Real-time stereopsis using FPGAs

Abstract

This paper describes the use of configurable logic boards to carry out real-time stereo image matching. The main factors in achieving this high performance are the elimination of instruction and data fetching overheads associated with conventional processors and the use of a non-parametric matching measure. Many reported stereo-matching systems are based on numerically intensive measures such as normalized cross-correlation which is expensive in terms of logic. Non-parametric measures require only simple, parallelizable, functions such as comparators, counters and exclusive-or, and are thus better suited to FPGA implementation. Further advantage is obtained by being able to overlap processing with image input and output, and parallel computation of disparities.