Enhanced mesh-connected computers for image processing applications

Abstract

The Reconfigurable Array with Spanning Optical Buses (RASOB) has recently been introduced as an efficient enhanced mesh connected parallel computer. RASOB combines some of the advantageous characteristics of reconfigurable meshes and meshes with optical pipelined buses. We use this computing model for the efficient design of fundamental image processing applications. In order to fully assess the potential of RASOB, the image processing applications chosen range from low level processing (convolution, histogramming) where only neighborhood communications are needed to high level processing (connected component labeling, computational geometry) where global communications are needed.