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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