DaveCimma, LLC Home

VidAlign Edge Finder and Video Measurement System
vidalign screenshot

As an alignment aid...

Vidalign is a simple video edge-finder and measurement system.  It is primarily used to aid in part alignment on laser systems, using their existing camera and optics.  When used in conjunction with CimMC, you can align and jog your A3200 motion system using the edge finding tools.

The adjacent screen shot shows finding the right edge of this electronic package. Simply pressing the X button in the Move To box will move your laser to the right edge. You can simply hold the Shift key down and click on the screen to jog to a point anywhere on the image also.

 

View a quick movie of Vidalign, CimCAD and CimMC working together to align a part.

Vidalign can even store specific scans into a file to be called up from your A3200.  Basic scans include left/right/center scans in either horizontal or vertical axes.  As shown to the left, you can also find the center of objects; holes, pins, rectangles.

It is important to note that this is not a feature-finding system like many vision packages.  It’s an edge finder, to be used mostly in a manual alignment situation.  In critical welding situations, where part alignment may continually vary, this becomes a valuable tool.

Laser optics have not been known for their great optical qualities in the past! Distortion in the lens can cause offsets and lighting and contrast can also play a significant role in the effectiveness of a vision package. The simple tools in the software help you compensate quickly and easily for some of these issues.

As a measurement tool...

Vidalign can also function as a stand alone video measurement system.  When used with a good quality camera and telecentric lens, it becomes a simple to use measurement tool.

The software supports National Instruments video capture cards. 

 

The measurement area is 480x480.  A calibration table allows you to set up multiple calibrations based on lens selections and/or extension tubes used on the camera to allow for a variety of magnifications and field of view settings.