Ted Hench

Imaging

Objectives

Determine target locations to within 50 feetTargets are all unique, but similarLarge area to searchLimited time

How are we going to do this?

Image of plane flyingLive Video

Image of camera being controlled

Control

Image of picture being taken

Storage

Retrieval

Analysis

Why are we doing things this way?

Low Cost

FeasibilityIsolated aircraft subsystemItself composed of isolated subsystems

Why do we need to analyze pictures on the ground?

Alternatives to human analysis? Computer Image Recognition

Extremely Hard to implementUnreliableWeight and Cost of Computer

Why are we waiting for the plane to land get our images back?

Alternatives to Image Storage Transmitting Images Back

The digital radios (modems) are too slow○ Also unreliable

Wi-Fi links are expensive○ Require a network-able computer or camera○ Even less reliable

Why do we need to store digital images?

Why do we need to store digital images?

Analog video transmission has limited resolution

Image of plane flyingWhy should the aircraft transmit live video then?

What does it require?

Alternatives to Video Transmission

Pattern Recognition ( Cueing )Hard to implementUnreliable

Take Constant PicturesTakes time to sift throughTeam doesn’t have much to do while the

plane is airborne anyway○ Can try to identify targets

What Does Transmission Require?

Not MuchRadio

○ Small○ Inexpensive

Camera○ Re-using digital camera

Power○ Shared with other devices

100 grams of additional lift

Why is a pivoting camera necessary?

What does it require?

Area Viewed vs. Resolution How do we cover more ground?

Fly higher or use a lens with a wider field of view○ Targets represented by fewer pixels - harder to identify

Flying faster○ Images are blurred○ Constraints on aircraft design

Alternatives to manual control? Fixed Camera Position

Area being photographed depends on the plane’s orientation

Requires that the aircraft sweep the area○ Takes time

Pattern Recognition and TrackingHard to implementUnreliable

What Does Manual Control Require?

Servos for panning Gimbal or mounting that allows for 1-2

axes of rotation System/Radio for controlling the servos

Direct RC controllerControlled by onboard processor

Minimal cost and weight regardless

What We’ve Done This Semester

Video/analog radios picked out Control servos and camera with a

microcontroller or RC controller Can sample aircraft orientation and

transmit to base for use with images Calculate the GPS location of object given

camera orientation and location of object in picture

What’s yet to be done

Control servos via digital communicationRequires fewer servosCan more accurately determine camera

orientation

Store sensor data onboardFrees up one radio

Create a proper mount for the camera

Questions?

Gimbaled Camera