National Instruments FPGA 1483 camera link adapter module

A new vision module for the PXI platform that provides a high-performance parallel processing architecture for hardware-defined timing, control and image pre-processing has been released.

The 1483 camera link adapter module, in combination with a FlexRIO field-programmable gate array board, offers a solution for embedding vision and control algorithms directly on FPGAs.

Engineers and scientists can use FPGAs to process and analyse an image in real time with little to no CPU intervention. Additionally, using FPGAs helps eliminate the need to design custom hardware.

Engineers and scientists can use FPGAs to perform operations by pixel, line and region of interest. The FPGAs can implement many image processing algorithms that are inherently parallel, including fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), thresholding and filtering.

The module is suitable for optical coherence tomography and high-speed control systems for applications such as laser alignment and sorting.

The module is also suitable for acquisition from camera link devices with custom tap configurations and high-resolution sensors measuring more than 10 megapixels requiring hardware-based pre-processing.

The new module supports base-, medium- and full-configuration camera link devices as well as 80-bit 10-tap configurations, all up to 85 MHz. This design gives engineers and scientists the ability to customise the image acquisition when using custom image sensors.

The 85 MHz measurement supports the module standardised specification to its fullest, creating a fit for those working on applications with high frame rates.

The module also integrates several I/O options including four TTL I/O lines, two opto-isolated inputs and one quadrature encoder input in addition to the many modular I/O and industrial communication options available for the PXI platform.

Engineers and scientists can customise the FlexRIO hardware using the LabVIEW FPGA module.

Readers can view the FPGA vision white paper on www.ni.com to learn more about the NI-1483 Camera Link Adaptor Module. Readers also can visit www.ni.com/vision to learn more about NI vision hardware and software products.