Understanding hardware_reset() behavior for RealSense cameras
Hello,
I’m working with an Intel RealSense camera and using the hardware_reset() function in the RealSense SDK 2.0 to reset the device when certain issues occur. I have a few questions about its behavior and best practices for implementation:
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What exactly happens internally when
hardware_reset()is called?- Does it perform a full power cycle?
- Does it reset all internal states and firmware?
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How long does it typically take for the device to become available again after a hardware reset?
- Is there a recommended way to check when the device is ready for use again?
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Are there any risks or limitations associated with frequent use of
hardware_reset()?- Could it affect the lifespan of the device?
- Does it impact any specific sensor components (e.g., depth vs. RGB)?
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Is there an alternative method to recover from sensor failures without performing a full hardware reset?
I’d appreciate any insights or documentation references regarding this function. Thank you in advance for your help
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Hi Vijaykumar Shejal Thanks very much for your questions.
1. When a hardware_reset() is performed, the camera disconnects and then reconnects. The effect is similar to physically unplugging the camera from the USB port and then re-inserting it. So the process is like a power cycling. The link below has advice from an Intel RealSense development team member that confirms that a hardware_reset() resets most options to the default settings.
https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/issues/10163#issuecomment-1015558763
A hardware_reset() does not change the firmware version though.
2. The reset usually completes in 2 to 3 seconds. Checking that the reset has completed can be complicated. A simple measure that could be tried is to implement a sleep instruction after the reset command so that a program cannot perform further processes until a specified amount of time has elapsed.
The link below also has a contribution in Python code from a RealSense user that explains how they approached the camera-ready checking problem.
https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/issues/10139#issuecomment-1027243506
3. Repeated use of hardware_reset() will not have a negative effect on the camera hardware.
4. Instead of performing a hardware_reset() of the camera hardware, you can also reset the entire USB port instead. In Ubuntu this can be done with a 'bash script'. This should have a similar effect to hardware_reset() and has the additional benefit that - unlike with hardware_reset() - it is not necessary for the camera to be detectable in order for the reset to occur.
If the camera is detectable then instead of a reset you could also try closing the frame pipeline in your program and then re-starting the pipeline.
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MartyG Thanks a lot for your answer.
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