A real-time FPGA architecture for 3D reconstruction from integral images

In this paper, we present a hardware architecture for real-time three-dimensional (3D) surface model reconstruction from Integral Images (InIms). The proposed parallel digital system realizes a number of computational-heavy calculations in order to achieve real-time operation. The processing elements are deployed in a systolic architecture and operate on multiple image areas simultaneously. Moreover, memory organization allows random access to image data and copes with the increased processing throughput of the system. Operating results reveal that the proposed architecture is able to process 3D data at a real-time rate. The proposed system can handle large sized InIms in real time and outputs 3D scenes of enhanced depth and detailed texture, which apply to emerging 3D applications. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.