Computer vision for robotics using a transputer array

Author

Fallside, F. ; Sonmez, A.C. ; Stephens, R.S.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Eng., Cambridge Univ., UK

fYear

1989

fDate

32532

Firstpage

42522

Lastpage

42525

Abstract

Describes a transputer array system developed under the Alvey ParSiFal project and used for vision processing in a SERC/ACME project on automatic robotic assembly as well as for research into speech recognition. The transputer array of `t-rack´ consists of 64 T800-20 transputers, each with 1 MB of memory and each with two links daisy-chained to the SUN host via a `Tadpole Board´ controller for program down-loading and data transfer. The other links of each transputer are taken to two cross bar switches for configuring the array. In some applications OCCAM is used but much of the work uses C and the system is networked under Unix. In the vision work data is acquired by a VME-based framestore unit (Seescan Imaging) at 8×512×512 resolution and transferred to the t-rack by a VME/DMA to transputer link card. This fans the input data stream out to 4 links and achieves a data rate of 6 frames per second. Two vision processing applications are presented

Keywords

computer vision; computerised picture processing; industrial robots; multiprocessing systems; parallel processing; research initiatives; transputers; 1 MB; 64 MB; Alvey ParSiFal project; C; OCCAM; SERC/ACME project; SUN host; Seescan Imaging; T800-20 transputers; Tadpole Board; Unix; VME-based framestore unit; VME/DMA; array configuration; automatic robotic assembly; computer vision; controller; cross bar switches; daisy-chained links; data transfer; program down-loading; robotics; t-rack; transputer array; vision processing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

iet

Conference_Titel

Computer Vision for Robotics, IEE Colloquium on

Conference_Location

London

Type

conf

Filename

197758