Team Member(s): Alberto Sigala, Daniel Tuller, Miles Hammac
Semester: Fall 2012
End-Product Description
The Camera Stabilization System uses redundant systems to maintain stable video capture capabilities for situations in which either the camera is moving, the target is moving, or both are moving. A GPS remote unit is attached to the target object which sends coordinates to the control unit via a wireless Xbee Pro radio. The control unit processes the coordinates and compares them to its own GPS coordinates, then outputs and continuously processes commands to the servos controlling the camera maintaining line of sight on the object. An object tracking algorithm then determines the center of the tracked object and places a centroid on the target in the video feed. The algorithm compares the current frame and the previous frame and sends signals to the servos to maintain the object in the center of the video feed. If either the GPS system of algorithm fail, the control unit has a joystick for manual control of the servos and camera. A sensor stick in the gimbaled camera unit counteracts undesired roll, pitch, and yaw forces and maintains a level camera position. The control station has a 4x20 (twenty character per line) LCD and control buttons to select tracking mode, display distance and bearing to target, both GPS coordinates, and camera X, Y coordinates. The system also logs video feed for optional post processing purposes or video analysis.
Figure: Gimbal Camera Station .JPG)
Figure: Control and Remote Unit .jpeg)
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