Heterogeneous COTS Product Integration to Allow the Comprehensive Development of Image Processing Systems

Abstract

Image processing techniques are applied in a wide range of products. Automated visual inspection of industrial products, medical imaging or biometric person authentication are only a few examples. In order to process the great amount of data contained in images highly complex and time-consuming algorithms are needed. Furthermore, many of these applications require real-time performance making specific hardware devices indispensable. Currently, there exist several Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) component libraries that help to implement these hybrid software/hardware systems. In addition, some powerful tools are available that allow prototyping and simulating image processing applications prior to their implementation. However, none of these tools allows to realistically coprototype and co-simulate both software and hardware simultaneously. This work presents a new approach to the development of image processing applications that tackles the question of how to fill the gap between design and implementation. A new graphical component-based tool has been implemented that allows building image processing applications from functional and architectural prototyping stages to software/hardware co-simulation and final code generation. Building this tool has been possible thanks to the synergy that arises from the integration of several preexistent software and hardware COTS components and tools.