Key Capabilities of the ImageProcess tool:

• Test standard filters and morphological operations. A drop down list within the property page lists the standard filters and morphological operations. These can be temporarily applied to the area inside the tool’s viewport.
• Custom sizing of convolution filters and the neighborhood. For convolution filters, you can select the size 3x3, 5x5, or 7x7. For other operations, you can select the size of the neighborhood. These operations include close, dilate, erode, median, and open.
• Direct access to pixel data via methods. Methods designed for both VC++ and VB retrieve values of the pixels inside the viewport, return a pointer to the memory location of the specified image data, and write data from an array stored in either row-major order or column-major order.

• Easily retrieve statistical information. Statistics generated about the region of interest are returned on the statistics property page. It reports on such information as mean, median, mode, minimum intensity, maximum intensity, range, count, variance, and standard deviation. This information can be used as feedback for automated lighting control or as a presence/absence indicator in assembly verification applications.

• View information graphically. The information generated can be viewed graphically on the Histogram property page, pictured below. The X-values are the intensity values and each Y-value is the frequency of its occurrence.

• Convenient definition and management of reference colors. Using the context menu, reference colors can be added and deleted, properties can be set, and new reference colors can be defined.
• Calibrate reference colors. Reference colors are calibrated by providing samples for each or by setting it directly through the color property.

• Analyze color patches. You can use the tool to analyze a color patch under the viewport to determine the reference color that best matches it, the Euclidian distance from the color patch to each reference color, and the fraction of pixels that match a reference color.

• Separate an image into foreground and background. The BlobAnalyzer can segment an image based on threshold, blob type, pixel intensities, hole fill parameters, or a binary bitmap used as a mask.
• Label each blob with unique identifiers. The tool scans the segmented image from the top left to the bottom right, and assigns a unique number to each blob. You can then instruct the tool to order the labels according to the ascending or descending values of a particular feature.
• Filtering. You can filter uninteresting blobs from further analysis using the Features property page.
• Feature extraction. The BlobAnalyzer extracts information about each of the blobs in the viewport. It determines values for the characteristics you select on the Features property page, pictured below. NOTE: a comprehensive list of blob features appears later in this document.

This tool performs arithmetic and logical operations on images when XCaliper is in processing mode. Unlike other XCaliper tools, the ImageCalculator’s operation is not attached to its inspection buffer (that is, to an inspection image acquired to the scene on which it resides). The ImageCalculator can operate on multiple image buffers and/or inspection buffers. Code alone determines the image buffers and inspection buffers on which it operates: either one or two source buffers and one destination buffer.

The I/O tool communicates directly with any data input/output board installed in the computer. It includes timed methods by which you can use a delay (in milliseconds) in sending or receiving a message. At the end of the delay period, the IOTool performs the I/O. 

The IOTool can communicate with up to eight internal I/O boards simultaneously, allowing your application to monitor sensors, and send commands to other external devices. It operates on the relative port numbers of the external devices, so it can easily communicate effectively with controllers which are, themselves, controlling multiple other devices.

The IOTool is a standard OCX and can be used with or without other XCaliper tools. Unlike the XCaliper image tools, it does not need the ImageDevice in order to operate. It is included with XCaliper to allow you to increase the parts-validation and factory-automation features of your XCaliper applications.

The BarDecoder supports extraction of barcode information from images using two of the most common barcode types: Code39 and Interleave 2 of 5.  XCaliper users requiring support for additional barcode types should contact FSI Automation to discuss their potential addition to the tool.

The MatrixDecoder finds and decodes one or more Datamatrix symbols in an image.  A DataMatrix  is a public-domain two-dimensional barcode which can store from one and 3116 numeric or 2335 alphanumeric characters and is considered more robust than standard barcodes because of redundancy built into the coding scheme.