NI releases new high-performance compact vision system
NOVEMBER 5--National Instruments (Austin, TX; www.ni.com) has announced the NI CVS-1455 Compact Vision System, which delivers nearly twice the processing power and four times the storage of the NI CVS-1454 Compact Vision System released in July. With this optimized performance, engineers can use the NI CVS-1455 to increase throughput of visual inspection applications.
"The NI CVS-1455 Compact Vision System high-performance processor, nonvolatile storage, and three IEEE 1394 (FireWire) ports make it well equipped to handle any inspection task, from precise assembly guidance to high-speed packaging inspection," said Tim Dehne, NI senior vice president of R&D. "In the past, engineers struggled to coordinate information and images from several independent machine-vision nodes. Now they can integrate inspections into one embedded system without sacrificing performance. In fact, the NI CVS-1455 delivers the performance and functionality of multiple smart cameras."
Performing at 1,436 million instructions per second (MIPS), the NI CVS-1455 delivers more than three times the processing power of a typical smart camera. This speeds visual inspection while giving engineers the power to build applications with multiple cameras without the need for separate processing units, saving both time and money. Engineers can choose from more than 50 IEEE 1394-compliant cameras. The system also includes 128 Mbytes of nonvolatile onboard Flash memory--eight times the storage of a typical smart camera--so engineers can store more images for off-line quality-control analysis. In addition, the NI CVS-1455 features 29 digital I/O lines for control and communication with PLCs, relays, Compact FieldPoint and other automation devices.
NI designed the rugged, 4 x 5 x 2.5-in. NI CVS-1455 to perform flawlessly whether aligning wafers in a cleanroom or inspecting spot welds on a factory floor. It can withstand temperatures ranging from 0°C to 55°C and does not include fans, external vents, or moving parts of any kind, enabling it to easily integrate into harsh industrial environments. The system's high performance, flexibility, and ruggedness make it ideal for inspection, alignment, gauging, and identification applications.
Engineers can develop their machine-vision applications on the NI CVS-1455 using either NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection or the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment. Vision Builder offers an intuitive point-and-click interface for rapid application development. For more sophisticated, highly customized vision applications, LabVIEW delivers an open, full-featured development environment. The LabVIEW code generation feature in Vision Builder for Automated Inspection gives developers the power to easily migrate to LabVIEW.