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| R2010b Documentation → Image Acquisition Toolbox |
| Contents | Index |
| Learn more about Image Acquisition Toolbox |
This table summarizes what's new in Version 1.8 (R14SP2):
| New Features and Changes | Version Compatibility Considerations | Fixed Bugs and Known Problems | Related Documentation at Web Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes Details below | No | Yes Details below | No |
New features and changes introduced in this version are:
The Image Acquisition Toolbox software includes a new open-architecture reimplementation of the Video Preview window. The new Video Preview window provides the same capabilities as its predecessor: it displays a live preview of the video stream from a particular video input object, with information about the video resolution, video frame timestamp, and the status of the video input object.
In addition, because this previewing capability is built using standard MATLAB Handle Graphics features, you can access the video data using standard Handle Graphics techniques. For example, you can now use the preview function to direct the live preview video stream to any Handle Graphics image object. This lets you include the previewing capability in GUIs of your own creation.
To start the Video Preview window, use the preview function, as follows:
Store 
vid = videoinput('winvideo');
preview(vid)The Video Preview window displays a preview of the live video stream being provided by the device.
The toolbox includes a new function, stoppreview, that you can use to stop the live preview video stream for a specific video input object. For example, the following code stops the preview video stream started in the previous example:
stoppreview(vid)
The Image Acquisition Toolbox DCAM adaptor now supports DCAM Format 7 (also called partial scan format). When creating a video input object with the DCAM adaptor, the prefix F7_ identifies Format 7 video formats in the list of formats returned by imaqhwinfo.
With this release, imaqhwinfo now includes information about the native data type of a device, based on the video format used to create the video input object.
To get this information, call the imaqhwinfo function specifying a video input object as an argument. imaqhwinfo returns a structure containing information about the object and this structure now contains a NativeDataType field that contains this information.
The getdata function can now return image data in single-precision format.
Version 1.8 of the Image Acquisition Toolbox software includes the following bug fixes.
The DCAM adaptor now correctly returns data in Mono 16-bit format as big-endian, as specified in the DCAM specification (1.30). Previously, the DCAM adaptor returned Mono 16-bit data in little-endian.
You can now preview data from the Matrox Meteor-II/1394 board after configuring the ROIPosition property. Previously, previewing produced the following error:
??? matrox: DigControl Error Value is out of range (Error detected on 1394 system)
This release includes several fixes to the Video Input block in the Image Acquisition Block Library. The fixes include the following:
The Source Block Parameters dialog box now updates the Input video format list when you change the selected device.
The Source Block Parameters dialog box no longer contains duplicate entries in the Input video format list.
The following issue is related to upgrading from a previous release.
The Image Acquisition Toolbox software now requires Version 5.8.0 of the IFC libraries when you are working with Coreco devices.
This section describes some known software issues with Version 1.8:
Warning messages indicating that the toolbox was unable to allocate memory can be displayed multiple times under the following scenario:
The Video Preview window is open.
The imaqmem function is used to limit memory to a very small amount.
Hardware trigger executes, initiating an acquisition.
To prevent this problem, close the Video Preview window.
You might encounter a problem logging data to an AVI file. For example, the value of the DiskLoggerFrameCount property might remain at 0 (zero). To remedy this problem, try changing the value of the AVI file object's Compression property to 'none'.
Video Preview Window Performance Issues. The Video Preview window may experience performance issues when previewing large images or when previewing image data from multiple devices. If performance problems occur, or MATLAB appears to stop responding, the following actions may help alleviate some of these issues:
Try reducing the size of the image being previewed. You can reduce the size by either:
Using the ROIPosition property to configure a smaller resolution
Resizing the preview window such that the entire image is not visible
Creating a custom preview window GUI by following the example in Previewing Data in Custom GUIs in the Image Acquisition Toolbox User's Guide documentation. Doing so will allow you to scale the image size down when the preview window is resized.
Avoid previewing multiple video input objects simultaneously. In general, for best performance, preview only one video input object at a time.
If performance issues persist, you can disable the new Video Preview window and use the preview window included in previous releases. Use the following commands to disable the new Video Preview window. Note, however, that when you disable the new Video Preview window, the Handle Graphics customization features of the preview function will be unavailable.
imaqreset
imaqmex('feature', '-useObsoletePreview', true)Restarting MATLAB will reenable the MATLAB Handle Graphics based Video Preview window. To manually reenable the new Video Preview window, execute the following commands:
imaqreset
imaqmex('feature', '-useObsoletePreview', false)Generic Windows Windows Acquisition Devices.
You cannot create multiple video input objects for the same device when the device is active. The toolbox issues an error. For example:
vid = videoinput('winvideo', 1);
preview(vid)
newvid = videoinput('winvideo', 1, 'RGB24_160x120');
??? Cannot access information on the image acquisition device. One
or more arguments are invalid. Make sure no other objects or
applications are accessing the same device.If you close the preview window, you can create the object.
closepreview(vid)
newvid = videoinput('winvideo', 1, 'RGB24_160x120');
preview(newvid)There are known issues with the USB Creative WebCam drivers that can lead to crashes and computer reboots. It is recommended that you only install one of these devices per system.
Some device drivers, most commonly Video for Windows (VFW) drivers, might request a device to be selected via a dialog box. By choosing a device from the dialog box, you can associate an image acquisition object with an installed device.
TV Tuner Devices. The following list covers known issues with TV Tuner Devices (devices with an AnalogVideoFormat video source property):
Video input objects associated with a TV tuner card like the ATI Rage Theater Video Capture card might be created with an invalid analog format selected. To correct this, modify the value of the AnalogVideoFormat property on the currently selected video source object. (Use the getselectedsource function to retrieve the currently selected video source object.)
While accessing a TV tuner card, a blue screen crash can occur if you repeatedly open and close the Video Preview window.
The Matrox MIL or MIL-Lite Library is required and must be installed before you can use the toolbox.
The Gencout program, which is related to the Genesis board, will start when you first try to use the toolbox. This causes MATLAB to lose focus. To work around this behavior, uninstall the Genesis Native Library. Gencout is not used by the Image Acquisition Toolbox software, but it is installed by default by the installation program for the Genesis drivers.
It is recommended that MIL's nonpaged reserved memory be greater than the size of four incoming images. You can change this value using the Matrox MIL Configuration utility, provided with MIL.
For standard RS170 and CCIR monochrome formats, at least 2 MB of nonpaged memory is recommended.
For standard NTSC and PAL color formats, at least 8 MB is recommended.
Two- and four-band images are not supported. Dual-channel video, however, is supported via a DCF file if the resulting image is a single band.
UARTs are not supported.
If the device supports exposure timers, they are exposed as video source object properties using the prefix Timer. These properties are implemented using the manual bypass exposure model as described in the Matrox MIL User's Guide. Do not set these parameters while the object is previewing or running, to avoid invalid combinations of parameters while the object is accessing the device.
User digital inputs are not currently supported. User digital output values are exposed as video source object properties using the prefix UserOutputBit.
You should update device drivers to Imaging Omni CD 2.2 drivers. These drivers are available from the support page at datatranslation.com.
Data Translation® drivers allow for the reservation of nonpaged, nonvolatile memory. Set this value as follows:
Devices | Reserved Memory Recommendations |
|---|---|
3120 | Nonpaged reserved memory must be greater than the size of four incoming images. Recommended values are: For standard RS170 and CCIR monochrome formats, at least 2 MB of nonpaged memory For standard NTSC and PAL color formats, at least 8 MB You can change this value in the DT driver properties; see the Data Translation User's Guide for your hardware for more information. |
3152-LS | Nonpaged reserved memory must be greater than the size of the total number of frames provided by the hardware for a whole trigger. Use this equation to determine the size of the total number of frames: total = FramesPerTrigger * FrameGrabInterval where FramesPerTrigger and FrameGrabInterval are properties of the video input object. Refer to the Image Acquisition Toolbox documentation for more information on these properties. |
Line scan mode for the 3152-LS is not supported.
For the 3152-LS, 3153, 3154, 3155, and 3157 devices in immediate trigger mode, the last image frame of a trigger and the first image frame of the next trigger might not be adjacent frames in the incoming video; that is, one or more frames might be dropped between triggers.
The 3152 might require certain color depths from your video card in order to fully function. To determine whether the proper color depth is selected, start DTAcquire (provided with your hardware) and verify that both 'Passthru' and 'Single Frame Acquire' function properly. If 'Passthru' fails, try using a different color depth, e.g., 24-bit truecolor instead of 32-bit truecolor.
The following are known issues with the Image Acquisition Block Library:
Support limited to Windows video devices compatible with DirectX® — The Video Input block only supports Windows video devices that are compatible with DirectX. To determine whether a device is DirectX compatible, use the AMCAP.EXE utility included with the Image Acquisition Toolbox software in the toolbox\imaq\imaq directory. You can also download this utility from the MathWorks FTP site.
ftp://ftp.mathworks.com/pub/tech-support/solutions/s1-1B4VP/AMCap.exe
Invalid devices in the Device name list — When you first open the Video Input block mask, MATLAB searches your computer and populates the Device name list in the Block Parameters dialog box with all the image acquisition devices available on your system. If you disconnect or change the device connected to the computer while MATLAB is running, the mask will not reflect these hardware changes. The Device name list continues to list the devices initially found when the mask was first opened. The only way to update this list is to restart MATLAB; using the Image Acquisition Toolbox function imaqreset has no effect.
No support for DV camcorders — The Image Acquisition block library does not currently support DV camcorders. Attempting to access the Image Acquisition block library while a DV camcorder is connected to your system will cause MATLAB to hang. This will be addressed in a future release.
Support only for RGB24 formats — The Video Input block only supports RGB24 formats. Other video formats, such as RGB8 and Y422, cause an error when the model is run. This will be corrected in a future release.
No preview or configuration capabilities — The Video Input block does not support a preview window, nor does it provide access to device configuration parameters. To configure a device or see a preview of the acquired data, you must use utility programs supplied with the device or third-party applications, such as the Microsoft® AMCAP.EXE utility. The AMCAP.EXE utility is included with the Image Acquisition Toolbox software in the toolbox\imaq\imaq directory. Any device configuration performed using a third-party application will affect the device in the Simulink model.
Note Make sure to close whatever third-party application you use for previewing or configuration before running your Simulink model. |
 | Version 1.9.x (R14SP3) Image Acquisition Toolbox Software | Version 1.7 (R14SP1) Image Acquisition Toolbox Software |  |
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