Threading and Concurrency#

This topic explains how threading and concurrency are used in pypylon applications and how to structure acquisition and processing pipelines for performance and scalability.

This visualization illustrates how image acquisition works in a Python application.

Camera → Native Thread → Buffer Queue → Python Application

• Image acquisition runs in a native (C++) thread inside pylon.
• Your Python code retrieves images from a buffer queue.
• This separation enables asynchronous acquisition.

In many applications, image acquisition is faster than processing:

Camera → 100 fps
Processing → 20 fps

Without concurrency:

• Buffers fill up.
• Frames are dropped.
• Latency increases.

Basic Execution Model#

A single-threaded approach is the simplest form of an image acquisition pipeline.

Acquire → Process → Acquire → Process

例：

while camera.IsGrabbing():
    with camera.RetrieveResult(5000) as grab_result:
        if grab_result.GrabSucceeded():
            image = grab_result.Array
            process(image)

This has the following disadvantages:

• Processing blocks acquisition.
• Poor CPU utilization
• Limited scalability

Producer–Consumer Pattern (Recommended)#

This is a more sophisticated approach for an image acquisition pipeline.

Acquisition Thread → Queue → Worker Thread(s)

• Producer: The acquisition thread grabs images and pushes them into a queue.
• Consumer: The worker threads process images independently.

Example Implementation Using a Custom Thread#

import threading
import queue
from pypylon import pylon

def process(image):
    print(image.shape)

image_queue = queue.Queue(maxsize=10)

# Producer thread
def grab_loop(camera):
    while camera.IsGrabbing():
        with camera.RetrieveResult(5000) as grab_result:
            if grab_result.GrabSucceeded():
                image = grab_result.Array
                image_queue.put(image)

# Consumer thread
def process_loop():
    while True:
        image = image_queue.get()
        process(image)
        image_queue.task_done()

with pylon.InstantCamera(pylon.FirstFound) as camera:
    camera.StartGrabbing()

    grab_thread = threading.Thread(target=grab_loop, args=(camera,))
    processing_thread = threading.Thread(target=process_loop)

    grab_thread.start()
    processing_thread.start()

    grab_thread.join()
    image_queue.join()

Queue Behavior and Backpressure#

Queue full → producer blocks → acquisition slows down

Strategies:

• Increase queue size.
• Drop frames manually.
• Use LatestImageOnly.

Combining with Grab Strategies#

• LatestImageOnly: Reduces backlog.
• OneByOne: Ensures completeness.

Best practice:

LatestImageOnly + queue → responsive systems
OneByOne + logging → analysis systems

Thread-Safety Considerations#

• Avoid sharing mutable data without locks.
• Copy images before passing them to other threads, e.g., by using the Array function.
• Use queue.Queue for safe communication.

CPU Utilization#

Parallel processing has the following advantages:

• Better CPU usage
• Separation of concerns
• Scalable architectures

Core 1 → Acquisition
Core 2 → Processing
Core 3 → AI

When to Use Multiple Threads#

Use threading in these situations:

• Processing is slower than acquisition.
• Multiple processing stages exist.
• Real-time responsiveness is required.

Avoid threading in these situations:

• Processing is negligible.
• System complexity must be minimal.

Advanced Patterns (Overview)#

Multi-Stage Pipeline#

A multi-stage pipeline splits image processing into independent steps that run concurrently and exchange data via queues.

Grab → Preprocess → Analyze → Display

Multi-Consumer Setup#

Producer → Queue → Multiple processing threads

Conceptual Pipeline#

Camera → Queue → Processing → Results

Key Takeaways#

• Acquisition and processing should be decoupled.
• Use producer-consumer pattern for scalability.
• Queues provide thread-safe communication.
• Threading improves performance but increases complexity.