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  • Protee : How to setup machine vision cameras

    Protee : How to setup machine vision cameras

    This post will explain how to install and setup the machine vision cameras for LA and H-cam. This will be a work in progress and I will add to this post when I find time. They are also working on a new ball detection method so the procedure will change slightly.

    This link explains how to install the PTgrey camera drivers.
    csc.protee-united.com/entries/21114743-I...ision-camera-drivers

    Installing the drivers basically consist of installing the Flycapture 2.2. You can download it from Ptgrey.com or it can be found on the Protee install directory.

    USBview utility:
    Each camera will require an active USB 2.0 extension(16ft max) plus a USB to mini cable(12ft max). I would not go any longer than the two combined. Each camera should be connected to USB ports that are on separate controllers. You can use USBview
    www.ftdichip.com/Support/Utilities.htmto view the USB controllers and USB devices.

    H-CAM mounts:
    http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...-housing-ideas


    LENSES:
    http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...-camera-lenses

    Changing out the ProTee lens:
    First, see if you can just unscrew the old lens out. If you can't(don't force it), you'll have to remove the tiny set screw. Easiest way is to remove the camera shell first by removing the 4 screws at the corners. Then remove the set screw from the lens holder. Install the camera shell back on and screw in the new lens, hand tighten. Don't put the set screw back in. Just keep in a safe place in case you need it in the future. Adjust the two knobs for focus and you're done.


    Lights:
    You can use the ProTee lights or do it yourself. Here's a DIY lights thread:

    http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...-lights-system

    The sensor mat light should use a 60-75w halogen spot bulb, while the 2nd light should be 60-75w flood(40-45* beam). The wattage depends on the mounted height of the lights.

    The sensor mat light should be mounted directly above the tee location, and not the center of the sensor mat. The 2nd light should be mounted directly above the putting sensor. The beam from the second light should overlap the sensor mat beam just a little, but not too much. Trust me on this one. See my H-cam picture.


    Mounting the Vcam:
    The V-cam can be mounted left or right, 6-7 ft from the sim room's center line and about 1 ft ahead of the sensor mat. It does not have to be exact(PT5). What's important is that it needs to be as low to the floor as possible and pointing slightly up, maybe 5-10*, and pointing perpendicular to the center line. Put a ball on a tee. Adjust the camera's position so that the ball is sitting on top of the red box in the camera. Use the horizontal line to align the camera. You want the horizontal line to be parallel with the floor or sensor mat.

    Note: If mounting the V-cam on the left, set the image to flip, save and exit out completely and restart the interface for the changes to take affect.

    Mounting the H-cam:

    H-cam is mounted on the target line between the putting sensor and the main sensor. Exact distance will depend on the mounting height. Set the H-cam method to PT1 and resolution to 640X480 if using my lens, then use the view in the camera to find the mounting location. Ball must be in the red square.

    PT camera methods:

    # Investigation methods Vertical Camera:
    # PT1= Find first point from the right bottom corner, investigating vertical lines (default)
    # PT2= Find first point from the left top corner, investigating horizontal lines
    # PT3= Investigate at an angle of ~45 degrees, perpendicular on this line
    # PT4= Analyse picture by finding the longest line, use tee-box and one point on this line
    # PT5= Analyse picture by finding the longest line, without using the tee-box (preferred)

    # Investigation methods Horizontal Camera:
    # PT1= Find first point from the right bottom corner, investigating vertical lines
    # PT4= Analyse picture by finding the longest line, use tee-box and one point on this line (default)
    # PT5= Analyse picture by finding the longest line, without using the tee-box (preferred)

    When setting up the cameras for the first time, it best to set all PT methods to PT1's. Then use my recommended settings below. Please see the recommended interfacesettings section on how to change settings. http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...rface-settings

    Investigate_V_cam_method_wedges=PT5
    Investigate_V_cam_method_non_wedges=PT5
    Investigate_H_cam_method=PT1
    Investigate_V_cam_method_driver=PT5
    Investigate_H_cam_method_driver=PT1

    Vertical Cam Setup: csc.protee-united.com/entries/22330292-V...-Launch-Camera-Setup

    Changing camera resolutions:
    To change the resolution using the camera stream, set "Left" to 56. "Top" to 0.

    "Width" to 640. "Height" to 480. Apply, OK.

    Then click on "Preview" and make sure the resolution changed.

    If you can match mine, image wise and settings wise, it should work pretty good.
    Click image for larger version

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    H-cam setup is very similar to the Vcam setup above.

    If you can match mine, image wise and settings wise, it should work pretty good.
    Click image for larger version

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    1) In the H-cam setup window, select the ball path camera(via serial #) from the drop down list.

    2) Set the H-cam's resolution to 640X480. See instructions above.

    3) Set all settings to match mine in the above picture for both screens. In the "camera device" window(little box on the left in the picture above), shutter speed is 14 and frame rate is 40 fps. Set everything else to zero, including gain. Make sure to uncheck "auto" for everything. When making changes to the frame rate or resolution, you must click "preview" for the changes to take affect.

    4) Once all settings are set, mount the H-cam as high as you can and just forward of the sensor mat. It should be pointing straight down perpendicular to the floor. Put the tee location in the center of the red box. Use the vertical and horizontal lines to align the camera. Perfect alignment = accurate measurements.

    My settings will get you going. Depending on your floor's reflective property and lighting conditions, you might have to make a few adjustments. If you adjust the shutter and/or gain to match the look of what I have above, you should be good. Test some swings with Driver, wood, iron, and wedge. Must select the club for each type of test. If the software is detecting the club instead of the ball streak, adjust the minimum greyscale for that type of club until the software can detect the ball streak without failure.

    You must also click "save" as you exit the setup screens for the changes to be saved.


    Solution for those that loses camera settings on power down/reboot:
    csc.protee-united.com/entries/23152196-F...r-down-or-disconnect

    Enjoy!
    Last edited by Maverick; 11-16-2014, 09:14 PM.

  • Try say 40. In no better then turn it up to max and test.

    Comment


    • ok so I did what you said with the shutter and grey scale it was reading good then i click apply and ok and everything resets. any ideas? thanks for your help bubba

      Comment


      • Hi. I have been trying to set up my v cam for days and no luck. I have read and tried everything on here but I cannot get my images to show up in the captures. I d.ont have red lines or squares. I have a faint grey square and faint ball in the left top screen. I could have sworn I had these at least when I had a bad right side setup that was too close. Now I have a left side setup, 6 feet left of the ball and 1 foot forward pointed slightly up and perpendicular to the line with a black poster board background with the recommended lights right above the ball (the sensor picks up everything great). I would set up a remote session with ProTee but I am at work and will have trouble getting away today. Then it will be the weekend and they are most likely closed and I would like to play with the v cam set up this weekend.
        So, basically I have tried everything I can think of on here but no luck. I think the resolution may be an issue as it shows up in the button box in the upper part as 640x480 but in the bottom boxes when I set them to that rather than the 320x240 they default to they go back to that when I apply and go back to preview screen. I have all the sliders set to the left.

        Comment


        • I should add I get the ready for shot and get a red diagonal line in the upper right box after my swing that is always at 24 degrees.

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          • Here are some attachments, I broke away from work for an hour

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            • I will speak from my own experience. This worked for me.

              First off, to get your red box use PT1 instead of PT5. This will give the starting point for your ball. It will also let you align your camera so that the ball is in the box before hitting it. This is a must for camera alignment.

              Second. I moved my shutter all the way right. Hit preview and it will stay there. Don't worry about the actual number.

              Third, Move your gain to 6. You may or may not need this. Try it anyway.

              Try this and post what you are seeing.

              You can use PT5 later but let's get everything working first.

              Hope this helps

              Comment


              • Bnorman58
                Bnorman58 commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks so much for the suggestion! I will try it when I get home in a few hours and post the result.

            • So I put it on pt1 and still grey box. I put the other settings where you suggest and still have the issue fairly frequently. Protee support had me put it at pt4 and leave all settings on auto except fps. I also tried adding a second light a few feet ahead. The issue then seemed to be too bright. It picked up the ball decent but when we went to hit my son was getting 100 yard drives where it is usually 300. We turned off the front light and distance was good but v cam performance went down. Chip sent me a 75 watt flood light and I read on here to have spot light. I changed that out and my son and I played 12 holes without a misread so we will see. I am also going to darken the background better as per the suggestion. Still confuses me I do not get red line and square. I used to when I first set this up ago on the right side and 2 feet.

              Comment


              • Can anyone explain what the benefits are for using PT1, PT4, or PT5. I seem to have settled into PT1 because I think it is better for white color drivers. Yet most seem to say that PT5 is most accurate and PT4 is the default. What is the difference in accuracy and stability??


                Also, what benefit does 640x480 camera settings have. The picture is larger. Does that make the streak measured larger and thus more accurate? What are the drawbacks of 640x480 and the benefits???
                Last edited by Boerdoc; 01-11-2016, 06:31 PM.

                Comment


                • I think the first thing that we have to accept with ProTee is that there are various settings AND there is no one size fits all in terms of there being one setting that is better than others in all situations. The people in the know are ProTee Support.

                  I can't even comment on what my PT settings are since, once ProTee Support adjusted them in an online support session (over a year ago), my unit has worked almost without fault. I am pretty sure though that each of the PT methods have situations where they work better, but that it is dependent on each user's set-up and the physical space that the cameras and sensor are being used. Lighting, reflectiveness of the floor coverings, wall colour, etc all come into play.

                  If ProTee has helped configure your system and it has worked satisfactorily I would suggest not attempting to tweak the settings. Unless of course something is way out of kilter, but then talk to ProTee.

                  I can tell you that when ProTee looked at my set-up they advised against using 640x480 camera resolution. I like many others thought that the higher the resolution, the more accurate the reading would be. The issue with higher resolution is that more data has to be transferred and it has to be transferred quickly. The result is that some data may be lost or not fully transmitted due to compression (I am kind of winging it from memory), but the long and the short of it is, ProTee software works better with the lower camera resolutions, than it does with the higher resolution. Again, the people at ProTee Support know best.

                  I'm starting to sound a bit like a broken record but contacting ProTee Support when you have issues is the best route to a solution.
                  Last edited by aja; 01-11-2016, 08:24 PM.

                  Comment


                  • Bnorman58
                    Bnorman58 commented
                    Editing a comment
                    aja, I'm not trying to call you out here but in the thread on the tournament rewinds you commented yesterday about 4 different misreads but here you said it has been running for over a year without fail. Did something happen to where the configuations got messed up or am I just misreading that? Maybe you are referring to ones that happened before ProTee helped you get it fixed. I definitely agree the misreads are pretty obvious and for that reason must have mulligans on and use dicretion. Again, dont take it wrong but I have days where it works great and days where it doesnt and trying to figure out why. I have been working with ProTee and they have helped me a lot but have not had a remote session with them. Right now it is working well since I switched to the lower resolution.

                • i have a white driver and for the vcam i find that pt5 at 320x240 works best. 640x480 gave me too much fisheye effect. My framerate is around 30 and shutterspeed as high as it will go. Gain is at 8.6 but that will depend on your lighting situation. it is my understanding that nothing should be set to auto for the cameras.

                  i believe pt1 and pt4 use the tee box as a starting point where as pt5 looks for the longest streak. the square shows up for pt1 but not for pt5. not sure about pt4.

                  Comment


                  • inorkuo, I opened a ProTee ticket on this and they told me the number one issue is people mess with their camera settings too much. They had me put it on PT4 and told me to leave all settings on auto except FPS. It has worked great ever since. Like it is said many times here, every setup is different but thats what worked for me.

                    Comment


                    • I have been looking for it\\th answer on here but dont see it. My v cam is working great except the sand wedge flop, I dont have a lob wedge. It is going out of the field of vision on the preview screens. That screen has the diagonal line at around 50 degrees. How do I get that diagonal line to go up towards the 90 degree mark to increase the field of vision? Thanks.

                      Comment


                      • can someone tell me if the the alignment of my vcam is correct? please and thank you.

                        Comment


                        • ProTee United
                          ProTee United commented
                          Editing a comment
                          Looks good, but set RASTER to 1.

                      • I think it looks good...if you do develop issues with club head being read, I think you could get it a little darker and would improve that....but looks like a good read to me.

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