Project Name: Roller Hockey Puck Video Tracker

Project Functional Description:

In sports, video-based review is an important tool used to develop amateur athletes, including those in roller hockey. However, access to quality footage is often limited for local sport leagues due to the lack of funding or resources. To address this problem, we will develop the Roller Hockey Puck Video Tracker (RHPVT). RHPVT is a real-time tracking system designed to follow a roller hockey puck/ball during gameplay and will produce a video recording of the game for post-play review. The tracking system will ensure that the ball remains within the camera’s field of view (FOV) by adjusting the camera’s orientation through automated tracking, computer vision, and predictive behavior modeling when the ball is no longer in view. The RHPVT system features a camera mounted on a tripod, which captures the live video footage. The camera will utilize a servo motor system that will adjust the camera’s pan (left and right view) based on the hockey puck’s position during gameplay, ensuring that the puck remains in the frame for the duration of play. The video feed is then transmitted to a host laptop via a USB interface. Additionally, an LCD display provides the host with real-time operational status while interfacing with an ESP microcontroller. The LCD will update and display the following information: tracking status, battery level, and system connection. Once the game has officially ended, the microcontroller will handle the USB communication between the camera and the laptop and ensure the video feed is transmitted and saved for post review. Lastly, the microcontroller and the camera will be powered by a portable charger with a 5V battery. The computer will be powered by its own power supply.

A stretch goal for this design is to add an ability to output sound during the system’s operation. This system would consist of an audio amplifier circuit driven by the microcontroller that produces an output when certain conditions are met. The microcontroller would produce this output signal whenever the system either loses track of the ball, changes tracking method, or reacquires the ball.

PSDR's For Our Project:

1. PSDR #1 (Hardware): An ability to rotate and maintain the position of a camera housing body with a servo motor using PWM from a micro-controller.
2. PSDR #2 (Hardware): An ability to display important system information on an SPI-connected TFT LCD display via input from the microcontroller.
3. PSDR #3 (Hardware): An ability to utilize a thermistor circuit to scan the system temperature and drive cooling fans as needed.
4. PSDR #4 (Software): An ability to accurately track the motion of a bright orange hockey puck using OpenCV's HSV color masking functions.
5. PSDR #5 (Software): An ability to handle occlusions and distortions by swapping to tracking clusters of people using OpenCV when color tracking confidence is low.
6. PSDR #6 (Stretch Hardware): An ability to output sound effects during operation using an audio amplifier circuit and microcontroller output.