A New FPGA-based Real-Time Configurable System for Medical Image Processing

This paper reviews the advantages of using FPGA over softwares and DSPs as a platform for implementation of digital image processing applications and focuses on medical images enhancement using this system. This work presents a hardware implementation of a FPGA-based real-time configurable system consisting of image processing low-level operators such as, contrast adjustment, brightness adjustment, inverting an image and pseudo-color operation.

REAL-TIME SYSTEM FOR MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING

The real time image processing requirements demand a system ideally having characteristics such as high performance, flexibility, easy upgradability, low development cost. This work proposes a novel hardware architecture of a real time configurable system for digital image processing using Verilog HDL and reconfigurable architecture.

The configurable system described and tested in this paper contains four filters based on low-level image processing operators that can be classified as point operators, window operators and global operators. The system is described at Register Transfer Level (RTL). The images are processed by switching the order of filters and processing them to improve image. A command was defined in order to control the interchange of the filters in the structure of the system. This command will be used to inter-change on-the-fly the filters which will process the image applied to the input.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

The proposed design was tested on medical image (MRI — magnetic resonance imaging), shown in figures in each left panel.

The processed image, obtained by inter-changing filters in the system using a single command input is shown

The processed image as an effect of changing the parameters applied to filters is illustrated

The processed image as an effect of changing the parameters applied to filters is illustrated