Rapid Prototyping of Embedded Video Processing Systems in FPGA Devices

Design of video processing circuits requires a variety of tools and knowledge, and it is difficult to find the right combination of tools for an efficient design process, specifically when considering open tools for evaluation or educational purpose. This chapter presents an overview of video processing requirements, programmable devices used for embedded video processing and the components of a video processing chain. We propose a novel design flow for generating customizable intellectual property (IP) cores used in streaming video processing applications. This design flow is based on domain-specific modules in Python language. Examples of generated cores are presented

Problematika poškodb od jelenjadi zaradi obgrizenja in lupljenja drevja ter ukrepi za njihovo preprečevanje v OE Bled ZG

V nalogi so predstavljeni glavni vzroki za nastanek poškodb lupljenja in obgrizenja od jelenjadi ter ukrepi za njihovo preprečevanje. Dolgoročno so najučinkovitejši biološki ukrepi. V primerih, kjer je gozd že toliko poškodovan, da z biološkimi ukrepi ne moremo več vzpostaviti primernega stanjav gozdu, se poslužujemo tehničnih ukrepov. Na dveh lokacijah smo izvajali tehnično zaščito, in sicer v revirju Radovna (Mežakla) smo individualno zaščitili okoli 110 smrekovih debel z namazom Cervostop in v revirju Ribno (Jelovica) postavili kolektivno zaščito z žično ograjo. Analizirali smo stroške, nastale z tehnično zaščito na OE Bled, in ugotovili, da je pri individualni zaščiti z Cervostopom material dražji od izvedbe dela, pri kolektivni zaščiti z mrežo pa je delo oziroma postavljanje ograje dražje od materiala mreže. Iz zbranih podatkov revirnih gozdarjev o poškodovanosti gozdnega drevja za leta 2003, 2005 in 2006 smo ugotovili, da je največ poškodovanosti prve stopnje in večina od obgrizanja, manj od lupljenja. Na OE Bled se povečuje odstrel jelenjadi, tako da se posledično po zbranih podatkih tudi škode zaradi jelenjadi zmanjšujejo. S tem pa problem še ni rešen, ker so poškodovani sestoji ostali oziroma so bili sanirani in posledice se bodo zlasti v mladih sestojih kazale še po preteku ene proizvodne dobe.This project presents the main reasons for damage caused by red deer strippingand nibbling tree bark, as well as measures taken to prevent this. Biological measures have proved to be most effective in the long term. In cases where the forest has been damaged to such an extent that biological measures can no longer be used to adequately restore the forest, we must use technical measures. We carried out technical protection on two locations: in the Radovna (Mežakla) area we applied Cervostop to around 110 pine tree trunksand in the Ribno (Jelovica) area we set up collective protection with a wire fence. We analysed the cost of using technical protection in the regionalunit of Bled and concluded that for individual protection with Cervostop the material was more expensive than the labour involved. With collective protection using a wire fence, meanwhile, the cost of putting up the fence is more expensive than the fencing material. From statistics gathered by foresters on damage to forest trees in the years 2003, 2005 and 2006, we concluded that most damage is on the first level, mostly from nibbling, while there is little evidence of bark stripping. The killing off ofred deer within the regional unit of Bled is increasing which is why the recorded amount of damage caused by deer is decreasing. This does not, however, mean that the problem has been solved as the damaged areas of forest have remained. In some cases they have been repaired but the consequences willstill be obvious at the end of one period of production, especially in theyounger plantations

SHDL—A Hardware Description Language and Open-Source Web Tool for Online Digital Systems Design Teaching

Hardware description languages and tools require a considerable amount of teaching activities in a digital systems design course, which is difficult to accommodate in a limited time frame, and to use for e-learning. This paper presents our user-friendly and open-source web-based digital design tool, SHDL, which is used to describe and simulate hardware components and translate them into a standard language. SHDL is a teaching language and tool for digital design, which aims to improve the teaching and learning experience in digital systems design courses. The use and evaluation of the proposed online teaching model for the Digital Electronic Systems Design (DESD) course, using the SHDL tool for e-learning during the COVID-19 phase, is presented. Using the SHDL language and web tool, we have created many examples of digital circuits that prepare students to explore their own designs. The example components can also be used as digital system modules, leading to better modularity of the final project. The use of SHDL in the DESD course has shown that the proposed language leads to fewer syntax, simulation and synthesis errors in the designed circuits. The evaluation results show that at the end of the laboratory exercises, there was no longer a difference in knowledge between the students without prior VHDL experience and the other students. The results encourage us to continue using SHDL, and to complement the traditional DESD teaching methods with e-learning

Image acquisition device for smart-city access control applications based on iris recognition

In this work, we present an eye-image acquisition device that can be used as an image acquisition front-end application in compact, low-cost, and easy-to-integrate products for smart-city access control applications, based on iris recognition. We present the advantages and disadvantages of iris recognition compared to fingerprint- or face recognition. We also present the main drawbacks of the existing commercial solutions and propose a concept device design for door-mounted access control systems based on iris recognition technology. Our eye-image acquisition device was built around a low-cost camera module. An integrated infrared distance measurement was used for active image focusing. FPGA image processing was used for raw-RGB to grayscale demosaicing and passive image focusing. The integrated visible light illumination meets the IEC62471 photobiological safety standard. According to our results, we present the operation of the distance-measurement subsystem, the operation of the image-focusing subsystem, examples of acquired images of an artificial toy eye under different illumination conditions, and the calculation of illumination exposure hazards. We managed to acquire a sharp image of an artificial toy eye sized 22 mm in diameter from an approximate distance of 10 cm, with 400 pixels over the iris diameter, an average acquisition time of 1 s, and illumination below hazardous exposure levels

Exploiting solar energy during an aerial mapping mission on a lightweight UAV

In this study, we present options for extending the endurance of a lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), along with their advantages and disadvantages. We present a developed solution based on the use of gallium–arsenide (GaAs) solar modules installed on a UAV and connected to a custom-made maximum power point tracker (MPPT) with an integrated perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm. The mathematical behavior required to calculate the electrical energy production from solar energy on the UAV from known UAV angles of rotation, the position of the sun in the sky, solar irradiance measurements, the solar module area and the solar modules efficiency is presented. A comparison of the calculated and actual measured electrical energy production results during an aerial mapping mission is presented. We perform a number of aerial mapping mission flights and the experimental results confirm an energy efficiency value of more than 96.27% for the MPPT and extended flight endurance by up to 21.25%. In addition, onboard measurements and other data captured during flights confirm the proposed electrical energy production calculation