FPGA based Sobel algorithm as vehicle edge detector in VCAS

The technology of detecting the edge of lateral vehicle by Sobel algorithm based on FPGA in vehicle collision avoidance system (VCAS) is proposed in this paper. In general, Sobel operator is an image edge detector, which is realized by programming and implemented on the microprocessor. To simplify the complex structure of the VCAS and decrease the computation burden of main processor, FPGA is introduced to realize the Sobel algorithm instead of the program. Processed results of acquired vehicle images are presented to illustrate the performance capabilities of this technology.