NI Smart Cameras Provide Complete Machine Vision Systems

Combining an industrial controller, image sensor, and vision software, the NI 1722 and NI 1742 Smart Cameras debut as all-in-one systems for machine vision and inspection applications. The cameras come with the company's Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (AI), an interactive software environment for configuring, benchmarking, and deploying machine vision applications without programming. The intuitive, menu-driven software enables users to build complex machine vision applications incorporating vision algorithms along with state-based execution plus looping and branching via a state-diagram editor. For harsh environments, the NI 1722 features a 400-MHz PowerPC processor and the NI 1742 features a 533-MHz processor. Both employ a monochrome, charge-coupled device VGA (640 x 480) image sensor from Sony and integrate industrial I/O including two opto-isolated digital inputs and two opto-isolated digital outputs, one RS-232 port, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports with support for industrial protocols. Additionally, the NI 1742 includes quadrature encoder support and a controller featuring the company's direct drive lighting technology. The direct-drive controller integrates a LED driver that provides up to 500 mA of constant current and up to 1A of strobe current. Prices for the NI 1722 and NI 1742 start at $1,999 and $2,299, respectively. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, Austin, TX. (800) 258-7022.