USB digital photo camera and LabVIEW ?

[ALIEN80]

Hi Everyone
Is it possible to acquire images from a digital photo camera with LabVIEW which is connected via USB port ?

I now have a Canon PowerShot G5. But it is also possible to get another camera.

Which other cameras can be used to acquire images with LabVIEW?

Thanks a lot!

ALIEN

[angelo]

I'm not familiar with the G5, but it is possible to control some Canon cameras using one of the SDK's that Canon provides. Google for "Canon SDK", you'll find some resources. Also check Canon's site.

Some things to keep in mind...

1) Depending on the SDK, you may have to create your own DLL to actually control the camera from within labview.
2) In general, image acquisition with consumer snapshot cameras is very very slow. These cameras are not at all a replacement for general machine vision cameras.

[falkpl]

When you say "acquire", do you mean actually control the camera or just download images which have been saved on the camera.  If you are looking for control of the camera, I think most commercial grade cameras do have this feature.  If the camera does provide control from a remote PC then you should just need to make function calls to the dll library.  A little warning though, most libraries are not well documented for public use, I think the camera companies don't want to support the few of us who like to use the cameras in unconventional ways.  If you just want to download images through LV for custom applications and image analysis, you should be able to treat the camera (when plugged in to the PC) as a drive with files on it, you can read this and process it like usual.

[AnalogKid2DigitalMan]

Here is an off-the-shelf toolkit for some USB cameras:

http://www.hytekautomation.com/Products/PTPCam.html

Message Edited by AnalogKid2DigitalMan on 09-15-2005 10:29 AM

[ALIEN80]

I tryed to use the program PSremote: http://www.breezesys.com/PSRemote/index.htm

It is very good in changing the parameter of the camera, taking a picture and syve it to harddisk. It is also deliverd with a DLL. But Together with TestStand and LabView the program crashes regularly.

@angelo: thanks for the hint with SDK. I geristerd there and will now wait until i get access to it.

@falkpl: with acquire i mean: control the camera (zoom), take a picture, save it to harddisk

@AnalogKid2DigitalMan: thank you, but this toolkit only can take pictures and download them. the last zoom-position of the camera is not kept.

[LV_Pro]

You say that with LabVIEW and TestStand the program crashes regularly. Does it do it when you are only running in LabVIEW? What do you mean it crashes, it freezes the application, it runs but returns an error, ?

P.M.

[ALIEN80]

If i run the program only together with Labview it normally works fine.

When it crashed, Labview is completely closed without a warning.

When i run the program with labview and teststand, and start my teststand-Sequence that calls the VI, taht calls the DLL of the program, every time labview is closed withpout a warning.

[rohrdt]

ALIEN80,

Were you able to control your camera using Canon's SDK?

[ALIEN80]

I tried to register at Canon's Hompage to get SDK, but Canon didnt answere me.

Can anyone give the SDK to me?

Greetings.

[DavidJCrawford]

These guys have a twain driver for labview but it needs IMAQ Vision as well. It should work with your camera as long as its twain compliant.

http://www.alliancevision.com/us/products/software_alv/twain/fr_twain.htm