Overview
ISO 17215-3:2021 - "Road vehicles - Video communication interface for cameras (VCIC) - Part 3: Camera message dictionary" defines the standardized camera messages and data types used at OSI layer 7 (application layer) for VCIC cameras. The standard specifies an API (application layer services) so ECUs and hosted applications can communicate with one or more cameras (for example, “Ask camera for parameters.”). Importantly, streaming video payloads are out of scope - ISO 17215-3 focuses on control, metadata and service messages rather than media streaming.
Key topics and requirements
- Camera message dictionary (API layer 7): standardized method IDs, return codes, enumerations and structures that represent camera information and control functions.
- API data types and structures: definitions include intrinsic/extrinsic camera parameters, image dimensions, regions of interest (ROI), video and histogram formats, timestamps, persistent storage entries, imager registers, control modes and camera status.
- Control and configuration services: methods for setting/getting camera controls, registers, video format, ROI, histogram subscriptions, persistent storage and host parameters.
- Enumerations and error handling: standardized enums (e.g., camera modes, error codes, control indices) and API return codes for consistent behaviour across implementations.
- Programming model & SOME/IP: guidance and examples for implementing the API over SOME/IP (service discovery, event group handling, PDU examples and startup behaviour).
- Interoperability principles: API design to enable vision applications to be independent from the specific camera hardware, allowing reuse of libraries and portable application development.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 17215-3 is intended for professionals building, integrating or testing automotive camera systems:
- Automotive software developers and ECU application teams implementing vision features (ADAS, surround view, parking assist).
- Camera manufacturers and firmware engineers providing standardized control interfaces.
- Tier-1 suppliers and system integrators designing in-vehicle networks and camera middleware.
- Test engineers and validation teams verifying camera-control behaviour and API conformance.
- Tool and library vendors creating common VCIC client/server libraries or SOME/IP adapters.
Benefits include faster development, reduced integration effort, and improved interoperability between cameras and vehicle ECUs.
Related standards
- ISO 17215 series (other parts define streaming, transport or complementary aspects).
- Standards and protocols referenced for implementation (e.g., SOME/IP and OSI model guidance) are addressed in the document.
Keywords: ISO 17215-3:2021, VCIC, camera message dictionary, video communication interface for cameras, OSI layer 7, SOME/IP, automotive camera API, ECU camera control, camera metadata.