

void VideoCapture::collectFrames() {
    while (mRunMode == RUN) {
        // Wait for a buffer to be ready
        if (ioctl(mDeviceFd, VIDIOC_DQBUF, &mBufferInfo) < 0) {
            break;
        }
        mFrameReady = true;
        if (mCallback) {
            mCallback(&mBufferInfo, mPixelBuffer);
        }
   }
}

Below is the async callback from the video camera that tells us a frame is ready

void EvsV4lCamera::forwardFrame(imageBuffer* /*pV4lBuff*/, void* pData) {
    bool readyForFrame = false;
    size_t idx = 0;
  
    // Identify an available buffer to fill
    for (idx = 0; idx < mBuffers.size(); idx++) {
        if (!mBuffers[idx].inUse) {
            // We're going to make the frame busy
            mBuffers[idx].inUse = true;
            mFramesInUse++;
            readyForFrame = true;
        }
    }
  
    if (!readyForFrame) {
        // We need to return the vide buffer so it can capture a new frame
        mVideo.markFrameConsumed();
    } else {
        // Assemble the buffer description we'll transmit below
        BufferDesc buff = {};
        buff.width      = mVideo.getWidth();
        buff.height     = mVideo.getHeight();
        buff.stride     = mStride;
        buff.format     = mFormat;
        buff.usage      = mUsage;
        buff.bufferId   = idx;
        buff.memHandle  = mBuffers[idx].handle;
        // Lock our output buffer for writing
        void *targetPixels = nullptr;
        GraphicBufferMapper &mapper = GraphicBufferMapper::get();
        mapper.lock(buff.memHandle,
                GRALLOC_USAGE_SW_WRITE_OFTEN | GRALLOC_USAGE_SW_READ_NEVER,
                android::Rect(buff.width, buff.height),
               (void **) &targetPixels);
 
        // Transfer the video image into the output buffer, making any needed
        // format conversion along the way
        // 把V4L2 buffer 复制到GraphicBuffer 并做格式转换
        mFillBufferFromVideo(buff, (uint8_t*)targetPixels, pData, mVideo.getStride());
         
        // Give the video frame back to the underlying device for reuse
        // Note that we do this before making the client callback to give the underlying
        // camera more time to capture the next frame.
        mVideo.markFrameConsumed();
 
        // Issue the (asynchronous) callback to the client -- can't be holding the lock
        auto result = mStream->deliverFrame(buff);
    }
}

3. Discussion

3.1. If we want to use EVS HAL as virtual camera for remote camera:

• effort:
  revise EvsEmulator and implement EvsCamera.
• pro:
  Well defined interfaces. Much simpler than Camera3 HAL
  Server-Client 架构: Server有root权限操作camera, Client 透过binder 控制界面.
  Allow ISV to develope virtual camera application.
• con:
  boot time is longer, must wait EvsManager, Driver service, Gralloc service started before EVS_APP start.
  EVS API is not so popular. 没有Camera3 的功能: 如 face detection, 3A 调整
  Some of the features might not be usefull for our purpose.
  Optimization counts on ISV. For example, minimum memcpy.

3.2 buffer memcpy

• IEvsCamera sampleDriver copy V4L2 buffers to GraphicBuffer.
• Camera V3.4 CmeraDevice: see also Mali Gralloc Tracing