Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture

R2026b

Capture live video from Raspberry Pi CSI camera module

Since R2026b

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Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block

To add a block to a model, double-click the canvas and start typing the block name. Then, select the block from the list.

Libraries:
Raspberry Pi Blockset / Audio and Video

Description

The Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block captures video frames from a camera serial interface (CSI) on Raspberry Pi^® hardware and outputs the image data as separate color panes. Use this block to capture live camera data within your Simulink^® model for vision and image processing workflows on Raspberry Pi hardware.

Tune the camera output for your application using the image and device controls such as brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, exposure mode and compensation, white balance mode, metering mode, rotation, and region of interest (ROI).

During simulation, the block outputs a moving test-pattern image to support model development without hardware. When you run the model on Raspberry Pi, the block captures live video frames from the connected CSI camera module.

Note

To generate C/C++ code for this block, you must have an Embedded Coder^® license.

Examples

Capture live video from Raspberry Pi camera

This example shows how to capture live video from a Raspberry Pi CSI‑connected camera module using thee Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block and display the video frames in Simulink.

Create a new Simulink model and add the Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block from the Raspberry Pi Blockset > Audio and Video library.

Open the block parameter dialog box. Set Image size to 640x480 and Pixel format to RGB.

Set Sample time to 0.1 to capture frames at 10 frames per second (fps).

Add three Display (Simulink) blocks to the model. Connect the R, G, and B output ports of the Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block to the three Display blocks, respectively.

On the Hardware tab of the model, set the hardware board to your target device and configure the device address. In the Mode section, select Connected IO and then click Run with IO. Observe the live camera feed.

Tune image properties of Raspberry Pi camera

This example shows how to adjust image properties such as brightness and exposure for a Raspberry Pi CSI camera using the Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block.

Create a new Simulink model and add the Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block from the Raspberry Pi Blockset > Audio and Video library.

Open the block parameter dialog box. Set Image size to 640x480 and Pixel format to RGB.

Add three Display (Simulink) blocks to the model. Connect the R, G, and B output ports of the Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture block to the three Display blocks, respectively.

Open the Advanced tab of the block parameters. In the Device properties section, set Exposure mode to Normal and adjust Exposure mode compensation to 0.7 to brighten the image.

Set AWB mode to Daylight to optimize white balance for outdoor lighting conditions.

On the Hardware tab of the model, in the Mode section, select Connected IO and then click Run with IO. Observe the live camera feed. While the model runs, adjust the Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and Sharpness sliders in the block dialog box to observe changes in real time.

Flip image vertically and horizontally

This example shows how to use the Flip image along horizontal axis and Flip image along vertical axis parameters to mirror an image horizontally and vertically by observing how pixel positions change from input to output. The following example uses a simplified 2x2 image where, each letter represents a pixel position.

This diagram shows how the block flips the input image along the vertical axis. The image pixels in each row swap positions from left to right, while row positions remain unchanged.

This diagram shows how the block flips the input image along the horizontal axis. The image rows swap positions from top to bottom, while column positions remain unchanged.

Extended Examples

Configure Image and Device Properties of Raspberry Pi V4L2 Video Capture Block to Detect Objects

Configure the image and device properties of the V4L2 Video Capture block from Raspberry Pi® Blockset and observe the output in the SDL Video Display block. This example also shows how to tune the image properties of the V4L2 Video Capture block to detect objects in a noisy and distorted real-time video.

• Open Model

Ports

Output

R — Red component of pixel

matrix

The block outputs the red component of each pixel.

Dependencies

• To enable this port, set Pixel format to RGB.

Data Types: uint8

G — Green component of pixel

matrix

The block outputs the green component of each pixel.

Dependencies

• To enable this port, set Pixel format to RGB.

Data Types: uint8

B — Blue component of pixel

matrix

The block outputs the blue component of each pixel.

Dependencies

• To enable this port, set Pixel format to RGB.

Data Types: uint8

Y — Luma component of pixel

matrix

The block outputs the luma component of each pixel.

Dependencies

• To enable this port, set Pixel format to YCbCr 4:2:0.

Data Types: uint8

Cb — Blue difference component of pixel

matrix

The block outputs the blue difference component of each pixel.

Dependencies

• To enable this port, set Pixel format to YCbCr 4:2:0.

Data Types: uint8

Cr — Red difference component of pixel

matrix

The block outputs the red difference component of each pixel.

Dependencies

• To enable this port, set Pixel format to YCbCr 4:2:0.

Data Types: uint8

Parameters

Basic

Camera number — Index of CSI camera module

0 (default) | nonnegative integer

Specify index of the CSI camera module connected to the Raspberry Pi hardware. Use this parameter when multiple camera modules are available.

Image size — Output image resolution

640x480 (default) | 160x120 | 320x240 | 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 | 3280x2464 | Custom

Select the output resolution for captured video frames. Use a predefined resolution for compatibility across camera modules. Select Custom to define an image resolution size not listed in the drop-down.

Image size ([width, height]) — Custom image resolution

[640, 480] (default) | two-element vector of positive integers

Specify the output resolution as a two‑element vector [width height]. Use this parameter when predefined resolutions do not meet application requirements.

Dependencies

• To enable this parameter, set Image size to Custom.

Pixel format — Format of output image data

RGB (default) | YCbCr 4:2:0

Select the color format for output data.

• RGB — Outputs red, green, and blue components.

• YCbCr 4:2:0 — Outputs luminance and chrominance components.

The selected format determines the available output ports.

Sample time — Time interval between captured frames

0.1 (default) | positive scalar

Specify the time interval, in seconds, at which the block captures video frames. Lower values increase the frame capture rate.

Flip image along horizontal axis — Flip image horizontally

off (default) | on

Select the parameter to flip the image along its vertical reference. For more information, see Flip image vertically and horizontally.

Flip image along vertical axis — Flip image vertically

off (default) | on

Select the parameter to flip the image along its horizontal reference. For more information, see Flip image vertically and horizontally.

Advanced

Exposure mode — Exposure control mode

Normal (default) | Sport

Select how the camera controls exposure during image capture. Use this parameter to automatically adjust exposure dynamically based on scene lighting.

• Normal — This mode balances exposure for general purpose scenes.

• Sport — This mode works best for scenes with shorter exposure times to reduce motion blur.

Exposure mode compensation — Exposure adjustment offset

0.5 (default) | scalar in the range [0, 1]

Specify an offset that increases or decrease the exposure relative to the selected exposure mode.

Metering mode — Metering method for exposure calculation

Average (default) | Centre | Spot

Select how the camera evaluates scene brightness for exposure. The mode you select determines which regions of the image contribute most to exposure calculation.

Region of interest — Normalized ROI coordinates [x, y, width, height]

[0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0] (default) |

Brightness — Image brightness level

0.5 (default) | scalar in the range [0, 1]

Adjust the brightness of the captured image. Larger values increase overall image brightness while smaller values reduce it.

Saturation — Color saturation level

0.5 (default) | scalar in the range [0, 1]

Adjust the intensity of colors in the captured image. Lower values reduce color intensity and higher values increase it.

Contrast — Image contrast level

0.5 (default) | scalar in the range [0, 1]

Adjust the contrast of the captured image by modifying the difference between light and dark regions.

Sharpness — Image sharpness level

0.5 (default) | scalar in the range [0, 1]

Adjust the sharpness of edges and fine details in the captured image.

Rotation — Rotate image

0 (default) | 180

Rotate the captured image by the specified angle.

AWB mode — Automatic white balance modes

Auto (default) | Incandescent | Tungsten | Fluorescent | Indoor | Daylight | Cloudy

Select from the different white balancing modes to allow the camera to compensate for lighting conditions.

Programmatic Use: Add Block

To add the block programmatically, use the add_block function with one of these library block paths as the source.

"raspberrypiAVlib/Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture"

Example: add_block("raspberrypiAVlib/Raspberry Pi Camera Video Capture","myModel/myBlock",MakeNameUnique="on")

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation

Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

To generate C/C++ code for this block, you must have an Embedded Coder license. For more information on selecting the right product stack according to your development goals, see Product Stack for Raspberry Pi Blockset.

Version History

Introduced in R2026b