Readers! Its time to gear-up. Hone your skills with this real time project which captures 3-d images; a 3-D Scanner. Though, such scanners are available commercially, making one yourself and at an economical rate is going to be an enriching experience.
Capturing a three dimensional image digitally on your computer is not a cake-walk. This project implements the hardware necessary for a laser triangulation 3-D scanner as well a PC user interface for controlling the scanner and acquiring data via an Ethernet connection. The basic set up includes a laser diode, a camera and a sample object. The principle behind the working of a 3-D scanner is based on 3D Laser Triangulation Scanning. In this method, the distance between the laser diode and camera is known and fixed (d). The laser line is projected on the object and monitored by the camera. The angle (theta) between the laser, object and camera is then calculated. Based on this value, the distance between the laser and the sample is calculated using the formula x=d*tan(theta). Using a linear actuator (stepper motor), x is mapped using different values of y. Hence, the coordinates for the object is reconstructed along with the third coordinate ie. Z co-ordinate. The next task is digital reconstruction of the object which eventually is done using ATmega644. The MCU unit is connected to the computer using 10 base T Ethernet for speed issues. The main function of the microcontroller here is to establish a connection between the hardware and software which includes:
· Configuring the camera
· Capturing the camera data
· Sending camera data over Ethernet
· Running the stepper motors
· Reacting to network commands
Well, this project is not simple as it involves related to hardware and software both, which needs to be looked into. Also learn more about configuring the camera and reception of data at the workstation in detail. So, try and implement this project to add a starred asset in your workbook.
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