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Halcon

HALCON 8.0 Image Acquisition Interface for Ginga digital Boards

This page provides the documentation about the HALCON interface for the LinX Ginga digital frame grabber boards. Registered customers can download the latest revision of this interface from the MVTec WWW server or from the Support Area of the LinX WWW server. In case of installation problems please send an e-mail (techimage@linx.jp) or a fax (81-45-979-0732) to LinX technical support center.

Revision: 3.4

System Requirements

  • Intel compatible PC with either Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 5 or later) or Windows 2000/XP.
  • Successfully installed GingaDigital Initial Software Kit (ISK):
      Windows NT 4.0: GingaDigital device driver version 1.5.5.9 or later
      Windows 2000/XP: GingaDigital device driver version 1.3.5.9 or later
  • Successfully installed GingaDigital driver GingaDG.sys in %SystemDrive\Winnt\system32\drivers.
  • HALCON image acquisition interface hAcqGingaDG.dll or parhAcqHFGGingaDG.dll, respectively. If you have properly installed the interface, both DLLs should reside in bin\%HALCONARCH% within the HALCON base directory %HALCONROOT% you have chosen during the installation of HALCON.

Features

  • Multiple cameras on multiple frame grabber boards.
  • Serial and parallel (simultaneously from several cameras) grabbing.
  • Synchronous and asynchronous grabbing.
  • Using arbitrary cameras by setting the camera file name.
  • Different grabbing modes: external trigger, sequence grabbing, continuous grabbing.
  • Subsampling. Multi woi grabbing
  • Software cropping of image parts.

Limitations

  • grab_data and grab_data_async not supported.
  • No LUTs.

Description

Parameters for open_framegrabber() :

Name 'GingaDG' The name of the HALCON image acquisition interface.
HorizontalResolution 1, 2, 4 The desired horizontal image resolution. Use '1' for full resolution, '2' for subsampling by factor 2, and '4' for subsampling by factor 4. Default: 1.
VerticalResolution 1, 2, 4 The desired vertical image resolution. Use '1' for full resolution, '2' for subsampling by factor 2, and '4' for subsampling by factor 4. Default: 1.
ImageWidth 0, width The width of the desired image part (use '0' for the maximum image width). Default: 0.
ImageHeight 0, height The height of the desired image part (use '0' for the maximum image height). Default: 0.
StartRow 0, row The row coordinate of the upper left pixel within the desired image part (use '0' for the complete image). Default: 0.
StartColumn 0, column The column coordinate of the upper left pixel within the desired image part. Default: 0.
Field --- Ignored.
BitsPerChannel --- Ignored.
ColorSpace --- Ignored.
Generic --- Ignored.
ExternalTrigger --- Ignored.
Note that the external trigger mode depends on the settings of the camera file described below!
CameraType cam_name The CameraType parameter is used to specify the file name of the desired camera configuration. Note that the file name has to be relative to the environment variable %GingaDGConfigPath%. Please use a name for the camera file according to the name rules.
Example: 'jai/CVM40_NI_NORM'
Device 'GingaDG-CL2', 'GingaDG-LV' Board type of the Ginga digital board.
Port 0, 1, 2, ... The port parameter specifies the channel number the camera(s) is/are connected to. The channel number must be set from 0 for the first channel of the smallest PCI bus and slot number when multiple cameras on multiple frame grabber boards are installed in the same system. For example, in case of
[Board 1] bus number = 0, slot number = 0
[Board 2] bus number = 0, slot number = 1
[Board 3] bus number = 1, slot number = 0
then:
Port number of [Board 1] must be set to [0-3]
Port number of [Board 2] must be set to [4-7]
Port number of [Board 3] must be set to [8-11]
LineIn --- Ignored.

Parameters for set_framegrabber_param():

'abort_wait' msec Time to wait in milliseconds after aborting a grab. Default: 0.
'continuous_grabbing' 'enable', 'disable' Activate/deactivate continuous grabbing mode. Default: 'disable'.
'encoder_count_multiple' 1 ... 4 Set the ratio of the encoder pulse divider. Default: camera configuration file.
'encoder_scan_step' 0 ... 4294967296 Set the interval counts for the capture start signal in encoder counts. Default: camera configuration file.
'external_trigger' 'true', 'false' Activate/deactivate external triggering. If enabled, the grabbing starts with the shot (external trigger) signal input to the board. Note that you cannot disable the external trigger mode when using a reset shutter mode camera file.
'gport' 0 ... 15 Output the data via general output port. Port0 corresponds to BIT0, Port1 corresponds to BIT1. On each bit value '1' is high and value '0' is low. Default: 0.
'grab_timeout' msec Timeout value for image acquisition in milliseconds. Default: 5000.
'image_height' 0 ... 4294967296 Set the height of the image. Default: camera configuration file.
'multi_woi_grabbing' 'enable', 'disable' Activate/deactivate the multi woi grabbing mode.
'pseudo_encoder' 'forward', 'reverse', 'stop' Control an imitate encoder:
  • 'forward': Run in the direction of increasing the counter.
  • 'reverse': Run in the direction of decreasing the counter.
'sequence_grabbing' 'enable', 'disable' Activate/deactivate sequence grabbing mode. Default: 'disable'.
'serial_baudrate' 0 ... 4294967296 Set the baud rate for serial communication. Default: 9600 bps.
'serial_message' string Send the string. The terminate of the string is NULL(0x00).
'serial_terminate_code' 0 ... 255 Set the terminate character of the receive string. If you call get_framegrabber_param with the parameter 'serial_message', the receive process is finished by receiving this character. Default: LF(0x0A).
'serial_timeout' 0 ... 4294967296 Set the timeout for serial communication (in milliseconds). Default: 2000 msec.
'shutter_speed' (float) > 0 Specify shutter speed (exposure time) in seconds if camera is used in reset shutter mode.
'software_trigger' 'enable', 'disable' Enable or disable the software trigger mode (shot grabbing). In case you specify a camera file for reset shutter mode in the CameraType parameter during open_framegrabber, the GingaDigital board sends the trigger signal to the camera for shuttering. This trigger signal is synchronized with the shot (external trigger) signal input to the board from an external device if the parameter 'software_trigger' is set to 'disable' (default).
However, if you enable the software trigger mode, the board sends the trigger signal to the camera synchronized with the software operation instead of the external device signal. When calling grab_image or grab_image_async in this software trigger mode (also called shot grabbing mode) the trigger signal is sent immediately to the camera for shuttering and grabbing the desired image. Default: 'disable'.
'start_async_after_grab_async' 'enable', 'disable' By default, at the end of grab_image_async a new asynchronous grab command is automatically given to the frame grabber board. If the parameter 'start_async_after_grab_async' is set to 'disable' this new grab command is omitted. Default: 'enable'.
'volatile' 'enable', 'disable' In the volatile mode the two frame grabber interface buffers are used directly to store HALCON images. This is the fastest mode avoiding to copy raw images in memory. However, be aware that older images are overwritten again and again as a side-effect. Thus, you can only process one image while you grab another image. Older images are invalid! Default: 'disable'.
'wait_frame_exposure' milliseconds Sets the time to wait for the camera exposure.
'wait_frame_exposure_timeout' milliseconds Specify timeout value in milliseconds for waiting process for the completion of camera exposure by 'wait_frame_exposure' of get_framegrabber_param, when image acquisition is made by random trigger shutter of camera. Default: 1000.
'do_abort_capture' --- Abort the current image acquisition.
'do_force_trigger' --- This parameter is prepared for shot operation similar to the 'software_trigger' parameter. When set_framegrabber_param operator with 'do_force_trigger' is called, a shot operation is invoked and a trigger signal is sent to the camera. This mode is useful to abort a pending grab_image_async when using a reset shutter mode camera file.
'do_reset_encoder_count' 'enable' Reset the encoder count.

Parameters for get_framegrabber_param():

Additional parameters supported by get_framegrabber_param only. Note that all parameters supported by set_framegrabber_param except the ones with prefix 'do_' can also be accessed by get_framegrabber_param. Furthermore, corresponding to the parameters supported by set_framegrabber_param, there may exist additional read-only parameters with the following postfixes:

  • '_description': These parameters provide the tooltip of the corresponding parameter as a string.
  • '_range': These parameters provide the minimum, maximum, stepwidth, and default values for the corresponding integer or float parameter as a tuple with 4 elements, e.g., get_framegrabber_param(..,'exposure_range',..) will return the output tuple [min,max,step,default]. Optionally, this tuple can also contain additional valid string values like 'auto' or 'manual'.
  • '_values': These parameters provide the valid value list for the corresponding parameter as a tuple, e.g., get_framegrabber_param(..,'volatile_values',..) will return the output tuple ['enable','disable'].
All these postfixed parameter names are not returned when calling info_framegrabber(..,'parameters',..) and are used to enable the easy parameterization via a generic graphical user interface, particularly the HDevelop Image Acquisition Assistant.

'encoder_count' count Get the value of the encoder count.
'revision' revision The revision number of the HALCON GingaDG interface.
'wait_frame_exposure' 0, 1, 2 Wait for finish of the camera exposure (see also parameter 'wait_frame_exposure_timeout'):
  • 0 (fail): Fail in waiting for exposure finish.
  • 1 (timeout): Pass the time, which is set in parameter 'wait_frame_exposure_timeout'.
  • 2 (success): Success in the camera exposure.

CSB4000CL

You can control the camera configuration by set_framegrabber_param and get_framegrabber_param in case of a Toshiba Teli CSB4000CL camera via the following additional parameters.

Parameters for set_framegrabber_param():

'csb4000_gain' 0 ... 15 Set the gain of the camera. Default: the setting value.
'csb4000_shutter_speed' 0 ... 16383 Set the exposure time of the camera. Default: the setting value.
'multi_woi_gabbing' 'enable', 'disable' Activate/deactivate the multi WOI grabbing mode. Every call of grab_image returns one image for one WOI. After the first WOI is grabbed, the shutter is running.
'multi_woi_index' index Change the index of the multi WOI. If an already grabbed WOI is not collected by a call of grab_image the old one is thrown away and a new image is grabbed.
'woi_area' [woi;x;y;width;height] Change the size of the WOI window. Each element has to be separated by ';':
  • woi: the number of WOIs (1 ... 16)
  • x: coordinate of the x-axis (0 ... 2007)
  • y: coordinate of the y-axis (0 ... 2007)
  • width: window width (1 ... 2007)
  • height: window height (1 ... 2007)
Example: 'woi=1;x=100;y=200;width=400;height=800'

Parameters for get_framegrabber_param():

Additional parameters supported by get_framegrabber_param only. Note that all parameters supported by set_framegrabber_param except the ones with prefix 'do_' can also be accessed by get_framegrabber_param.

'multi_woi_count' 1 ... 16 Get the number of WOI.

Release Notes

  • Revision 3.4 (Dec 1, 2009):
    • info_framegrabber('parameters') crashed because the returned tuple length was higher than the actually number of available parameters. This bug has been fixed.
  • Revision 3.3 (Mar 16, 2009):
    • Special thread handling in continuous grabbing mode.
  • Revision 3.2 (Apr 22, 2008):
    • Added read-only parameters with postfix '_description', '_range', and '_values' to enable the easy parameterization via a generic graphical user interface.
  • Revision 3.1 (Jul 27, 2007):
    • Bugfix in info_framegrabber(...,'info_parameters',...).
  • Revision 3.0 (May 15, 2007):
    • HALCON 8.0 version of the interface (included in HALCON 8.0 DVD).
    • Support of additional color modes.
    • New parameters 'abort_wait', 'multi_woi_grabbing', 'image_height', 'gport', 'encoder_scan_step', 'encoder_count_multiple', 'do_reset_encoder_count', 'pseudo_encoder', 'serial_timeout', 'serial_baudrate', 'serial_message', 'serial_terminate_code', 'multi_woi_count', and 'wait_frame_exposure'.
  • Revision 2.0 (Apr 28, 2002):
    • First official release.


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