A pipelined architecture for image segmentation by adaptive progressive thresholding

摘要

A special purpose VLSI archtecture for the real-time segmentation of endoscopic images is proposed in this paper. The architecture is based on pipelined implementation of a new algorithm named adaptive progressive thresholding (APT) that segments the darkest region of an endoscopic image representing the gastrointestinal lumen. This segmentation process is an extension of a comprehensive statistical technique based on linear discriminant analysis for partitioning the image. The APT algorithm is mapped onto a linear pipelined array of simple processing elements with each element of a particular segment communicating with its neighbours. The APT architecture is partitioned based on various sequential functions involved in the segmentation process and these functional modules are orgainsed in a pipelined fashion according to their hardware feasibility. Currently, a prototype of the VLSI architectute for an image size of 256x256 is designed and built. The functional simulation results obtained in the APT architecture are encouraging.