NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ADDS FLEXIBILITY TO VISION BUILDER FOR AUTOMATED INSPECTION SOFTWARE

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NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ADDS FLEXIBILITY TO VISION BUILDER FOR AUTOMATED INSPECTION SOFTWARE
18 May 2005 - National Instruments Corporation (UK)

National Instruments today announced NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection 2.6, the latest upgrade to the interactive software for configuring, benchmarking and deploying complete machine vision applications without programming. Engineers now can significantly extend the capabilities of Vision Builder AI with an ActiveX control as well as tools for integrating National Instruments LabVIEW VIs into inspection scripts and creating customized steps.

With NI Vision Builder AI 2.6, engineers can use ActiveX to communicate with their Vision Builder AI scripts. The ActiveX control gives engineers the ability to customize their user interfaces, access acquired images and communicate inspection results in development environments such as Microsoft Visual Basic, NI LabVIEW and NI TestStand test management software.

Engineers also now can call LabVIEW VIs directly from Vision Builder AI to run custom vision algorithms, advanced analysis functions or example programs without having LabVIEW installed. This feature helps engineers expand their vision applications by incorporating any of thousands of native LabVIEW VIs and example programs into Vision Builder AI without requiring them to migrate their inspections into LabVIEW. In addition, Vision Builder AI 2.6 introduces new algorithms, including color measurements, geometric matching and object classification. Geometric matching is a tool engineers can use to locate objects that are best described by edges and shapes, even when they overlap or change in size. Using the object classification algorithm, engineers can sort different products at high speeds or catalog defects such as scratches, dents and markings.

Vision Builder AI 2.6 also ships with the new Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Development Toolkit, which provides component providers and OEMs with easy-to-use tools for developing their own custom steps for Vision Builder AI. By using the Vision Builder AI Development Toolkit, they can create new steps that resemble native Vision Builder AI steps while incorporating their own intellectual property.

Using Vision Builder AI, engineers can acquire and process images with any NI frame grabber, the NI Compact Vision System or directly from more than 100 IEEE 1394 (FireWire) cameras. Also, they can use the software to communicate triggering and inspection results directly to NI M Series multifunction data acquisition devices or to industrial devices over serial and Ethernet protocols.

http://www.ni.com

About: National Instruments Corporation (UK)
National Instruments is a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation – a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists in industry, government and academia approach measurement and automation. Utilising the PC and its related technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs through easy-to-integrate software, such as the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment, and modular hardware, such as PXI modules for data acquisition, instrument control and machine vision. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3,100 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. In 2003, the company sold products to more than 25,000 companies in 90 countries. For the past five years, FORTUNE magazine named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.

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