A real-time relational processor

The enormously large amount of data in image processing obviously calls for special processors as well as for effective algorithms. This paper describes a new pipe-lined processor, the real-time relational processor, ROP, that implements neighborhood relational processing in full video-speed. The processor use relations between pixels to form the lowest level, the microstructure, of the relational hierarchy. The main parts of the processor are present and examples on algorithms, that runs in real-time by the processor, from different fields of image analysis is introduced. The new algorithms make template matching on graylevel images, direction-labelled edge detection and selective noise-filtering respectively.