NI vision module improves inspection and code reading

Vision Development Module 8.5 enables engineers to locate hard-to-find edges such as those in many web-inspection applications. They can also reliably find edges at 1/25 or better pixel accuracy and offer improved reliability in images with noise - a 10-times improvement in accuracy over the previous method. For example, in an image with added uniform noise of amplitude 10, the maximum error dropped from 4/10 of a pixel to 5/100 of a pixel with the new edge detector.

Additionally, engineers can detect straight-edged lines in images, which helps them detect multiple intersecting lines that appear in the image at different orientations. The edge detector also provides support for calibrated images and incorporates calibration information, including image distortion associated with the image, as part of the edge-detection process.

Code reading capability enhanced

The Vision Development Module 8.5 provides enhanced support for the entire NI vision hardware platform and offers improved 2D code recognition. Presently, 2D codes are the most common application for machine vision in industrial applications, and the Vision Development Module allows for 1D and 2D code reading and optical character recognition/verification on images. This capability helps engineers identify packaging and assembly errors earlier in production. Additional support for new code types has been added, including quick response (QR) code, a 2D matrix code that contains information about products, and Pharmacode, often used in the pharmaceutical industry.

The module also includes the Vision Assistant Express VI and the Vision Acquisition Express VI. The Vision Assistant Express VI packages the power of the Vision Assistant, an image processing and application prototyping environment, into a single VI to simplify vision applications. With Vision Acquisition Express VI engineers can acquire images from any NI vision hardware, as well as IEEE 1394 and Gigabit Ethernet cameras connected to standard ports, all in a simple menu-driven environment. Implementing the Vision Assistant Express VIs and the Vision Acquisition Express VIs increases the ease of use for programmable machine vision applications, cuts development time and lowers the bar of entry for machine designers who require the flexibility of LabVIEW.

For more information about National Instruments' machine vision software and hardware, visit www.ni.com/vision or use the form on this page to request a callback or more information.