Image processing system using a programmable transform imager

We propose an image processing system using an analog transform imager chip. The transform imager is a CMOS imager which is capable of block transforms using floating-gates. Because the transform imager is highly programmable, it can perform various block transforms such as the Walsh-Hadamard transform, discrete sine transform (DST), and discrete cosine transform (DCT). We investigate the reduction of computations and power by a baseline JPEG compression system as an application. The 48×40 transform imager provides 144 MOPS/s using an area of 1.03 mm² in 0.5 μm CMOS technology, and it has a much higher fill factor, 46%, compared with other focal plane imagers. The measured transformed images and the reconstructed images are presented to demonstrate the operations.