Implementing image processing applications on a real-time architecture

The authors present three examples of real-time image processing applications that were implemented on a data-flow architecture developed at the ETCA. Low-level image processing is performed on a regular three-dimensional network of 1024 custom data-flow processors. Image features previously extracted in the low-level step are handled by a two-dimensional network of 12 general purpose processors. Fast prototyping of real-time image processing applications is achieved through a programming environment including a complete stream from functional programming specification to network configuration. A large class of algorithms can be implemented. Among them the authors describe a nonlinear filter, a connected component labeling and a colored object tracking.