Camera Recovery Issue on Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Dev Board

Issue Overview

Users of the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Dev board are experiencing difficulties recovering camera images without restarting the nvargus-daemon service. The problem occurs when one of the camera outputs in a multi-camera setup (four image inputs, vc 0-3) is interrupted. After the hardware is ready, users can only resume playback of the interrupted camera by restarting the nvargus-daemon service, which affects all other camera outputs as well. This issue is observed on the R35.4.1 software version.

Possible Causes

1. Software Bug: The nvargus-daemon may not be properly handling camera disconnections and reconnections.

2. Driver Issues: There could be a problem with the camera drivers not correctly managing device state after an interruption.

3. Resource Management: The system might not be releasing and reallocating resources correctly when a camera stream is interrupted.

4. Timeout Handling: The current implementation may not be adequately handling timeout scenarios, leading to a locked state.

5. Event Handling: The camera subsystem might not be properly processing or responding to camera disconnection and reconnection events.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

1. Update Software and Drivers:
   Ensure you are running the latest BSP (Board Support Package) version for your Jetson Orin Nano. The current version reported is R35 (release), REVISION: 4.1. Check for any available updates that might address this issue.

2. Modify nvargus-daemon Configuration:
   Try adding the following environment variable to the nvargus-daemon service:

   Environment="enableCamInfiniteTimeout=1"
   

   This can be done by editing the service file or using a systemd override.

3. Implement Error Handling in Applications:
   When developing camera applications, implement robust error handling to detect and respond to camera disconnections. For example, in the Argus API:

   if (iEvent->getEventType() == EVENT_TYPE_ERROR) {
       const IEventError* iEventError = interface_cast<const IEventError>(event);
       // Handle the error, potentially by closing and reopening the camera stream
   }
   

4. Manual Resource Release:
   If a camera stream becomes unresponsive, try manually releasing resources before attempting to reopen the stream:

   iSession->cancelRequests();
   iSession->stopRepeat();
   // Attempt to close and reopen the stream
   

5. Use v4l2-ctl for Diagnostics:
   When encountering issues, use v4l2-ctl to gather more information about the camera state:

   v4l2-ctl -d0 --set-ctrl bypass_mode=0 --stream-mmap --stream-to=./test.raw --stream-count=100
   

   This can help identify if the issue is at the V4L2 driver level.

6. Check System Logs:
   Examine the system logs for more detailed error messages:

   journalctl -u nvargus-daemon.service
   

   Look for specific error messages like "Error Timeout" or "Error InvalidState" which may provide clues about the root cause.

7. Implement Watchdog Mechanism:
   Develop a watchdog mechanism in your application that monitors camera streams and attempts to recover them automatically if they become unresponsive.

8. Library Update:
   There have been reports of similar stability issues being resolved by updating dynamic libraries. Check for any available updates to the Argus and related camera libraries.

9. Graceful Shutdown and Restart:
   Instead of forcefully restarting the nvargus-daemon, implement a more graceful shutdown and restart procedure in your application:

   // Graceful shutdown
   iSession->cancelRequests();
   iSession->stopRepeat();
   // Release all resources
   
   // Short delay
   std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(100));
   
   // Attempt to reinitialize the camera
   

10. Contact Nvidia Support:
    If the issue persists after trying these solutions, consider reaching out to Nvidia developer support for further assistance, as this may be a known issue requiring a patch or workaround specific to the Jetson Orin Nano platform.