A Smart Image Sensor for Computer Vision

Many computer vision tasks requiring only a limited resolution and using a simple image processing algorithm could be implemented on a single silicon chip. This article presents a smart sensor chip, comprising a grid of light sensors and a set of processors operating in parallel. The chip has been fabricated in standard CMOS technology and satisfactorily tested. The main characteristics of the chip and its internal components are reported; an example of an image acquired and processed by this smart sensor is then presented.