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Overview

This software uses video and GPS data to instruct our UAV aerial tracking platform. By default, this program will analyze video from the HDMI input to a connected Decklink capture card. GPS information will be received using a USB-serial connection to any GPS transmitter that implements the NMEA protocol. Tracker commands are sent via a USB-serial connection to the Arduino microcontroller connected to the tracker hardware.

Here is a sample video that shows the CV algorithm detecting the plane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJB8deGmM24

And here is a video of the tracker in action using Georeferencing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxmqRLSEIO0

Finally this is the paper that my partner Eric Lo and I wrote on our tracking platform:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3iirlqt6ric5884/CSE145FinalReport.pdf

In addition to live tracking, the software has some additional features. For example, the tracker can record the video input, saving the result as a sequence of JPEGs that can later be encoded into a movie if desired. It is also possible to analyze a video or still image for debugging purposes. It is also possible to draw a line from the center of the image to the plane, to ensure that CV is working properly.

To run this software, first ensure that the serial connections to the GPS receiver and the Arduino are established, and that the Decklink capture card is plugged into the computer. Then run the tracker executable from the command line (e.g ./tracker). A video window should appear on the screen mirroring the camera's output. For more information on how to set the configuration for the tracker, read the section on Options below, or run ./tracker --help

Options

--debug: Enables debug output. This outputs LOTS of information to the terminal window, including blobs that were detected, GPS information coming in, and commands that are being sent to the Arduino. It is advisable to pipe the output to grep if you want specific information.

--extras: Displays the image at each step of visual processing. Note that enabling this option could degrade performance. Useful for debugging CV.

--line: Draws a red line from the center of the frame to the plane when the plane is detected.

--record: Records the video output to the specified directory. Each frame in the video gets saved as a JPEG image. Because performance requirements may mandate frame-skipping, be aware that skipped frames will not be recorded.

--lat: Specifies that latitude of the tracker in GPS degrees.

--lon: Specifies the longitude of the tracker in GPS degrees.

--alt: Specifies the altitude of the tracker in meters.

--gps-port: Specifies the serial port that the GPS receiver is connected to

--arduino-port: Specifies the serial port that the Arduino is connected to

--gps-baud: Specifies the baud rate for the serial connection to the GPS receiver

--arduino-baud: Specifies the baud rate for the serial connection to the arduino

--video: Uses the specified video file for computer vision instead of the Decklink interface. Useful for testing purposes.

--image: Uses the specified image file for computer vision instead of the Decklink interface. Useful for testing purposes.

--blind: Do not use computer vision. Use this mode if there is no camera attached or you do not have the Decklink drivers installed.

--no-gps: Do not use GPS.

--help: Display a help message.

Architecture

Vision Components

VideoReceiverInterface.cpp

This component is in charge of getting image data for FrameAnalyzerActor to process. It can access data from the BlackMagic capture card, or from a video file.

FrameAnalyzerActor.cpp

This actor receives images from the VideoReceiverInterface and uses Vision to calculate the location of the plane in the image (if possible). If the plane was detected in the image, it calculates the necessary pan and tilt values for the gimbal to point to the plane, and sends that information to the MultimodalActor. If the plane could not be detected in the image, this informs MultimodalActor that the tracker has lost visual contact with the plane. In addition, this actor is also responsible for sending the frame back to the UI so that it can be displayed to the user.

Vision.cpp

This component is responsible for performing the actual CV operations used to detect the plane. It is capable of finding the centroid and size of the plane in an image.

Georeferencing Components

GPSReceiverInterface.cpp

This component is responsible for downloading GPS data from the plane. Whenever it receives a GPS packet, this interface uses Protocol to parse the packet and sends the plane's GPS coordinates to the GeoReferencingActor.

GeoReferencingActor.cpp

The GeoReferencingActor is responsible for receiving GPS data from the GPSReceiverInterface and using GeoReference to calculate the necessary pan and tilt to point the tracker towards the UAV. The resulting pan and tilt values are sent to the MultimodalActor to perform the actual pointing. If the GPS position of the plane is unavailable, this actor will inform the MultimodalActor that the tracker has lost the GPS position.

GeoReference.cpp

GeoReference is responsible for performing the calculations for determining the pan and tilt of the gimbal based on the plane's GPS position. It uses the Haversine formula to calculate the pan.

Protocol.cpp

This component implements the NMEA protocol that the GPS uses to send GPS data to the computer.

Communications Components

Messages.cpp

This component defines containers for the messages that are sent between the various components in the system. These include the internal messages that are sent between the interfaces and the actors, as well as messages that are serialzed to be sent over the serial interface to the arduino.

Operations Components

MultimodalActor.cpp

The MultimodalActor is responsible for receiving the position messages from the GeoReferencingActor and the FrameAnalyzerActor and sending the appropriate commands to the arduino. As long as the plane can be visually identified, the multimodal actor will not forward position commands sent from the GeoReferencingActor. If visual identification fails, the MultimodalActor will use GeoReferencingActor's position messages. If both visual and GPS identification is impossible, then the MultiModalActor will tell the arduino to use RSSI.

tracker.cpp

This is the main driver for the program. It instantiates all of the actors and components. Additionally, it allows the user to view the airplane in a window, and record the flight.