Chapter 1 Introduction
© National Instruments Corporation 1-5 IMAQ PCI-1428 User Manual
NI-IMAQ Driver Software
The NI-IMAQ driver software is included with your IMAQ device.
NI-IMAQ has an extensive library of functions you can call from your
application programming environment. These functions include routines
for video configuration, image acquisition (continuous and single-shot),
memory buffer allocation, trigger control, and device configuration,
asshown in Figure 1-2.
Figure 1-2. NI-IMAQ Functions
The NI-IMAQ driver software performs all functions required for acquiring
and saving images, but it does not perform any image analysis. For image
analysis functionality, refer to the National Instruments IMAQ Vision
section in this chapter.
For maximum flexibility and performance, NI-IMAQ features both
high-level and low-level functions. Examples of high-level functions
include the functions to acquire images in single-shot or continuous mode.
An example of a low-level function is configuring an image sequence, since
it requires advanced understanding of the IMAQ device and image
acquisition.
NI-IMAQ internally resolves many of the complex issues between the
computer and the IMAQ device, such as programming interrupts and DMA
controllers.
NI-IMAQ is also the interface path between LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI,
or a text-based programming environment and your IMAQ device. The
NI-IMAQ software kit includes a series of libraries for image acquisition
forLabVIEW and Measurement Studio, which contains libraries for
LabWindows/CVI, Visual C++, and Visual Basic.
NI-IMAQ
Buffer ControlImage
Acquisition
Camera Control Lookup Table
Control
DAQ
Synchronization
Triggering
and Timing