New Camera Link module for image processing on FPGA

James Cotton, a Graduate Researcher in Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, comments: "We see the speed and flexibility of FPGAs as a crucial technology to perform intensive image processing at high speeds. NI LabVIEW FPGA graphical programming tools, along with NI FlexRIO FPGA hardware for PXI technology, allowed us to quickly develop a high-quality eye-tracking solution that can resolve fixation position to within tenths of a degree at up to 500Hz."

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 NI 1483 is suitable for optical coherence tomography (OCT) 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 (MP) 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 85MHz. This design gives engineers and scientists the ability to customise the image acquisition when using custom image sensors. The 85MHz measurement supports the Camera Link standardised specification to its fullest, creating an excellent 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 NI FlexRIO hardware using the LabVIEW FPGA Module without knowledge of low-level hardware description languages or board-level design. By using the LabVIEW graphical programming environment, engineers and scientists vastly reduce their development time while making use of existing VHDL IP.

Read the white paper Introduction to FPGA Vision Using the NI LabVIEW FPGA Module on www.ni.com to learn more about the NI-1483 Camera Link Adaptor Module, or go to www.ni.com/vision to learn more about NI vision hardware and software products.