Messages
Description
The Messages window (see Figure 1) displays important information regarding the operation of Thermalyze such as camera communication errors or programming logic errors. To open the Message window, click the Show Messages item under the Setup menu or press the 
button in the Setup section of the Shortcuts toolbar.
Figure 1: Messages window
Messages Controls
| Open Window |
Uncheck this box and close the window to prevent the Messages window from re-opening when a message occurs. |
| Clear |
Press this button to clear all currently displayed messages from the window. |
Messages: Not all messages result from program errors. Some messages, such as "successful camera response" are displayed to notify the user of successful communication between the camera and computer.
Notes
Description
The Notes window (see Figure 2) enable you to enter descriptive information about an image or image sequence. To open the Notes window, click the Notes item under the View menu or press the 
button in the Test Setup section of the Shortcuts toolbar.
Figure 2: Notes window
Save Notes
When an image or image sequence is saved, if the Notes window is open and if there are notes in the notes field, then these notes are saved in the image or image sequence file.
Open Notes
Notes originally saved with an image or image sequence are automatically opened and displayed when the image or image sequence is opened.
Change Notes
If you modify the notes, the changes will be saved if the Notes window remains open while an image or image sequence is saved.
Image Subtraction
Description
Image Subtraction is a software mode wherein a Reference Image is subtracted from the active thermal image. The resulting "subtracted" image displays temperature differences between the Active Image and Reference Image. This feature is useful when evaluating how temperatures change over time by setting the Reference Image equal to a thermal image captured prior to a thermal event. In this case, Image Subtraction indicates temperature changes relative to the start of the event. Image Subtraction can also be used when evaluating differences between devices captured at different times.
Messages: When Image Subtraction is activated, the spectrum color palette 
is automatically loaded.
The Image Subtraction panel (see Figure 3) is located to the lower right of the Main Image on the Thermalyze window.
Figure 3: Image Subtraction panel
Image Subtraction Controls
| ON/OFF |
Press this button to activate/deactivate Image Subtraction mode. When activated, the Reference Image is subtracted from the Active Image and the resulting image is displayed. Note: The Active Image is the most recent image that has been captured, opened from a file, or loaded from an image sequence. Tip: Disable touchup calibrations when Image Subtraction mode is activated to prevent touchup-related image artifacts and also because the process of subtracting images removes noise that touchup calibrations are intended to correct. |
| Set Reference |
Press this button to set the Reference Image equal to the Active Image. |
| Zero Reference |
Press this button to set all the pixels in the Reference Image equal to zero. |
Messages: Image subtraction can only be activated when the Image Subtraction panel is expanded.
Messages: Image subtraction can only be activated when the Image Subtraction panel is expanded.
Viewing Temperature Changes Over Time
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Start capturing images.
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Click the Set Reference button to set the Active Image as the Reference Image.
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Activate Image Subtraction to view temperature changes that have occurred since the Reference Image was set.
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Draw regions to measure the temperature differences.
Viewing Differences between Two Images
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Open or capture and image and then click the Set Reference button to set it as the Reference Image.
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Open or capture the second image.
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Turn on the Image Subtraction switch to subtract the first image from the second image and display the differences in temperature between the two images.
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Draw regions to measure the temperature differences.
Thermal Image Mean
Description
The Thermal Image Mean window (see Figure 4) enable you to average a large number of captured images in order to create a thermal image with very low noise level. To open the Thermal Image Mean window, click the Thermal Image Mean item under the Test Tools menu or press the 
button in the Test Tools section of the Shortcuts toolbar.
Figure 4: Thermal Image Mean window
Thermal Image Mean Controls
| ON/OFF |
Press this button to activate/deactivate Thermal Image Mean mode. When activated, captured Images are summed together. The thermal image mean is calculated by dividing the sum by the total number of images added to the sum. The level of noise reduction is inversely proportional to the square root of the total number of sum images. Noise level reduction = 1/ sqrt(# sum images). Note: The sum can hold over 50,000 images, which is over 15 minutes of images captured by the IS640 camera at 60 fps. |
| Total Images |
This field displays the total number of captured images that have been added to the sum. |
| Reset |
Press this button to clear the sum and image count. |
| Display Real-Time Mean |
Check this box to display the mean thermal image in place of the live captured image while capturing images. |
| Show Image |
Press this button to calculate and display the mean thermal image when not capturing images. |
Window Closed: When the Thermal Image Mean window is closed, Thermal Image Mean mode is automatically disabled.
Video Camera
Description
Live images from a GenICam (USB3 Vision or GigE Vision) video camera can be captured and displayed in the Video Camera window (see Figure 5). To open the Video Camera window, select the Video Camera item from the Test Setup menu or press the 
button in the Test Setup section of the Shortcuts toolbar.
Real-time images are captured and displayed to enable electrical probing and positioning of small devices. Video images can be transferred to the Overlay window and then aligned for use in overlay opacity or merge.
Optional Accessory: The video camera is an optional accessory and may not be included with your system.
Figure 5: Video Camera window
File Menu
| Save Video Image |
Click this menu item to open the Save Video Image dialog. Images with the following extensions can be saved: ".bmp", ".jpg", "png", and ".tif". When saving an image file, the file name that you provide is appended with ".bmp" unless another extension is included in the file name. Image files are saved in the "Optotherm\Thermalyze\Video Camera" folder, unless a different folder is selected. Note: The file name of the most recently saved image file is displayed at the bottom of the Video Camera window. |
| Export Window |
The Video Camera window can be saved to file in the following formats: bmp, jpg, png, and tif. The size of the exported image is proportional to the size of the Video Camera window. Note: Exported Video Camera windows are saved in the "Optotherm\Thermalyze\Export" folder unless you specify a different folder. |
| Print |
Print the Video Camera window. Note: You must have a printer connected to your computer. |
| Print with Preview |
Select this menu item to open the Print Preview dialog before printing. |
Camera
| Interface |
Select the GenICam interface protocol (USB3 Vision or or GigE Vision). |
 List Connected Cameras |
Click this button to detect and list all video cameras of the type selected in the Camera Interface drop-down that are currently connected to the computer. |
| Camera |
Select a camera from this list of video cameras currently connected to the computer. |
 Video Camera Settings |
Press this button to open the Video Settings window (see Figure 6). The Video Settings window enables you to control a variety of camera parameters such as color balance, pixel data format, image orientation, and graphics position. Click the Advanced Settings button to display more advanced USB3 Vision or GigE Vision settings (see Figure 7). Note: Appropriate settings for the Basler model acA1300-30uc USB3 Vision camera are displayed in Figures 6 and 7. Gain can be increased if the image is too dark when the Exposure slider is at maximum. Caution: Incorrect settings may temporarily disable Video Camera operation. Knowledge of USB3 Vision or GigE Vision properties is required prior to making changes. |
 Capture Video Images |
Press this button to begin capturing and displaying real-time video images. Unpress this button to stop capturing images. |
| Exposure |
Drag the trackbar handle to change the camera exposure. When working with camera lenses that have a variable aperture, camera exposure should be set to the maximum level and scene brightness should be controlled by adjusting the lens aperture. This will allow you to maximize depth-of-focus. Tip: You can also hover over the trackbar and use the mouse scroll wheel to change the value. |
Image
| Display Size |
Select the size of the image display. |
 Image Size |
Press this button to display the image in full size, unpress for reduced size. |
 Select |
Select this button when finished zooming and panning the image. |
 Zoom In |
Select this button and then click a point on the image to zoom in to that area. Images can be zoomed from 1x up to 8x. After zooming in to 8x, the Pan tool is automatically selected to allow you to pan the image. |
 Zoom Out |
Select this button and click a point on the image to zoom out from that area. After zooming out to 1x, the Pan button  is automatically selected. |
 Zoom Out Full |
Click this button to zoom out to 1x. After pressing this button, the Pan tool is automatically selected. |
| Zoom Level |
This field display the current zoom level. |
| Pan |
Select this button and then click and drag on the image to pan. The image must be zoomed in at least 2x in order to pan. |
 Create Video Overlay |
Click this button to set the currently displayed video image as the current overlay. |
Video Settings
Figure 6: Video Settings window
| Flip Image |
Check these boxes to flip the video image horizontally and/or vertically. |
| Graphics Offsets |
Enter horizontal and/or vertical offsets for graphics displayed on the video image. Note: This setting may not be applicable to the current software version and is intended for use with future software features. |
| Command Delay |
Set the delay [in seconds] after starting or stopping video image capture to allow the GenICam interface time to change capture state before the state can be changed again. |
| Image Buffers |
Enter the number of image buffers to use while capturing video images. A higher number decreases computer processing and can improve video capture consistency (up to a point) but uses more computer RAM. |
| Stop Video Capture during Lock-in Tests |
Check this box to automatically stop capturing video images when a lock-in thermography test is started. |
| GenICam Properties |
Click this button to open the Video GenICam Properties window. |
Video GenICam Properties
GenICam properties control operation of USB3 vision and GigE vision cameras. When a camera is detected, supported properties and their allowable range of values are read from the camera. When properties are a changed in the window, they are immediately written to camera volatile memory.
Figure 7: Video GenICam Properties window
Image Format Control
| Pixel Format |
Format of the pixels provided by the camera. Each camera model provides a list of allowable formats which are listed in this drop-down box. |
| Video Mode |
This property controls both pixel format and image size. Note: This property is only available with specific GigE Vision cameras. |
| Width/Height |
Enter the width and height of the cropped image (in pixels). Maximum allowable values are displayed in parentheses. Note: Allowable values are dependent on OffsetX/OffsetY and may be limited to incremental values. |
| OffsetX/OffsetY |
Enter the number of pixels to offset the cropped image defined by Width and Height. Maximum allowable values are displayed in parentheses. Note: Allowable values are dependent on Width/Height and may be limited to incremental values. |
Acquisition Control
| Acquisition Mode |
Sets the acquisition mode of the camera. It determines the number of frames to capture during an acquisition and the way the acquisition stops. Depending on camera model, possible values may include:
|
| Frame Rate Control Enabled |
Controls if the FrameRate property is writable and used to control the acquisition rate. Otherwise, the acquisition rate is limited by ExposureTime and DeviceLinkThroughputLimit. |
| Frame Rate Auto |
Sets the mode for automatic frame rate adjustment. Depending on camera model, possible values may include:
|
| Frame Rate |
Controls the frame acquisition rate (in Hertz). Note: This property is unavailable when FrameRateControlEnabled is unchecked or FrameRateAuto is set to Continuous. |
| Exposure Mode |
Sets the operation mode of the Exposure. Depending on camera model, possible values may include:
|
| Exposure Auto |
Sets the automatic exposure control method when ExposureMode (property not available in Thermalyze) is Timed. The exact algorithm used to implement this control is camera-specific. Some other camera-specific features might be used to allow the selection of the algorithm. Depending on camera model, possible values may include:
|
| Exposure Time |
Sets the duration of exposure when ExposureMode is Timed and ExposureAuto is Off. This controls the duration where the photosensitive cells are exposed to light. Note: This property is unavailable when ExposureAuto is set to Continuous. |
| Compensation Auto |
Sets the automatic exposure compensation when ExposureAuto is set to Once or Continuous. The exact algorithm used to implement this control is camera-specific. Some other camera-specific features might be used to allow the selection of the algorithm. Depending on camera model, possible values may include:
|
| Exposure Compensation |
Sets the target gray value for auto exposure time and/or auto gain, depending on scene conditions. The exact algorithm used to implement this control is camera-specific. Note: This property is only available with specific GigE Vision cameras. |
Analog Control
| Balance White Auto |
Controls the mode for automatic white balancing between the color channels. The white balancing ratios are automatically adjusted. Depending on camera model, possible values may include:
|
| Balance Ratio |
Controls the ratio of the selected color component to a reference color component to control white balancing. Note: This property is unavailable when BalanceWhiteAuto is set to Continuous. |
| Gain Auto |
Sets the automatic gain control (AGC) mode. Some other camera-specific features might be used to allow the selection of the algorithm. Depending on camera model, possible values may include:
|
| Gain |
Controls the selected gain as an absolute physical value. This is an amplification factor applied to the video signal. Note: This property is unavailable when GainAuto is set to Continuous. |
Transport Layer Control
| Heartbeat Timeout |
Sets the length of time [milliseconds] that must elapse without the camera being detected to trigger a camera timeout event. Note: This property is only available with specific GigE Vision cameras. |
| Packet Size |
This property corresponds to DeviceStreamChannelPacketSize (property not available in Thermalyze) and should be kept in sync with it. It specifies the stream packet size, in bytes, to send on the selected channel for a GVSP transmitter or specifies the maximum packet size supported by a GVSP receiver. This does not include data leader and data trailer and the last data packet which might be of smaller size (since packet size is not necessarily a multiple of block size for stream channel). If a camera cannot support the requested packet size, then it must not fire a test packet when requested to do so. Note: This property is only available with specific GigE Vision cameras. |
| Packet Delay |
Controls the delay (in GEV timestamp counter unit) to insert between each packet for this stream channel. This can be used as a crude flow-control mechanism if the application or the network infrastructure cannot keep up with the packets coming from the camera. Note: This property is only available with specific GigE Vision cameras. |
Device Control
| Device Link Throughput Limit |
Limits the maximum bandwidth of the data that will be streamed out by the camera on the selected Link. If necessary, delays will be uniformly inserted between transport layer packets in order to control the peak bandwidth. If the camera uses many connections to transmit the data, the feature represents the sum of all the traffic and the bandwidth should be distributed uniformly on the various connections. Any Transport Layer specific bandwidth controls should be kept in sync with this control as much as possible. |
User Set Control
| Selector |
Select the user set of properties to load into camera volatile memory or to save to camera non-volatile memory. Note: Non-volatile memory is retained when the camera is powered off. |
| Load |
Load the properties in the selected camera user set into the window controls. |
| Save |
Save the properties in the window controls to the selected camera user set. Note: Properties are saved to non-volatile memory so that they are retained when the camera is powered off. |
| Default |
Select the user set of properties stored in camera non-volatile memory to load into camera volatile memory when the camera is powered on. |
Thermal Stage
Description
The Thermal Stage Controller range and setpoint temperature can be changed using the controls in the Thermal Stage window (see Figure 8). To open this window, click the Thermal Stage item under the Test Setup menu or press the 
button in the Test Setup section of the Shortcuts toolbar.
Figure 8: Thermal Stage window
Serial Communication
| Com Port |
Select the com port used to communicate with the Thermal Stage controller. Tip: To determine the name of the com port, open the Windows Device Manager and expand Ports (COM & LPT). |
| Connect/Close Port |
Press this button to establish serial communication between the computer and thermal stage. After communication is established, click this button to close the com port. A green indicator light will illuminate when connection is successful. |
Get Controller Settings
| Range: Get |
Press the Get button to read the current thermistor type and temperature measurement range from the Thermal Stage controller. |
| Real Time Updates: Enable |
Check this box to request real-time Setpoint and Temperature information from the Thermal Stage controller at an interval of once every two seconds. |
| Setpoint |
This field displays the current Thermal Stage controller setpoint. |
| Temperature |
This field displays the current Thermal Stage controller temperature. |
Set Controller Settings
| Range: Set |
Select the temperature range of the thermal stage that is connected to the controller. Press the Set button to send this value to the Thermal Stage controller. Note: There are currently two thermal stage model currently available: Low temperature (0-80°C) and high temperature (0-130°C). If the correct range is not selected, the controller will not be able to control the thermal stage properly. |
| Setpoint: Set |
Enter the desired Thermal Stage setpoint temperature. Press the Set button to send this temperature value to the Thermal Stage controller. |
| Max Setpoint | Enter the maximum setpoint value allowed. Altering this setting requires entering the valid password. Note: The default password is "". |
| Set Default Settings |
When the Range, Setpoint, or Display Units are changed, appropriate settings are written to the Thermal Stage Controller static RAM memory. Check this box to also write these settings to Controller non-volatile EEPROM memory to change power-up settings. Note: When the Setpoint is changed, the new value is written to the display non-volatile memory, which is then transferred to the Controller non-volatile memory, even if this box is unchecked. |
Image Processing
Description
The Image Processing window (see Figure 9) provides access to settings that provide noise reduction and smoothing of capture images. To open the Image Processing window, click the Image Processing item under the Tools menu or press the 
button on the Shortcuts toolbar.
Figure 9: Image Processing window
Noise Reduction
Noise reduction decreases a specific type of random spatial image noise commonly called salt-and-pepper noise using a rank filter.
| Enable |
Check this box to enable image noise reduction. Important: Noise reduction requires significant processing resources and should only be used for applications requiring noise filtering. If image capture rate falls, follow the suggestions in the Introduction to increase processing rate. |
| Matrix Size |
Choose the matrix to use with the rank filter. The matrix determines the neighboring pixel used in the noise removal algorithm. A larger matrix will remove more noise but will decrease image resolution and contrast. |
Image Smoothing
Image smoothing is a low-pass filter that decreases Gaussian noise that is generally associated with digitizing analog signals.
| Enable |
Check this box to enable image smoothing. Important: Image smoothing requires significant processing resources and should only be used for applications requiring noise filtering. If image capture rate falls, follow the suggestions on the opening page of this HTML help guide to increase processing rate. |
| Matrix Size |
Enter the size of the matrix to use for image smoothing. The matrix determines the neighboring pixel used in the noise removal algorithm. A larger matrix will remove more noise but will decrease image resolution and contrast. |
| Strength |
Enter the smoothing strength. Higher values will increase smoothing but will decrease image resolution and contrast. Values range from 1 to 5. |
Frequency-Based Denoising
Frequency-based denoising is a high-pass filter that decreases Gaussian or Mean Square Error noise while maintaining high-frequency information.
| Enable |
Check this box to enable frequency-based denoising. Important: Frequency-based denoising requires significant processing resources and should only be used for applications requiring noise filtering. If image capture rate falls, follow the suggestions on the opening page of this HTML help guide to increase processing rate. |
| Noise Type |
Enter the type of noise to filter. Select "Unknown" for noise that is difficult to characterize. A larger matrix will remove more noise but will decrease image resolution and contrast. |
| Level |
Enter the number of levels to decompose the image, performs the denoising, and then recomposes the image using the same number of levels. Higher levels with increase denoising. Values range from 1 to 10. Note: The maximum level is the point at which denoising at subsequent levels does not provide improved denoising and depends on the source image and Noise Type. If the selected level exceeds the maximum level, the maximum level is used. |
Positioning Blocks
Description
The positions of blocks can be recorded and saved using the Positioning Blocks Fixture window (see Figure 10). To open this window, click the Positioning Blocks item under the Setup menu (or press the 
button on the top toolbar) of the Thermal Model Comparison window. The window is also accessible by clicking the Positioning Blocks item on the Test Setup menu (or by pressing the button in the Test Setup section of the Shortcuts toolbar) on the main Thermalyze window.
Figure 10: Positioning Blocks window
Positioning Blocks
All positioning blocks are identical but they can be mounted in two different ways: as fixed blocks (two thumbscrews) or adjustable blocks (one thumbscrews). As shown in Figure 10, fixed blocks are typically mounted on the left and top edges of the board to designate the position of the board. Adjustable blocks are usually mounted on the right and bottom edges of the board to push the board tightly against the fixed blocks for precise board registration. The positions of fixed blocks and adjustable blocks can be interchanged however, to accommodate different board and component configurations.
Selecting and Moving Blocks
Click a block to select it. Selected blocks have a green border. Click and drag blocks to move them.
File
 Open Fixture |
Click this button to open the Open Positioning Blocks dialog. Select the ASCII text file (.orgn) to open. Note: The file name of the most recent Positioning Blocks file opened or saved is displayed at the bottom of the window. |
 Save Fixture |
Click this button to open the Save Positioning Blocks dialog. When saving a Positioning Blocks file, the file name that you provide is appended with ".opos" and saved in the "Optotherm\Thermalyze\Positioning Blocks" folder unless you specify a different folder. Tip: Positioning Blocks files can be saved and then later opened and incorporated into new projects when testing boards with similar layouts. |
| Export |
The Positioning Blocks window can be saved to file in the following formats: bmp, jpg, png, and tif. Note: Exported Positioning Blocks windows are saved in the "Optotherm\Thermalyze\Export" folder unless you specify a different folder. |
| Print |
Print the Positioning Blocks window. Note: You must have a printer connected to your computer. |
| Print with Preview |
Select this menu item to open the Print Preview dialog before printing. |
Board Position Controls
 Add Fixed Block |
Click this button to add a fixed block using two thumbscrews. |
 Add Adjustable Block |
Click this button to add an adjustable block using one thumbscrew. |
 Rotate Block |
Click this button to rotate the currently selected block clockwise. |
 Remove Block |
Click this button to remove the currently selected block. |
 Remove All Blocks |
Click this button to remove all blocks. |