JPH0785260A - Two-dimensional sensor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To constitute a two-dimensional sensor device capable of obtaining high versatility and a high function and arranging many sensors in an LSI. CONSTITUTION:Output data from plural sensors 81 are supplied to one processor 91 so as to process plural data by the processor 91, by which the number of processors 91 can be reduced as compared with the number of arranged sensors 81, an area required for setting up the processors 91 can be reduced and the degree of design freedom at the time of designing the two-dimensional sensor device can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a two-dimensional sensor device for detecting two-dimensional information such as visual information in parallel by a plurality of sensors and processing the detected data in parallel. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for processing two-dimensional visual information,
A combination of a video camera as a visual sensor and an image processing device has been used. Such a device is used as an image inspection device or a control device using visual data, but in order to process visual information at high speed, the data captured from the video camera is processed in parallel by the image processing device. Is done.

In order to achieve a high speed, not only the image processing but also the speed of the visual sensor in the preceding stage is increased to the same level as the speed of the image processing to achieve the speed increase of the entire apparatus for the first time. it can.

However, at present, the data from the visual sensor are serialized at the stage of taking out the data from the visual sensor and sequentially sent out to the outside.
Therefore, the image processing apparatus can receive the image information from the video camera only at a speed of about 30 frames / second, and even if only the image processing is parallelized to increase the speed, it is not possible to increase the speed of the entire apparatus. There was a limit. The same applies to other sensor arrays such as tactile sensors.

On the other hand, when the sensor array of the video camera detects visual information, the two-dimensional data is taken in parallel. Then, the two-dimensional data fetched in parallel is serialized at the stage of being sent to the outside, sent to the image processing apparatus, and processed in parallel in the image processing apparatus.

Therefore, if the sensor output and the processor input are connected in a one-to-one manner and the processors perform parallel processing, the speed can be increased according to the number of processors. However, in such a case, if the wiring for connecting the sensor and the processor is left as it is, there is a problem that the wiring becomes huge. Therefore,
If a sensor and a processor are mounted as a set on one LSI, a wiring can be eliminated and a very high-speed visual sensor device can be configured.

As described above, there are some examples of visual sensor devices in the past where the sensor and the processor are integrated and the detection function and the processing function are performed in parallel. .Mead: Analog VLSI AND Neural System
s, Addison-Wesley (1989) ”.

However, most of these LSIs have a fixed circuit and are designed to be used for a predetermined purpose. Therefore, the function of one sensor is limited to one, and it is necessary to develop separate visual sensor devices for each application, which causes a problem that it takes time and cost.

On the other hand, if a general-purpose processor controlled by a program is used as each processor, one visual sensor device can realize a plurality of functions, or the program of the general-purpose processor can be rewritten. It can be used for different purposes.
As a result, it is possible to save the labor of developing a separate visual sensor device for each application and to provide a highly functional and low cost visual sensor device.

However, if this general-purpose processor is realized by using many transistors like an ordinary microcomputer, the versatility and function of the visual sensor device can be improved, but only in such a case. There is a problem that the number of sensors that can be accommodated in the area of the LSI is reduced and the resolution is deteriorated.

Therefore, it is necessary to realize the processor with a smaller number of transistors while maintaining the general-purpose function of the processor. For example, “Ishikawa: Engineering realization of visual function by large-scale parallel processing mechanism, RIKEN Symposium 12th non-contact measurement and image processing, 1991, 10
Mon, (p.18, left half, 13th line to 21st line) "shows a processor as shown in FIG.

This processor comprises a phototransistor as the sensor 1 and a light emitting diode 3 as the output. Then, in a parallel arithmetic processing system in which 64 × 64 = 4096 processors 2 are arranged in a matrix, the sensors 1 and the processors 2 are connected in a one-to-one manner and the architecture is devised to achieve a circuit compactness, A processor element circuit having 337 gates per processor element is realized. However, a sufficient degree of integration has not yet been obtained with this circuit scale.

[0013]

For example, in a visual sensor device, one sensor array and one processor array are provided.
By using one LSI, high speed, small size, light weight, low price, and low power consumption can be obtained. At that time, the smaller the circuit scale of each processor constituting the processor array, the higher the degree of integration,
A visual sensor device having a higher resolution can be realized.

That is, on the LSI, the area occupied by the processor is relatively larger than the area occupied by the sensor, and the area occupied by the processor defines the area of the LSI. Therefore, it is effective to reduce the circuit scale of the processor in order to increase the degree of integration. However, there is a limit to downsizing the circuit scale of the processor while keeping the function of the processor, and the function of the processor has to be reduced in order to achieve further downsizing.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides high versatility and high function, and enables a two-dimensional sensor device capable of arranging many sensors to be constructed within a limited area. The purpose is to do.

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a two-dimensional sensor device of the present invention comprises a sensor array composed of a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged sensors,
A two-dimensional sensor device, comprising: a processor array configured by two-dimensionally arranging processors for receiving data respectively output from the plurality of sensors and performing predetermined data processing on the data. While connecting the plurality of sensors to each processor constituting the, and to each processor to which the plurality of sensors are connected, communication means for exchanging data with other processors, and from the plurality of sensors There is provided an arithmetic means for performing a predetermined arithmetic processing on the given data and the data from another processor given through the communication means.

[0017]

According to the two-dimensional sensor device of the present invention, a plurality of sensors are connected to each processor constituting the processor array, and a plurality of signals output from the plurality of sensors are processed by the one processor. Because
The number of processors can be reduced with respect to the number of sensors, and an area corresponding to the area required to form the reduced processor can be freely set within a predetermined region forming the two-dimensional sensor device. You will be able to use it.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the two-dimensional sensor device of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the visual sensor device according to the present embodiment.

First, the overall configuration of the visual sensor device will be briefly described. In FIG. 1, 81 is a sensor, 85 is a communication means, and 91 is a processor.
Is connected so as to be supplied to the input terminal of one processor 91. In this embodiment, 4
Although the output signal of each sensor 81 is supplied to the input terminal of one processor 91, the number of sensors 81 connected to one processor 91 may be other than four.

The sensor array 80 comprises, for example, sensors 81 arranged in a 128 × 128 grid pattern. Also,
The processor array 90 includes, for example, three processors 91.
They are arranged in a 2 × 32 grid pattern. These processors 91 are connected to the nearby processors 91 via the communication means 85, and FIG. 1 shows an example of 4-neighbor connection. In this embodiment, all of these configurations are 1
It is realized on one LSI.

Here, the size of the sensor array 80 is 1
64 × 64 other than 28 × 128, 256 × 256, or the like may be used, and the shape may be other than a square lattice, and the vertical and horizontal sizes may be different. Further, the number of interconnections between the processors 91 may be an arbitrary number other than four neighboring connections.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example in which the processor 91 of FIG. 1 and four sensors 81 are connected to the processor 91. As shown in FIG. 2A, four sensors 81
The image data output from the multiplexer 20, A
It is input to the processor circuit 91 via the / D converter 30.

In this structure, the image data output from the sensor 81 is applied to the multiplexer 20 after sample-holding and selected according to a predetermined condition. Then, the image data output from the multiplexer 20 is converted into digital data by the A / D converter 30, and then input to the processor circuit 91 according to a control signal from the outside.

The four pieces of image data input to the processor circuit 91 are stored in a register (see FIG. 3) provided therein and subjected to predetermined signal processing.
As shown in FIG. 1, these signal processes are performed by the processor array 9 including 1024 processor circuits 91.
0 is processed in parallel.

An example of the spatial arrangement of the four sensors 81 in the processor 91 is shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 2 (c).
The sensor 81 can be arranged at any position in the processor 91, but normally, when the plurality of processors 91 are arranged in a matrix, the sensors 81 are arranged at equal intervals in FIG. 2B. b = a + c, e = d + f, FIG.
In (c), the sensor 81 is arranged in the processor 91 so that g = h and i = j.

In the present embodiment, by using a general-purpose processor controlled by a program as the processor 91, it is possible to realize a plurality of functions with a single visual sensor device, and a highly functional visual sensor device is provided. It is designed to be inexpensive.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an essential part showing an example of the processor 91. As shown in FIG. 3, the processor 91 is composed of a plurality of registers 92, an arithmetic means 93 including a multiplier and an arithmetic unit, and the like, and the plurality of registers 92 include a read signal line 94 and a write signal line 95. Are connected in parallel between.

The image data input from the nearby processor 91 is given to the read signal line 94 through the communication means 85. Further, the image data output from the plurality of sensors 81 connected to the processor 91 is given to the read signal line 94 via the buffer circuit 96.

These image data are stored in the plurality of registers 92 as described above, and the calculation means 93 is also provided.
Predetermined signal processing is performed by. Further, these image data are transmitted to the nearby processor 91 via the communication means 85.
Is output to. Such image data processing operation and image data transmission operation are controlled according to the program as described above.

Next, the operation of the visual sensor device of this embodiment will be described. Two-dimensional data such as image data detected by the sensor array 80 is sent to the processor array 90.
The processor 91, which constitutes the processor array 90, processes the transmitted data according to a program or an instruction sequentially transmitted from the outside. In this case, each processor 91 processes data while communicating with a nearby processor 91 via the communication means 85.

Since the visual sensor device is realized by the above-mentioned configuration, when processing the signals from the four sensors 81, four processors 91 are required in the conventional example, but In the embodiment, only one processor 91 is required.

Therefore, the number of processors 91 required conventionally can be reduced to 1/4 in this embodiment, and by effectively utilizing the area corresponding to the decrease in the number of processors 91, the visual Higher resolution of the sensor device and higher functionality of the processor 91 can be achieved. For example, a new processing function circuit is added to the processor 91, and a hardware circuit that executes a certain specific arithmetic processing at high speed is incorporated in the processor 91, or grayscale processing instead of binary processing as in the past is performed. It becomes possible to add a function.

For example, the sensors 81 near 2 or 4
Of edge detection by logical operation for input to 4 inputs, thinning processing of 4 neighborhoods or 8 neighborhoods, edge detection of moving body by time differentiation of input, detection of trajectory of moving body by logical sum of input information at constant time, etc. It can be done in time.

Next, a specific example of data processing realized by the visual sensor device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that FIG. 4 shows the operation of the visual sensor device in the case of performing control so as to follow an object that moves irregularly and at high speed.

In step P1 in FIG. 4, image data determined by the position of the object and the orientation of the visual sensor device is captured by the sensor array 80. Then, the sensor array 80 sends the image data obtained by this imaging to the processor array 90 as object image data.

Next, in step P2, the processor array 90 is its constituent element, for example, 10,000.
By subjecting the object image data captured by the sensor array 80 in step P1 to parallel processing at extremely high speed by the individual processors 91, the object data of interest is detected at high speed from the object image data. To do.

Then, the processor array 90 processes in parallel the data representing the existence distribution of feature points to be tracked, for example, specific vertices of a quadrangle, from the object data thus detected. It is sent to the conversion device 1 as two-dimensional data. That is, of the 10,000 processors (40,000 sensors) arranged in a 100 × 100 square lattice pattern, the processor that detects the feature point sends “1” to detect the feature point. The other processors that did not send "0". Therefore, at this stage, the parallel-processed two-dimensional data is 10,000.
It consists of individual data.

Next, in step P3, the conversion device (not shown) provided on the LSI determines the characteristic points based on the existence distribution data of the characteristic points of the object sent from the processor array 90. The position information indicating the existing position is extracted as characteristic data. In this case, the feature data representing the positions of the vertices of the quadrangle is, for example, coordinate data representing the positions in the X and Y directions in the X and Y coordinates with the center of the sensor array 80 as a reference.

In this way, the conversion device is
A process of converting a large amount of two-dimensional data consisting of 0 data into feature data having a very small data amount called coordinate data is performed.

In the conversion device, this step P3
Then, after extracting a plurality of feature points, the process of obtaining the center of gravity of these feature points may be performed. For example, if the center of gravity of the feature points of the object is one, the feature data obtained by this is two pieces of data representing the positions of the center of gravity in the X and Y directions.

The processes of steps P1 to P3 described above are repeated while the feedback control is being performed, and the process ends when it is confirmed in step P4 that the feedback control is completed.

In the visual sensor device of this embodiment, since the area where the processor 91 is installed can be secured widely, various functions can be added to the processor 91. Therefore, various kinds of processing can be performed on the LSI as described above, and sophisticated processing can be performed at extremely high speed.

By the way, in the case of a visual sensor, the sensor 81
If the spacing between the sensors is too wide, optical distortion or spurious signals may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to set the spacing between the sensors 81 to a certain value or less depending on the application. Therefore, like the visual sensor device of this embodiment, one processor 91
Reducing the number of processors 91 by connecting a plurality of sensors 81 to is particularly effective when the visual sensor device is used as a visual sensor.

The larger the number of outputs of the sensor 81 connected to one processor 91, the larger the number of pixels per unit area of the visual sensor device.
If the number of sensors 81 connected to one processor 91 is increased, the time interval for fetching a signal from each sensor 81 becomes longer. Therefore, the number of sensors 81 connected to one processor 91 depends on the use and purpose. Need to select appropriately.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various effective modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. For example, although the visual sensor has been described in the above embodiments, the present invention can be applied to other sensors such as a pressure sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a temperature sensor.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of sensors are connected to each processor forming a processor array for performing predetermined data processing, and one processor outputs a plurality of sensors. Since each signal is processed and communication is performed between each processor, the number of processors can be reduced with respect to the number of sensors, and the area required to form the reduced processor can be reduced. The corresponding area can be freely used.

Therefore, for example, 2
If the size of the area where the dimensional sensor device is installed is regulated, more sensors can be installed without increasing the function of the processor, and the circuit scale to realize each processor can be increased to function. It is possible to improve the speed and speed.

As a result, for example, two-dimensional information can be fetched at once and processed in parallel at high speed, or the circuit scale for realizing each processor can be increased to improve the function of the processor or speed up. It becomes possible.

Furthermore, since the same function can be realized with a smaller number of processors as compared with the conventional two-dimensional sensor device, it is possible to reduce the number of transistors to be driven and power consumption. This is particularly effective when realizing several thousands to tens of thousands of processors in one LSI.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a two-dimensional sensor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a processor part of a two-dimensional sensor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a main part showing an example of a processor.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific example of data processing realized by the visual sensor device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional two-dimensional sensor device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 multiplexer 30 A / D converter 80 sensor array 81 sensor 85 communication means 90 processor array 91 processor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A two-dimensional sensor array comprising a sensor array composed of a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged sensors and a processor for receiving data output from the plurality of sensors and subjecting the data to predetermined data processing. In a two-dimensional sensor device including a processor array arranged and configured, a plurality of sensors are connected to each processor configuring the processor array, and each processor to which the plurality of sensors are connected is Communication means for exchanging data with the processor of
An arithmetic means for performing a predetermined arithmetic processing on the data given from the plurality of sensors or the data from another processor given via the communication means is provided, and the data output from the plurality of sensors are processed in parallel. It is characterized in that it is processed by
Dimensional sensor device.