4th OpenCV PSMove Example (HTML Debug, CL-SDK, INI-parser, Linux RC1)

This is the fourth blogpost about the implementation of a tracker for the colored sphere of the PSMove controller. This time it is less about the tracker, but more about debugging and some other useful stuff.

1. HTML Debug

Since it is quite hard to understand what happens during the calibration process without having a camera-image to observe, a HTML-Trace of the calibration process is now created during runtime. Here are two examples what the HTML-Trace will look like if the calibration fails, or if it succeeds.

The first big 4x4 Table show the "blinks" of the color calibration process, already described in [1st Example Color Calibration]. The following row shows the result of the estimated color, i.e. the final mask that is used to estimate the color, the color the sphere was lit and the estimated color. After that a test is performed with the estimated color on the images in the first column of the 4x4 table, to see whether the color was a good match. Additionally warnings and errors are posted unter "Extended logging information" and finally a live camera image is shown (only if calibration was a success).

2. CL-SDK Integration

On windows the PS-EYE SDK from "Code Laboratories" was integrated and is now used to accquire images (previously via openCV) and to configure camera-settings like exposure, auto-whitebalancen and so on. I'd have preferred to stay with openCV, however the CL-SDK does not offer to access the camera with openCV and the CL-SDK simultaneously nor are the camera-settings applied to the camera permanently. i.e. In order to use the CL-SDK to switch off the auto-exposure, i also have to use the CL-SDK to grab the frames from the camera.

For this reason a new "class" named "camera_control.h" was introduced abstracting access to the camera (configuration, frame grabbing, initialisation) which encapsules v4l2, CL-SDK, openCV in order to provide a single object to access the camera and its configuration for linux and windows.

3. INI-parser

Depending on camera access mode (CL-SDK or v4l2) the camera settings may be permanently changed (even after a restart). Therefore it might be useful to make a backup of the camera-configuration before modifying it and restoring it again on termination.
To store the configuration, and without inventing the wheel the "iniparser" from [ndevilla.free.fr/iniparser] was utilized to easily write and read INI-files. It might also come in handy in future to save lense-distorion parameters.

4. Linux RC1 (binaries available for Linux & Windows)

I am happy to announce, that the demo application now perfectly runs under linux (ubuntu linux 12.04 tested) as well as on Windows 7. If you like to give it a try, probably the easiest way is just to take the binaries from the OpenCVExample.zip file within the zipball [ex4].

- startDemo.bat: click this to quickstart on windows
- startDemo.sh: click this to quickstart on linux (sudo & chmod a+x may be required)
- Debug(xxx): contains the binary for your plattform *
- lib: contains prebuild libraries of psmove-api, openCV, CLEyeMulticam  *
- debug.hml: click this to view the HTML-Trace within your browser (do not remove!)
- debug.js: contains the actual debug data (generated during runtime)
                                                         *: all binaries are either build on Win7x32 or Ubuntu Linux 12.04 x32

enjoy!
   cherio benjamin


System requirements:

• demo application 4 --> https://github.com/benniven/psmoveapiplayground/zipball/ex4
• psmove-api headers --> https://github.com/thp/psmoveapi
• psmove-api library build
• CL-Driver for the PS-Eye
• CL-SDK for the PS-Eye
• Windows operating system
• Linux operatinog system (tested on Ubuntu 12.04)
• OpenCV 2.4 headers  --> http://opencv.willowgarage.com/wiki/
• OpenCV 2.4 library build --> OpenCV 2.4 win binary