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Lesson 11 Performing Color Detection with OpenCV

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Lesson 11 Performing Color Detection with OpenCV

 

In this tutorial we will learn how to detect colors using OpenCV.

11.1 Color Detection & Color Space

Refer to Lesson 10 for preparations and running operations for OpenCV function

The code of the color detection function to be explained here is included in the camera_opencv.py file which was created in the same folder with the app.py and base_camera.py files.

For safety reason, in this lesson we will not control the motor or serve to move but just obtain the results calculated with OpenCV.

HSV color space is adopted for color detection with OpenCV. Before learning the code, first you need to know what color space is and why HSV is used here instead of the more commonly seen RGB color space.

Color Space

Color space refers to a method of organizing colors. With the help of color space and tests of physical devices, we can get a certain analog and digital representation of colors. Color space can be defined by random colors. For example, Pantone series uses a group of specific colors as sample, and define each color with a name and code. Or, define it mathematically like Adobe RGB, sRGB, etc.

RGB Color Space

RGB uses additive colors as it describes a specific proportion by which various kinds of "light" produces colors. Starting from black, light keeps mixing to generate different colors. RGB means the value of red, green, and blue; RGBA produces a transparent color based on RGB with the alpha channel.

Common color spaces based on the RGB mode include sRGB, Adobe RGB and Adobe Wide Gamut RGB. 

HSV Color Space

HSV, or hue, saturation, and value, also referred to as HSB (B for brightness), is commonly used by artists because it's more understandable to describe color by hue and saturation compared with terms of additive or subtractive color mixing. HSV is a variant of RGB color space and closely related in content and color standards as it derives from RGB.

HSV color space is used for color detection with OpenCV since it's less effected by ambient light and brings more accurate detection results. Besides, it's easy to define color range with HSV. During color detection, the code is to recognize some range of colors instead of some color. Therefore, the HSV color space is used for color detection since it is similar to the human perception of color.

Here we use this function to aim the camera at a target of a specific color with the function. The process is as follows:

image.png 

11.2 Running Color Detection

Power on the robot; it may take 30s-50s (it will automatically run the webServer.py when booting up).   

After booting up, open a Google Chrome web browser on your mobile or computer, enter the address of your Raspberry Pi and ":port number". For example, 192.168.3.44:5000, and then the web controller will be shown on the browser.  

image.png 

1. Click the COLOR button in the FC Control section, select the color to be detected (yellow is selected by default).

image.png 

2. After selecting the color, click START to start the color detection.

image.png

 

3. Click START again to end the detection.

11.3 Main Program

Refer to the camera_opencv.py file for more details.

1. import os  

2. import cv2  

3. from base_camera import BaseCamera  

4. import numpy as np  

5.   

6. ''''' 

7. Configure target color and HSV color space 

8. '''  

9. colorUpper = np.array([44, 255, 255])  

10. colorLower = np.array([24, 100, 100])  

11.   

12. font = cv2.FONT_HERSHEY_SIMPLEX  

13.   

14. class Camera(BaseCamera):  

15.     video_source = 0  

16.   

17.     def __init__(self):  

18.         if os.environ.get('OPENCV_CAMERA_SOURCE'):  

19.             Camera.set_video_source(int(os.environ['OPENCV_CAMERA_SOURCE']))  

20.         super(Camera, self).__init__()  

21.   

22.     @staticmethod  

23.     def set_video_source(source):  

24.         Camera.video_source = source  

25.   

26.     @staticmethod  

27.     def frames():  

28.         camera = cv2.VideoCapture(Camera.video_source)  

29.         if not camera.isOpened():  

30.             raise RuntimeError('Could not start camera.')  

31.   

32.         while True:  

33.             # read current frame  

34.             _, img = camera.read() #Obtain images captured by the camera  

35.   

36.             hsv = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2HSV)  #Transfrom the images to HSV color space   

37.             mask = cv2.inRange(hsv, colorLower, colorUpper) #Loop to detect the color based on the target color range in the HSV color space, and turn the color blocks into masks  

38.             mask = cv2.erode(mask, None, iterations=2)  #Erode and diminish the small masks (hot pixels) in the image (eliminate small color blocks or hot pixels)  

39.             mask = cv2.dilate(mask, None, iterations=2) #Dilate, to resize the large masks eroded in the previous line to the original  

40.             cnts = cv2.findContours(mask.copy(), cv2.RETR_EXTERNAL,  

41.                 cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)[-2]            #Find masks in the image  

42.             center = None         

43.             if len(cnts) > 0:   #If the number of masks is more than 1,  

44.                 ''''' 

45.                 Find the coordinate of the center and size of the target color object in the image

46.                 '''  

47.                 c = max(cnts, key=cv2.contourArea)  

48.                 ((box_x, box_y), radius) = cv2.minEnclosingCircle(c)  

49.                 M = cv2.moments(c)  

50.                 center = (int(M["m10"] / M["m00"]), int(M["m01"] / M["m00"]))  

51.                 X = int(box_x)  

52.                 Y = int(box_y)  

53.                 ''''' 

54.                 Obtain and output the coordinate of the center of the target color object

55.                 '''  

56.                 print('Target color object detected')  

57.                 print('X:%d'%X)  

58.                 print('Y:%d'%Y)  

59.                 print('-------')  

60.   

61.                 ''''' 

62.                 Show the text "Target Detected" in the image 

63.                 '''  

64.                 cv2.putText(img,'Target Detected',(40,60), font, 0.5,(255,255,255),1,cv2.LINE_AA)  

65.                 ''''' 

66.                 Mark the target with a frame   

67.                 '''  

68.                 cv2.rectangle(img,(int(box_x-radius),int(box_y+radius)),  

69.                               (int(box_x+radius),int(box_y-radius)),(255,255,255),1)  

70.             else:  

71.                 cv2.putText(img,'Target Detecting',(40,60), font, 0.5,(255,255,255),1,cv2.LINE_AA)  

72.                 print('No target color object detected')  

73.               

74.             # encode as a jpeg image and return it  

75.             yield cv2.imencode('.jpg', img)[1].tobytes()  

You can select the color to be detected by changing the colorUpper and colorLower. Note that the H value of general HSV color space is 0-360, but in OpenCV it's 0-180.

11.4 HSV Color Component Range in OpenCV

Generally the H (hue) value of HSV color space ranges from 0-360, yet 0-180 in OpenCV.

HSV\Color

Black

gray

white

red

orange

yellow

green

cyan

blue

purple

H_min

0

0

0

0

156

11

26

35

78

100

125

H_max

180

180

180

10

180

25

34

77

99

124

155

S_min

0

0

0

43

43

43

43

43

43

43

S_max

255

43

30

255

255

255

255

255

255

255

V_min

0

46

221

46

46

46

46

46

46

46

V_max

46

220

255

255

255

255

255

255

255

255