Visual inspection system

• US 8,379,963 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Moon J., Mori, Yumi, Nakano, Hiroki, Okada, Masakuni
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayesh A
• Application Number:
  US12/057,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20090245615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 382141-147, 382/307, 710/2, 710/313
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/94 Hardware or software architectures specially adapted for image or video understanding

Abstract

This solution relates to machine vision computing environments, and more specifically relates to a system and method for selectively accelerating the execution of image processing applications using a cell computing system. The invention provides a high performance machine vision system over the prior art and provides a method for executing image processing applications on a Cell and BPE3 image processing system. Moreover, implementations of the invention provide a machine vision system and method for distributing and managing the execution of image processing applications at a fine-grained level via a PCIe connected system. The hybrid system is replaced with the BPE3 and the switch is also eliminated from the prior in order to meet over 1 GB processing requirement.

Claims

1. A visual inspection system, comprising:

an image interface unit having a set of PCI expansion units, each of PCI expansion units including at least one frame grabber, wherein each of the PCI expansion units receives image data as a feed from a single image capture device;

a splitter for splitting the feed of the image data to separate frame grabbers on a single PCI expansion unit; and

an image processing unit having at least one co-processor, the image interface unit being coupled to the image processing unit to provide a direct connection between the at least one frame grabber and the at least one co-processor.

2. The visual inspection system of claim 1, each image co-processor comprising extreme random access memory and a cell.

3. The visual inspection system of claim 1, further comprising a server coupled to the image processing unit, the server receiving processed image data from the image processing unit.

4. The visual inspection unit of claim 3, the server comprising a high density drive for storing the processed image data.

5. The visual inspection system of claim 1 further comprising a set of image capture devices.

6. The visual inspection system of claim 1, further comprising an aggregator for image capture devices with PCI expansion units.

7. A method for processing images, comprising:

receiving image data on a set of PCI expansion units from a set of image capture devices, wherein each of the set of PCI expansion units receives image data as a feed from a single image capture device, and splitting the feed between multiple frame grabbers on a single PCI expansion unit;

sending the image data to a set of image co-processors that are directly coupled to the set of PCI expansion units for processing;

processing the image data using the set of image co-processors; and

storing the processed image data in a drive.

8. The method of claim 7, each image co-processor in the set of image co-processors comprising extreme random access memory and a cell.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending the processed image data to a server prior to the storing.

10. The method of claim 9, the server comprising the drive and the drive being a high density drive.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising a set of image capture devices.

12. The method of claim 11, each PCI expansion unit in the set of PCI expansion units receiving image data from a plurality of image capture devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising an aggregator for receiving the image data from the plurality image capture devices, the image data being communicated from the aggregator to the single PCI expansion unit.

14. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium containing at least one program product for processing image data, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code for causing at least one computer system to:

receive image data on a set of PCI expansion units from a set of image capture devices, wherein each of the set of PCI expansion units receives image data as a feed from a single image capture device, and splitting the feed between multiple frame grabbers on a single PCI expansion unit;

send the image data to a set of image co-processors that are directly coupled to the set of PCI expansion units for processing;

process the image data using the set of image co-processors; and

store the processed image data in a drive.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium containing the at least one program product of claim 14, the computer readable medium further comprising program code for further causing the computer system to send the processed image data to a server prior to the storing.

16. A method for deploying at least one application for processing image data, comprising:

deploying a computer infrastructure configured to;

receive image data on a set of PCI expansion units from a set of image capture devices, wherein each of the set of PCI expansion units receives image data as a feed from a single image capture device, and splitting the feed between multiple frame grabbers on a single PCI expansion unit;

send the image data to a set of image co-processors that are directly coupled to the set of PCI expansion units for processing;

process the image data using the set of image co-processors; and

store the processed image data in a drive.

17. The method of claim 16, the computer infrastructure being further configured to send the processed image data to a server prior to the storing.

18. The method of claim 17, the server comprising the drive and the drive being a high density drive.