Detect multiple USB cameras

I am trying to acquire movies with several identical USB cameras (at least two), but Matlab only detects one at a time.

imaqhwinfo('winvideo')

finds one of the cameras only, but if I unplug the one that is currently detected, and rerun imaqhwinfo, then the other one just "replaces it" (without changing its USB port). It is also the same with the Image Acquisition Toolbox GUI.

When both cameras are plugged, they both show up in Windows' device manager (but they have the exact same name).

Is there a way to get Matlab to detect more than one of these cameras?

Thank you

Answer 1

[Urmila Rajpurohith]

Hi;

You can follow the below steps for MATLAB to detect multiple cameras

1.first you connect single camera and execute

“imaqwinfo”

2.now connect the second camera

To force the toolbox to search for new hardware that might have been installed while MATLAB was running, use 

“imaqreset”.

You can refer to this documentation link for more details on Setting Up Image Acquisition Hardware:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/imaq/setting-up-image-acquisition-hardware.html

[Jeremy]

Thank you for your answer, however I tried this without success, there is only one of the two that is detected regardless of what I try for the detection. I bought a different model of camera, and when I try to detect one of the previous model and this new one, there is no problem.

I should probably have mentionned that the model for which only one camera at a time is detected is a PS3Eye, maybe the driver is somehow suboptimal for these (no parameter is available in Matlab although the acquisition is possible).

[Greg Klein]

Hi Jeremy,

Did you ever get this to work? I am using two ps3eyes and I cannot see the second one either

Thanks

Greg

Answer 2

[Jeremy]

Hi,

Unfortunately no, sorry. I am still using one of them, and another USB camera as a second camera.

[Greg Klein]

Yea, i've still not made it work. Maybe someone from Mathworks could weigh in?

What was the second camera you ended up using, if you dont mind me asking?

[Jeremy]

A search for "Webcam Wide Angle Adjustable 2.8-12 mm Variable Focus Lens" should lead you to the model I bought. More expensive than a PS3Eye unfortunately.