Color-space image compression with hardware Self-organizing map

This paper discusses the use of Self-organizing map (SOM) for color-space image compression. Two types of compressions, i.e., color and space compressions, are carried out by SOM. The feasibility of the proposed compression method is verified by computer simulation. By applying both color and space compression, higher compression is achieved. In addition, the proposed compression system is implemented in hardware using a hardware SOM. The system is designed by using VHDL, and operation of the system is verified by FPGA implementation. Experimental result shows that the maximum clock frequency of this system is 26 MHz, and a single image is compressed with 25.2 ms, which yields 39.7 fps.