A Functional Data-flow Architecture Dedicated to Real-time Image Processing

This paper presents a data-ow computer developed at ETCA and dedicated to real-time image processing. Two types of data-driven processing elements, dedicated respectively to low and mid-level processings are integrated in a regular 3D array. Its design relies on a close integration of the data-ow architecture principles and the functional programming concept. Image processing data-ow graphs, rst expressed using a functional syntax are directly mapped onto the processor array. The programming environment includes a complete FP-speciication to network conn-guration compilation stream along with a global operator database. An experimental system, including 1024 low-level custom data-ow processors (6 25 MBytes/s, 50 million operations per second) and 12 T800 transputers , was built and several image processing algorithms were run in real time at digital video speed.

[1]  Jack B. Dennis,et al.  VAL -- A Value-Oriented Algorithmic Language (Preliminary Reference Manual), , 1979 .

[2]  Jurij Silc,et al.  Area optimization of dataflow-graph mappings , 1992, Parallel Comput..

[3]  Krishna M. Kavi,et al.  A Formal Definition of Data Flow Graph Models , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[4]  Israel Koren,et al.  A data-driven VLSI array for arbitrary algorithms , 1988, Computer.

[5]  Robert M. Keller,et al.  Data Flow Program Graphs , 1982, Computer.

[6]  Shahid H. Bokhari,et al.  On the Mapping Problem , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[7]  John R. Kender,et al.  Parallel processing in the DARPA strategic computing vision program , 1991, IEEE Expert.

[8]  Bilha Mendelson,et al.  Mapping data flow programs on a VLSI array of processors , 1987, ISCA '87.

[9]  B. Zavidovique,et al.  A data-flow processor for real-time low-level image processing , 1991, Proceedings of the IEEE 1991 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference.

[10]  Jack B. Dennis,et al.  Data Flow Supercomputers , 1980, Computer.

[11]  Mitsuhiko Toda,et al.  Methods for Visual Understanding of Hierarchical System Structures , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics.

[12]  Jorge L. C. Sanz,et al.  Projection-Based Geometrical Feature Extraction for Computer Vision: Algorithms in Pipeline Architectures , 1987, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence.

[13]  John W. Backus,et al.  Can programming be liberated from the von Neumann style?: a functional style and its algebra of programs , 1978, CACM.