Steven Jerome Rosenthal

US Patent:

57938997, Aug 11, 1998

Filed:

Dec 5, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/567454

Inventors:

Robert Anthony Wolff - Millis MA
Steven Mark Rosenthal - Cambridge MA
William Michael Silver - Medfield MA
Jean-Pierre Schott - Cambridge MA

Assignee:

Cognex Corporation - Natick MA

International Classification:

G06K 940

US Classification:

382260

Abstract:

A coprocessor in an image processing system is coupled to the bus to which a CPU and RAM holding image data are also coupled. The coprocessor extracts an input pixel stream corresponding to input images from selected bus transactions, performs computations on the input stream to produce output pixel streams corresponding to output images, and inserts the output pixel streams into selected CPU-to-memory bus transactions so that the memory stores the data. The CPU generates the selected bus transactions with specially marked address and/or control signals. The coprocessor includes a lookup table, and a first row delay. The row delay accumulates the three most recent rows of input pixels, which are sent to Sobel and rank processing sections for neighborhood processing. The results are thresholded and formatted, and are either output directly or passed through an additional pair of row delays to accumulate three rows of result data for neighborhood peak detection.

US Patent:

56574037, Aug 12, 1997

Filed:

Jun 1, 1992

Appl. No.:

7/891955

Inventors:

Robert Anthony Wolff - Millis MA
Steven Mark Rosenthal - Cambridge MA
William Michael Silver - Medfield MA
Jean-Pierre Schott - Cambridge MA

Assignee:

Cognex Corporation - Natick MA

International Classification:

G06K 954
G06K 960

US Classification:

382302

Abstract:

A coprocessor in an image processing system is coupled to the bus to which a CPU and RAM holding image data are also coupled. The coprocessor extracts an input pixel stream corresponding to input images from selected bus transactions, performs computations on the input stream to produce output pixel streams corresponding to output images, and inserts the output pixel streams into selected CPU-to-memory bus transactions so that the memory stores the data. The CPU generates the selected bus transactions with specially marked address and/or control signals. The coprocessor includes a lookup table, and a first row delay. The row delay accumulates the three most recent rows of input pixels, which are sent to Sobel and rank processing sections for neighborhood processing. The results are thresholded and formatted, and are either output directly or passed through an additional pair of row delays to accumulate three rows of result data for neighborhood peak detection.