MAR: an integrated system for focal plane edge tracking with parallel analog processing and built-in primitives for image acquisition and analysis

The Multiport Array Receptor (MAR), a system which combines optical sensing with integrated focal-plane processing capabilities, is described. Its central element is a photosensor array with hexagonal tesselation and complex peripheral selection logic which provides parallel analog readout over prescribed areas. An external computing module performs real-time spatial convolution at multiple resolutions while a closed-loop microprogrammed controller addresses regions of interest and supervises communication between the camera and the host computer. This integrated image sensor and processor implements programmed sequences of instruction primitives and yields a complete state description of each processed pixel. It is capable of automatic edge tracking and returns lists of connected pixels