CMUCam2+

The latest version of the CMUcam2. Acroname and CMU have partnered together to develop the next wave in low cost image processing. Logic chips and an OV6620 camera module are mounted on a single board, reducing size, weight, and complexity. The CMUCam2+ allows the easy addition of vision-based sensing to a robotics project.

More Details:

The CMUcam2+ consists of a SX52 microcontroller interfaced with a 0V6620 Omnivision CMOS camera that allows high-level data to be extracted from the camera's streaming video. Its primary function is to track and monitor highly contrasting color regions. It can detect motion, provide color statistics, and transmit image information to a computer for additional processing. We currently ship the camera with version 1.01 of the firmware.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Since the board is designed to work with microcontrollers, it has a serial interface using TTL voltage levels (0-5V). When using the CMUcam2+ with an RS-232 or USB serial port, such as on a PC, you will need a level-shifter to convert TTL signals to RS-232 signals. You can use either a Serial Interface Connector or a USB/Serial Interface Connector to convert the signals.

When compared with our other CMUcam2 products, the CMUcam2+ has these important differences:

* Thinner profile; half the height of the CMUCam2
* 15% lighter weight
* Uses only the more capable OV6620 camera*
* No level-shifter on board for more efficient connection to +5V controllers
* Minimal packaging: substitutes work booklet for printed manual (which is available online); no CD-ROM or AC adapter
* Uses horizontal pins for easier connection and placement on the robot

The CMUcam2+ has the following functionality:

* Track user-defined colors at up to 50 Frames Per Second (FPS)
* Track motion using frame differencing at 26 FPS
* Find the centroid of any tracked data
* Gather mean color and variance information
* Gather a 28 bin histogram of each color channel
* Manipulate horizontally pixel-differenced images
* Transfer a real-time binary bitmap of the tracked pixels in an image
* Arbitrary image windowing
* Adjust the camera's image properties
* Dump a raw image (single or multiple channels)
* Up to 160 X 255 resolution
* Supports multiple baudrates
* Control 5 servo outputs
* PAL video signal from Cam Video Out pin
* Automatically use servos to do two axis color tracking. Servo 0 is for pan. Servo 1 is for tilt.

The CMUcam2+ comes with a booklet that documents its connectors and basic setup.