Stereo-Vision Algorithm Based on Bio-Inspired Silicon Retinas for Implementation in Hardware

摘要

In this paper, we propose a silicon-retina-based stereo vision system, used for pre-crash warning respectively side-impact detection applications in vehicles. The bio-inspired Silicon Retina sensor is a new kind of sensor, with a high temporal resolution of 1 ms and a dynamic range of approx. 120dB. These type of imagers deliver data asynchronously and only when the intensity of the ambient light changes. Therefore, the amount of data that must be processed decreases significantly compared to standard CMOS or CCD imagers. The sensor uses an address-event representation (AER) protocol to transfer the event-triggered information. Concerning these special output characteristics, a novel approach regarding acquisition, storage, and stereo matching of the data were implemented. The concept of the algorithm is specifically targeted and optimized for an implementation in hardware, e.g. on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).