A low-level image processing system using flexible convolver module

Describes a parallel modular image processing system (PMIPS) suitable for high speed image pre-processing operations in a vision system. The system is based on a flexible type modular architecture. All modules operate in parallel and are independent of the host processor. The PMIPS is designed around dedicated hardware devices and it currently consists of three main processing modules: the convolver module, the data compression module and the image resampling sequencer module. The convolver module is described in the paper. The system uses Video RAM and Dual-Port RAM to enhance the overall performance. The system performs all image pre-processing operations in real-time (i.e. within 40 ms or less) and it aims to achieve the same performance for higher level operations, e.g. template matching