Overview

ChipBuilder^™ is an exciting new facility that allows software developers to add custom capabilities to the Coherix I-Cite^™ software platform. This capability is introduced with one or more custom chips that the developers create using MS Visual C++ and the Coherix ChipWizard^™.

ChipBuilder^™ provides OEM developers a way of adding value and distinguishing features to their I-Cite^™ application. Some examples include:

• Incorporating any number of custom algorithms into the I-Cite^™ environment that dovetails seamlessly with existing I-Cite^™ capabilities.
• Taking advantage of I-Cite^™’s infrastructure (camera maps, light controller support, I/O maps, custom GUI builder, report builder, display builder, failure packet diagnostics, rapid prototyping capabilities, etc.) to build a high performance, solution around proprietary image processing functions.
• Adding non-image processing functions to I-Cite^™. For example, machine control, mathematical processing, custom graphical displays, etc.
• Adding processing of images from non-standard sensors such as those acquired from IR cameras, range finders, and so forth.
• Choosing from a rich set of I-Cite^™ core capabilities including sub-pixel edge location, pattern recognition, pixel to global units conversion, ROI gadgets, etc.
• Taking advantage of a single version platform environment with enhancements and new features being added from applications implemented around the world.
• Adding support for new cameras and image acquisition hardware (future capability).

OEM developers can now use the power of ChipBuilder^™ to create proprietary functions which differentiate their software products, while enabling them to be very responsive to development schedules and end user requirements.

Please contact us for information on how to acquire the Chip Developers Kit (CDK), and get started with ChipBuilder^™ right away.

Details

The OEM developer uses the following procedure to build a chip and create a custom circuit with that chip:

1. Install the Coherix ChipBuilder^™ utility
2. Open up the ChipWizard^™ in MS Visual C++ 2008 to create a chip template.
3. Customize the chip template to specify...
   • The code to be executed when the chip is activated
   • What information is presented to the input pins and what information is passed to the output pins
   • References and Statistics that can be shared with other chips, panels, and reports
   • Configuration dialogs presented to the user for entering parameter settings, etc.
   • Displays available to the user for diagnostics and results
   • Chip bitmap that is displayed in the circuit
   • Dongle restricted access codes for protecting the proprietary information created by ChipBuilder^™.
4. Compile the .dll
5. Register the .dll
6. Start I-Cite^™ and import the chips from the .dll
7. Build a circuit using a combination of the standard I-Cite^™ chips and the custom developed chip(s).

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