A systematic implementation of image processing algorithms on configurable computing hardware

Configurable computing hardware has many advantages over both general-purpose processors and application specific hardware. However, the difficulty of using this type of hardware has limited its use. An automated system for implementing image Processing applications in configurable hardware, called CHAMPION, is under development at the University of Tennessee. CHAMPION will map applications in the Khoros Cantata graphical programming environment to hardware. A relatively complex automatic target recognition (ATR) application was manually mapped from Cantata to a commercially available configurable computing platform. This manual implementation was done to assist in the development of function libraries and hardware for use in the CHAMPION systems, as well as to develop procedures to perform the application mapping. The mapping techniques used were developed in such a way that they could serve as the basis for the automated system. Many important considerations for the mapping process were identified and included in the mapping algorithms. The manual mapping was successful, allowing the ATR application to be run on a Wildforce-XL configurable computing board. The successful application implementation validated the basic hardware design and mapping concepts to be used in CHAMPION. Nearly a tenfold performance increase was realized in the hardware implementation and performance bottlenecks were identified which should enable even greater performance improvements to be realized in the automated system. The manual implementation also helped to identify some of the challenges that must be overcome to complete the development of the automated system

Virtual remote laboratory for teaching of computer vision and robotics in the University of Alicante

Comunicación presentada en IBCE'04, Second IFAC Workshop on Internet Based Control Education, 5-7 septiembre 2004, Grenoble, FranciaIn this article, we describe the virtual and remote laboratory for computer vision and robotics education at the University of Alicante (Spain). Its aims are to provide access for all the students to the available robotic and computer vision equipments, generally limited, due to its high cost

A Web-Shareable Real-World Imaging Problem for Enhancing an Image-Processing Curriculum

A real-world laboratory exercise is presented for image processing and related curricula. The exercise is a traffic-monitoring problem in which a truck must be tracked as it moves across a bridge and its velocity measured. Sequential images are taken from a dedicated Web camera that views the Smart Composite Bridge on the University of Missouri-Rolla campus. The prototype bridge is a field laboratory for several interdisciplinary courses, including a Machine Vision elective. The Machine Vision image-processing elective uses the traffic-monitoring exercise to give students experience with processing complex images, tracking image markers, and applying theoretical orthographic concepts. The laboratory exercise uses an image sequence acquired during the springtime with multiple potential markers available on the truck for assignment flexibility. A wintertime image sequence with snowy conditions is also available for assignment flexibility. This paper discusses the bridge and camera resources, the traffic-monitoring laboratory exercise description, and the Machine Vision course implementation and evaluation. Two versions of the traffic-monitoring exercise, including two image sequences and orthographic MATLAB code, are available on the bridge Website

Fingerprint pattern recognition for medical uses

The purpose of my research is to provide a method to automatically classify fingerprints into three subgroups: whorl, loop and arch, which can help medical scientists to study the relationship between fingerprint patterns and medical disorders. In the research, two different kinds of approaches were developed. The first one is performing pattern recognition in the frequency domain, which uses the feature of Fourier spectrum. That is, prominent peaks in the spectrum give the principal direction of fingerprint patterns. Using the above feature, we can obtain the principal direction of every subregion, after which the pattern of the whole image can be determined. The other approach is in space domain, a procedure which uses chain code to compute the changing direction of every ridge. The frequency domain approach allows one to classify whorl faster and is less sensitive to the quality of fingerprint image, but it does not easily allow for the classification of arch and loop when triradii areas are too small. The space domain approach can classify the above three patterns more accurately, but is much slower and more sensitive to fingerprint quality, especially the quality of triradii areas

Cell Nuclei Segmentation In Noisy Images Using Morphological Watersheds

A major problem in image processing and analysis is the segmentation of its components. Many computer vision tasks process image regions after segmentation, and the minimization of errors is then crucial for a good automatic inspection system. This paper presents an applied work on automatic segmentation of cell nuclei in digital noisy images. One of the major problems when using morphological watersheds is oversegmentation. By using an efficient homotopy image modification module, we prevent oversegmentation. This module utilizes diverse operations, such as sequential filters, distance transforms, opening by reconstruction, top hat, etc., some in parallel, some in cascade form, leading to a new set of internal and external cell nuclei markers. Very good results have been obtained and the proposed technique should facilitate better analysis of visual perception of cell nuclei for human and computer vision. All steps are presented, as well as the associated images. Implementations were done in the Khoros system using the MMach toolbox.3164314324Costa, J.A.F., Andrade Netto, M.L., Parts classification in assembly lines using multilayer feedforward neural networks Proc. of the 1997 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man., and Cybernetics, , Orlando, Florida, October 12-15Gonzaga, A., Costa, J.A.F., Moment invariants applied to the recognition of objects using neural networks (1996) Proceedings of SPIE, 2847, pp. 223-233. , Applications of Digital Image Processing XIX, Andrew G. Tescher, EditorMascarenhas, N.D.A., Velasco, F.R.D., (1989) Processamento digital de imagens. 2a. Ed., , I Escola Brasileiro-Argentina de Informática. Buenos Aires: Ed. KapeluszSilver, D., Object-oriented visualization (1995) IEEE Camputer Graphics and Applications, 15 (3), pp. 54-62. , MayBallard, D., Brown, C., (1982) Computer Vision, , Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.JKass, M., Witkin, A., Terzopoulos, D., Snakes: Active contour models (1988) Int'l. J. 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San Diego, USAMatheron, G., (1975) Random Sets and Integral Geometry, , John Wiley and Sons, New YorkSerra, J., (1982) Image Analysis and Mathematical Morphology, , Academic Press, LondonGiardina, C.R., Dougherty, E.R., (1988) Morphological Methods in Image and Signal Processing, , Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJHaralick, R.M., Sternberg, S.R., Zhuang, X., Image analysis using mathematical morphology (1987) IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 9, pp. 532-550Dougherty, E.R., An introduction to morphological image processing (1992) SPIE Tutorial Text, TT09Heijmans, H.J.A.M., (1994) Morphological Image Operators, , Academic Press, BostonBeucher, S., Lantuéjoul, C., Use of watersheds in contour detection (1979) Proc. Int'l Workshop Image Processing, Real-Time Edge and Motion Detection/Estimation, , Rennes, France, Sept. 17-21Najman, L., Schmitt, M., Geodesic saliency of watershed contours and hierarchical segmentation (1996) IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Machine Intell., 18 (12), pp. 1163-1173Vincent, L., Sollie, P., Watersheds in digital space: An efficient algorithm based on immersion simulations (1991) IEEE Trans. on Pattern Anal and Machine Intell., 13 (6), pp. 583-598Michael, W.H., William, E.H., Watershed-driven relaxation labeling for image segmentation (1994) Proceedings ICIP-94, 3, pp. 460-463. , IEEE International Conference on Image ProcessingPerry, S., (1996) Fast Interactive Segmentation for Content Based Retrieval and Navigation, , mini-thesis submited for transfer of registration from MPhil to PhD., University of Southampton, UK, OctoberMeyer, F., Color image segmentation (1992) 4th International Conference on Image Processing and its Applications, pp. 303-306. , IEE, Conference Publication No. 354Beucher, S., Segmentation tools in mathematical morphology (1990) Proceedings SPIE, 1350, pp. 70-84. , Image Algebra and Morphological Image Processing(P.D. Gader, ed.)Haris, K., Efstratiadis, S.N., Maglaveras, N., Pappas, C., Hybrid image segmentation using watersheds (1996) Proc. SPIE Vol. 2727, Visual Communications and Image Processing '96, 2727, pp. 1140-1151. , Rashid AnsariMark J. SmithEdsMeyer, F., Beucher, S., Morphological segmentation (1990) J. Visual Comm. & Img. Repr., 1, pp. 21-46Lotufo, R., Trettel, E., Image segmentation by mathematical morphology - Laboratory notes (1996) Brazilian Workshop'96 on Mathematical Morphology, , São Paulo, Feb 27 - March 1Barrera, J., Banon, G.J.F., Lotufo, R.A., Hirata R., Jr., (1997) MMach: A Mathematical Morphology Toolbox for the KHOROS System, , Tech. Report RT-MAC-9704. IME/University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 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Automatic mapping of graphical programming applications to microelectronic technologies

Adaptive computing systems (ACSs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can serve as flexible hardware accelerators for applications in domains such as image processing and digital signal processing. However, the mapping of applications onto ACSs and ASICs using the traditional methods can take months for a hardware engineer to develop and debug. In this dissertation, a new approach for automatic mapping of software applications onto ACSs and ASICs has been developed, implemented and validated. This dissertation presents the design flow of the software environment called CHAMPION, which is being developed at the University of Tennessee. This environment permits high-level design entry using the Cantata graphical programming software fromKRI. Using Cantata as the design entry, CHAMPION hides from the user the low-level details of the hardware architecture and the finer issues of application mapping onto the hardware. Validation of the CHAMPION environment was performed using multiple applications of moderate complexity. In one case, theapplication mapping time which required six weeks to perform manually took only six minutes for CHAMPION, yet comparable results were produced. Furthermore, the CHAMPION environment was constructed such that retargeting to a new adaptive computing system could be accomplished in just a few hours as opposed to weeks using manual methods. Thus, CHAMPION permits both ACSs and ASICs to be utilized by a wider audience and application development accomplished in less time

VISUAL : herramienta para la enseñanza práctica de la visión artificial

En este artículo se presenta un enfoque práctico para la enseñanza de la visión artificial en la asignatura de “Robots y Sistemas Sensoriales” impartida por el área de Ingeniería de Sistemas y Automática en la Universidad de Alicante. En primer lugar, se describe la herramienta VISUAL que ha sido desarrollada por miembros del grupo de Automático, Robótica y Visión Artificial y que permite al alumno especificar un algoritmo de procesamiento de imágenes mediante un esquema gráfico formado por un conjunto de diferentes módulos básicos de procesamiento. Así, la herramienta VISUAL proporciona un interfaz para la visión artificial de manejo intuitivo, al mismo tiempo que permite desarrollos de algoritmos fácilmente comprensibles gracias a su escalabilidad y modularidad, posibilitando realizar etapas de procesamiento claramente definidas. Además, se comentan algunos de los experimentos prácticos propuestos y desarrollados haciendo uso de VISUAL y destinados al reconocimiento y localización de objetos para su posterior manipulación con un robot

The Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC): The Initiative Approach for Science and Technology Education, Research and Development

Effective and efficient, up-to-date education and information interchange are needed for the well-being of a country or region. To this end the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC) has been organized. The Consortium is providing mechanisms for improvement of education, research and development, and technology transfer throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The mechanism utilized to identify and facilitate these activities is the Initiative, which is an area of interest identified by participating institutions to address the needs of a member institution, country, or region. By creating projects organized within these initiatives, current technology and information are made available for the solution of problems. Four initiatives have been identified to date, and within each of these initiatives projects are being carried out to achieve the objectives of the Consortium. The Library Linkages Initiative promotes the use and creation of innovative real-time information-sharing services. Within this initiative are projects which seek to provide technical information in a timely fashion to a user community which is diverse in its needs and its geographical distribution. This includes distribution of material through networked interconnection, development of regional data bases, and improved availability of materials for education and research. The Advanced Continuing Education Initiative seeks to upgrade human resources through a variety of activities. Included in this initiative are a number of training efforts. Short courses are being developed and delivered in a series of advanced technical presentations. Distance education is being used to distribute information about Information Technologies. Network facilities are being utilized to provide collaborative educational activities which draw together faculty and students on three continents. In addition, exchange programs, such as “sandwich” graduate programs which minimize time away from the home institution and maximize information transfer, permit the sharing of expertise among participating institutions. The Research and Development Laboratories Initiative creates cooperating laboratories that are modular, flexible, and expandable for education, R&D, and other activities. Similar laboratories are made available in many ISTEC institutions. With common basic elements in the laboratory, experiments, experiences, and techniques can be shared. These results, both in teaching mechanisms and research explorations, are made available to minimize the impact of starting new avenues of activities. The “Los Libertadores” Initiative has been started, an initiative which will culminate in the creation of a nextgeneration network connecting multidisciplinary Centers of Excellence for addressing current in-country and regional problems. The Centers of Excellence allow technology to be utilized to address concerns of a country or region, and the network of these Centers is designed to share the information between cooperating sites to effectively utilize scarce resources throughout Ibero-America. The distributed nature of the projects and initiatives avoids duplication of efforts and responds needs identified by the members. A variety of projects are underway based on the initiatives in order to bring the benefits of technology to participants. Projects are designed to be dynamic and extensible, and maximum utilization of available resources is encouraged by transnational coordination and collaboration.Facultad de Ingenierí

The Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC):\nThe Initiative Approach for Science and Technology Education, Research and Development

Effective and efficient, up-to-date education and information interchange are needed for the well-being of a country or region. To this end the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC) has been organized. The Consortium is providing mechanisms for improvement of education, research and development, and technology transfer throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The mechanism utilized to identify and facilitate these activities is the Initiative, which is an area of interest identified by participating institutions to address the needs of a member institution, country, or region. By creating projects organized within these initiatives, current technology and information are made available for the solution of problems. Four initiatives have been identified to date, and within each of these initiatives projects are being carried out to achieve the objectives of the Consortium. The Library Linkages Initiative promotes the use and creation of innovative real-time information-sharing services. Within this initiative are projects which seek to provide technical information in a timely fashion to a user community which is diverse in its needs and its geographical distribution. This includes distribution of material through networked interconnection, development of regional data bases, and improved availability of materials for education and research. The Advanced Continuing Education Initiative seeks to upgrade human resources through a variety of activities. Included in this initiative are a number of training efforts. Short courses are being developed and delivered in a series of advanced technical presentations. Distance education is being used to distribute information about Information Technologies. Network facilities are being utilized to provide collaborative educational activities which draw together faculty and students on three continents. In addition, exchange programs, such as “sandwich” graduate programs which minimize time away from the home institution and maximize information transfer, permit the sharing of expertise among participating institutions. The Research and Development Laboratories Initiative creates cooperating laboratories that are modular, flexible, and expandable for education, R&D, and other activities. Similar laboratories are made available in many ISTEC institutions. With common basic elements in the laboratory, experiments, experiences, and techniques can be shared. These results, both in teaching mechanisms and research explorations, are made available to minimize the impact of starting new avenues of activities.\nThe “Los Libertadores” Initiative has been started, an initiative which will culminate in the creation of a nextgeneration network connecting multidisciplinary Centers of Excellence for addressing current in-country and regional problems. The Centers of Excellence allow technology to be utilized to address concerns of a country or region, and the network of these Centers is designed to share the information between cooperating sites to effectively utilize scarce resources throughout Ibero-America. The distributed nature of the projects and initiatives avoids duplication of efforts and responds needs identified by the members. A variety of projects are underway based on the initiatives in order to bring the benefits of technology to participants. Projects are designed to be dynamic and extensible, and maximum utilization of available resources is encouraged by transnational coordination and collaboration

Developments and experimental evaluation of partitioning algorithms for adaptive computing systems

Multi-FPGA systems offer the potential to deliver higher performance solutions than traditional computers for some low-level computing tasks. This requires a flexible hardware substrate and an automated mapping system. CHAMPION is an automated mapping system for implementing image processing applications in multi-FPGA systems under development at the University of Tennessee. CHAMPION will map applications in the Khoros Cantata graphical programming environment to hardware. The work described in this dissertation involves the automation of the CHAMPION backend design flow, which includes the partitioning problem, netlist to structural VHDL conversion, synthesis and placement and routing, and host code generation. The primary goal is to investigate the development and evaluation of three different k-way partitioning approaches. In the first and the second approaches, we discuss the development and implementation of two existing algorithms. The first approach is a hierarchical partitioning method based on topological ordering (HP). The second approach is a recursive algorithm based on the Fiduccia and Mattheyses bipartitioning heuristic (RP). We extend these algorithms to handle the multiple constraints imposed by adaptive computing systems. We also introduce a new recursive partitioning method based on topological ordering and levelization (RPL). In addition to handling the partitioning constraints, the new approach efficiently addresses the problem of minimizing the number of FPGAs used and the amount of computation, thereby overcoming some of the weaknesses of the HP and RP algorithms