Smart Cameras for Embedded Machine Vision
NI 17xx Smart Cameras
NEW!
• Real-time machine vision
• High-quality monochrome VGA (640x480)
or SXGA (1280x1024) CCD image sensors
• High-performance embedded processors
• Isolated 24 V digital I/O
• Dual gigabit Ethernet ports
• RS232 serial support
• Support for industrial protocols
• Expansion analog and digital I/O through
NI Compact FieldPoint and CompactRIO
• Built-in NI direct drive lighting controller
for current-controlled LED light heads
1
• Quadrature encoder support
1
1
Not
Recommended Software
• Vision Builder for Automated Inspection
(included) or
• LabVIEW and the LabVIEW Real-Time
Vision Development Bundle
Recommended Accessories
• C-mount lens
• Power and I/O cables
• Mounting bracket
supported by NI 1722 Smart Camera
Overview
NI 17xx Smart Cameras simplify machine vision by analyzing images directly
on the camera with a powerful, embedded processor capable of running
the entire suite of NI vision algorithms. You can use these cameras in a
variety of applications including part location, defect detection, code
reading, and assembly verification. The combination of the onboard
processor with a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor provides an
easily distributed, all-in-one vision system that transmits inspection
results along with or in place of raw images. Housed in a rugged metal
case designed for use in industrial applications, all NI Smart Cameras
offer built-in I/O, multiple industrial protocols, built-in Web servers, and
many other features. You can configure NI Smart Cameras with the
included NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (AI) software or
program the camera with LabVIEW Real-Time.
logic controllers (PLCs), or with human machine interfaces (HMIs). All
NI Smart Cameras include an RS232 serial port and 5 and 24 V lighting
strobe outputs that you can use for synchronization with third-party
lighting controllers.
NI Smart Cameras, with the exception of the NI 1722, include quadrature
encoder support for synchronizing inspections with linear and rotary drive
systems. This feature simplifies timing in complex applications where
consistency is critical to system success.
Direct Drive Lighting
To directly illuminate objects under
the camera, NI Smart Cameras
feature direct drive lighting. Lighting
controllers can be costly additions
to machine vision applications.
NI Smart Cameras have a built-in
lighting controller so you can directly
drive lights from the camera itself,
lowering costs and simplifying wiring. The built-in direct drive lighting
controller can provide a constant DC current of 500 mA or a strobed
current of up to 1 A. With strobed lighting, you can increase the intensity
produced by up to four times without harming the light head. Most current-
driven LED light heads work with the NI Smart Camera’s direct-drive
feature (this feature is not included on the NI 1722).
Flexible Industrial I/O
To communicate results to other industrial devices, NI Smart Cameras
offer built-in digital I/O and support both Ethernet- and serial-based
industrial protocols such as Modbus TCP. NI Smart Camera digital I/O
lines are optoisolated for direct connectivity with industrial devices such
as triggers and actuators. All NI Smart Cameras offer two optoisolated
digital inputs and two optoisolated digital outputs.
To simplify Ethernet-based communication, NI Smart Cameras include
two gigabit Ethernet ports. With one port connected to an industrial
network to report inspection results, the other port can directly communicate
with programmable automation controllers (PACs) such as NI CompactRIO
or Compact FieldPoint, with industrial devices such as programmable
Smart Cameras for Embedded Machine Vision
NI 1744 Smart Camera
– Uses the same 533 MHz processor as the
NI 1742 but features a higher-resolution CCD that acquires images of
1.3 megapixels (1280x1024); with higher resolution, you can inspect
objects for smaller defects and make measurements with four times the
resolution of previous NI Smart Cameras.
NI 1762 Smart Camera
– Offers a 720 MHz TI DSP coprocessor
alongside the 533 MHz PowerPC, making it possible to run specific
algorithms up to four times faster with no changes to the application
software (works well for engineers needing higher performance for
pattern matching, optical character recognition, and datamatrix code
reading); contains the same VGA resolution (640x480) image sensor
found in the previous NI Smart Cameras.
NI 1764 Smart Camera
– Provides the 1.3 megapixel image sensor
found in the NI 1744, and the 720 MHz TI DSP coprocessor found in
the NI 1762; ideal for high-speed manufacturing.
Camera Comparisons
National Instruments offers a variety of smart cameras to meet a
breadth of machine vision application needs.
All NI Smart Cameras process images using onboard PowerPC
processors. In higher-performance models, a Texas Instruments digital
signal processor (TI DSP) acts as a coprocessor to boost the performance
of specific algorithms. The image sensors inside all NI Smart Cameras
are charge-coupled devices (CCDs).
NI 1722 Smart Camera
– Powered by a 400 MHz PowerPC processor;
features a VGA (640x480) resolution CCD image sensor that can acquire
images up to 60 fps.
NI 1742 Smart Camera
– Powered by a 533 MHz PowerPC processor;
acquires VGA resolution (640x480) monochrome images at up to 60 fps.
Hardware Comparison
Processor Configuration
Memory
Processor
Coprocessor
System memory
Firmware and job storage
Resolution
Image size
Pixel depth
Color
Acquisition rate
(frames per second)
Partial image acquisition
Display
TTL I/O
Isolated digital input
Isolated digital output
Encoder input
I/O breakout
Ethernet I/O support
Ethernet
RS232
External light control
Integrated light
control and power
Included configuration software
Programmable software option
Camera
Image Sensor
NI 1722
400 MHz PowerPC
–
128 MB
128 MB
640x480
1/3 in. CCD
8-bit
–
60 fps
Web interface
1
2
2
–
2X 10/100/1000
–
Vision Builder AI
LabVIEW
0 to 45 °C
Metal
NI 1742
533 MHz PowerPC
–
128 MB
128 MB
640x480
1/3 in. CCD
8-bit
–
60 fps
Web interface
1
2
2
2X 10/100/1000
Vision Builder AI
LabVIEW
0 to 45 °C
Metal
NI 1744
533 MHz PowerPC
–
128 MB
128 MB
1280x1024
1/2 in. CCD
8-bit
–
13 fps
Web interface
1
2
2
2X 10/100/1000
Vision Builder AI
LabVIEW
0 to 45 °C
Metal
NI 1762
533 MHz PowerPC
720 MHz DSP
128 MB
128 MB
640x480
1/3 in. CCD
8-bit
–
60 fps
Web interface
1
2
2
2X 10/100/1000
Vision Builder AI
LabVIEW
0 to 45 °C
Metal
NI 1764
533 MHz PowerPC
720 MHz DSP
128 MB
128 MB
1280x1024
1/2 in. CCD
8-bit
–
13 fps
Web interface
1
2
2
2X 10/100/1000
Vision Builder AI
LabVIEW
0 to 45 °C
Metal
I/O Options
Communication Options
Lighting
Application Development
Operation
Temperature Range
Housing Material
Table 1. NI Smart Camera Hardware Comparison
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at
ni.com
or
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2
Smart Cameras for Embedded Machine Vision
Software – Configure or Program
Vision Builder for
Automated Inspection
Vision Builder (AI) is a configurable
machine vision development environment
that requires no programming. With the
Vision Builder AI, you can:
Build, benchmark, and deploy complete machine vision applications
without programming
Configure more than 40 powerful machine vision tools including
pattern matching, OCR, and particle analysis
Create custom user interfaces for display and control purposes
Host user interfaces on a built-in Web server
Communicate with industrial protocols over serial and Ethernet
LabVIEW Real-Time Vision
Development Bundle
The NI LabVIEW Real-Time Vision
Development Bundle includes all the
software you need to program a
real-time machine vision application
with LabVIEW. You must purchase LabVIEW separately.
The bundle includes:
• LabVIEW Real-Time Module
• LabVIEW Application Builder
• NI Vision Development Module
The Vision Development Module, a library of image processing and
machine vision functions, includes the Vision Assistant, an interactive
prototyping environment that generates ready-to-run code. The Vision
Development Module delivers:
• Hundreds of image processing functions including pattern and
geometric matching, OCR, bar code readers, object classification,
and particle analysis
• Tools to enhance images, check for presence, locate features,
identify objects, and gauge parts
• Fast application prototyping and code generation with the
Vision Assistant
• Subpixel accuracy down to 1/10 of a pixel and 1/10 of a degree
Software
Unmatched Scalability
All NI Smart Cameras include the NI Vision Builder for Automated
Inspection (AI) configurable vision application development environment
so you can build and deploy complete machine vision applications quickly
and easily. Vision Builder AI applications are based on an easy-to-use
state diagram model. With this model, you can configure sophisticated
inspections that include loops and branches without programming.
Vision Builder AI also features all of the steps you need to develop
complete machine vision systems, including advanced triggering,
acquisition from data acquisition devices, communication with HMIs
and PLCs, and control of digital I/O lines.
For more advanced applications, NI Smart Cameras are also full-
featured NI LabVIEW Real-Time targets. This adds the power of LabVIEW
and the world-class algorithms in the NI Vision Development Module to
this new platform. Other modules supported in LabVIEW Real-Time, such
as the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module, also work with
NI Smart Cameras.
NI vision software makes it easy to move between a configurable
environment and a programming environment. With Vision Builder AI, you
can create an inspection and easily convert it to LabVIEW code. If you
want to use Vision Builder AI but need a bit more flexibility than it offers,
you can also create custom steps for Vision Builder AI using LabVIEW.
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•
•
•
•
Hardware Scalability
The NI vision hardware platform ranges from PCI- and PXI-based systems
to compact vision systems to the sensor itself with NI Smart Cameras. This
entire range of hardware works with both LabVIEW and Vision Builder AI.
This means you can design and prototype your machine vision algorithms
using an off-the-shelf machine vision camera connected to an NI frame
grabber and deploy that same application to an NI Smart Camera with
minimal changes to your LabVIEW code or Vision Builder AI inspection.
Figure 1. With the scalability of NI vision software, you can develop your code on a PC,
prototype on an NI Compact Vision System, and deploy to an NI Smart Camera without
ever changing your application development environment.
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or
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3
Smart Cameras for Embedded Machine Vision
National Instruments vision software includes hundreds of image
processing and analysis functions. A subset of the tools available in the
Vision Development Module and Vision Builder AI are shown below.
Pattern and Geometric Matching
Bar Code Reader and Grader
Learn and locate objects and patterns in your
images. The National Instruments patented
matching algorithms locate patterns fast with
very high accuracy.
Optical Character Recognition/Verification
Read 1D bar codes as well as 2D codes like Data
Matrix and PDF 417. You can decipher codes
applied through ink jets, thermal transfer, laser
etching, or dot peen.
Spatial Calibration
NI OCR functions use a trainable OCR algorithm
specifically designed to identify and verify all
types of fonts, characters, and symbols despite
poor and inconsistent image quality.
Particle Analysis
Using spatial calibration functions, you can
calibrate your image to take accurate, real-world
measurements from images, regardless of camera
perspective or lens distortion.
Image Arithmetic and Logic Functions
Use particle analysis to detect connected regions
or groupings of pixels in an image and make
selected measurements of those regions. Choose
from more than 80 unique measurements that
return data in both real-world and pixel values.
Color Inspection
Operators perform basic arithmetic and logical
operations on images. Use operators to add,
subtract, multiply, and divide an image with other
images or constants.
Coordinate Systems
Color matching quantifies which colors and how
much of each color exist in a region of an image
and uses this information to check if another
image contains the same colors in the same ratio.
Edge Detection
Set up coordinate systems to ensure that all your
measurements move with the object within the
field of view.
Image Filters and Frequency Analysis
Use the edge detection tools to identify and locate
discontinuities in the pixel intensities of an image.
Find edges to align, measure, or detect features in
the image.
Object Classification
Frequency filters, such as the fast Fourier
transform (FFT), alter pixel values with respect to
the periodicity and spatial distribution of the
variations in light intensity in the image.
Image Segmentation
Classification is a tool for identifying an unknown
object by comparing its significant features to a
set of features that represent known samples.
NI vision software comes with several options to
segment and partition images into related components.
Segmentation is an important part of many imaging
applications that need to extract certain features or
objects in order to process them further.
Golden Template Comparison
Gauging
Use dimensional measurement or gauging tools to
obtain quantifiable, critical distance measurements
such as distances, angles, areas, line fits, circular
fits, and counts.
Find defects in an image by comparing a perfect
(golden) sample to all subsequent samples. Golden
template comparison detects surface defects, label
misprints, and overall quality issues.
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at
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4
Smart Cameras for Embedded Machine Vision
Smart Camera Accessories
Lighting
All NI Smart Cameras except for the NI 1722
provide direct connectivity to many current-
controlled LED light heads, including those
below. Additional lighting is available from
Advanced Illumination (www.advill.com).
Back light (red) ......................................................................780221-01
Ring light (red) ......................................................................780222-01
Linear array (red) ..................................................................780223-01
Spot light (red) ......................................................................780224-01
Expansion I/O and HMIs
If your applications need more I/O than NI Smart Cameras provide, you can
easily connect expansion I/O over standard Ethernet. Compact FieldPoint
and CompactRIO are two popular NI platforms for expansion I/O. Both
of these platforms are built on real-time architectures, ensuring the
determinism needed for many industrial applications. CompactRIO also
features a built-in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) for precise timing
and synchronization. Communication to both of these platforms is simplified
with the use of shared variables in LabVIEW or Vision Builder AI. For
more information on these platforms, visit
ni.com/compactfieldpoint
or
ni.com/compactrio.
For interfacing options, NI offers a full suite of touch panel HMIs.
With the LabVIEW Touch Panel Module, you can develop custom HMI
applications for Windows CE touch panel devices. Other options include
Windows XP HMI devices that can run the entire LabVIEW development
environment. Or simply target NI Smart Cameras and other PAC devices
through a Web browser with the Web server technology available on
these hardware platforms. For more information on HMI options from
NI, visit
ni.com/hmi.
Lenses
NI Smart Cameras work with any standard C-mount lens, including the
lenses below supplied by Computar.
8 mm, F1.4, megapixel, Computar ........................................780024-01
12 mm, F1.4, megapixel, Computar ......................................780025-01
16 mm, F1.4, megapixel, Computar ......................................780026-01
25 mm, F1.4, megapixel, Computar ......................................780027-01
Cables and Power Supplies
NI 17xx unshielded screw terminal
breakout with 2 m cable ..................................................780261-01
NI Smart Camera I/O accessory............................................780443-01
Desktop power supply, 24 V, 63 W ......................................780237-01
DIN-rail mount power supply ................................................778805-90
15-pin high-density D-Sub male to flying leads, 5 m ..........197818-05
Ethernet cables, twisted pair
1 m ....................................................................................182219-01
5 m ....................................................................................182219-05
10 m ..................................................................................182219-10
Smart Camera Mounting
1
Ordering Information
NI 1722 Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI
NI 1742 Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI
NI 1744 Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI
NI 1762 Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI
NI 1764 Smart Camera with Vision Builder AI
....................780146-01
....................780147-01
....................780403-01
....................780306-01
....................780402-01
⁄
4
in.-20 tripod adapter ..........................................................780239-01
Mounting bracket ..................................................................780240-01
Additional Software
NI LabVIEW ..........................................................................776670-09
NI LabVIEW Real-Time Vision Development Bundle ............779324-03
BUY NOW!
For complete product specifications, pricing, and accessory
information, call 800 813 3693 (U.S.) or go to
ni.com/vision.
BUY ONLINE
at
ni.com
or
CALL 800 813 3693 (U.S.)
5