NI Vision

NI Vision
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial
June 2011
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Contents
About This Manual
Conventions ...................................................................................................................... vii
Related Documentation .................................................................................................... viii
Chapter 1
Vision Assistant Environment
Launching and Exiting Vision Assistant .......................................................................... 1-1
Vision Assistant Environment .......................................................................................... 1-1
Features..................................................................................................................... 1-2
Getting Help ..................................................................................................................... 1-3
Vision Assistant Context Help and Tooltips ............................................................ 1-3
National Instruments Web Site................................................................................. 1-3
Vision Assistant Scripts............................................................................................ 1-3
Chapter 2
Introduction to Image Processing with Vision Assistant
Getting Started in Vision Assistant .................................................................................. 2-1
Acquiring Images in Vision Assistant .............................................................................. 2-6
Opening the Acquisition Window ............................................................................ 2-6
Snapping an Image ................................................................................................... 2-8
Grabbing an Image ................................................................................................... 2-9
Acquiring a Sequence of Images .............................................................................. 2-9
Chapter 3
Using Particle Analysis to Analyze the Structure of a Metal
What Is Particle Analysis?................................................................................................ 3-1
Tutorial ............................................................................................................................. 3-1
Loading Images into Vision Assistant...................................................................... 3-2
Preparing an Image for Particle Analysis ................................................................. 3-2
Examining the Image........................................................................................ 3-2
Filtering the Image............................................................................................ 3-4
Examining the Results of the Filtering ............................................................. 3-4
Separating Particles from the Background with Thresholding................................. 3-5
Modifying Particles with Morphological Functions................................................. 3-6
Isolating Circular Particles ....................................................................................... 3-7
Analyzing Circular Particles..................................................................................... 3-8
Testing the Particle Analysis Script.......................................................................... 3-9
Saving the Particle Analysis Script .......................................................................... 3-11
Estimating Processing Time ..................................................................................... 3-11
Creating a LabVIEW VI........................................................................................... 3-11
Creating a C Program ............................................................................................... 3-12
© National Instruments Corporation v NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Contents
Chapter 4
Using Gauging for Part Inspection
What Is Gauging? ............................................................................................................. 4-1
Tutorial.............................................................................................................................. 4-1
Loading Images into Vision Assistant ...................................................................... 4-3
Finding Measurement Points Using Pattern Matching ............................................. 4-3
Finding Edges in the Image ...................................................................................... 4-6
Taking the Measurements ......................................................................................... 4-7
Analyzing the Results ....................................................................................................... 4-10
Chapter 5
Using a Coordinate System for Part Inspection
What Is a Coordinate System?.......................................................................................... 5-1
Tutorial.............................................................................................................................. 5-2
Loading Images into Vision Assistant ...................................................................... 5-2
Defining a Feature on which to Base a Coordinate System ..................................... 5-2
Defining a Coordinate System .................................................................................. 5-4
Checking for Presence .............................................................................................. 5-4
Testing the Dental Floss Script ................................................................................. 5-5
Saving the Dental Floss Script.................................................................................. 5-7
Analyzing the Results ....................................................................................................... 5-7
Appendix A
Technical Support and Professional Services
Glossary
Index
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial vi ni.com

About This Manual
The NI Vision Assistant Tutorial describes the Vision Assistant software interface and guides
you through creating example image processing and machine vision applications. This tutorial
is designed for Windows users with varied levels of vision experience.
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
» The » symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box
options to a final action. The sequence Options»Settings»General
directs you to pull down the Options menu, select the Settings item,
and select General from the last dialog box.
This icon denotes a tip, which alerts you to advisory information.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
bold Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software,
such as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes
parameter names.
italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an

introduction to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a
placeholder for a word or value that you must supply.
monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from
the keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax
examples. This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives,
paths, directories, programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names,
functions, operations, variables, filenames, and extensions.
© National Instruments Corporation vii NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

About This Manual
Related Documentation
The following documents contain information that you may find helpful as you use this manual.
To access the NI Vision Assistant documentation, select Start»All Programs»National
Instruments»Vision Assistant.
• NI Vision Development Module Release Notes—Contains information about new
functionality, minimum system requirements, installation instructions, and descriptions of
the documentation for NI Vision Assistant.
• NI Vision Assistant Help—Contains descriptions of the Vision Assistant features and
functions and provides instructions for using them. To open the help file in Vision Assistant,
select Help»Online Help.
• NI Vision Concepts Manual—Describes the basic concepts of image analysis, image
processing, and machine vision. This document also contains in-depth discussions about
imaging functions for advanced users.
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial viii ni.com

1
This chapter introduces the NI Vision Assistant environment and describes resources you can
consult for more information about NI Vision software and NI image acquisition devices.
Launching and Exiting Vision Assistant

To launch Vision Assistant, select Start»All Programs»National Instruments Vision
Assistant.
To exit Vision Assistant, complete the following steps:

1. Close the Setup window.
2. Save the open script and images, if necessary.
3. Click File»Exit.

Vision Assistant is a tool for prototyping and testing image processing applications. To
prototype an image processing application, build custom algorithms with the Vision Assistant
scripting feature. The scripting feature records every step of the processing algorithm. After
completing the algorithm, you can test it on other images to make sure it works.
The algorithm is recorded in a script file, which contains the processing functions and relevant
parameters for an algorithm that you prototype in Vision Assistant. Using the LabVIEW VI
Creation Wizard, you can create a LabVIEW VI that performs the prototype that you created in
Vision Assistant.
Note You must have LabVIEW 7.1 or later and the NI Vision 8.6 Development
Module or later installed to use the Vision Assistant LabVIEW VI Creation Wizard.
For more information about LabVIEW VI creation, refer to the Creating a LabVIEW VI section
of Chapter 3, Using Particle Analysis to Analyze the Structure of a Metal.
Using the C Code Creation Wizard, you can generate a C function that performs the prototype
that you created in Vision Assistant. For more information about C Code creation, refer to the
Creating a C Program section of Chapter 3, Using Particle Analysis to Analyze the Structure of
a Metal.
© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Chapter 1 Vision Assistant Environment
Note If you have LabWindows™/CVI™ 7.0 or later, you can create a project for the
generated C code.
You also can implement the algorithm defined by the Builder file into any development
environment, such as Microsoft Visual Basic, using the NI Vision machine vision and image
processing libraries.
Features
Vision Assistant offers the following features:
• Script window—Records a series of image processing steps and the settings you use for
each of those steps. You can run scripts on single images or in a batch to analyze a collection
of images. You also can modify and save scripts. Refer to Figure 2-2, Processing an Image,
for an example of the Script window.
• Image Browser—Contains all of the images currently loaded in Vision Assistant. You can
select an image to process by double-clicking it in the Image Browser. Refer to Figure 2-1,
Image Browser, to view images loaded into the Image Browser.
• Processing Window—Updates the image as you change parameters. Because this view
immediately reflects the changes you have made in the Setup window, you can continue
modifying parameters until you get the result you want. Refer to Figure 2-2, Processing an
Image, to view an image loaded into the Processing window.
• Processing Functions Window/Setup Window—Displays a list of image processing
functions you can use to develop an algorithm, or displays parameters that you can set for
an image processing function. Each function available through the Processing Functions
window has a Setup window in which you set the parameters for that function. Refer to
Figure 2-3, Thresholding an Image, to view an example of the Setup window for the
Threshold function.
• Reference Window—Displays the image source as you manipulate it in the Processing
window. Refer to Figure 2-2, Processing an Image, to view an image in the Reference
window.
• Solution Wizard—Displays a list of industries and corresponding quality-assurance tasks
that those industries perform. The wizard loads an NI Vision-based solution for the task you
select.
• Performance Meter—Estimates how long a script will take to complete on a given image.
• LabVIEW VI Creation—Creates a LabVIEW VI corresponding to the algorithm you
prototype in Vision Assistant. Based on the options you select, the LabVIEW VI Creation
Wizard creates a new VI that implements the image processing steps of the current script
or of a saved script file.
• C Code Creation—Creates a C file corresponding to the algorithm you prototype in Vision
Assistant. Based on the options you select, the C Code Creation Wizard creates a C function
that implements the image processing steps of the current script.
• Builder File—ASCII text file that lists the Visual Basic functions and parameters for the
algorithm you prototyped in Vision Assistant.
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial 1-2 ni.com

Chapter 1 Vision Assistant Environment
Getting Help
As you work with Vision Assistant, you may need to consult other sources if you have questions.
The following sources can provide you with more specific information about NI Vision software
and NI image acquisition devices.
Vision Assistant Context Help and Tooltips

Vision Assistant displays context-sensitive help in the Context Help window when you call any
image processing function. The Context Help window contains several tabs that describe when
to use image processing functions, how to perform an image processing function, and
descriptions of the controls that appear in the Setup window for the function. Click the Context
Help button on the Vision Assistant toolbar to launch the Context Help window.
Vision Assistant also provides tooltips in the Vision Assistant interface. Tooltips briefly describe
buttons in the toolbar, Script window, Reference window, or Image Browser when you move the
cursor over the buttons.
National Instruments Web Site

The National Instruments Web site provides information about NI Vision hardware and software
at ni.com/vision.
From the NI Vision site, you can locate information about new NI Vision features, machine
vision problems and solutions, and selecting the appropriate NI Vision hardware, cameras,
lenses, and lighting equipment for applications.
The NI Developer Zone, available at ni.com/zone, is the essential resource for building
measurement and automation systems. The NI Developer Zone includes the latest example
programs, system configurators, tutorials, and technical news, as well as a community of
developers ready to share their own techniques.
Vision Assistant Scripts

The Vision Assistant installation program installs several example scripts. You can run these
scripts to learn more about Vision Assistant scripting capabilities. You also can customize these
scripts for your applications. By default, the scripts are installed to <Vision Assistant>\
Examples and at <Vision Assistant>\solutions, where <Vision Assistant> is
the location to which Vision Assistant is installed.

Introduction to Image
2
Processing with Vision
Assistant
This chapter describes how you can use Vision Assistant to create and test image processing
algorithms. For detailed information about digital images, refer to Chapter 1, Digital Images, of
the NI Vision Concepts Manual.
Getting Started in Vision Assistant

This section describes the software-specific terminology that you need to complete the tutorials
in this manual and understand the online help. The best way to understand how Vision Assistant
works and what you can accomplish with the software is to use it.
In this short example, you load images into Vision Assistant and perform a threshold on them.
Thresholding isolates objects, keeping those that interest you and removing those that do not.
Thresholding also converts the image from a grayscale image, with pixel values ranging from
0 to 255, to a binary image, with pixel values of 0 or 1.
Complete the following steps to get started in Vision Assistant.

1. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments Vision Assistant.
2. To load images, click Open Image in the Welcome screen.
3. Navigate to <Vision Assistant>\Examples\metal, where <Vision
Assistant> is the location to which Vision Assistant is installed.
4. Enable the Select All Files checkbox. Vision Assistant previews the images in the Preview
Image window and displays information about the file type and image depth.
5. Click Open. Vision Assistant opens the first image in the Processing window.

Chapter 2 Introduction to Image Processing with Vision Assistant
6. Click Browse Images in the upper right corner of the Vision Assistant window.
Vision Assistant loads the image files you opened into the Image Browser, as shown in
Figure 2-1. The Image Browser provides information about the selected image, such as
image size, location, and type.
2 9
3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Image Browser 4 Thumbnail/Full-Size Toggle 7 Image Size

2 Image Location 5 Open Image 8 Image Type
3 Navigation Buttons 6 Close Selected Image(s) 9 File Format
Figure 2-1. Image Browser
You can view images in either thumbnail view, as shown in Figure 2-1, or in full-size view,
which shows a single full-size view of the selected image.
7. Click the Thumbnail/Full-Size View Toggle button to view the first image in full size.

8. Click Process Images in the upper right corner of the Vision Assistant window to begin
processing images. Vision Assistant loads the image into the Processing window, as shown
in Figure 2-2.
Tip You can double-click an image in the Image Browser to being processing it in
the Processing window.
1 Reference Window 3 Image Size 5 Processing Window

2 Zoom Ratio 4 Script Window
Figure 2-2. Processing an Image
Tip The Reference window displays the original version of the image as you
manipulate it in the Processing window.

9. Click Threshold in the Grayscale tab of the Processing Functions, or select Grayscale»
Threshold. The Threshold Setup window opens in the lower left corner of the Vision
Assistant window, as shown in Figure 2-3.
1 Threshold Setup Window
Figure 2-3. Thresholding an Image
The Threshold Setup window displays a histogram. A histogram counts the total number of
pixels at each grayscale value and displays the data in a graph. From the graph, you can see
if the image contains distinct regions of certain grayscale intensities. Thresholding isolates
these regions from the rest of the image. For example, if the image contains bright objects
on a dark background, you can isolate the objects and remove the background by selecting
Bright Objects from the Look For drop-down list and setting a minimum threshold value
close to 255 (white).
The Processing window displays a preview of the default threshold operation, Manual
Threshold, using the current set of parameters. The pixels depicted in red have intensities
that fall inside the threshold range. The threshold operator sets their values to 1. The pixels
depicted in gray have values outside the threshold range. The threshold operator sets their
values to 0.
10. To threshold this image, set the Minimum value to 130 to select all of the objects.

Tip You may need to manipulate the Minimum value several times to find the one
that works best. Rather than enter a number in the Minimum field, you can select the
value using the pointer on the histogram. Adjust the pointer until all of the objects
you want to select are red.
11. Click the Main tab.

12. Enter Threshold Image in the Step Name control.
13. Click OK to apply the manual threshold to the image. The image is converted to a binary
image where all of the selected pixels in the threshold range are set to 1 (red) and all other
pixels are set to 0 (black).
Refer to Figure 2-4 to see what the image looks like after applying the threshold.
Figure 2-4. Thresholded Image
The thresholding step is recorded in the Script window. The script records the processing
operation and all of its parameters. If you must run the same operation on other images, you
can save the script and use it again.
14. Select File»Save Script As, and name the script threshold.scr.
If you find another image that you must threshold similarly, run this script on the image
using the following steps:
a. Load the image.
b. Select File»Open Script, select threshold.scr, and click Open.
c. Click the Run Once button in the script window.

Try experimenting with different options and images. For example, you can perform a
particle analysis to find the area that each object in this image occupies. If you need help
with any specific image processing operation, click the How To tab or the Controls tab in
the Context Help window.
Acquiring Images in Vision Assistant

Vision Assistant offers three types of image acquisitions: snap, grab, and sequence. A snap
acquires and displays a single image. A grab acquires and displays a continuous set of images,
which is useful, for example, when you need to focus the camera. A sequence acquires images
according to settings that you specify and sends the images to the Image Browser.
Using Vision Assistant, you can acquire images with various National Instruments Smart
Cameras, digital and analog frame grabbers, DCAM-compliant IEEE 1394 cameras, and Gigabit
Ethernet (GigE) Vision cameras. For information about driver software, refer to the NI Vision
Acquisition Software Release Notes.
Configure your image acquisition devices in National Instruments Measurement & Automation
Explorer (MAX). For information about configuring image acquisition devices in MAX, refer to
the NI Vision Acquisition Software Release Notes.
If you do not have an image acquisition device and the corresponding driver software, you can
use the Simulate Acquisition step to simulate a live acquisition by displaying a sequence of
images. You can interact with the simulation module as you would with a live acquisition. For
example, you can stop the sequence at any frame, capture the image, and send the image to the
Image Browser for processing.
Opening the Acquisition Window

Complete the following steps to acquire images.
1. Launch Vision Assistant if it is not already open.
2. Click Acquire Image in the Welcome screen to view the Acquisition functions, as shown
in Figure 2-5.

If you already have Vision Assistant running, click Acquire Images in the toolbar.
Vision Assistant displays the Acquisition functions, as shown in Figure 2-5.
1 Make Image Active 2 Store Acquired Image in Browser 3 Acquisition Functions
Figure 2-5. Acquiring Images in Vision Assistant
3. Click Acquire Image. The Setup window displays the NI Vision devices and channels
installed on the computer. For example, Figure 2-6 shows that the NI PCI-1410 is installed.
Note The hardware devices listed in the Setup window vary according to the devices
installed.

Figure 2-6. Acquire Image Setup Window
4. Click Close to close the Acquire Image Setup window.
Snapping an Image
Complete the following steps to acquire and display a single image.
1. Select File»Acquire Image.
2. Click Acquire Image in the Acquisition function list.
3. Select the appropriate device and channel or port.
4. Click the Acquire Single Image button to acquire a single image with the image
acquisition device and display it.
5. Click the Store Acquired Image in Browser button to send the image to the Image
Browser.

6. Click Close to exit the Setup window.

7. Process the image as you would any other image in Vision Assistant. Refer to the other
chapters of this tutorial for examples of processing images in Vision Assistant.
Grabbing an Image
Complete the following steps to acquire and display a continuous set of images.
1. Select File»Acquire Image.
4. Click the Acquire Continuous Images button to acquire and display images in continuous
mode at the maximum rate.
5. Click the Acquire Continuous Images button again to stop the acquisition and display the
last acquired image.
Tip You can acquire a region of interest (ROI) within the full-sized image. If you
draw an ROI on an image while grabbing it, the image reduces to the ROI. You can
refine the acquired area again by selecting another region of interest, or you can
return to the full-sized image by clicking the image.
6. Click the Store Acquired Image in Browser button to send the image to the Image
Browser.

Acquiring a Sequence of Images

Complete the following steps to acquire a sequence of images and send the images to the Image
Browser.
1. Click File»Acquire Image.

4. Click the Sequence Acquisition button.
5. Set the properties on the Sequence Acquisition Wizard.

• Number of Frames—Number of frames you want to acquire.
• Skip Count—Number of frames you want to skip between acquisitions.
• Line—Physical trigger line.
• Action—Triggering action. Valid values include Disabled, Trigger start of
acquisition, and Trigger each image.
• Timeout—Time, in milliseconds, within which the trigger must occur.
• Polarity—Determines if the acquisition is triggered on the rising edge or the falling
edge.
6. Click Next, Next, and Finish to complete the acquisition.
If you set the triggering action property to Disabled, click Next to begin acquiring a
sequence of images.
Images acquired are automatically sent to the Image Browser.

Using Particle Analysis to
3
Analyze the Structure of a Metal
This chapter describes particle analysis and provides step-by-step directions for prototyping a
particle analysis application in Vision Assistant.
Note You must have Microsoft Excel installed to complete some steps in this
tutorial.
What Is Particle Analysis?

Particle analysis consists of a series of processing operations and analysis functions that produce
some information about the particles in an image. A particle is a contiguous region of nonzero
pixels. You can extract particles from a grayscale image by thresholding the image into
background and foreground states. Zero valued pixels are in the background state, and all
nonzero valued pixels are in the foreground. In a binary image, the background pixels are zero,
and every non-zero pixel is part of a binary object.
You perform a particle analysis to detect connected regions or groupings of pixels in an image
and then make selected measurements of those regions. Using particle analysis, you can detect
and analyze any two-dimensional shape in an image. With this information, you can detect flaws
on silicon wafers, detect soldering defects on electronic boards, or locate objects in motion
control applications when there is significant variance in part shape or orientation.
Tutorial
This tutorial demonstrates finding the area of circular particles in a metal. As you perform this
analysis, Vision Assistant records all of the processing operations and parameters in a script.
You run the script on other images to test the particle analysis algorithm.
To find the total area of circular particles, you perform the following image processing steps:
• Filter the image to sharpen edges and ease the separation of the particles from the
background.
• Threshold the image to isolate the appropriate particles.
• Fill holes that appear in the particles after thresholding.
• Remove all objects touching the border so that you remove partial particles.
• Use a particle filter to find all circular particles and remove non-circular particles.
• Perform a particle analysis to find the total area occupied by circular particles.

Chapter 3 Using Particle Analysis to Analyze the Structure of a Metal
Loading Images into Vision Assistant

1. If you already have Vision Assistant running, click the Open Image button in the toolbar,
and proceed to step 4. Otherwise, proceed to step 2.

3. Click Open Image on the Welcome Screen.
4. Navigate to <Vision Assistant>\Examples\metal, where <Vision
5. Enable the Select All Files checkbox.
Tip The Preview Image window displays all selected images in a sequence. To
view the images at a different rate, adjust the slide to the right of the Preview Image
window.
6. Click Open. Vision Assistant loads the image files, which represent microscopic views of
pieces of metal. The first image, Metal1.jpg, loads in the Processing window.
Preparing an Image for Particle Analysis

Before you can separate circular particles from non-circular particles, you must prepare the
image. To isolate particles of interest, verify that individual particles are separated by a gap and
that the borders of those particles are distinct.
Examining the Image

Examine the image in the Processing window. The image is slightly blurred, and the edges of
particles are not distinct. Although you can see these problems from just looking at the image,
you may need to use a line profile in similar cases. A line profile returns the grayscale values
along a line that you draw with the Line Tool.
Complete the following steps to examine edges using a line profile.

1. If the Script window already contains a script, click the New Script button to open a new
script. Otherwise, proceed to step 2.
2. Click Line Profile in the Image tab of the Processing Functions palette, or select
Image»Line Profile to open the Setup window. Notice that the Line Tool is automatically
selected in the toolbar and is active.

3. Draw a short segment across a particle, as shown in Figure 3-1.
Tip ROIs are context sensitive, and you can easily adjust their location in the image
or the position of their center points. You can also adjust the position of the ROI in
the image by using the arrow keys on the keyboard.
1 Edges of Particles 3 Segment Drawn with Line Tool

2 Graph or Profile Showing Fluctuation in Pixel Values
Figure 3-1. Using a Line Profile to Examine Edges
In Figure 3-1, the areas labeled 1 represent the edges of the particles. Notice that the edges
of the particles have a slope. The more shallow the slope, the greater variation you have in
detecting the exact location of the edge. As you change the threshold level in images with
shallow-sloped particle edges, you might inadvertently change the shape or size of the
particle. In the Filtering the Image section of this chapter, you use the
Convolution-Highlight Details filter under Filters in the Grayscale tab of the Processing
Functions palette to define the edges of the particles and increase the slope.
The area labeled 2 in Figure 3-1 is a fluctuation in pixel values, which might be caused by
brighter and darker pixels in the center of the particles or it might also be edges of a hole in
the particle. Later, you will threshold the image to make all of the pixels in the particles the
same pixel value and then perform a morphological operation on the image to fill any holes
left in the particles.
4. Click Cancel. You do not need to add the Line Profile step to the script because it was for
investigational purposes only.

Filtering the Image

Filters can smooth, sharpen, transform, and remove noise from an image so that you can extract
the information you need. To sharpen edges, including the edges of any holes inside a particle,
and create contrast between the particles and the background, complete the following steps:
1. Click Filters in the Grayscale tab of the Processing Functions palette, or select Grayscale»
Filters.
2. Enter Highlight Details in the Step Name control.
3. Select Convolution-Highlight Details from the Filters list. This function detects sharp
transitions and highlights edge pixels according to a kernel to make gaps more prominent.
A kernel is a structure that represents a pixel and its relationship to its neighbors. For more
information about kernels, refer to Chapter 5, Image Processing, of the NI Vision Concepts
Manual.
4. Click OK to add this step to the script.
Examining the Results of the Filtering

To confirm that the filter sharpened edges and separated particles, perform another line profile
using the following steps:
1. Click Line Profile in the Image tab of the Processing Functions palette, or select Image»
Line Profile.
2. Click and drag to draw a short segment across a particle to examine the line profile of the
particle and its border, as shown in Figure 3-2. The line profile indicates more defined
edges.
3. Click Cancel.

1 Segment Drawn with Line Tool
Figure 3-2. Using a Line Profile to Examine Particle Edges
Separating Particles from the Background with Thresholding

Thresholding isolates pixels that interest you and sets the remaining pixels as background pixels.
Thresholding also converts the image from grayscale to binary.
Complete the following steps to select a range of brighter pixels for analysis.
1. Click Threshold in the Grayscale tab of the Processing Functions palette, or select
Grayscale»Threshold.
The Threshold Setup window displays a histogram. A histogram counts the total number of
pixels in each grayscale value and graphs it. From the graph, you can tell if the image
contains distinct regions of a certain grayscale value. You also can select pixel regions of
the image.
2. To threshold this image, set the Minimum value to 130.
Notice that the particles of interest (circular and non-circular) are highlighted in red. When
you apply the threshold, everything highlighted is set to 1, and all other pixels are set to 0.
Tip Rather than enter a number in the Minimum field, you can select the value
using the pointer on the histogram. Adjust the pointer until all of the objects you want
to select are red.


4. Enter Threshold Image in the Step Name control.
5. Click OK to apply the threshold and add this step to the script. Figure 3-3 shows the
thresholded image. The pixels that you selected for processing appear red. Unselected
pixels appear black.
The image is now a binary image, which is an image composed of pixels with values
of 0 and 1. This image is displayed using a binary palette, which displays the pixel
intensities of an image with unique colors. All pixels with a value of 0 appear black and
pixels set to 1 appear red. The red pixels are now referred to as particles.
Figure 3-3. Separating Particles from the Background with Thresholding
Modifying Particles with Morphological Functions

Morphological functions affect the shape of particles on an individual basis. Morphological
operations prepare particles in the image for quantitative analysis such as finding the area,
perimeter, or orientation.
Use the following steps to apply two morphological functions to the image. The first function
fills holes in the particles and the second removes objects that touch the border of the image.
1. Click Adv. Morphology in the Binary tab of the Processing Functions palette, or
select Binary»Adv. Morphology.
2. Enter Fill Holes in the Step Name control.
3. Select Fill holes from the list.
5. Click Adv. Morphology in the Binary tab of the Processing Functions palette, or
select Binary»Adv. Morphology.
6. Enter Remove Border Objects in the Step Name control.

7. Select Remove border objects to remove any objects that touch the border of the image.
Refer to Figure 3-4 to see what the image looks like after applying morphological functions
to the image.
Figure 3-4. Modifying Particles with Morphological Functions
Isolating Circular Particles

Complete the following steps to define a particle filter that isolates and keeps the circular
particles and removes the non-circular particles from the image.
1. Click Particle Filter in the Binary tab of the Processing Functions palette, or select
Binary»Particle Filter.
2. Enter Filter Round Particles in the Step Name control.
3. Select Heywood Circularity Factor from the list of particle filters. This function
calculates the ratio of the perimeter of the particle to the perimeter of the circle with the
same area. The more circular the particle, the closer the ratio to 1.
4. To find more circular and less oblong particles, enter a Minimum Value of 0 and a
Maximum Value of 1.06 for the parameter range.
5. Select the Keep option to keep circular particles and remove particles that do not fit in the
range.

6. Click OK to add this step to the script. The image now contains only circular particles, as
shown in Figure 3-5.
Figure 3-5. Isolating Circular Particles
Analyzing Circular Particles

Now that you have isolated circular particles, complete the following steps to find the area
occupied by them.
1. Click Particle Analysis on the Binary tab of the Processing Functions palette, or select
Binary»Particle Analysis. A results table displays all of the measurement results.
Vision Assistant assigns numerical labels to each particle. The first row of the results table
lists the numerical label associated with each particle.
2. Enter Particle Analysis in the Step Name control.
3. Enable the Show Labels checkbox to view the labels.
Tip When you click a particle, the measurement results for that particle are
highlighted in blue. When you click the results for a particle, the particle is
surrounded by a green rectangle in the Processing window.
4. To show only the area measurement, click Select Measurements.

5. Click the Deselect All Pixel Measurements button to deselect all of the measurements.
The real-world measurements are grayed out because the image is not calibrated.
6. Select the pixels control beside the Area measurement.

7. Click OK to close the Select Measurements dialog box.

You now have all of the information you need to analyze the structure of the metal.
Remember to include the analysis as part of the LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, or Visual
Basic solution. You can also use Microsoft Excel to analyze the data Vision Assistant
generates.
To send the data to Microsoft Excel, click the Send Data to Excel button in the Particle
Analysis results window.
8. Click OK to record the particle analysis and add the step to the script.
Testing the Particle Analysis Script

The script that you created as you processed this image is a custom algorithm. To test this
algorithm, run it on another image in the collection using the following steps:
1. Click Browse Images.
2. Double-click the third image, Metal3.jpg.
Tip Rather than returning to the Image Browser, you can navigate through the
images in the Image Browser from the Reference window. Click the Next Image and
Previous Image buttons until you see the image you want to process and then click
the Make Image Active button to move that image into the Processing window.
3. Click the Run Once button.
Figure 3-6a shows the original image, Metal3.jpg. Figure 3-6b shows the image after the
particle analysis processing. Notice that two circular particles are removed from the image
during processing because they are touching each other. You need to adjust the Threshold
step to separate the particles.

a. b.
1 Overlapping Circular Particles
Figure 3-6. Comparing the Original Image to the Processed Image
4. Click OK to close the Particle Analysis Setup window.

5. Double-click the Threshold step in the script window to open the Threshold Setup window.
Figure 3-7 shows Metal3.jpg at the thresholding step of the script.
Figure 3-7. Testing the Particle Analysis Script
6. Adjust the minimum threshold value until the particles are clearly separated. A minimum
value of 150 works well.
7. Click OK.

8. Click Run Once to rerun the script. Notice that only the circular particles now appear in the
final processed image.
9. Click OK to close the Particle Analysis Setup window.
Saving the Particle Analysis Script

Now that you have written a particle analysis algorithm and tested it on another image, you can
save the script to use on similar images. You can also perform batch processing with this script.
1. Select File»Save Script As.
2. Save the script as particle analysis.scr.
Refer to the NI Vision Assistant Help for more information about the Vision Assistant batch
processing functionality.
Estimating Processing Time

Vision Assistant can estimate the time, in milliseconds, that NI Vision takes to process the active
image with the open script. The Performance Meter gives both an estimate of the total time
NI Vision takes to process the image and an estimate of the time each function within the script
requires. Complete the following steps to estimate how many milliseconds NI Vision uses to
process Metal3.jpg with particle analysis.scr.
1. Select Tools»Performance Meter. The Performance Meter estimates the total time
NI Vision takes to run the script.
2. Click Details to view an itemized list of the time NI Vision takes to perform each function
in the script.
3. Click OK to close the Performance Meter.
Creating a LabVIEW VI
Vision Assistant features a wizard that creates a LabVIEW VI that implements the different
steps of the script.
Note You must have LabVIEW 7.1 or later and the NI Vision 8.6 Development
Module or later installed to use the Vision Assistant LabVIEW VI Creation Wizard.
Complete the following steps to create a LabVIEW VI.

1. Select Tools»Create LabVIEW VI.
Note If several versions of LabVIEW and NI Vision are installed on the computer,
the wizard searches the machine and displays a list of the available LabVIEW and
NI Vision versions you can use to create the VI.

2. Select the version of LabVIEW in which you want to create a VI.

3. Click the Browse button and select the location to which you want to save the VI.
4. Enter a File name, and click OK.

5. Click Next.
6. Select Current Script to create a VI from the script you created in this chapter.
7. Click Next.
8. Select Image File as the image source to create a VI that opens an image from the hard disk.
9. Click Finish to create the VI.
Note If you have LabVIEW open, you cannot create a VI for a different version
of LabVIEW. For example, if you have LabVIEW 8.0.1 open and you select
LabVIEW 8.2 in the LabVIEW VI Creation Wizard, the wizard returns an error
when you click Finish.
Creating a C Program
Vision Assistant features a wizard that creates C code that implements the different steps of the
script.
Note You must have the NI Vision 8.6 Development Module or later installed to use
the Vision Assistant C Code Creation Wizard.
Complete the following steps to create a C program.

1. In Vision Assistant, select Tools»Create C Code.
2. Enter the name of the implementation file that will contain the image processing function
that implements the Vision Assistant steps.
3. Select the Create Main Function option if you want the wizard to generate a main function
to test the image processing function.
a. Enter the name for the new C file in the Main File Name control.
b. In the Image Source drop-down menu, select Image File as the source of the image
that is used by the main function.
4. Browse to the folder to which you want to save the generated files.
Tip If you have LabWindows/CVI installed, and you want to use it to compile and
test the C code, select the Add Files to LabWindows/CVI Project option.
5. Click OK to create the C program.

Using Gauging for Part
4
Inspection
This chapter describes gauging and provides step-by-step directions for prototyping a part
inspection application in Vision Assistant.
What Is Gauging?
Components such as connectors, switches, and relays are small and manufactured in high
quantity. While human inspection of these components is tedious and time consuming, vision
systems can quickly and consistently measure certain features on a component and generate a
report with the results. From the results, you can determine if a part meets its specifications.
Gauging consists of making critical distance measurements—such as lengths, diameters, angles,

and counts—to determine if the product is manufactured correctly. Gauging inspection is used
often in mechanical assembly verification, electronic packaging inspection, container
inspection, glass vial inspection, and electronic connector inspection.
Tutorial
In this tutorial, you analyze images of pipe brackets to determine if the brackets meet their
physical specifications. A pipe bracket is a metal piece of hardware used to secure long, slender
parts, such as a tube of bundled wires.

Chapter 4 Using Gauging for Part Inspection
The goal is to measure angles and distances between features on the brackets and determine if
those measurements fall within a tolerance range. Figure 4-1 illustrates the measurements and
the acceptable values for them.
Side View
Bracket Distance
362 to 368 pixels
Edge 1
3
5
1 2
Bracket Angle
178 to 181 Degrees Width Center
Edge 2
Top View
Figure 4-1. Bracket Specifications
Width Center is the center of the bracket and becomes the vertex of Bracket Angle. Bracket
Angle measures the angle of the arms of the bracket and determines if the bracket arms are
aligned properly. Bracket Distance measures the length in pixels between two manufactured
holes in the bracket. Bracket Distance also determines if the bracket arch is the appropriate
height and curvature.
As you perform this analysis, Vision Assistant records all of the processing operations and
parameters in a script that you can run on other bracket images to determine which are good and
which are defective.


1. If Vision Assistant is already running, click the Open Image button in the toolbar, and go
to step 4. Otherwise, go to step 2.

4. Navigate to <Vision Assistant>\Examples\bracket, where <Vision
Tip The Preview Image window displays all selected images in a sequence. To view
the images at a different rate, adjust the slide to the right of the Preview Image
window.
6. Click Open to load the image files into Vision Assistant. The first image, Bracket1.jpg,
loads in the Processing window.
Finding Measurement Points Using Pattern Matching

Before you can compute measurements, you must locate features on which you can base the
measurements. In this example, you use pattern matching to find manufactured holes in a
bracket. These holes serve as measurement points from which you can determine if the bracket
arch is the appropriate height and curvature.
1. If the Script window already contains a script, click New Script to open a new script.
2. Select Pattern Matching in the Machine Vision Processing Functions tab, or select
Machine Vision»Pattern Matching.
3. Click New Template. The NI Vision Template Editor opens.

4. With the Rectangle Tool, click and drag to draw a square ROI around the left hole in the
image, as shown in Figure 4-2. The ROI becomes the template pattern.
Figure 4-2. Selecting a Template Pattern
5. Click Next.
6. Click Finish. Learning the template takes a few seconds. After Vision Assistant learns the
template, the Save Template as dialog box opens.
7. Navigate to <Vision Assistant>\Examples\bracket.
8. Save the template as template.png. The Pattern Matching Setup window displays the
template image and its path.
9. Click the Settings tab.
10. Set Number of Matches to Find to 1.
11. Set the Minimum Score to 600 to ensure that Vision Assistant finds matches similar,
but not identical, to the template.
12. Enable the Subpixel Accuracy checkbox.
13. Make sure Search for Rotated Patterns is not selected to set the search mode to shift
invariant. Use shift-invariant matching when you do not expect the matches you locate to
be rotated in their images. If you expect the matches to be rotated, use rotation-invariant
matching.

14. With the Rectangle Tool, draw an ROI around the left side of the bracket, as shown in
Figure 4-3. Be sure that the region you draw is larger than the template image and big
enough to encompass all possible locations of the template in the other images you analyze.
Drawing an ROI in which you expect to locate a template match is a significant step in
pattern matching. It reduces the risk of finding a mismatch. It also allows you to specify the
order in which you want to locate multiple instances of a template in an image and speeds
up the matching process.
Figure 4-3. Selecting the First Search Area
When you draw the ROI, Vision Assistant automatically locates the template in the region
and displays the score and location of the match. Notice that the score for the match is 1000.
The score for this match is perfect because you made the template from the same region of
the image.
15. Click OK to save this step to the script.
16. Select Pattern Matching in the Machine Vision tab of the Inspection steps, or
select Machine Vision»Pattern Matching.
17. Click Load from File and open the template you just saved.
19. Set Number of Matches to Find to 1.
20. Set the Minimum Score to 600 to ensure that Vision Assistant finds matches that are
similar, but not identical, to the template.
21. Enable the Sub-pixel Accuracy checkbox.

22. With the Rectangle Tool, draw an ROI around the right side of the bracket, as shown in
Figure 4-4. Vision Assistant automatically locates the template in the region bound by the
rectangle and displays the score and location of the match.
Figure 4-4. Selecting the Second Search Area
The score of the second match is not a perfect 1000, but it is high enough for you to consider
it a match to the template.
Finding Edges in the Image

Before you can compute measurements to determine if a bracket meets specifications, you must
detect edges on which you can base the measurements. The Edge Detector function finds edges
along a line that you draw with the Line Tool from the Tools palette.
1. Select Edge Detector in the Machine Vision tab of the Inspection steps, or select Machine
Vision»Edge Detector.
2. Select the Advanced Edge Tool from the Edge Detector drop-down listbox. The
Advanced Edge Tool is effective on images with poor contrast between the background and
objects.
3. Select First & Last Edge from the Look For drop-down listbox so that Vision Assistant
finds and labels only the first and last edges along the line you draw.
4. Set the Min Edge Strength to 40. The detection process returns only the first and last edge
whose contrast is greater than 40.
5. Click and drag to draw a vertical line across the middle of the bracket to find the edges that
you can use to calculate Width Center, as shown in Figure 4-5. Vision Assistant labels the
edges 1 and 2.
Tip To draw a straight line, press and hold the <Shift> key as you draw the line.

Figure 4-5. Finding the Edges for Bracket Distance
Look at the edge strength profile. The sharp transitions in the line profile indicate edges.
Notice that the number of edges found is displayed under the edge strength profile.
Taking the Measurements

Now that you have found the bracket holes and the necessary edges, you can calculate the center
of the bracket width, distance between the bracket holes, and angle of the bracket arms with the
Caliper function. The Caliper function is a tool that uses points on the image to calculate
measurements—such as distances, angles, the center of a segment, or the area—depending on
the number of points you have selected on the image. These points are results of earlier
processing steps, such as edge detections and pattern matching.
Complete the following steps to make the measurements.

1. Select Caliper in the Machine Vision tab, or select Machine Vision»Caliper.
2. Select Mid Point in the Geometric Feature listbox.
3. Click points 3 and 4 in the image to obtain the Width Center measurement, which specifies
the center of the bracket width.
When you select a point in the image, Vision Assistant places a check mark next to the
corresponding point in the Caliper Setup window.
Tip If you have trouble finding the points, click the Zoom In tool in the Tools palette
to magnify the image. Magnification factors are displayed in the lower left corner of
the Processing window. 1/1 specifies 100% magnification (default). 2/1 specifies a
slightly magnified view, and 1/2 specifies a slightly demagnified view.

Tip Instead of selecting points from the image, you can select points by
double-clicking their entries in the Available Points listbox.
4. Click Measure to compute the center of the bracket width and add the Mid Point
measurement to the results table, as shown in Figure 4-6.
Figure 4-6. Using the Caliper Function to Find Width Center
6. Select Caliper in the Machine Vision tab, or select Machine Vision»Caliper again. The
center of the bracket width appears as point 5.
7. Select Distance in the Geometric Feature listbox.
8. Click points 1 and 2 in the image to find the Bracket Distance, which measures the length
between the manufactured holes in the bracket and determines if the bracket arch is the
appropriate height.

9. Click Measure to compute the distance between the bracket holes. The distance
measurement is added to the results table, as shown in Figure 4-7.
Figure 4-7. Using the Caliper Function to Find Bracket Distance
10. Select Angle Defined by 3 Points in the Geometric Feature listbox. Click points 1, 5, and
2, in this order, to find the next measurement—Bracket Angle—which measures the angle
of the bracket arms with respect to a vertex at point 5, as shown in Figure 4-8.
11. Click Measure to compute the angle of the bracket arms and add the measurement to the
results table.

Figure 4-8 shows the image with Bracket Distance and Bracket Angle selected on the image and
displayed in the results table.
Figure 4-8. Using the Caliper Tool to Collect Measurements
12. Click OK to add these caliper measurements to the script and close the caliper window.
13. Select File»Save Script As, and save the script as bracket.scr.
Analyzing the Results

Batch processing involves running a script on a collection of images. You can use batch
processing to analyze multiple images and save the resulting analysis information in a
tab-delimited text file. Complete the following steps to run bracket.scr on all the images in
the Image Browser.
1. Select Tools»Batch Processing.
2. Select the Image Source Browser to process all images in the Image Browser.
3. Select Caliper 2 from the Script Steps list. Caliper 2 is the step that returns Bracket
Distance and Bracket Angle.
4. Select the Save Results Analysis Mode. This enables the Save Options control.
5. Click Setup. A dialog box opens.
6. Select One file for all results to log the results for every image to the same file.

7. Click the Folder Path button. Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the
results file, and click Current Folder.
8. Enter bracket_results.txt in the File Prefix control. Because you are logging all the
results to one file, the File Prefix is the name of the individual results file. If you were
logging the results for each image to a separate file, File Prefix would be the prefix
associated with the index for each results file.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Run to run the script on all the images in the Image Browser and log the results.
11. Click OK to close the Batch Processing finished notification.
12. Navigate to the directory path specified in step 7, and open bracket_results.txt.
13. Compare the Bracket Distance and Bracket Angle measurements in the results file to the
values in Table 4-1.
Table 4-1 shows the acceptable ranges for the bracket measurements and the actual values
you might see for each bracket image. Notice that Bracket1, Bracket2, and Bracket3
are the only ones that meet the specifications. The bold values for the other brackets
indicate which measurements caused them to fail.
Note The results may vary slightly based on the template you chose for the pattern
matching step and the position of the line you drew for the edge detection step.
Table 4-1. Bracket Measurement Results
Bracket Distance Bracket Angle

(acceptable range: (acceptable range:
Bracket Number 362 to 368 pixels) 178 to 181)
Bracket 1 363.27 179.56
Bracket 2 363.05 180.26
Bracket 3 363.27 180.13
Bracket 4 347.98 179.06
Bracket 5 337.45 178.56
Bracket 6 358.33 175.54

Using a Coordinate System for
5
Part Inspection
This chapter describes how to set up a coordinate system and provides step-by-step directions
for prototyping an inspection that checks for the presence of a part in Vision Assistant.
What Is a Coordinate System?

In a typical machine vision inspection, you limit your inspection and processing to a region of
interest rather than the entire image. To limit the inspection area, the parts of the object you are
interested in must always appear inside the region of interest you define.
If the object under inspection is always at the same location and orientation in the images you
need to process, defining a region of interest is simple. However, the object under inspection
often appears shifted or rotated within the images you need to process. When this occurs, the
region of interest needs to shift and rotate with the parts of the object you are interested in.
In order for the region of interest to move in relation to the object, you need to define a
coordinate system relative to a feature in the image.
A coordinate system is specified by its origin and the angle its x-axis makes with the horizontal
axis of the image. Assign a coordinate system based on how you expect the object to move in the
image. If the object is going to only translate in the horizontal or vertical directions, you need
only to select a feature whose location can represent the origin of the coordinate system. The
angle is 0 by default. If the object is going to translate and rotate, you need to select features that
can represent the location of the origin and angle of the coordinate system.

Chapter 5 Using a Coordinate System for Part Inspection
Tutorial
In this tutorial, you analyze images of dental floss holders to determine if the holders contain
toothpaste and a wire.

1. If Vision Assistant is already running, click the Open Image button in the toolbar, and go
to step 4. Otherwise, go to step 2.

4. Navigate to <Vision Assistant>\Examples\dental floss, where <Vision
Tip The Preview Image window displays all selected images in a sequence. To view
the images at a different rate, adjust the slide to the right of the Preview Image
window.
6. Click Open to load the image files into Vision Assistant.
Defining a Feature on which to Base a Coordinate System

Complete the following instructions to configure a Pattern Matching step that locates a dental
floss feature on which you can base a coordinate system. You will choose a feature, the base of
the dental floss holder, that is always in the field of view of the camera despite the different
locations that the dental floss holders may appear in from image to image.
1. Select Pattern Matching in the Machine Vision tab of the Processing Functions, or select
Machine Vision»Pattern Matching.
2. In the Pattern Matching Setup window, click New Template. The Select a Template Region
dialog box opens.

3. Draw a rectangle around the base of the dental floss, as shown in Figure 5-1. This region
becomes the pattern matching template.
Figure 5-1. Creating a Template Pattern
4. Click Next.
5. Click Finish. The Save Temple as dialog box opens.
6. Navigate to <Vision Assistant>\Examples\dental floss, where <Vision
7. Save the template as template.png. The Pattern Matching Setup window displays the
template image and its path.
9. Enter Find Dental Floss Base in the Step Name control.
11. Enable the Subpixel Accuracy checkbox.
12. Enable the Search for Rotated Patterns checkbox.
13. Set the Angle Range +/– control to 180.

Defining a Coordinate System

Complete the following instructions to configure a Set Coordinate System step based on the
Pattern Matching step you configured.
1. Select Set Coordinate System in the Image tab of the Processing Functions, or
select Image»Set Coordinate System.
2. Enter Define Coordinate System in the Step Name control.
3. Select Horizontal, Vertical, and Angular Motion from the Mode control. Because the
dental floss holders appear shifted and rotated from one image to another, the changes in
the region of interest need to be accounted for. This mode adjusts the region of interest
positions along the horizontal and vertical axes, and adjusts for rotational changes.
Notice the Origin and X-Axis Angle lists. Match 1, the match location of the previous Find
Dental Floss Base step, is the default origin of the coordinate system because it is the only
location point created by previous steps in the script.
Checking for Presence

Complete the following instructions to configure a Quantify step to check the dental floss
holders for the presence of toothpaste and a wire.
1. Select Quantify in the Grayscale tab of the Processing Functions, or select
Grayscale»Quantify.
2. Enter Measure Area Intensity in the Step Name control.
3. Enable the Reposition Region of Interest checkbox.
Enabling this control allows you to link the regions of interest specified in this step to a
previously defined coordinate system so that Vision Assistant can adjust the location and
orientation of the region of interest from image to image relative to the specified coordinate
system.
The Reference Coordinate System list shows all the previously defined coordinate
systems. Set Coordinate System is the default reference coordinate system because it is
the only Set Coordinate System step in the current script.
Notice that the Quantify step supports a variety of different tools that enable you to draw
different shaped regions of interest, such as a point, line, broken line, freehand line, rectangle,
oval, polygon, and freehand region. These tools are available in the Vision Assistant toolbar.
4. Click the Polygon Tool in the Vision Assistant toolbar.

5. Draw three regions of interest that enclose the wire and the two sections of toothpaste in the
dental floss holder, as shown in Figure 5-2. Click and drag repeatedly to select a polygon
region. Double-click to complete the polygon.
Figure 5-2. Defining Regions in which to Check for Presence
Testing the Dental Floss Script

The script that you created is a custom vision algorithm. You can verify the regions of interest
reposition correctly by testing the algorithm on another image. To test this algorithm, complete
the following steps:
1. In the Reference window, click the Next Image button to view the next image, Dental
Floss 01.jp2.
2. Click the Make Image Active button to move that image into the Processing window. The
dental floss base should be found in the new image and the regions of interest for the
toothpaste and wire should reposition correctly based on the coordinate system.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to test the script on the other images.

4. Click OK to add the Quantify step to the script.

Verifying your algorithm on new images is an important step in creating a robust algorithm
because it helps you determine if your regions of interest are positioned correctly and helps you
determine acceptable values for the results in the Quantify step.
You may need to adjust some parameters for the algorithm to work properly on other dental floss
images. For example, if the base of the dental floss holder is not found in an image, the region
of interest will not reposition correctly. If that happens, open the Find Dental Floss Base
step and adjust the minimum score and, if necessary, adjust the search area.
To determine acceptable values, you can compare the Mean Value measurements in the
Quantify step results. The Mean Value displays the mean value of the pixel intensity in the
regions of interest you drew in the Quantify step.
Table 5-1 shows the acceptable values for the dental floss measurements and the actual values
you might see for each dental floss image. For Mean Value 1 and Mean Value 2, which are the
mean values for the toothpaste regions of interest, an acceptable value is 100 or greater. Mean
values less than 100 signify that the toothpaste is missing from the dental floss holder. Notice
that Dental Floss 2, Dental Floss 4, and Dental Floss 8 are missing toothpaste.
For Mean Value 3, which is the mean value for the wire region of interest, an acceptable value
is greater than 20, but less than 40. A mean value below 20 signifies that the wire is missing from
the dental floss holder. Notice that Dental Floss 6 and Dental Floss 8 are missing wires. A mean
value above 40 signifies a frayed wire. Dental Floss 7 has a frayed wire.
Note The results may vary slightly based on the position of the regions of interest
you drew for the Quantify step.
Table 5-1. Dental Floss Measurement Results
Mean Value 1 Mean Value 2 Mean Value 3

Bracket Number (Left Toothpaste) (Right Toothpaste) (Wire)
Acceptable Values Greater than 100 Greater than 100 Between 20–40
Dental Floss 0 153.87199 127.29397 29.25323
Dental Floss 1 168.29030 129.75693 29.48656

Dental Floss 2 30.87846 30.95160 28.50083
Dental Floss 3 151.90704 140.33263 29.88302
Dental Floss 4 157.62241 38.14659 27.56245
Dental Floss 5 147.63632 137.76910 28.95566
Dental Floss 6 110.40456 124.61018 3.40535

Table 5-1. Dental Floss Measurement Results (Continued)
Mean Value 1 Mean Value 2 Mean Value 3

Bracket Number (Left Toothpaste) (Right Toothpaste) (Wire)
Dental Floss 7 182.45360 178.04030 60.25054
Dental Floss 8 32.93908 165.94063 3.39985
Dental Floss 9 151.82718 136.74701 30.63069
Saving the Dental Floss Script

Now that you have written an algorithm and tested it on another image, you can save the script
to use on similar images. You also can perform batch processing with this script.
1. Select File»Save Script As.
2. Save the script as Dental Floss.scr.
Analyzing the Results

Batch processing involves running a script on a collection of images. You can use batch
processing to analyze multiple images and save the resulting analysis information in a
tab-delimited text file. Complete the following steps to run Dental Floss.scr on all the
images in the Image Browser.
1. Select Tools»Batch Processing.
2. Select the Image Source Browser to process all images in the Image Browser.
3. Select Measure Area Intensity from the Script Steps list. Measure Area Intensity is the
step that returns information about the dental floss holders.
4. Select the Save Results Analysis Mode. This enables the Save Options control.
5. Click Setup. A dialog box opens.
6. Select One file for all results to log the results for every image to the same file.
7. Click the Folder Path button. Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the
results file, and click Current Folder.
8. Enter dental_floss_results.txt in the File Prefix control. Because you are

logging all the results to one file, the File Prefix is the name of the results file. If you were
logging the results for each image to a separate file, File Prefix would be the prefix
associated with each results file.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Run to run the script on all the images in the Image Browser and log the results.
11. Click OK to close the Batch Processing finished notification.

12. Navigate to the directory path specified in step 7, and open

dental_floss_results.txt.
13. Compare the Mean Value measurements in the results file to the values in Table 5-1.

Technical Support and
A
Professional Services
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Applications Engineers make sure every question submitted online receives
an answer.
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access to NI Applications Engineers via phone and email for one-to-one technical
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© National Instruments Corporation A-1 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Glossary
A
area A rectangular portion of an acquisition window or frame that is
controlled and defined by software.
B
binary image An image in which the objects usually have a pixel intensity of 1 (or
255) and the background has a pixel intensity of 0.
C
caliper (1) A function in Vision Assistant that calculates distances, angles,
circular fits, and the center of mass based on positions given by edge
detection, particle analysis, centroid, and search functions; (2) A
measurement function that finds edge pairs along a specified path in
the image. This function performs an edge extraction and then finds
edge pairs based on specified criteria such as the distance between
the leading and trailing edges, edge contrasts, and so forth.
chroma The color information in a video signal.
contrast A constant multiplication factor applied to the luma and chroma

components of a color pixel in the color decoding process.
coordinate system A reference location (origin) and angle in an image that regions of
interest can relate to when positional and angular adjustments of the
region of interest are necessary. A coordinate system is depicted by
two lines representing the orientation and direction of its two axes.
D
definition The number of values a pixel can take on, which is the number of
colors or shades that you can see in the image.
digital image An image f (x, y) that has been converted into a discrete number of
pixels. Both spatial coordinates and brightness are specified.
driver Software that controls a specific hardware device, such as an

NI Vision or DAQ device.
© National Instruments Corporation G-1 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Glossary
E
edge Defined by a sharp change (transition) in the pixel intensities in an
image or along an array of pixels.
edge detection Any of several techniques to identify the edges of objects in an

image.
F
function A set of software instructions executed by a single line of code that
may have input and/or output parameters and returns a value when
executed.
G
gauging Measurement of an object or distances between objects.
grayscale image An image with monochrome information.
H
histogram Indicates the quantitative distribution of the pixels of an image per
gray-level value.
I
image A two-dimensional light intensity function f (x, y) where x and y
denote spatial coordinates and the value f at any point (x, y) is
proportional to the brightness at that point.
Image Browser An image that contains thumbnails of images to analyze or process

in a vision application.
image file A file containing pixel data and additional information about the
image.
image processing Encompasses various processes and analysis functions that you can
apply to an image.
image source Original input image.
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial G-2 ni.com

Glossary
imaging Any process of acquiring and displaying images and analyzing

image data.
inspection The process by which parts are tested for simple defects such as
missing parts or cracks on part surfaces.
intensity The sum of the Red, Green, and Blue primary colors divided by
three: (Red + Green + Blue)/3.
K
kernel Structure that represents a pixel and its relationship to its neighbors.
The relationship is specified by weighted coefficients of each
neighbor.
L
LabVIEW Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench—Program
development environment based on the G programming language.
LabVIEW is used commonly for test and measurement
applications.
line profile Represents the gray-level distribution along a line of pixels in an

image.
luma The brightness information in the video picture. The luma signal
amplitude varies in proportion to the brightness of the video signal
and corresponds exactly to the monochrome picture.
luminance See luma.
M
machine vision An automated application that performs a set of visual inspection
tasks.
N
neighbor A pixel whose value affects the value of a nearby pixel when an
image is processed. The neighbors of a pixel are usually defined by
a kernel or a structuring element.

Glossary
NI-IMAQ The driver software for National Instruments image acquisition

devices.
NI-IMAQdx The National Instruments driver software for IEEE 1394 and
GigE Vision cameras.
P
palette The gradation of colors used to display an image on screen, usually
defined by a color lookup table.
particle A connected region or grouping of pixels in an image in which all

pixels have the same intensity level.
particle analysis A series of processing operations and analysis functions that

produce some information about the particles in an image.
pattern matching The technique used to locate quickly a grayscale template within a
grayscale image.
picture element An element of a digital image. Also called pixel.
pixel Picture element—The smallest division that makes up the video

scan line. For display on a computer monitor, a pixel's optimum
dimension is square (aspect ratio of 1:1, or the width equal to the
height).
PNG Portable Network Graphic—Image file format for storing 8-bit,

16-bit, and color images with lossless compression (extension
PNG).
Q
quantitative analysis Obtaining various measurements of objects in an image.
R
resolution The number of rows and columns of pixels. An image composed of
m rows and n columns has a resolution of m  n.
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial G-4 ni.com

Glossary
ROI Region of interest—(1) An area of the image that is graphically

selected from a window displaying the image. This area can be used
to focus further processing; (2) A hardware-programmable
rectangular portion of the acquisition window.
rotation-invariant A pattern matching technique in which the reference pattern can be

matching located at any orientation in the test image as well as rotated at any
degree.
S
shift-invariant A pattern matching technique in which the reference pattern can be
matching located anywhere in the test image but cannot be rotated or scaled.
T
template Color, shape, or pattern that you are trying to match in an image
using the color matching, shape matching, or pattern matching
functions. A template can be a region selected from an image, or it
can be an entire image.
threshold Separates objects from the background by assigning all pixels with
intensities within a specified range to the object and the rest of the
pixels to the background. In the resulting binary image, objects are
represented with a pixel intensity of 255 and the background is set
to 0.
Tools palette Collection of tools that enable you to select regions of interest,
zoom in and out, and change the image palette.
V
value The grayscale intensity of a color pixel computed as the average of
the maximum and minimum red, green, and blue values of that
pixel.
VI Virtual Instrument—(1) A combination of hardware and/or

software elements, typically used with a PC, that has the
functionality of a classic stand-alone instrument; (2) A LabVIEW
software module (VI), which consists of a front panel user interface
and a block diagram program.

Index
A D
acquiring images diagnostic tools (NI resources), A-1
grab (continuous image), 2-9 documentation
sequence, 2-9 conventions used in manual, vii
snap (single image), 2-8 NI resources, A-1
acquisition types related documentation, viii
grab, 2-6 drivers (NI resources), A-1
sequence, 2-6
snap, 2-6 E
Acquisition window, opening, 2-6 edge detector, 4-6
advanced edge tool, 4-6 edge strength profile, 4-7
analyzing particles, 3-8 edges, finding in image, 4-6
environment, Vision Assistant, 1-1
B examples (NI resources), 1-3, A-1
batch processing, 1-2, 3-11, 4-10, 5-7 exiting, Vision Assistant, 1-1
Browser. See Image Browser
builder file, 1-2 F
features, 1-2
C fill holes, 3-6
C code creation, 1-2, 3-12 filtering images, 3-4
caliper, 4-7, 4-10 finding edges, 4-6
Choose Measurements button, 3-8 full-size view (Image Browser), 2-2
circular particles
analyzing, 3-8 G
isolating, 3-7 gauging
Context Help window, 1-3 analyzing results, 4-10
continuous acquisition (grabbing bracket specifications (figure), 4-2
images), 2-9 definition, 4-1
conventions used in manual, vii finding edges, 4-6
coordinate system finding measurement points using
checking for presence, 5-4 pattern matching, 4-3
defining a coordinate system, 5-4 introduction, 4-1
defining a feature, 5-2 loading images, 4-3
definition, 5-1 making measurements, 4-7
overview, 5-1 overview, 4-1
creating a LabVIEW VI, 1-2, 3-11 getting help in Vision Assistant, 1-3
creating C code, 1-2, 3-12 getting started, Vision Assistant, 2-1
grab, 2-6
grabbing images (continuous
acquisition), 2-9
© National Instruments Corporation I-1 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Index
H M
help magnifying an image, 4-7
Context Help window, 1-3 Measurement & Automation Explorer
National Instruments Web site, 1-3 (MAX), 2-6
technical support, A-1 measurements for gauging. See gauging
tooltips, 1-3 morphology, 3-6
Heywood Circularity Factor particle
filter, 3-7 N
histogram, 2-4, 3-5 National Instruments
in Threshold Setup window, 2-4 support and services, A-1
Web site, 1-3
I
image acquisition, 2-6 O
See also acquiring images opening images, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3
image acquisition device, 1-1, 1-3, 2-6, 2-8
Image Browser
accessing from the toolbar, 3-9 P
definition, 1-2 part inspection, 4-1
full-size view, 2-2 particle, 3-1
important elements (figure), 2-2 particle analysis
thumbnail view, 2-2 analyzing circular particles, 3-8
image processing, thresholding images, 2-4 definition, 3-1
image segmentation estimating processing time, 3-11
grayscale threshold, 2-4, 3-5 examining image, 3-2
images, loading for gauging, 4-3 filtering, 3-4
installing, Vision Assistant, 1-1 introduction, 3-1
instrument drivers (NI resources), A-1 isolating circular particles, 3-7
isolating circular particles, 3-7 modifying particles with morphological
functions, 3-6
morphology, 3-6
K opening images, 3-2
KnowledgeBase, A-1 overview, 3-1
particle filter, 3-7
L preparing images for processing, 3-2
LabVIEW, 3-9 saving the script, 3-11
VI creation, 1-2, 3-11 separating particles from
LabWindows/CVI, 3-9 background, 3-5
C code creation, 1-2, 3-12 testing the script, 3-9
launching Vision Assistant, 1-1 thresholding, 3-5
line profile, 3-2 particle filter, 3-7
line tool, 3-2 particles, separating from background with
loading images, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 5-2 thresholding, 3-5
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial I-2 ni.com

Index
pattern matching for finding measurement snap, 2-6

points, 4-3 snapping one image (single acquisition), 2-8
Performance Meter, 1-2, 3-11 software (NI resources), A-1
Preview Image window, 3-2, 4-3 Solution Wizard, 1-2
Processing Functions window, 1-2 support, technical, A-1
Processing window, 1-2
programming examples (NI resources), A-1 T
taking measurements, 4-7
R technical support, A-1
Reference window testing scripts, 3-9, 5-5
definition, 1-2 Threshold Setup window, 2-4
purpose, 2-3 thresholding
using to browse images, 3-9 definition, 2-1
related documentation, viii manual threshold, 2-4, 3-5
remove border objects, 3-7 modifying threshold parameters, 3-9
Run Script button, 2-5, 3-9, 3-11 procedure, 2-4
separating particles from
S background, 3-5
script file, 1-1 thumbnail view (Image Browser), 2-2
Script window, 1-2 training and certification (NI resources), A-1
scripting troubleshooting (NI resources), A-1
description, 1-1 tutorials
modifying scripts, 3-10 coordinate system, 5-2
opening scripts, 2-5 gauging, 4-1
Run Script button, 2-5, 3-9, 3-11 particle analysis, 3-1
saving scripts, 2-5, 3-11
Script window, 1-2, 2-5 U
testing scripts, 3-9 using the caliper function, 4-7
scripts, 1-3
gauging script, saving, 4-10 V
particle analysis script VI creation, 1-2, 3-11
recording, 3-1 Vision Assistant
saving, 3-11 acquiring images, 2-6
testing, 3-9 environment, 1-1
thresholding script, 2-5 exiting, 1-1
Select All Files option, 3-2, 4-3 features, 1-2
Send Data to Excel button, 3-9 getting help, 1-3
separating particles from background, 3-5 getting started, 2-1
sequence, 2-6, 2-9 launching, 1-1
set coordinate system step, 5-4 opening images, 2-1
Setup window, 1-2 particle analysis, 3-9
Show Labels option, 3-8 scripts, 1-3
simulation module, 2-6 Visual Basic, 3-9
© National Instruments Corporation I-3 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Index
W
Web resources, A-1
Web support from National Instruments
getting help for NI Vision, 1-3
windows
Context Help, 1-3
Embedded Help, 1-2
Processing, 1-2
Processing Functions, 1-2
Reference, 1-2, 2-3, 3-9
Script, 1-2, 2-5
Setup, 1-2
Z
Zoom In tool, 4-7
NI Vision Assistant Tutorial I-4 ni.com

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© National Instruments Corporation v NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

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italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an

© National Instruments Corporation vii NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

NI Vision Assistant Tutorial viii ni.com

Launching and Exiting Vision Assistant

To exit Vision Assistant, complete the following steps:

Vision Assistant Environment

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

NI Vision Assistant Tutorial 1-2 ni.com

Vision Assistant Context Help and Tooltips

National Instruments Web Site

Vision Assistant Scripts

© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Getting Started in Vision Assistant

Complete the following steps to get started in Vision Assistant.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-1 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

1 Image Browser 4 Thumbnail/Full-Size Toggle 7 Image Size

Figure 2-1. Image Browser

NI Vision Assistant Tutorial 2-2 ni.com

1 Reference Window 3 Image Size 5 Processing Window

Figure 2-2. Processing an Image

© National Instruments Corporation 2-3 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

1 Threshold Setup Window

Figure 2-3. Thresholding an Image

NI Vision Assistant Tutorial 2-4 ni.com

11. Click the Main tab.

Figure 2-4. Thresholded Image

© National Instruments Corporation 2-5 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Acquiring Images in Vision Assistant

Opening the Acquisition Window

NI Vision Assistant Tutorial 2-6 ni.com

1 Make Image Active 2 Store Acquired Image in Browser 3 Acquisition Functions

Figure 2-5. Acquiring Images in Vision Assistant

© National Instruments Corporation 2-7 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Figure 2-6. Acquire Image Setup Window

4. Click Close to close the Acquire Image Setup window.

NI Vision Assistant Tutorial 2-8 ni.com

6. Click Close to exit the Setup window.

7. Click Close to exit the Setup window.

Acquiring a Sequence of Images

© National Instruments Corporation 2-9 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

4. Click the Sequence Acquisition button.

5. Set the properties on the Sequence Acquisition Wizard.

NI Vision Assistant Tutorial 2-10 ni.com

What Is Particle Analysis?

© National Instruments Corporation 3-1 NI Vision Assistant Tutorial

Loading Images into Vision Assistant

2. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments Vision Assistant.

Preparing an Image for Particle Analysis

Examining the Image

Complete the following steps to examine edges using a line profile.