NI FPGA-based vision system design platform

National Instruments has introduced a reconfigurable camera link frame grabber for embedded vision applications and a motion module for the CompactRIO FPGA-based development platform.

The NI PCIe-1473R frame grabber is a PC-based vision board that combines FPGA with a camera link interface for the development of embedded imaging and inspection applications.

The NI 9502 brushless servo drive C series module makes it possible for engineers to drive brushless servo motors, including six new custom NI motor options, directly from the reconfigurable CompactRIO system.

The NI PCIe-1473R frame grabber is suitable for advanced inspection and imaging applications that require image pre-processing and high-speed control such as medical imaging, web and surface inspection and high-speed sorting.

The attraction of the FPGA based development board is that it can be programmed with LabVIEW for image processing and analysis in real time, with little to no CPU intervention.

The frame grabber combines the onboard FPGA with a high-bandwidth 850Mbyte/s Camera Link bus, which supports a range of Camera Link configurations up to 10 taps and 80 bits.

The NI PCIe-1473R also supports Power over Camera Link (PoCL) to directly power cameras with no additional cables or external power supply.

The NI 9502 motion drive module for CompactRIO, can drive power brushless, stepper or brushed servo motors directly with NI C series modules.

The driver module offers 4A continuous/8 A peak current and multiple commutation modes.

The company is also releasing six three-phase brushless motors that are designed for direct connection to the NI 9502.