Custom Adaptors

The Image Acquisition Toolbox™ Adaptor Kit is a C++ framework that you can use to create an adaptor. A C++ framework is a set of classes that work together to create a particular application. In a framework, the design of the software is already defined. With the adaptor framework, you subclass the framework classes and implement the required member functions to flesh out the design to support your particular hardware.

An adaptor is a dynamic link library (DLL), called a shared library on Linux systems, that implements the connection between the Image Acquisition Toolbox engine and a device driver via the vendor's software development kit (SDK).

You develop an adaptor to support new hardware. Adaptors enable the dynamic loading of support for hardware without requiring recompilation and linking of the toolbox. Using an adaptor to add hardware support gives you the advantage of having multiple prepackaged features such as data logging, triggering, and a standardized interface to the image acquisition device.

This diagram shows the relationship of an adaptor to the toolbox engine and a device driver.

Relationship of Adaptor to Toolbox Components

What Knowledge Is Required?

To build an adaptor, you should have a working knowledge of

• C++

• The functionality of your hardware device, and its associated application programming interface (API)

• Image Acquisition Toolbox concepts, functionality, and terminology as described in the Image Acquisition Toolbox User's Guide documentation