Frame Grabbers – The Control Center of the Image Processing System

VisualApplets 3

VisualApplets enables access to the FPGA processors in the image processing hardware, such as frame grabbers, industrial cameras and image processing devices, to implement individual image processing applications.

• Programming of the V-series frame grabbers and image processing hardware with special applications
• Bandwidth control and FPGA resource assessment
• Without expert skills or hardware programming
• Reuse proprietary VHDL libraries in VisualApplets
• Shorten project times, accelerate market availability

VisualApplets Embedder

Image processing devices become compatible with VisualApplets

• Unlimited configuration of FPGA hardware with specific image processing applications
• Promptly adjust image processing applications to customer and market requirements
• Plan and implement complete product lines in a short time
• Transfer developed image processing applications to different vision devices with minimal effort
• Reduce the data volume with image pre-processing and alternatively apply inexpensive interfaces such as Gigabit Ethernet
• End customers get the added value of programming the devices themselves in a specified framework
• End customers receive smart devices that guarantee them the most flexibility and investment reliability

VisualApplets Expert

Experienced users have the option of applying existing hardware code, debugging the design under runtime conditions and creating paths to parameters in hierarchical structures.

• With the custom library, system builders apply their image processing modules programmed in VHDL or Verilog (VHDL libraries) in VisualApplets as generic operators, thus preserving their preparatory work.
• The debugging library enables enhanced debugging to detect programming errors, deadlocks and bandwidth problems and to increase the design stability.
• The parameters library offers users tools to change even those parameters that might be deeply embedded in the design’s hierarchical structures. The changes are automatically and consistently updated during the runtime.

VisualApplets Libraries

VisualApplets libraries comprise multiple operator libraries which expand the operators’ scope with valuable image processing functions, such as those for segmentation, classification and compression.

• Segmentation/classification: These operators are used to segment and define objects in images and assign characteristics to them.
• Compression: The JPEG operator makes it possible to execute the JPEG image compression directly on the FPGA of the vision hardware to reduce image data.

VisualApplets Protection

To prevent the use of proprietary applets on external frame grabbers and thus protect intellectual property from outside access, the applets and frame grabbers can each be securely encoded with a lock.

• Applets and frame grabbers are each securely encoded with a lock.
• Two protective mechanisms guarantee maximum security.

microDisplay X

During the activation of frame grabbers, microDisplay X helps you test the entire system configuration, select and parameterize applets and perform camera settings.

• Configure cameras (GenICam) and applets directly in the start window and save or access the configuration
• Load multiple applets (one applet per board)
• Enlarge DMA (Direct Memory Access) output window for a large-scale display of an individual DMA output
• Optimized accuracy of the frame rate information (frames per second) during the acquisition
• Easy setup of line scan camera systems with line profile and line histogram (provide information on individual pixel values and the distribution of a line)
• Buffer assigned in applet but not used (if the image section transferred by the camera is too small) is displayed in red in the DMA output window
• New log window to access general and camera discovery log information, grabber events and system status information at any time

microDiagnostics

microDiagnostics makes it possible to flash a frame grabber with applets and perform various tests for a successful activation

• Support with the speedy activation of the frame grabber
• Test functions simplify an overview of the full system’s functionality
• Simple camera change by selecting and flashing another applet

SDKs

The Software Development Kit (SDK) is an easy way to integrate a frame grabber and camera into the customer’s application while using complex trigger settings, particularly the microEnable frame grabber function, to their full extent. A generic application programming interface (API) enables platform-independent work. Of course, the SDK also helps system builders develop their own C/C++/C# or Python applications.

• Quick and easy integration of frame grabbers into your application and software environment
• Flexible for the use of different programming languages (C++, C#, Python)
• Reduced development times for projects

Third-party software

The frame grabbers are compatible with software from the following third-party providers. To this end, interfaces and adapters are available that allow you to continue working with the software you are using.