National Instruments Announces NI Vision Development Module 8.5.

Module Offers New Edge-Detection Algorithms and Added Support for Popular Machine Vision Applications

AUSTIN, Texas -- National Instruments (Nasdaq:NATI) today announced the newest version of the NI Vision Development Module, a comprehensive library of image processing and machine vision functions for multiple programming languages, including NI LabVIEW and LabWindows([TM])/CVI as well as Microsoft C, C++, Visual Basic and .NET. With features including an improved edge-detection algorithm and support for new 2-D codes, machine designers can more efficiently enhance images, check for presence, locate features, identify objects and measure parts.

With improved edge-detection algorithms available in the Vision Development Module 8.5, engineers can successfully locate hard-to-find edges like those in many web-inspection applications. They also can reliably find edges at 1/25 or better pixel accuracy and offer improved reliability in images with noise, a 10 times improvement in accuracy over the previous method. For example, in an image with added uniform noise of amplitude 10, the max error dropped from 4/10 of a pixel to 5/100 of a pixel with the new edge detector. Additionally, engineers can detect straight edged lines in images, which helps them detect multiple intersecting lines that appear in the image at different orientations. The edge detector also provides support for calibrated images and incorporates calibration information, including image distortion associated with the image as part of the edge-detection process.

The Vision Development Module 8.5 provides enhanced support for the entire NI vision hardware platform and offers improved 2-D code recognition. Presently, 2-D bar codes are the most common application for machine vision in industrial applications, and the Vision Development Module allows for 1-D and 2-D code reading and optical character recognition/verification on images. This capability helps engineers identify packaging and assembly errors earlier in production. Additional support for new bar code types has been added, including quick response (QR) code, 2-D bar code that contains information about products, and Pharmacode, often used in the pharmaceutical industry.

The module also includes the Vision Assistant Express VI and the Vision Acquisition Express VI. The Vision Assistant Express VI packages the power of the Vision Assistant, an image processing and application prototyping environment, into a single VI to simplify vision applications. With Vision Acquisition Express VI engineers can acquire images from any NI vision hardware, as well as IEEE 1394 and Gigabit Ethernet cameras connected to standard ports, all in a simple menu-driven environment. Implementing the Vision Assistant Express VIs and the Vision Acquisition Express VIs increases the ease of use for programmable machine vision applications, cuts development time and lowers the bar of entry for machine designers who require the flexibility of LabVIEW.

For more information about National Instruments machine vision software and hardware, readers can visit www.ni.com/vision.

About National Instruments

National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 25,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 10 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 4,300 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past eight years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company's investor relations department by calling 512-683-5090, e-mailing [e-mail] or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

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