Hardware and software combine to create a powerful ready-to-run inspection tool for production and laboratory engineers involved in flat panel display systems
National Instruments has launched Display Test - a powerful ready-to-run software and hardware solution for reliably inspecting flat panel displays.
Display Test brings production and laboratory engineers a test solution unmatched in its ability to adapt to additional and future test and measurement requirements.
Display Test offers a comprehensive suite of pre-built display tests - such as alignment, pixel defect, colour, and contrast - used to test cell phones, PDAs, automobile displays, and other mobile terminals.
Engineers use TestStand, a ready-to-run test executive that ships with Display Test, to easily configure these tests to meet specific requirements.
With Display Test, engineers have the flexibility to create new vision tests or integrate other technologies, such as motion control, audio, electrical, and RF tests, using the Labview graphical development environment and TestStand.
This new level of scalability proved crucial in Flextronics's decision to use Display Test, said Manoj Kumar, test manager of Flextronics India.
"We want the ability to add functionality to our display test system as new requirements arise," Kumar said. "With Display Test, we have this capability.
Consequently, we expect over time that Display Test will lower our cost of test while giving us the ability to ship products to customers more quickly.
Simply put, NI's display inspection product makes us more competitive." By freeing production and laboratory test engineers from investing time and money in closed test systems that eventually become obsolete, NI Display Test perfectly illustrates the advantages of NI's computer-based approach to measurement and automation, said John Graff, NI vice president of marketing.
"We now bring our flexible computer-based approach to flat panel display inspection.
Display Test is the right choice for engineers needing test systems that can grow and change along with their display applications," Graff said.
To acquire images, Display Test uses Imaq machine vision software and high-performance image acquisition boards that seamlessly integrate with Labview and modular PXI measurement and automation hardware.
Because Display Test integrates with the rugged PXI hardware platform, engineers can easily expand their display test application or integrate it with other functional test hardware by adding plug-in PXI measurement modules.
Engineers with unique configuration requirements can purchase unbundled versions of the Display Test application software while Microsoft Visual Basic and Visual C++ programmers can customise Display Test using the Measurement Studio development environment.
