1. Nicole Stodola, Chris Pederson and Gerry Finlay
Curling Coach
Nicole Stodola, Chris Pederson
and Gerry Finlay
WELCOME TO THE CURLING COACH demonstration!!!
Introductions of team members.
Group 15

2. Project Motivation
Chris and Nicole have 40+ years of combined curling experience
Most important aspect of a curling delivery is level shoulders
Improvement to the standard way of delivery verification
When first discussing project ideas and group members Nicole and Chris decided to design a project that involved their love of the sport of curling. With our more than 40 years of combined curling experience we decided to design and develop a system that would help improve a curlers delivery slide from the hack. The current technologies use several video cameras and multiple targets to track the curlers body position while sliding from the hack. The main disadvantage here is the lack of real time feedback while the curler is in mid slide. As it is, the curler slides while being recorded and then has to leave the ice to watch the video and relies on the coach to say if there was a problem but the curler doesn't know the exact moment or cause of any problems. The "Curling Coach" was designed to provide this real time feedback.

3. Project Successes
The project uses an off the shelf digital camera that has the ability to output NTSC video via an RCA plug. The camera is connected to the DE2 main board where the video frames are analyzed and displayed onto a VGA monitor. The curler receives audio and visual cues that an error has occurred in their slide when the video processing core detects a sufficient vertical deviation in the curlers shoulder level. This instant feedback will benefit curlers because they will be able to feel the moment a deviation occurs and what caused it so they can correct the problem rather than having to wait to watch a video recording and having the coach indicate that a problem occurred at some point leaving the curler to try to figure it out as to why it happened in the first place.
Connection of the digital camera to the board using NTSC.
Output of the video onto the VGA monitor

4. System Block Diagram Video In (Camera) Image Processing (VHDL)
Video Out
(VGA Monitor)
Switches/Buttons
(DE2 Board)
Software
(μCOS Task)
Audio Out
(Speakers)
System Block diagram
-talk about data flow through system
(DE2 Board)
Green LEDS
Red LEDS
LCD

5. System Block Diagram Video In (Camera) Image Processing (VHDL)
Video Out
(VGA Monitor)
Switches/Buttons
(DE2 Board)
Software
(μCOS Task)
Audio Out
(Speakers)
System Block diagram
-talk about data flow through system
(DE2 Board)
Green LEDS
Red LEDS
LCD

6. Image Processing - Block Diagram
From camera
To VGA
Mode?
Configuration Mode
Avalon-ST Interface
Tracking Mode
Avalon-ST Interface
Mode Register
Alert Register
Red Register
Configuration mode
Replaces each pixel which satisfies RGB criteria with white pixel.
Ensures that tracking mode can keep a good lock on targets.
Tracking mode
Tracks two targets (left and right shoulder), one in each active region.
Monitors for deviation in their y coordinate.
Green Register
Blue Register
CPU
Avalon-MM Slave Interface

7. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Scan

8. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Save targets position

9. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Scan

10. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Scan

11. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Scan

12. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Scan

13. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Scan

14. Image Processing - Target Tracking Algorithm
Left active region
Right active region
Calculate difference in positions.
Update alert register.
position delta > threshold, write to alert register for software to read

15. System Block Diagram Video In (Camera) Image Processing (VHDL)
Video Out
(VGA Monitor)
Switches/Buttons
(DE2 Board)
Software
(μCOS Task)
Audio Out
(Speakers)
System Block diagram
-talk about data flow through system
(DE2 Board)
Green LEDS
Red LEDS
LCD

16. Image Processing - Software
Mode Register
Red Register
Green Register
Blue Register
Alert Register
Mode switch
Red Value
Green Value
Blue Value
Alert Value
Red Button Up
Down Logic
Alert Logic
Green Button
Speakers
Blue Button
Up/Down Button
System Block diagram
-talk about data flow through system
Count Mode
LCD
LEDS

17. Image Processing - Software
Mode Register
Red Register
Green Register
Blue Register
Alert Register
Mode switch
Red Value
Green Value
Blue Value
Alert Value
Red Button Up
Down Logic
Alert Logic
Green Button
Speakers
Blue Button
Up/Down Button
System Block diagram
-talk about data flow through system
Count Mode
LCD
LEDS

18. Image Processing - Software
Mode Register
Red Register
Green Register
Blue Register
Alert Register
Mode switch
Red Value
Green Value
Blue Value
Alert Value
Red Button Up
Down Logic
Alert Logic
Green Button
Speakers
Blue Button
Up/Down Button
System Block diagram
-talk about data flow through system
Count Mode
LCD
LEDS

19. Challenges
The first challenge that the team encountered was the decisions related to how to create and recognize the two targets. In the end, we decided that using rectangular shaped, green coloured targets made from cleanroom tape was the best and easiest way to implement the targets.
The second challenge that we encountered was the touch screen menu implementation. The main issue that was trying to interface a relatively poorly documented device such as the Terasic LCD module into the project. While initial attempts were marginally successful, the limited amount of time we have proved to be the downfall of this portion of the project.
We then looked into the possibility of using the LCD module instead of the VGA monitor, however we found that this would require the use of the clocked video output to drive the LCD which wouldn't interface properly into our project without having to rewrite the entire project.
The final challenge that we faced was the pin location that the DE2 uses for the CLOCK_27 pin resulted in the target overlay video output being jittery. This resulted in the targets being randomly displayed in the output video stream and tripping the system into a false error condition. The solution was to re-route the clock signal to a secondary pin location which solved the video jitteriness. It also resulted in challenges to clock the audio output chip which relies on this original CLOCK_27 pin location for its clock generation.

20. Future Improvements
Future improvements for the Curling Coach project include continuing research into the implementation of the LCD module to create a touch screen menu and video output. This would make the system more user friendly and portable.
The inclusion of additional targets to track the rock position during the delivery and the curlers trailing leg would ensure that the curler is sliding from the hack in a straight line towards the camera. We would also like to develop the ability to save the video stream onto a SD memory card for later playback.

21. Test Plan
The test plan of the system included the testing of the image processing VHDL block which is the heart of the system. Testing of this module ensured that the two targets were correctly identified in each active zone and successfully marked, X and Y coordinates were calculated from the video stream and placed into memory, stored threshold values could be read from and written to the registers and an error generation signal sent if the targets vertical coordinates were found out to be out of alignment.
As each of these functions was added to the image processing block, the use of a high tech piece of plywood with two green markers was used to verify the functionality in a lab setting.

22. Curling Coach Initial Testing
Final testing for this component involved taking the project into a curling rink and having Nicole and a few other curlers trial the project to ensure it was tracking the two targets correctly and that if an error condition occurred, the LEDs were switched to red and the audio signal was played.
To this end I present to you, the Curling Coach.

23. Live Demonstration