SCAMP5D vision system and development framework

Abstract

We demonstrate the Scamp5d integrated vision system and its development framework. The sensor of the camera is the SCAMP-5 vision chip, which provides sensor-level SIMD parallel processing capability, embedding a processor in each of its 256 × 256 pixels. A dual-core ARM micro-controller is used to operate the vision chip and provide additional computation capability and IO interfaces. The vision system is programmed using the C++ language. Common IO buses, as well as a USB2.0 port, allow the Scamp5d to be connected to micro-controllers, single board computers, or other hardware. The vision system can be remotely debugged, configured and re-programmed over the network. The open design of Scamp5d's software interface allows for easy integration with other software systems, such as ROS. As a self-contained vision system, Scamp5d can output highly processed data instead of video streams, which is suitable for applications such as miniature robots and distributed sensor networks. Simulation of the vision chip is provided through cross-compiling. Documentation, tutorials, and the simulation software are available for download.