A Hardware/Software Co-Design Method in Development of ITS Information Processing and Its Verification

In this article, a hardware and software co-design method for the image processing system of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) is proposed. The objective of this method is to optimize the division of functions between hardware and software by the optimum trade-off. Under this method, first, the targeted overall system is modeled by software to adjust functions and structures of the system. Then, the performance of each function of software and hardware in the model is evaluated by simulation, and the optimized division of functions between hardware and software is eventually obtained. Each function divided in hardware and software is designed in detail using development tools and then the results of the design of hardware and software are loaded on the co-design test board to verify and evaluate satisfaction in the design objectives. The ITS image processing development area is chosen as an application example for this method and its effectiveness is verified by evaluating the construction of a safe driving support system.