Petri-Dish Experiment Monitoring / Video Processing System - Custom video processing & control system for the Levin Labs at the Forsyth Institute

Summary: The system is used to track the motion of small organisms like tadpoles, worms & zebrafish and provide control of petri-dish illumination. The system allows the researchers to perform experimentation on organism learning & behavior mechanisms. The system uses an RS-170 analog video camera and BlackFin BF533 DSP to perform image processing and determine the organism centroid coordinates.

The image below shows the system and test software.

DSP System & Algorithms: Candidate image processing approaches & algorithms were studied & prototyped in the PC environment prior to DSP implementation. The objective was to obtain low probability of failed detection while maintaining good computational efficiency. The resulting algorithms were then implemented and optimized for the BlackFin BF533 architecture, achieving a frame processing throughput of 8.5 fps.

Initialization & Illumination Control System: The system also includes an LPC2148 ARM7 embedded controller for running the DSP initialization sequence for capture of reference backgrounds, and controlling high-intensity LED lighting for dish illumination. A 4-channel, 1A high-speed linear current source was designed and implemented to drive the high-intensity white LEDs.

The image below shows the illumination module with fansink. Click the image for a larger view.

The image below shows the power electronics in the illumination PCB. The four 1A current sources are capable of 100 kHz PWM operation. The power electronics were laid out to fit in a 2"x2" DC/DC converter heatsink footprint for cool, reliable operation. Click the image for a larger view.