Night VisionJames StacyBrian HerreMaurio GrandoEric FallerChris Bawiec
James
Team Bender
Objectives• Implement A CCD (Charge Coupled
Device) Imaging System• Provide VGA Output• Provide User Interface
James
Goals• Low Light Vision• Still Image Capture
James
Resource Management
James
Commercially Available Models
James
Functions• User Interface: • Computer Interface via RS-232• Still Image Output via RS-232• Output Video Stream via VGA
James
Possible Use
•Surveillance•Search and Rescue•Property Management
James
Biological Applications
James
Surveillance
James
Additional Functionality• X-Ray Vision• Motion Sensing• Anti-Saturation
Brian
Night Vision System
Brian
Outline of Approach
Optics Sensors Storage Video Out
HC11
Computer
Brian
I/O of System Blocks• Optics (lens)
– Input: Photons from the environment– Output: Focused light
• Infrared Sensors– Input: Infrared Information– Output: Digital Image Data
• HC11– Input: Computer commands
-Turn on, Test Connection, Take a picture, etc.
RAM - Still Image Data
– Output: Still Image• Video Out
– Input: Digital Image Data– Output: Video Image
Brian
Further details
Filters
lens• Needed to focus light onto CCD sensor•Need to optimize distance between lens and CCD
•More research is needed
•Not needed in dark areas
•Still useful for dimly lit areas
•Filter types: red #25 (transparent), infrared #89b (nearly opaque), and infrared #87c (completely opaque).
Maurio
CCDExample of an affordable CCD
Question:
•How can we tell if the CCD is sensitive enough to near infrared light emitted from objects in a dark room?
We know that companies sell LED’s in a wide range of frequencies in the infrared spectrum.
These can be used the “light up” the room with infrared light at a frequency (more or less) of our choice.
$25
Maurio
Transfer the info
We don’t know how fast the CCD will transfer the data yet so..
•We feed the output of the CCD into some gate logic (like an FPGA)
•This gate logic in turn feeds the incoming picture into a 2-port RAM and stores it there.
Maurio
Video & Computer interfaces
512K x 82-port RAM
To CCDsubsystem
Bus
68HC11 μController
32K RAM
32K ROM
VGAlogic
VGAoutput
RS-232interface
Input commands
Still image data
Computer workstation
Status LEDs
Eric
HC11 Microcontroller• Standard Capstone component• Controls other components
– Disables video while taking still shots• Interface to computer
– Reads input commands– Uploads images
Eric
VGA Output• Real-time preview of image• Driven either by software or logic• Framerate & resolution will depend
on component speeds– 640x480 @ 60 FPS = 18 MB/sec– 320x240 @ 30 FPS = 2 MB/sec– 160x120 @ 30 FPS = 0.5 MB/sec
Eric
Computer interface• RS-232 provided by microcontroller• Download software updates• Upload still images to computer• Send commands to camera
– Reset– Enable/disable video preview– Take picture
Eric
Division of Labor• Lens/Sensor - Maurio, Brian • RAM/FPGA - Maurio, James• VGA output – James, Chris• Microcontroller – Brian, Eric• Software - Eric, Chris
Chris
Schedule
Chris
Risks• Lens – too expensive• CCD – not sensitive enough to
infrared• VGA – Bandwidth too high for
component speeds• HC11 – Can’t get it performing all
necessary tasks.
Chris
Contingency Plan• Lens – Find a low grade camera
lens• CCD – Take picture at different
frequency• VGA – Output at lower frame rate• HC11 – Simplify HC11’s tasks
Chris
Questions
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