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Changes or modifications not expressly approved by NI could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment under the
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This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC
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*
The CE marking Declaration of Conformity contains important supplementary information and instructions for the user or
installer.
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
»
The » symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options
to a final action. The sequence File»Page Setup»Options directs you to
pull down the File menu, select the Page Setup item, and select Options
from the last dialog box.
♦
The ♦ symbol indicates that the following text applies only to a specific
product, a specific operating system, or a specific software version.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
When symbol is marked on a product, it denotes a warning advising you to
take precautions to avoid electrical shock.
bold
Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such
as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes parameter
names.
italic
Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an introduction
to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word
or value that you must supply.
monospace
Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the
keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples.
This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,
programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations,
variables, filenames, and extensions.
Chapter 1
Software Overview ........................................................................................................1-2
NI-IMAQ Driver Software..............................................................................1-2
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection.........................................1-3
Chapter 2
Acquisition, Scaling, ROI................................................................................2-3
Scatter-Gather DMA Controllers ....................................................................2-3
Board Configuration NVRAM........................................................................2-4
Start Conditions...............................................................................................2-4
Chapter 3
I/O Connector ................................................................................................................3-1
Signal Description..........................................................................................................3-2
Custom Cables ...............................................................................................................3-2
Appendix A
Introduction to Color
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Contents
Technical Support and Professional Services
Glossary
Index
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1
Introduction
This chapter describes the NI PXI/PCI-1411 (NI 1411) and describes your
software programming choices.
About the NI 1411
The NI 1411 is a monochrome and color image acquisition device for PXI,
PCI, or CompactPCI chassis that supports a diverse range of analog
cameras from many camera companies. The NI 1411 acquires images in
real time and can store these images in onboard frame memory, or transfer
these images directly to system memory.
The NI 1411 is simple to configure so that you can easily install the device
and begin acquiring images. The NI 1411 ships with NI Vision Acquisition
Software, which includes NI-IMAQ, the National Instruments driver
software you can use to directly control the NI 1411 and other National
Instruments image acquisition devices. Using NI-IMAQ, you can quickly
and easily start your applications without having to program the device at
the register level.
The NI 1411 features a precision color analog video decoder ideal for both
industrial and scientific environments. The NI 1411 device supports both
NTSC and PAL color standards as well as the RS-170 and CCIR
monochrome standards. The NI 1411 also provides one external I/O line
that you can use as a trigger or as a digital input/output (I/O) line. If you
require more advanced triggering or digital I/O lines, you can use the
NI 1411 and NI-IMAQ with the National Instruments data acquisition
(DAQ) product line.
For detailed specifications of the NI 1411, refer to the Specifications
section of Getting Started with the NI PXI/PCI-1411.
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Using PXI with CompactPCI
Using PXI-compatible products with standard CompactPCI products is an
important feature provided by the PXI Specification, Revision 1.0. If you
use a PXI-compatible plug-in device in a standard CompactPCI chassis,
you cannot use PXI-specific functions, but you can still use the basic
plug-in device functions.
The CompactPCI specification permits vendors to develop sub-buses that
coexist with the basic PCI interface on the CompactPCI bus. Compatible
operation is not guaranteed between CompactPCI devices with different
sub-buses nor between CompactPCI devices with sub-buses and PXI.
The standard implementation for CompactPCI does not include these
sub-buses. The NI 1411 device will work in any standard CompactPCI
chassis adhering to the PICMG 2.0 R2.1 CompactPCI core specification.
Software Overview
Programming the NI 1411 requires the NI-IMAQ driver software for
controlling the hardware. National Instruments also offers the following
application software packages for analyzing and processing your acquired
images.
•
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (AI)—Allows you to
configure solutions to common inspection tasks.
•
National Instruments Vision Development Module—Provides
customized control over hardware and algorithms.
The following sections provide an overview of the driver software and the
application software. For detailed information about individual software
packages, refer to the documentation specific to each package.
NI-IMAQ Driver Software
The NI 1411 ships with NI Vision Acquisition Software, which includes
the NI-IMAQ driver software. NI-IMAQ has an extensive library of
functions—such as routines for video configuration, continuous and single
shot image acquisition, memory buffer allocation, trigger control, and
device configuration—you can call from the application development
environment (ADE). NI-IMAQ handles many of the complex issues
between the computer and the image acquisition device, such as
programming interrupts and camera control.
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NI-IMAQ performs all functions required for acquiring and saving images
but does not perform image analysis. For image analysis functionality, refer
to the National Instruments Application Software section of this chapter.
NI-IMAQ also provides the interface path between the NI 1411 and
LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, or a text-based programming
environment. The NI-IMAQ software kit includes a series of libraries for
image acquisition for LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, and Measurement
Studio, which contains libraries for Microsoft Visual Basic.
NI-IMAQ features both high-level and low-level functions. Examples of
high-level functions include the sequences to acquire images in
multi-buffer, single-shot, or continuous mode. An example of a low-level
function is configuring an image sequence, since it requires advanced
understanding of the image acquisition device and image acquisition
principles.
National Instruments Application Software
This section describes the National Instruments application software
packages you can use to analyze and process the images you acquire with
the NI 1411.
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection
NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (AI) is configurable machine
vision software that you can use to prototype, benchmark, and deploy
applications. Vision Builder AI does not require programming, but is
scalable to powerful programming environments.
Vision Builder AI allows you to easily configure and benchmark a
sequence of visual inspection steps, as well as deploy the visual inspection
system for automated inspection. With Vision Builder AI, you can perform
powerful visual inspection tasks and make decisions based on the results of
individual tasks. You also can migrate the configured inspection to
LabVIEW, extending the capabilities of the applications if necessary.
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Vision Development Module
The Vision Development Module is an image acquisition, processing, and
analysis library of more than 270 functions for the following common
machine vision tasks:
•
•
•
•
•
Pattern matching
Particle analysis
Gauging
Taking measurements
Grayscale, color, and binary image display
You can use the Vision Development Module functions individually or
in combination. With the Vision Development Module, you can acquire,
display, and store images, as well as perform image analysis, and
processing. Using the Vision Development Module, imaging novices and
experts can program the most basic or complicated image applications
without knowledge of particular algorithm implementations.
As a part of the Vision Development Module, NI Vision Assistant is an
interactive prototyping tool for machine vision and scientific imaging
developers. With Vision Assistant, you can prototype vision applications
quickly and test how various vision image processing functions work.
Vision Assistant generates a Builder file, which is a text description
containing a recipe of the machine vision and image processing functions.
This Builder file provides a guide you can use for developing applications
in any ADE, such as LabWindows/CVI or Visual Basic, using the Vision
Assistant machine vision and image processing libraries. Using the
LabVIEW VI creation wizard, Vision Assistant can create LabVIEW VI
block diagrams that perform the prototype you created in Vision Assistant.
You then can use LabVIEW to add functionality to the generated VI.
Integration with DAQ and Motion Control
Platforms that support NI-IMAQ also support NI-DAQ and a variety of
National Instruments DAQ devices. This allows integration between image
acquisition devices and National Instruments DAQ products.
Use National Instruments high-performance stepper and servo motion
control products with pattern matching software in inspection and guidance
applications, such as locating alignment markers on semiconductor wafers,
guiding robotic arms, inspecting the quality of manufactured parts, and
locating cells.
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Hardware Overview
This chapter presents an overview of the hardware functions on the
NI 1411 and explains the operation of each functional unit making up
the NI 1411.
Functional Overview
The NI 1411 features a flexible, high-speed data path optimized for the
acquisition and formatting of video data from analog monochrome and
color cameras.
The block diagram in Figure 2-1 illustrates the key functional components
of the NI 1411.
LUT
SDRAM
PCI Interface
and
Scatter-Gather
DMA
IMAQ
Color
Space
Processor
Analog Video
(BNC or S-Video)
Video
Decoder
SDRAM
Memory
Interface
Controller
Acquisition, ROI,
and Control
External Trigger
Figure 2-1. NI 1411 Block Diagram
Video Acquisition
The NI 1411 can acquire analog color video in a variety of modes and store
the images in the onboard SDRAM memory or transfer the images directly
to PCI system memory.
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Hardware Overview
Video Decoder
The NI 1411 supports NTSC and PAL video standards in either composite
or S-Video format. The onboard video decoder converts the incoming
video signal to Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) data and passes this data to the
color-space processor for further processing.
The video decoder also allows you to control numerous parameters to
optimize an acquisition. You can independently adjust parameters such
as analog input range, brightness, contrast, saturation, or frequency range
(controlled by different filters). Refer to the Measurement & Automation
Explorer Help for NI-IMAQ for a complete description of the NI 1411
video parameters.
Furthermore, the video decoder strips out all necessary clock and
synchronization signals included in the video signal and controls the
acquisition conditions automatically. High-quality circuitry regenerates
even bad timing signals allowing acquisitions from, for example, a video
cassette recorder (VCR).
Note The NI PCI-1411 revision C, NI PXI-1411 revision A, and all later revisions are
factory calibrated to improve measurement accuracy and board-to-board consistency.
Specifically, the luma gain and chroma gain have been calibrated. For detailed
specifications of the NI 1411, refer to the Specifications section of Getting Started with the
NI PXI/PCI-1411.
Color-Space Processor and LUTs
The color-space processor receives the RGB data from the video decoder
and performs several different (optional) operations on the data before
passing them to the memory controller. Processing functions include the
following:
•
Adjusting independent gain of the three signals (R, G, and B). You can
use independent gain to perform, for example, white balancing on the
acquired image.
•
Applying three independent lookup tables (LUTs) to the R, G, and
B data.
•
•
Converting the RGB data into Hue, Saturation, and Luminance (HSL).
Processing the hue plane to clear pixels where the saturation
falls below a predefined threshold value. This function is called
image without color information (monochrome) that otherwise would
introduce noise on the hue plane.
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Hardware Overview
The color-space processor can export the video data in 32-bit RGB or HSL
formats or in individual 8-bit hue, saturation, or luminance planes. For
more information on these image types, see the Image Representations
section in Appendix A, Introduction to Color.
SDRAM
The NI 1411 comes with 16 MB of onboard high-speed synchronous
dynamic RAM (SDRAM). The NI 1411 can use the onboard RAM as a
first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer, transferring the image data as it is acquired
or acquiring the image data into SDRAM and holding it for later transfer to
main memory.
Trigger Control and Mapping Circuitry
The trigger control monitors and drives the external trigger line. You can
configure this line to start an acquisition on a rising or falling edge and
drive the line asserted or unasserted, similar to a digital I/O line. You can
also map many of the NI 1411 status signals to this trigger line and program
the trigger line in polarity and direction.
Acquisition, Scaling, ROI
The acquisition, scaling, and region-of-interest (ROI) circuitry monitors
the incoming video signals and routes the active pixels to the SDRAM
memory. The NI 1411 can perform ROI and scaling on all video lines and
frames. Pixel and line scaling transfers certain multiples (two, four, or
eight) of pixels and lines to onboard memory. In an ROI acquisition, you
select an area within the acquisition window to transfer to the PCI bus.
Scatter-Gather DMA Controllers
The NI 1411 uses three independent onboard direct memory access (DMA)
controllers. The DMA controllers transfer data between the onboard
SDRAM memory buffers and the PCI bus. Each of these controllers
supports scatter-gather DMA, which allows the DMA controller to
reconfigure on-the-fly. Thus, the NI 1411 can perform continuous image
transfers directly to either contiguous or fragmented memory buffers.
Bus Master PCI Interface
The NI 1411 implements the PCI interface with a National Instruments
custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the PCI MITE. The
PCI interface can transfer data at a maximum rate of 132 Mbytes/s in
bus master mode. The NI 1411 can generate 8-, 16-, and 32-bit memory
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read and write cycles, both single and multiple. In slave mode, the NI 1411
is a medium-speed decoder that accepts both memory and configuration
cycles. The interface logic ensures that the NI 1411 can meet PCI loading,
driving, and timing requirements.
Board Configuration NVRAM
The NI 1411 contains onboard nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) that
configures all registers on power-up.
Start Conditions
The NI 1411 can start acquisitions in a variety of conditions:
•
Software control—The NI 1411 supports software control of
acquisition start. You can configure the NI 1411 to capture a fixed
number of fields or frames. Use this configuration for capturing a
single frame or a sequence of frames.
•
•
Trigger control—You can start an acquisition by enabling the
external trigger line. This input can start a video acquisition on a rising
or falling edge.
Frame/field selection—With an interlaced camera and the NI 1411 in
frame mode, you can program the NI 1411 to start an acquisition on
any odd or even field.
Acquisition Window Control
You can configure numerous parameters on the NI 1411 to control the
video acquisition window. A brief description of each parameter follows:
•
Acquisition window—The NI 1411 allows you to specify a particular
region of active pixels and active lines within the incoming video data.
The active pixel region selects the starting pixel and number of pixels
to be acquired relative to the assertion edge of the horizontal (or line)
enable signal from the camera. The active line region selects the
starting line and number of lines to be acquired relative to the assertion
edge of the vertical (or frame) enable signal.
•
Region of interest—The NI 1411 uses a second level of active pixel
and active line regions for selecting a region of interest. When you
disable the region-of-interest circuitry, the board stores the entire
acquisition window into onboard or system memory. However, when
you enable the region-of-interest circuitry, the board acquires only a
selected subset of the image frame.
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•
Scaling down—The scaling down circuitry also controls the active
acquisition region. The NI 1411 can scale down a frame by reducing
the number of pixels per line, the number of lines per frame, or both.
For active pixel selection, the NI 1411 can select every pixel, every
other pixel, every fourth pixel, or every eighth pixel. For active line
selection, the NI 1411 can select every line, every other line, every
fourth line, or every eighth line. You can use the scaling down circuitry
in conjunction with the region-of-interest circuitry.
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Signal Connections
This chapter describes cable connections for the NI 1411.
I/O Connector
The NI 1411 uses one S-Video and two BNC connectors on the front panel
to connect to video data inputs and the external trigger signal. Figure 3-1
shows the position of the three connectors.
VIDEO
S-VIDEO
TRIG
Figure 3-1. NI 1411 Connectors
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Signal Connections
Signal Description
Table 3-1 describes each signal connection on the NI 1411 device
connectors:
Table 3-1. I/O Connector Signals
Signal Name
VIDEO
Description
Composite Video—The signal allows you to make a referenced single-ended
(RSE) connection to the video channel.
S-VIDEO
S-Video—A connector composed of two signals, as follows:
Y—The Y signal of the S-Video connection contains the luma and
synchronization information of the video signal.
C—The C signal of the S-Video connection contains the chroma
information of the video signal.
TRIG
GND
External trigger—A TTL I/O line you can use to start an acquisition or to
control external events. You can program the triggers to be rising or falling
edge sensitive. You can also program the triggers to be programmatically
asserted or unasserted similar to the function of a digital I/O line or to contain
internal status signals (by using the onboard events).
Ground—A direct connection to digital ground on the NI 1411.
Custom Cables
If you plan to make your own cables, refer to Figure 3-2 for the pin-out of
the S-Video connector, as seen from the front of the NI 1411.
GND
C
Y
GND
Figure 3-2. S-Video Connector Pin Assignments
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A
Introduction to Color
Color is the wavelength of the light we receive in our eye when we look at
an object. In theory, the color spectrum is infinite. Humans, however, can
see only a small portion of this spectrum—the portion that goes from the
red edge of infrared light (the longest wavelength) to the blue edge of
ultraviolet light (the shortest wavelength). This continuous spectrum is
called the visible spectrum, as shown in Figure A-1.
Figure A-1. White Light and the Visible Spectrum
White light is a combination of all colors at once. The spectrum of white
light is continuous and goes from ultraviolet to infrared in a smooth
transition. You can represent a good approximation of white light by
selecting a few reference colors and weighting them appropriately. The
most common way to represent white light is to use three reference
components, such as red, green, and blue (R, G, and B primaries). You can
simulate most colors of the visible spectrum using these primaries. For
example, video projectors use red, green, and blue light generators, and an
RGB camera uses red, green, and blue sensors.
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Introduction to Color
The perception of a color depends on many factors, such as:
•
Hue, which is the perceived dominant color. Hue depends directly on
the wavelength of a color.
•
Saturation, which is dependent on the amount of white light present in
a color. Pastels typically have a low saturation while very rich colors
have a high saturation. For example, pink typically has a red hue but
has a low saturation.
•
•
Luminance, which is the brightness information in the video picture.
The luminance signal amplitude varies in proportion to the brightness
of the video signal and corresponds exactly to the monochrome
picture.
Intensity, which is the brightness of a color and which is usually
expressed as light or dark. For example, orange and brown may have
the same hue and saturation; however, orange has a greater intensity
than brown.
Image Representations
Color images can be represented in several different formats. These formats
can contain all color information from the image or they can consist of just
one aspect of the color information, such as hue or luminance. The
following image representations can be produced using the PCI/PXI-1411.
RGB
The most common image representation is 32-bit RGB format. In this
representation, the three 8-bit color planes—red, green and blue—are
packed into an array of 32-bit integers. This representation is useful for
displaying the image on your monitor. The 32-bit integer organized as:
0
RED
GREEN
BLUE
where the high-order byte is not used and blue is the low-order byte.
Color Planes
Each color plane can be returned individually. The red, green, or blue plane
is extracted from the RGB image and represented as an array of 8-bit
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Hue, Saturation, Luminance, and Intensity Planes
The 8-bit hue, saturation, luminance, and intensity planes can also be
returned individually if you want to analyze the image.
Luminance, Intensity, Hue, or Saturation are defined using the Red, Green,
and Blue values in the following formulas:
Luminance = 0.299 × Red + 0.587 × Green + 0.114 × Blue
Intensity = (Red + Green + Blue) / 3
Hue = arctangent (Y, X)
where
Y = (Green – Blue) / 2 and
X = (2 × Red – Green – Blue) / 6
3 × Min(R, G, B)
⎛
⎞
Saturation = 255 × 1 – -----------------------------------------
⎝
⎠
R + G + B
32-Bit HSL and HSI
You can also pack the three 8-bit Hue, Saturation, and Luminance planes
(HSL) or the three Hue, Saturation, and Intensity planes (HSI) in one array
of 32-bit integers, which is equivalent to the 32-bit RGB representation.
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B
Technical Support and
Professional Services
Visit the following sections of the National Instruments Web site at
ni.com for technical support and professional services:
•
Support—Online technical support resources at ni.com/support
include the following:
–
Self-Help Resources—For answers and solutions, visit the
award-winning National Instruments Web site for software drivers
and updates, a searchable KnowledgeBase, product manuals,
step-by-step troubleshooting wizards, thousands of example
programs, tutorials, application notes, instrument drivers, and
so on.
–
Free Technical Support—All registered users receive free Basic
Service, which includes access to hundreds of Application
Engineers worldwide in the NI Discussion Forums at
ni.com/forums. National Instruments Application Engineers
make sure every question receives an answer.
For information about other technical support options in your
area, visit ni.com/services or contact your local office at
ni.com/contact.
•
•
•
Training and Certification—Visit ni.com/training for
self-paced training, eLearning virtual classrooms, interactive CDs,
and Certification program information. You also can register for
instructor-led, hands-on courses at locations around the world.
System Integration—If you have time constraints, limited in-house
technical resources, or other project challenges, National Instruments
Alliance Partner members can help. To learn more, call your local
NI office or visit ni.com/alliance.
Declaration of Conformity (DoC)—A DoC is our claim of
compliance with the Council of the European Communities using
the manufacturer’s declaration of conformity. This system affords
the user protection for electronic compatibility (EMC) and product
safety. You can obtain the DoC for your product by visiting
ni.com/certification.
© National Instruments Corporation
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Appendix B
Technical Support and Professional Services
•
Calibration Certificate—If your product supports calibration,
you can obtain the calibration certificate for your product at
ni.com/calibration.
If you searched ni.com and could not find the answers you need, contact
your local office or NI corporate headquarters. Phone numbers for our
worldwide offices are listed at the front of this manual. You also can visit
the Worldwide Offices section of ni.com/niglobal to access the branch
office Web sites, which provide up-to-date contact information, support
phone numbers, email addresses, and current events.
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Glossary
Symbol
Prefix
pico
Value
10–12
10–9
10– 6
10–3
103
p
n
nano
micro
milli
kilo
μ
m
k
M
G
T
mega
giga
106
109
tera
1012
Symbols
+
Positive of, or plus.
Per.
/
Ω
Ohm.
Plus or minus.
–
Negative of, or minus.
A
A
Amperes.
AC
Alternating current.
acquisition window
active line region
The image size specific to a video standard or camera resolution.
The region of lines actively being stored. Defined by a line start (relative to
the vertical synchronization signal) and a line count.
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Glossary
active pixel region
The region of pixels actively being stored. Defined by a pixel start (relative
to the horizontal synchronization signal) and a pixel count.
address
API
Value that identifies a specific location (or series of locations) in memory.
Application programming interface.
area
A rectangular portion of an acquisition window or frame that is controlled
and defined by software.
array
Ordered, indexed set of data elements of the same type.
ASIC
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit. A proprietary semiconductor
component designed and manufactured to perform a set of specific
functions for specific customer needs.
B
b
Bit. One binary digit, either 0 or 1.
B
Byte. Eight related bits of data, an eight-bit binary number; also used to
denote the amount of memory required to store one byte of data
brightness
A constant that is added to the red, green, and blue components of a color
pixel during the color decoding process.
buffer
bus
Temporary storage for acquired data.
A group of conductors that interconnect individual circuitry in a computer,
such as the PCI bus; typically the expansion vehicle to which I/O or other
devices are connected.
C
cache
High-speed processor memory that buffers commonly used instructions or
data to increase processing throughput.
CMOS
Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.
color space
The mathematical representation for a color. For example, color can be
described in terms of red, green, and blue; hue, saturation, and luma; or hue,
saturation, and intensity.
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Glossary
composite video
contrast
A type of color video transmission where synchronization, luma, and
chroma information are transmitted on one analog signal.
A constant multiplication factor applied to the luma and chroma
components of a color pixel in the color decoding process.
coring
The process of eliminating color information in low-color situations
(if the saturation is lower than a predefined value).
CPU
Central processing unit.
D
DAQ
Data acquisition. (1) Collecting and measuring electrical signals from
sensors, transducers, and test probes or fixtures and inputting them to a
computer for processing. (2) Collecting and measuring the same kinds of
electrical signals with A/D or DIO boards plugged into a computer, and
possibly generating control signals with D/A and/or DIO boards in the
same computer.
dB
Decibel. The unit for expressing a logarithmic measure of the ratio of
two signal levels: dB = 20log10 V1/V2, for signals in volts.
DC
Direct current.
default setting
A default parameter value recorded in the driver; in many cases, the default
input of a control is a certain value (often 0) that means use the current
default setting.
DMA
Direct memory access. A method by which data can be transferred to and
from computer memory from and to a device or memory on the bus while
the processor does something else; DMA is the fastest method of
transferring data to/from computer memory.
DRAM
drivers
Dynamic RAM.
Software that controls a specific hardware device, such as an image
acquisition board.
dynamic range
The ratio of the largest signal level a circuit can handle to the smallest
signal level it can handle (usually taken to be the noise level), normally
expressed in decibels.
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Glossary
E
EEPROM
Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. ROM that can be
erased with an electrical signal and reprogrammed.
external trigger
A voltage pulse from an external source that triggers an event such as
A/D conversion.
F
field
For an interlaced video signal, a field is half the number of horizontal
lines needed to represent a frame of video. The first field of a frame
contains all the odd-numbered lines, the second field contains all of the
even-numbered lines.
FIFO
frame
First-in first-out memory buffer. The first data stored is the first data sent
to the acceptor; FIFOs are used on image acquisition devices to temporarily
store incoming data until that data can be retrieved.
A complete image. In interlaced formats, a frame is composed of two fields.
G
gamma
The nonlinear change in the difference between the video signal’s
brightness level and the voltage level needed to produce that brightness.
genlock
Circuitry that aligns the video timing signals by locking together the
horizontal, vertical, and color subcarrier frequencies and phases and
generates a pixel clock to clock pixel data into memory for display or into
another circuit for processing.
H
HSI
Color encoding scheme in Hue, Saturation, and Intensity.
HSL
Color encoding scheme using Hue, Saturation, and Luma information
where each image in the pixel is encoded using 32 bits: 8 bits for hue,
8 bits for saturation, 8 bits for luma, and 8 unused bits.
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Glossary
HSYNC
Horizontal synchronization signal. The synchronization pulse signal
monitor’s horizontal scan rate in step with the transmission of each new
line.
hue
Represents the dominant color of a pixel. The hue function is a continuous
function that covers all the possible colors generated using the R, G, and
B primaries. See also RGB.
hue offset
Rotates the Hue plane with a specified offset angle. The hue value of a pixel
is defined as an angle in the normal color plane. You can offset this angle
to move the discontinuity point (at 0 modulo 360°) to another angle value.
The range is –180° to +180° with a default of 0°.
Hz
Hertz. Frequency in units of 1/second.
I
I/O
Input/output. The transfer of data to/from a computer system involving
communications channels, operator interface devices, and/or data
acquisition and control interfaces.
IC
Integrated circuit.
IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Inches.
in.
instrument driver
A set of high-level software functions, such as NI-IMAQ, that control
specific plug-in computer boards. Instrument drivers are available in
several forms, ranging from a function callable from a programming
language to a virtual instrument (VI) in LabVIEW.
intensity
The sum of the Red, Green, and Blue primaries divided by three:
(Red + Green + Blue)/3.
interlaced
interrupt
A video frame composed of two interleaved fields. The number of lines in
a field are half the number of lines in an interlaced frame.
A computer signal indicating that the CPU should suspend its current task
to service a designated activity.
interrupt level
The relative priority at which a device can interrupt.
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Glossary
IRQ
Interrupt request. See interrupt.
K
k
Kilo. The standard metric prefix for 1,000, or 103, used with units of
measure such as volts, hertz, and meters.
K
Kilo. The prefix for 1,024, or 210, used with B in quantifying data or
computer memory.
kbytes/s
Kword
A unit for data transfer that means 1,000 or 103 bytes/s.
1,024 words of memory.
L
line count
The total number of horizontal lines in the picture.
Least significant bit.
LSB
luma
The brightness information in the video picture. The luma signal amplitude
varies in proportion to the brightness of the video signal and corresponds
exactly to the monochrome picture.
luminance
LUT
See luma.
Lookup table. Table containing values used to transform the gray-level
values of an image. For each gray-level value in the image, the
corresponding new value is obtained from the lookup table.
M
m
Meters.
M
(1) Mega, the standard metric prefix for 1 million or 106, when used with
units of measure such as volts and hertz; (2) mega, the prefix for 1,048,576,
or 220, when used with B to quantify data or computer memory.
MB
Megabyte of memory.
Mbytes/s
memory buffer
See buffer.
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Glossary
memory window
Continuous blocks of memory that can be accessed quickly by changing
addresses on the local processor.
MSB
MTBF
mux
Most significant bit.
Mean time between failure.
Multiplexer. A switching device with multiple inputs that selectively
connects one of its inputs to its output.
N
NI-IMAQ
Driver software for National Instruments image acquisition hardware.
noninterlaced
A video frame where all the lines are scanned sequentially, instead of
divided into two frames as in an interlaced video frame.
NTSC
National Television Standards Committee. The committee that developed
the color video standard used primarily in North America, which uses
525 lines per frame. See also PAL.
NVRAM
Nonvolatile RAM. RAM that is not erased when a device loses power or is
turned off.
O
operating system
Base-level software that controls a computer, runs programs, interacts with
users, and communicates with installed hardware or peripheral devices.
P
PAL
Phase Alternation Line. One of the European video color standards; uses
625 lines per frame. See also NTSC.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. A high-performance expansion bus
architecture originally developed by Intel to replace ISA and EISA. PCI
offers a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 132 Mbytes/s.
pixel
Picture element. The smallest division that makes up the video scan line;
for display on a computer monitor, a pixel’s optimum dimension is square
(aspect ratio of 1:1, or the width equal to the height).
pixel clock
Divides the incoming horizontal video line into pixels.
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Glossary
pixel count
PLL
The total number of pixels between two horizontal synchronization signals.
The pixel count determines the frequency of the pixel clock.
Phase-locked loop. Circuitry that provides a very stable pixel clock that is
referenced to another signal, for example, an incoming horizontal
synchronization signal.
protocol
pts
The exact sequence of bits, characters, and control codes used to
transfer data between computers and peripherals through a
communications channel.
Points.
R
RAM
Random-access memory.
real time
A property of an event or system in which data is processed as it is acquired
instead of being accumulated and processed at a later time.
relative accuracy
resolution
A measure in LSB of the accuracy of an ADC; it includes all nonlinearity
and quantization errors but does not include offset and gain errors of the
circuitry feeding the ADC.
The smallest signal increment that can be detected by a measurement
system. Resolution can be expressed in bits, in proportions, or in percent
of full scale. For example, a system has 12-bit resolution, one part in 4,096
resolution, and 0.0244 percent of full scale.
RGB
ROI
Color encoding scheme using red, green, and blue (RGB) color information
where each pixel in the color image is encoded using 32 bits: 8 bits for red,
8 bits for green, 8 bits for blue, and 8 bits for the alpha value (unused).
Region of interest. A hardware-programmable rectangular portion of the
acquisition window.
ROM
RS-170
RSE
Read-only memory.
The U.S. standard used for black-and-white television.
Referenced single-ended. All measurements are made with respect to a
common reference measurement system or a ground. Also called a
grounded measurement system.
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Glossary
S
S-Video
A type of color video transmission where timing and luma information are
transmitted on one analog signal and chroma is transmitted on a separate
analog signal.
saturation
The amount of white added to a pure color. Saturation relates to the richness
of a color. A saturation of zero corresponds to a pure color with no white
added. Pink is a red with low saturation.
scaling down circuitry
scatter-gather DMA
SDRAM
Circuitry that scales down the resolution of a video signal.
A type of DMA that allows the DMA controller to reconfigure on-the-fly.
Synchronous dynamic RAM.
SRAM
Static RAM.
sync
Tells the display where to put a video picture. The horizontal sync indicates
the picture’s left-to-right placement and the vertical sync indicates
top-to-bottom placement.
system RAM
RAM installed on a personal computer and used by the operating system,
as contrasted with onboard RAM.
T
transfer rate
The rate, measured in bytes/s, at which data is moved from source to
destination after software initialization and set up operations. The
maximum rate at which the hardware can operate.
trigger
Any event that causes or starts some form of data capture.
trigger control and
mapping circuitry
Circuitry that routes, monitors, and drives external and RTSI bus trigger
lines. You can configure each of these lines to start or stop acquisition on a
rising or falling edge.
TTL
Transistor-transistor logic.
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Glossary
V
VCO
Voltage-controlled oscillator. An oscillator that changes frequency
depending on a control signal; used in a PLL to generate a stable
pixel clock.
VI
Virtual Instrument. (1) A combination of hardware and/or software
elements, typically used with a PC, that has the functionality of a classic
stand-alone instrument (2) A LabVIEW software module (VI), which
consists of a front panel user interface and a block diagram program.
VSYNC
Vertical synchronization signal. The synchronization pulse generated at the
beginning of each video field that tells the video monitor when to start a
new field.
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Index
A
acquisition
acquisition window control, 2-4
acquisition, scaling, and ROI
circuitry, 2-3
start conditions, 2-4
D
Declaration of Conformity (NI resources), B-1
diagnostic tools (NI resources), B-1
DMA controllers, scatter-gather, 2-3
documentation
acquisition window, 2-4
application software
Vision Builder AI, 1-3
Vision Development Module, 1-3
NI resources, B-1
drivers (NI resources), B-1
B
board configuration NVRAM, 2-4
bus master PCI interface, 2-3
examples (NI resources), B-1
C
cables, custom, 3-2
functional overview, 2-1
calibration certificate (NI resources), B-2
color overview
definition of color, A-1
intensity planes, A-3
RGB, A-2
hardware overview
acquisition window control, 2-4
acquisition, scaling, ROI, 2-3
block diagram of NI 1411, 2-1
board configuration NVRAM, 2-4
bus master PCI interface, 2-3
color-space processor and LUTs, 2-2
functional overview, 2-1
perception of color, A-2
visible spectrum (figure), A-1
color planes, A-2
color-space processor and LUTs, 2-2
CompactPCI, using with PXI, 1-2
configuration
acquisition window control, 2-4
board configuration NVRAM, 2-4
scatter-gather DMA controllers, 2-3
SDRAM, 2-3
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Index
start conditions, 2-4
trigger control and mapping circuitry, 2-3
video acquisition, 2-1
planes, A-3
LUTs (look-up-tables), 2-2
video decoder, 2-2
help, technical support, B-1
hue
M
mapping circuitry and trigger control, 2-3
memory
32-bit HSL and HSI, A-3
definition, A-2
board configuration NVRAM, 2-4
hue, saturation, luminance, and intensity
planes, A-3
motion control, integrating with, 1-4
I
I/O connector (figure), 3-1
National Instruments support and services,
NI 1411
32-bit HSL and HSI, A-2
color planes, A-2
See also hardware overview
overview, 1-1
hue, saturation, luminance, and intensity
planes, A-3
software programming choices, 1-2
using PXI with CompactPCI, 1-2
NI support and services, B-1
NI-IMAQ driver software, 1-2
NTSC video standard, 2-2
RGB, A-2
instrument drivers (NI resources), B-1
integration with DAQ and motion control, 1-4
intensity
32-bit HSL and HSI, A-3
definition, A-2
hue, saturation, luminance, and intensity
planes, A-3
P
PAL video standard, 2-2
K
post-decoding coring, 2-2
KnowledgeBase, B-1
L
RAM
LabVIEW
migrating inspection from Vision Builder
AI, 1-3
board configuration NVRAM, 2-4
SDRAM, 2-3
region of interest
acquisition, scaling, and ROI
circuitry, 2-3
look-up-tables (LUTs), 2-2
luminance
32-bit HSL and HSI, A-3
definition, A-2
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Index
configuring, 2-4
training and certification (NI resources), B-1
TRIG signal (table), 3-2
S
saturation
32-bit HSL and HSI, A-3
definition, A-2
hue, saturation, luminance, and intensity
planes, A-3
scaling down circuitry, 2-5
scatter-gather DMA controllers, 2-3
SDRAM, 2-3
video acquisition, 2-1
video decoder, 2-2
video standards, 2-2
signal connections
Vision Builder AI, migrating to LabVIEW, 1-3
custom cables, 3-2
I/O connector (figure), 3-1
signal description (table), 3-2
software (NI resources), B-1
software programming choices
NI Vision, 1-4
NI-IMAQ driver software, 1-2
Vision Builder AI, 1-3
start conditions, 2-4
support, technical, B-1
S-VIDEO signal (table), 3-2
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