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Platforms and interfaces

HALCON architecture

The flexible architecture of MVTec HALCON ensures its compatibility with future developments, for example, the portability to other operating systems or the integration into new programming environments. This protects your investment in your applications.

Operating systems

HALCON is available for standard PCs running Windows (64-bit), Linux (64-bit), and macOS, as well as for Arm®-based
platforms (32- and 64-bit) running the Linux operating system. Additionally, MVTec HALCON can also be ported to additional architectures and operating systems. Thus, HALCON is also available for various smart cameras and other embedded platforms. Get more information here.

Extension packages

This unique feature allows you to integrate your existing or newly developed image processing algorithms into MVTec HALCON. Thus, you get a common view on all the image processing parts of your application and facilitate maintenance and future development. An open, extensively documented interface enables you to utilize the powerful internal data structures of HALCON.

Image acquisition interfaces

Overview: Image acquisition devices

MVTec’s standard software solution HALCON includes a powerful software interface to provide a common view on different image acquisition devices, including line scan cameras, 3D cameras, and cameras with non-standard resolutions and more than 8 bits per pixel. A multitude of ready-to-use interfaces allow connecting easily to hundreds of industrial cameras and frame grabbers. In particular, HALCON supports all commonly used standards.

AI Accelerator Interface (AI²)

This generic interface allows customers to use supported AI accelerator hardware for the inference part of their deep learning applications – quickly and conveniently. Such special devices are widely used especially for applications in the embedded environment, but also exist more and more in the PC environment. By abstracting the deep learning models from specific hardware, the AI Accelerator Interface is particularly future-proof. In addition to plugins provided by MVTec, the integration of customer-specific AI accelerator hardware is also possible. Moreover, it is not only typical deep learning applications that can be accelerated via AI². All "classic" machine vision methods with integrated deep learning functions, such as HALCON's Deep OCR, benefit from this as well.

Digital I/O interfaces

HALCON includes a software interface for digital I/O. Thus, you can use various I/O devices directly with HALCON. Furthermore, HALCON provides ready-to-use interfaces to all PLC control systems using the OPC UA and the OPC Classic standards. HALCON also supports fieldbus communication via the Hilscher-cifX interface. In this configuration HALCON communicates with the OPC UA servers at a client level and thus enables the agile production processes of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). This significantly increases production efficiency (e.g., by predictive maintenance).