camera sends TTL pulses through Image acquisition toolbox

Hi,

I want to send a TTL pulse when the camera captures an image. I cannot find a function to use to send TTL from camera through Image acqusition toolbox. Thank you.

Answer 1

[Atharva]

The Image Acquisition Toolbox in MATLAB provides functionality for capturing images from cameras but does not have built-in support for directly sending TTL pulses. However, you can still achieve this by using additional hardware and programming techniques.

Here's a general approach to accomplish this:

1. Determine the hardware needed: You will require additional hardware to generate and send the TTL pulse. This could be a digital I/O device, such as a data acquisition card or a microcontroller board capable of generating TTL signals.
2. Connect the hardware: Connect the digital I/O device or microcontroller to your computer. Ensure that it is properly recognized and configured.
3. Write the MATLAB code: Use MATLAB to control the camera and the external hardware simultaneously. Here's a basic outline:

a. Initialize the camera using the appropriate functions from the Image Acquisition Toolbox.

b. Configure the camera settings, such as resolution, exposure, and trigger mode, according to your requirements.

c. Configure and initialize the digital I/O device or microcontroller to generate the TTL pulse. You may need to use a hardware-specific library or communication protocol for this step.

d. Set up a callback function that will be triggered whenever an image is acquired by the camera.

e. In the callback function, send the TTL pulse using the digital I/O device or microcontroller. This could involve writing a digital signal to a specific pin or using a specific command or protocol supported by your hardware.

f. Acquire the image from the camera and process it as needed.

4.Run the MATLAB code: Execute the MATLAB code to start the image acquisition process. Each time an image is captured, the callback function will be triggered, and the TTL pulse will be sent.

Please note that the exact implementation details will depend on the specific hardware you are using for generating the TTL pulse. Refer to the documentation or resources provided by the manufacturer for your digital I/O device or microcontroller to understand how to control it from MATLAB.