Forum Discussion

Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
15 years ago

How to obtain images from SD-RAM?

I am working on a final year project to detect human figure in an image from cameras using verilog code. The platform used in the project is a DE2 board(Cyclone EP2C35F672C6N) and D5M(camera).

I have succeeded in converting the colored image into gray scale images and display it in a monitor. Now, i would like to read the images from the SD-RAM and apply image processing steps for image analysis.

I am encountering a few problems as below:

1.The images stored in the SD-RAM is constantly changing, meaning that the pixel stored in it will be replaced by new pixel that the camera capture. The camera functions in real time. The camera will obtain images and display them in a monitor in real time. Since i have converted the images to gray scale, the images stored in the SD-RAM is also gray scale. Since R = G= B, I need to read out either one to carry out image processing. How to read out the R or G or B from the SD-RAM?

2. Is it possible to do image processing using verilog coding?

Can anyone please give me some advice or offer some reference for me? I have attached a zip file file for the current project in the post.

16 Replies

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    15 years ago

    1 - use a technique called double-buffering: capture in one buffer, process in another. When a new frame starts, capture into the second buffer, process the first. Use as many intermediate buffers as you want.

    2 - yes, you can do very advanced image manipulation in Verilog. It just depends on the algorithm and how much time you need to spend implementing it whether it's worth it or not.

    Best regards,

    Ben
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    15 years ago

    Thx so much for your advice, Ben!!! Really appreciate it.

    I will try to find out more about double buffering and apply it to the design.

    One more challenge is the configuration of the SD-RAM in DE2. I couldn't figure out how to enable read or write SD-RAM

    I know that the captured image will be store to SD-RAM memory location:

    00000 H - 4B000 H (R - [9:0], G - [14:10]) * it is in hexadecimal form

    100000 H - 14B000 H (G- [4:0], B - [14:5])

    There is a fifo module that consists of FIFO 1 and FIFO 2 with each fifo containing 16 bit. The data stored in FIFO only requires 15 bit each, therefore 1 bit is put blank(refer to the bracket written in the memory location, there are 15 bits). The 2 fifos will give us 30 bit in total which is 10 bit for R, 10 bit for G and 10 bit for blue.

    Since i have ady changed it to gray scale, so the R=G=B. I juz need to read data from memory location 00000 H to 4B000 H (R - [9:0]) for the red part. and then when displaying it to the monitor, i will sub-parallel the green and blue because R=G=B to get back RGB.

    The challenge is how to create a module that is able to read data from that particular memory location and store it to register and do image processing before writing it back to a different memory location for further image processing. Please look into the attached file in the post for the current design of the project.

    Can you provide me with some guidance and possibly some references or documentation. Your help would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    15 years ago

    hi lgsl88,

    i have a edge detection project that is implemented in DE2 board and it uses 1.3MP camera module......

    Will it b useful to you???
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    14 years ago

    thanks for the info bro..

    I did search for the project but it doesn't share any coding or modules...

    Please help urgently if possible..

    JZK
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    14 years ago

    its a VGA camera (640x480) and the board is Altera DE2 70 i need to create take input from video in and do image detection..for tracking an object...colour or black and white..

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    14 years ago

    ..I have my own soft core processor and the interface is different than Avalon bus and I have very little time to port all the interface...

    JZK
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    14 years ago

    Sorry bro i dnt knw much abt de2 70......i have worked oly wit de2.

    Anyway do u use any camera like terrasic supported camera(1.3MP,5MP),that can be interfaced with the GPIO ?
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    14 years ago

    DE2 and DE2 70 are not much different for basic fwatures.. if you could extend any help based upon DE2 that would be appreicated..

    as I wrote earlier I do not have a camera module...rather I m trying to get the video from video in of the board with a VGA (640x480) camera with video out.

    thanks