RECONFIGURABLE CANNY EDGE DETECTION

USING VLSI IMPLEMENTATION

Student1*, Student2*, Guide name.**,
Final Year Students*, Professor*,
Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering,
Prince Shri Venkateshwara Padmavathy Engineering College, Chennai 127
Student1@gmail.com, Student@gmail.com, Guide@psvpec.in

Abstract

Real time video and image processing are used in the wide range of industrial, medical,
consumer electronics and embedded device applications. These applications typically demonstrate an
increasing demand for computing power and system complexity. Hence edge detection is employed
which is the most common and widely used technique in image or video processing applications.
Several traditional canny edge detection methods use fixed thresholding technique to compare the
pixel values. This sacrifices the edge detection performance and increases the computational
complexity. Hence Canny Edge detection algorithm is preferred to enhance the image quality with
reduced complexity. They adjust the quality of the image by manipulating the Sigma and Threshold
parameters and detect the edges accurately by eliminating the noise. The reconfigurable canny edge
detection algorithm presents a procedure of detecting edges without using multipliers. The new
algorithm uses a low-complex, non-uniform histogram gradient to compute thresholds and variable
sigma values that replaces add and shift operator instead of multipliers to reduce the area and sigma.
The simulation is done in ModelSim platform using VHDL code which results the output in form of
bit sequences. By comparing the results of the reconfigurable canny edge detection and traditional
algorithm, the performance of the new algorithm can be observed with the improvements around 21%
and 80% for consumed power and delay parameters respectively.

Keywords: Image Processing, Edge Detection, Canny Edge Detection, VLSI

1. Introduction

Edge detection is one of the significant steps in the image processing algorithms which is used in
many applications like image morphing, pattern recognition, image segmentation and image extraction
etc. Edge detection is defined as a set of mathematical methods from those methods detecting the edges
of the image, particularly at edges the pixel value changes more sharply and it has more discontinuities.
Thus, in the ideal case by applying the edge detector to an image gives the different edges that are
connected to form the outline of the object. Edges are fundamentally portrayed into four sorts in any
picture. They are step edge, incline edge, rooftop edge and line edge. In our edge detection process, first
the object is separated from background then all the edges are detected to get the outline of the object.
This is the explanation, the edge discovery become significant in PC vision and picture handling. The
image processing applications like image quality enhancement, video surveillance mainly requires the
information about change in pixel value of an image. As in the picture division, picture upgrade
applications the significant step is picture understanding.

The edge identified picture shows just blueprint of the item shape, which eliminates the foundation
and keeps just the significant data. The edge map of an image has the outline of the objects present in
that image. Thus the Image processing algorithms have more focus due to their wide applications in
many fields one such application is edge detection. Also, the VLSI implementation gives better results
while considering the delay, latency and look up table and also the platform supports proposing edge
 detection with minimal complication.

Canny edge detection is a method used to retrive useful local information from the image which
is converted into grayscale image by separating the image object and the. He has found that the
requirements for the application of edge detection on diverse vision systems are similar. Among the
edge recognition strategies grew up to this point, the shrewd edge identification calculation is one of the
most rigorously characterized techniques that give great and dependable discovery.

The Canny edge identifier is dominatingly utilized in some true applications because of its
capacity to separate huge edges with great discovery and great confinement execution. Tragically, the
shrewd edge location calculation contains broad pre-handling and post-handling steps and is
computationally perplexing than other edge discovery calculations like Roberts, Prewitt and Sobel
calculations. Furthermore, it performs hysteresis thresholding which requires computing high and low
thresholds based on the entire image statistics which prevents the processing of individual blocks
independently. This puts weighty necessities on memory and results in huge idleness preventing
continuous execution of the watchful edge identification calculation. And the external disturbance like
noise occurrence in image preprocessing steps is also considered to be a main cause for decreased
accuracy and high complexity.

2. Related works

In this paper [1] they demand the Image division which is the division of a picture into locales or
classifications that compare to various articles or portions of items. Traditional Otsu method segments
and detects the pixel edges without involving threshold values. But while segmenting an image without
using threshold parameters, there is certain delay in computational time in the processor used. To reduce
the high computational complexity of 2D Otsu method, a fast algorithm is used.
In this paper [2], a new method for the detection of cracks with gray color-based histogram and
Otsu’s Thresholding method covering whole pavement image instead of implementing in two
dimensional region is. This method divides the input image into a four independent equally sized sub
images. Finally, all sub images are assembled into the resulting image and tested on the dataset which
contains different pavement images which consists of different cracks. The result indicates that the
method can be used for rough estimation of cracks on asphalt pavement surface, hence it does not require
existence of great amount of data.
In this paper [3], they insist on the processing of some poorly illuminated images that cannot be
processed using traditional Otsu method since it results in less accuracy. The present work proposes a
novel scheme for performing binarization in poorly illuminated images, which are often found in scanned
collections of printed and handwritten texts. The methodology reconfigurable canny edge detection here
is a adaptive region wise histogram correction technique capable of enhancing the contrast of images
automatically for the further processing. The result shows the clean binarized version of a very poorly
illuminated text image as output.
. In this paper [8], they insist on binarization, an important pre-processing technique for
documented images. It is the process of segmenting the image into foreground and background pixels.
This paper presents an improved new method for blurring and uneven light QR code image binarization.
The method is based on local threshold of Bernsen method. Subsequent to handling the picture with
grayscale and Gaussian smoothing channel, it presents the worldwide edge in light of the difference
between classes of Otsu technique and the neighborhood window dim value mean square error. The
results show that this method can get more complete images and less noise, and effectively overcomes the
effects of blurring and uneven light.
 These papers [4] [7], insists on the Image segmentation which is the process of partitioning a
digital image into multiple image segments, also known as image regions or image objects. The aim is to
study the anatomical structure, Identify the region of interest i.e., locate tumor and other abnormalities,
Measure the tissue volume to measure growth of tumor, and help in treatment planning prior to the
radiation therapy in radiation dose calculation. The presented CS-L algorithm is tested on a set of lip
images and results are validated under several aspects and this reconfigurable canny edge detection
method shows efficient performance in segmenting the lip images than other algorithms.
In this paper [10], they insist on the fractal analysis by box-counting method which is used to
estimate the streamer discharge characteristics. This is the process of assessing the fractual characteristics.
This paper focuses on enhancing the fractal analysis by developing a dynamic grayscale threshold
algorithm which is the binarization process that converts the image from grayscale value to binary. The
reconfigurable canny edge detection paper results shows that the streamers in ester liquids have large
streamer areas, more branched structures and stronger branching tendencies than in hydrocarbon liquids
with reduced background noise.

3. Proposed method of Reconstructed Canny Edge Detection Algorithm

In this paper, a reconstructed canny edge algorithm implemented using multi threshold concept
and eliminating the multipliers for threshold calculation and image segmentation steps is analyzed.
This method uses gradient based edge detection procedure where image is segmented into pixels and
the local information available in each pixel is used to calculate the gradient value for comparing them
with nearest threshold values for the respected pixel to qualify as a valid edge.

This algorithm includes a novel method for the hysteresis thresholds computation based on a
non-uniform quantized 8-bit gradient magnitude histogram which removes the inherent dependency
between the various blocks so that the image can be divided into blocks and each block can be
processed in parallel. The proposed system considerably reduces the area, increased delay and
decreases the processing speed. To obtain better efficiency and accuracy, changes are made in
preprocessing steps of the image which reduces the noise penetration in the input image. In threshold
calculation and kernel observations, the ASA (add shift add) operator is used instead of multiplier to
reduce the required gates count and the memory requirements of the system.

The VLSI synthesis environment dedicated to the design of image processing architectures is a
simulation environment which includes the front-end data-flow emulator for both the validation of the
algorithms and for the RTL-synthesis system. The latest advancements in program logic related to
custom software, in-built parallelism and dedicated multiply accumulate units have resulted in better
simulation results while proceeding a technology in the VLSI platform. Hence the proposed algorithm
is implemented with less complexity than that of other implementations.
 Figure 1 Block Diagram of the Reconstructed Canny Edge Detection
Figure 1 is the proposed canny detection algorithm which uses adaptive or multi threshold concept
to find the edges in the input image. Here, the input image is first filtered where the external noise in the
image is removed using image or gaussian filter. The filtered image is converted into gray scale format
where the object and the background of the image is separated. The grayscale image is then segmented
into individual pixels and by using the local information of the individual pixel, gradient value is
calculated. The threshold values are obtained by ASA operations using 3x3 kernel matrix and according
to each gradient value of a pixels, the nearest best threshold value gets compared and edge is detected
when gradient is higher than the threshold. The process in done in modelsim software in individual
modules and simulated bit file is obtained

4. Results and discussion

The results obtained for proposed Reconfigurable Canny Edge Algorithm using VHDL code
implemented and executed in ModelSim software is discussed in this section with respect to the
performance comparison of design parameters observed using Xilinx platform. Additionally, the
algorithm is implemented using Matlab with the reconstructed code appropriate to modelsim execution
for the visual understanding of the accuracy of detected edges.

4.1 Experimental setup

In this section, we estimate performances of the proposed method in Modelsim Altera 6.3g, Xilinx
ISE 8.1i and Matlab 2018a are the three software tools used for the synthesis and the verification.

4.2 Simulation Results

The wave simulations and the obtained results of the fed pixel image in each individual steps
are discussed.
4.2.1 Simulation of Traditional Canny Algorithm

The wave simulation of traditional canny edge detection algorithm is displayed and
observed.

Figure 2 Simulation bit file of the Traditional Canny Algorithm

Figure 2 displays the bit file obtained after processing the VHDL code developed for the
traditional canny edge detection algorithm. The observations of the simulation results clearly
displays that only fewer pixels are detected as the stronger edge and that are etched in the
simulation output. These pixels are selected by comparing the gradient value calculated using
multiplier with the threshold and sigma values (that ranges above 5). So only when the gradient
value is greater or equal to 5, it is considered as a visual edge which is not obtained accurately in
the traditional algorithm.

4.2.2 Simulation of Reconfigurable Canny Edge Detection Algorithm

The wave simulation of modified and reconstructed canny edge detection algorithm is displayed
and observed.
 Figure 3 Simulation bit file of the Reconstructed Canny Algorithm

Figure 3 shows the result of the reconfigurable canny edge detection algorithm which
includes the noise robust effects in the edge detected bit file. By analyzing this with the output of
the traditional canny edge detection system, we can observe that the pixel detected as an edge is
visually higher than the traditional canny edge detection algorithm. Also, the system is constructed
using the adders and shifters instead of the multiplier design, So the memory or area utilized by the
new algorithm This reflects the level of accuracy obtained in the reconfigurable canny edge
detection technique.

4.3 Edge Detected Results

The result of the Reconfigurable Canny Detection Algorithm that is obtained using the
MATLAB software by providing an input image for execution is displayed.

Figure 4 Input Image

Figure 4 displays the original input image which is to be processed by the edge detection algorithms.
 Figure 5 Edge Detected Output of the Traditional Canny Edge detection Algorithm

Figure 5 displays the edge detected output obtained by processing the traditional canny edge
detection algorithm.

Figure 6 Edge Detected Output of the Reconfigurable Canny Edge Detection Algorithm

Figure 6 displays the edge detected output obtained by processing the reconfigurable canny
edge detection algorithm.

Additionally, the algorithm is implemented using matlab with the reconstructed code
appropriate to modelsim execution for the visual understanding of the accuracy of detected edges.
The input image is fed to the matlab software and after execution, the output of both traditional
and reconstructed algorithm results are obtained. The edge detected images are then displayed as
the matlab output. By analyzing both images, we can clearly observe the accuracy of the detected
edges where the reconfigurable canny edge detection algorithm detects more pixel edges than the
traditional canny edge detection one. This enhances the efficiency of the reconfigurable canny
edge detection project.

4.4 Comparison of the Design characteristics

Table 1 specifies the comparison of the Xilinx design parameters of both the traditional canny edge
detection and the reconfigurable canny edge detection algorithm. These parameters are analyzed and
obtained by processing the VHDL code under the design characteristics in the Xilinx ISE version 8.1.
 Table 1 Comparison of design parameters

RECONFIGURABLE
PARAMETERS TRADITIONAL CANNY CANNY EDGE
EDGE DETECTION DETECTION SYSTEM
SYSTEM

Total Gates Required (area) 2,744 gates 1,224 gates

Delay 42.644 ns 6.986 ns

Power Consumption 173 mW 136 mW

4-input Lookup Table 160 16

No. of Occupied Slices 119 19

When observing the parameters like the area, no of occupied and utilized slices, the delay, required
gates and consumed power, it is clear that the reconfigurable canny edge detection algorithm is more
efficient and accountable than the traditional canny edge detection system. By using the table, the
improvements obtained for each of the design parameters can be calculated and analyzed individually. In
terms of consumed power, the proposed canny algorithm shows 21% improved than the existing canny
edge detection procedure. By observing the system delay and look up table compared values, the
improvements of both parameters are 83% and 89% respectively shows that the reconstructed algorithm
displays better results than the existing one.

5. Conclusion
In this paper, the software implementation of the Reconfigurable Canny Edge Detection
algorithm is proposed. It is the modified, reconstructed and noise robust canny edge detection technique
derived from the existing algorithm. Also it is a multiplier-less algorithm and is suitable for low cost
devices. This paper focuses on the canny edge detection algorithm which is configured, reconstructed and
is split into different stages and the system can process the data stream directly. The detail of each module
is discussed briefly. The input image is subjected to get processed and implemented using VHDL
ModelSim and synthesized using the target device Xilinx ISE to analyze the design characteristics. This
project displays both the synthesized or simulated output and the edge detected image output using the
ModelSim and MATLAB software respectively. The input image is given as pixel values in VHDL code
for simulation in terms of VLSI. Here both the traditional algorithm which is in use and the proposed
reconstructed canny algorithm results are obtained. Also the comparison between the current technology
and the reconfigurable canny edge detection algorithm is analyzed and the differences are observed. The
design parameters like power consumption, delay and look up tables count shows the 21%, 83% and 89%
improvements respectively. Since the LUT’s count required is less, it enhances the possibility of
implementing additional functions such the Harris feature which can be added to the device to improve
the additional features in this proposed algorithm.
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