AN EVALUATION OF MODEL-BASED SOFTWARE SYNTHESIS FROM SIMULINK MODELS FOR EMBEDDED VIDEO APPLICATIONS

摘要

In next generation video surveillance systems there is a trend towards embedded solutions. Digital signal processors (DSP) are often used to provide the necessary computing power. The limited resources impose significant challenges for software development. Resource constraints must be met while facing increasing application complexity and pressing time-to-market demands. Recent advances in synthesis tools for Simulink suggest a high-level approach to algorithm implementation for embedded DSP systems. The model-based visual development process of Simulink facilitates simulation as well as synthesis of target specific code. In this work the modeling and code generation capabilities of Simulink are evaluated with respect to video analysis algorithms. Different models of a motion detection algorithm are used to synthesize code. The generated code targeted at a Texas Instruments TMS320C6416 DSP is compared to a hand-optimized reference. Experiments show that an ad hoc approach to synthesize complex image processing algorithms hardly yields optimal code for DSPs. However, several optimizations can be applied to improve performance.