Vision Based Autonomous Coil Gun Assignment Solution

ABSTRACT

         The main objective of this project is to build a vision based autonomous electrical coil gun. The vision algorithm running on a pc will identify the object and tracks its position. This vision algorithm will be implemented on matlab using color image processing and the centroid pixel of the object thus tracked would be calculated. Then with the help of a setup consisting of two motors, some gears and a microcontroller to receive the data through serial connection and control the motors, the camera is moved in the required direction till the centroid of object reaches the center pixel of image obtained. As soon as the setup keeps track of the object for a minimum period of time, the program sends a trigger signal to the microcontroller which further turns on the relay required for firing the gun.

         As soon as the relay receives the trigger signal, it sends high voltage charge stored in a capacitor, to a coil which is wounded over a barrel, which makes a coil gun. The bullet will be a Ferro-Magnetic piece which would move in the required direction upon formation of required field strength. Since the requirement is high voltage but not high charge, the capacitors will be charged in parallel and discharged in series.

1.1 INTRODUCTION:

          The main objective of this project is to build a vision based autonomous electromagnetic coil gun. A coil gun is a type of projectile accelerator consisting of one or more coils used as electromagnets in the configuration of a linear motor that accelerate a ferromagnetic or conducting projectile to high velocity. So, it basically consists of one or more electromagnetic coils, a barrel over which the coil is wound, a ferromagnetic projectile which works as a bullet and a circuitry capable of discharging high charge through it. 

1.2 OBJECTIVE: 

        The objective is to make the barrel of this gun automatically aim and fire at an object (here, a colored ball) which is detected by a webcam connected to a PC nearby. We used Matlab software to identify the red object by using a color processing algorithm. The motion tracking is achieved with the help of two servo motors arranged in perpendicular direction to each other.