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Digital Camera Image Acquisition

Digital Image Acquisition

The PCI-1424 can acquire four channels of 8-bit data; two channels of 10-, 12-,

14-, or 16-bit data; or one channel of 24- or 32-bit data. The PCI-1422 can acquire

two channels of 8-bit data or one channel of 10-, 12-, 14-, or 16-bit data.

These boards have a serial interface and four TTL or differential digital control

lines for camera control. You can also use the adjustable onboard region of

interest (ROI) window to minimize the amount of data transferred to PC memory.

Digital Transfer Rates

The base memory configuration for the PCI-1424 is 16. You can use onboard

memory to buffer large images before transferring them to PC memory, which

increases the overall throughput. The PCI-1422 can acquire data into onboard

memory at a rate of up to 80 MB/s and transfer data to PC memory at a rate of

100 MB/s. The PCI-1424 can acquire data at 200 MB/s into onboard memory.

Onboard Image Preparation

The PCI-1424 has four 8-bit or two 16-bit lookup tables (LUTs) for mapping the

data from one value to another in real time. The PCI-1422 has two 8-bit or one

16-bit LUT(s) for mapping the data from one value to another in real time.

In addition, setting a rectangular ROI window reduces the overall data

across the PCI bus because the pixels outside the ROI are not transferred.

You can reduce the amount of data transferred across the PCI bus by scaling

or decimating the data in hardware. You can scale the image by keeping every

second, fourth, or eighth pixel.

Digital I/0

Four general-purpose, bidirectional TTL digital I/O lines are available for

triggering image acquisition.

PCI-1424 Signaling

The RS422/TTL version of the PCI-1424 can drive and receive either TTL or RS422

level signals. The driver software can access these signal levels independently

for data, control, and enable lines on the 100-pin connector. The LVDS (also

known as EIA-644) version can drive and receive LVDS and TTL signals. The

benefits of LVDS include less power consumption, longer cable lengths, less

noise, and higher clock rates.

NI PCI-1422 Signaling

One version of the PCI-1422 can receive RS422 data signals. It can also drive

and receive RS422 or TTL control and enable signals. NI Vision Acquisition

Software can access these signal levels independently for data, control, and

enable lines on the 100-pin connector. Another version of the PCI-1422 is

capable of receiving data from LVDS cameras. LVDS, also known as EIA-644,

is a low-voltage differential signal protocol similar to RS422 but with lower

voltage levels.

Multiple-Channel Data Formatter

The multiple-channel data formatting circuitry is fully programmable, so

you can simultaneously acquire from multiple channels to build up to the

complete image.

Advanced Clock Generation

The PCI-1424 has two clock outputs for generating a frequency from 500 kHz up

to 50 MHz for digital cameras that require an external clock. The PCI-1422 has

two clock outputs for generating a frequency from 500 kHz up to 40 MHz.

RS232 Serial Interface

RS232 serial lines are available on the 100-pin connector to control digital

cameras that have a serial interface.

Camera Cables

National Instruments offers 2 m cables for digital cameras, including models

by Basler, DALSA, Hamamatsu, Roper Scientific, and Pulnix. Extension cables

are also available (see the cable section). Contact National Instruments for

Advanced Triggering to Work with DAQ and Motion

NI vision products are designed to work with National Instruments data

acquisition (DAQ) and motion products. The RTSI bus on the PCI-1422 and

PCI-1424 routes timing and triggering signals between boards. The buses can

synchronize video acquisition between several image acquisition devices or

between image acquisition, data acquisition, and motion control devices.

I/O Connector Signals

The 100-pin SCSI connector connects to all digital video data inputs, digital

enable inputs, camera control outputs, RS232 serial interfaces, and the external

trigger signals.

Digital Trigger Accessory

The NI D2504-1, which has four BNC connectors for digital trigger lines, is

for use with National Instruments digital camera cables.