# Other Tools

## Frame Timestamp CSV Logging

When `enable_frame_timestamp_csv` is enabled, the camera node records Color and Depth frame timestamp data to a CSV file. This is useful for frame synchronization, publish latency, and timestamp debugging.

```bash
roslaunch orbbec_camera gemini_330_series.launch \
enable_frame_timestamp_csv:=true \
frame_timestamp_csv_file:=/tmp/frame_timestamp.csv
```

The CSV includes SDK frame index, hardware frame number, sensor timestamp, device/global/system timestamp, arrival timestamp, publish timestamp, inter-frame delta values, and SDK delay fields.

### Field Description

The current CSV contains two sets of homogeneous fields with the prefixes `color_` and `depth_`, for example `color_sdk_frame_index` and `depth_sdk_frame_index`. The definitions are identical for both sets; only the data source differs.

| Field suffix | Description | Unit / Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `_sdk_frame_index` | SDK frame index | `frame->index()` |
| `_hardware_frame_number` | Hardware frame number | `frame->getMetadataValue(OB_FRAME_METADATA_TYPE_FRAME_NUMBER)` |
| `_sensor_ts_sec` | Sensor timestamp | Seconds, usually the midpoint of the exposure time |
| `_sensor_ts_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent sensor timestamps | us |
| `_device_ts_sec` | Device clock timestamp | Seconds |
| `_device_ts_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent device timestamps | us |
| `_global_ts_sec` | Global timestamp | Seconds |
| `_global_ts_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent global timestamps | us |
| `_system_ts_sec` | SDK system timestamp | Seconds |
| `_system_ts_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent SDK system timestamps | us |
| `_arrival_system_sec` | System time sampled when the frame arrives at the node | Seconds |
| `_arrival_system_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent arrival system timestamps | us |
| `_arrival_steady_sec` | Host steady time sampled when the frame arrives at the node | Seconds |
| `_arrival_steady_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent arrival steady timestamps | us |
| `_publish_system_sec` | System time sampled before publishing the image | Seconds |
| `_publish_system_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent publish system timestamps | us |
| `_publish_steady_sec` | Host steady time sampled before publishing the image | Seconds |
| `_publish_steady_delta_us` | Delta between adjacent publish steady timestamps | us |
| `_arrival_to_publish_system_us` | Time from frame arrival to publish on the ROS side (system) | `publish_system - arrival_system` |
| `_arrival_to_publish_steady_us` | Time from frame arrival to publish on the ROS side (steady) | `publish_steady - arrival_steady` |
| `_sdk_delay_from_global_us` | SDK publish delay referenced to global time | `arrival_system - global_ts` |
| `_sdk_delay_from_system_us` | SDK publish delay referenced to system time | `arrival_system - sdk_system_ts` |

### Analysis Method

#### Hardware Frame Drop Detection

- Check whether `_hardware_frame_number` is continuous.
- Plot `_sensor_ts_delta_us` as a line chart or scatter plot and look for obvious jumps.
- For example, at 30 fps, the interval between adjacent frames should usually be close to 33333 us.

#### SDK Frame Drop Detection

- Check whether `_sdk_frame_index` is continuous.
- Plot `_device_ts_delta_us`, `_global_ts_delta_us`, and `_system_ts_delta_us` to see whether any of them show abnormal jumps.
- If the SDK frame index or the inter-frame deltas from multiple clock sources become abnormal, this can help locate frame loss at the SDK layer.

#### Latency Analysis

- SDK latency: inspect `_sdk_delay_from_global_us` and `_sdk_delay_from_system_us` with line charts or scatter plots to observe the delay from the underlying timestamp to frame arrival at the ROS node.
- ROS latency: inspect `_arrival_to_publish_steady_us` to measure the time from receiving a frame in the SDK callback to publishing the image on the ROS side.
- If you want a metric closer to actual processing time, prefer fields based on the steady clock.

#### Synchronization Note

This CSV is mainly intended for analyzing continuity and latency of a single Color or Depth stream. It cannot be used directly to evaluate synchronization between Color and Depth.