Programmable image processing system using FPGAs

Abstract

Real-time image processing usually requires an enormous throughput rate and a huge number of operations. Parallel processing, in the form of specialized hardware, or multiprocessing are therefore indispensable. This paper describes a flexible programmable image processing system using the field programmable gate array (FPGA). The logic cell nature of currently available FPGA is most suitable for performing real-time bit-level image processing operations using the bit-level systolic concept. Here, we propose a novel architecture, the programmable image processing system (PIPS), for the integration of these programmable hardware and digital signal processors (DSPs) to handle the bit-level as well as the arithmetic operations found in many image processing applications. The versatility of the system is demonstrated by the implementation of a 1-D median filter.