10.1 Video processing part 1: introductory exercise  (Page 6/6)

Back in img_proc.c, we can begin the edge detection algorithm, sobel_image(), for the lower left quadrant of the output image. This wrapper function, located in sobel_image.c, performs edge detection by utilizing the assembly written component function sobel() in sobel.asm. The wrapper function is very similar to the others you have seen and should be straightforward to understand. Understanding the assembly file is considerably more difficult since you are not familiar with the assembly language for the c6711 DSP. As you'll see in the assembly file, the comments are very helpful since an "equivalent" C program is given there.

The Sobel algorithm convolves two masks with a 3x3 block of data and sums the results to produce a single pixel of output. One mask has a preference for vertical edges while the other mask for horizontal ones. This algorithm approximates a 3x3 nonlinear edge enhancement operator. The brightest edges in the result represent a rapid transition (well-defined features), and darker edges represent smoother transitions (blurred or blended features).

Part one

This section provides a hands-on introduction to the IDK environment that will prepare you for the lab exercise. First, connect the power supply to the IDK module. Two green lights on the IDK board should be illuminated when the power is connected properly.

You will need to create a directory img_proc for this project in your home directory. Enter this new directory, and then copy the following files as follows (again, be sure you're in the directory img_proc when you do this):

• copy V:\ece320\idk\c6000\IDK\Examples\NTSC\img_proc
• copy V:\ece320\idk\c6000\IDK\Drivers\include
• copy V:\ece320\idk\c6000\IDK\Drivers\lib

After the IDK is powered on, open Code Composer 2 by clicking on the "CCS 2" icon on the desktop. From the "Project" menu, select "Open," and then open img_proc.pjt. You should see a new icon appear at the menu on the left side of the Code Composer window with the label img_proc.pjt. Double click on this icon to see a list of folders. There should be a folder labeled "Source." Open this folder to see a list of program files.

The main.c program calls the img_proc.c function that displays the output of four image processing routines in four quadrants on the monitor. The other files are associated with the four image processing routines. If you open the "Include" folder, you will see a list of header files. To inspect the main program, double click on the main.c icon. A window with the C code will appear to the right.

Scroll down to the tskMainFunc() in the main.c code. A few lines into this function, you will see the line LOG_printf(&trace,"Hello\n"). This line prints a message to the message log, which can be useful for debugging. Change the message "Hello\n" to "Your Name\n" (the "\n" is a carriage return). Save the file by clicking the little floppy disk icon at the top left corner of the Code Composer window.

To compile all of the files when the ".out" file has not yet been generated, you need to use the "Rebuild All" command. The rebuild all command is accomplished by clicking the button displaying three little red arrows pointing down on a rectangular box. This will compile every file the main.c program uses. If you've only changed one file, you only need to do a "Incremental Build," which is accomplished by clicking on the button with two little blue arrows pointing into a box (immediately to the left of the "Rebuild All" button). Click the "Rebuild All" button to compile all of the code. A window at the bottom of Code Composer will tell you the status of the compiling (i.e., whether there were any errors or warnings). You might notice some warnings after compilation - don't worry about these.

Click on the "DSP/BIOS" menu, and select "Message Log." A new window should appear at the bottom of Code Composer. Assuming the code has compiled correctly, select "File" -> "Load Program" and load img_proc.out (the same procedure as on the other version of Code Composer). Now select "Debug" -> "Run" to run the program (if you have problems, you may need to select "Debug" -> "Go Main" before running). You should see image processing routines running on the four quadrants of the monitor. The upper left quadrant (quadrant 0) displays a low pass filtered version of the input. The low pass filter "passes" the detail in the image, and attenuates the smooth features, resulting in a "grainy" image. The operation of the low pass filter code, and how data is moved to and from the filtering routine, was described in detail in the previous section. The lower left quadrant (quadrant 2) displays the output of an edge detection algorithm. The top right and bottom right quadrants (quadrants 1 and 3, respectively), show the original input displayed unprocessed. At this point, you should notice your name displayed in the message log.

Implementation

You will create the component code flip_invert.c to implement an algorithm that horizontally flips and inverts the input image. The code in flip_invert.c will operate on one line of the image at a time. The copyim.c wrapper will call flip_invert.c once for each row of the prescaled input image. The flip_invert function call should appear as follows:

flip_invert(in_data, out_data, cols);

where in_data and out_data are pointers to the input and output buffers in internal memory, and cols is the length of each column of the prescaled image.

The img_proc.c function should call the copyim.c wrapper so that the flipped and inverted image appears in the top right (first) quadrant. The call to copyim is as follows: copyim(scratch_pad, out_img, out_ptr, pitch);

This call is commented out in the im_proc.c code. The algorithm that copies the image (unprocessed) to the screen is currently displayed in quadrant 1, so you will need to comment out its call and replace it with the call to copyim.

Your algorithm should flip the input picture horizontally, such that someone on the left side of the screen looking left in quadrant 3 will appear on the right side of the screen looking right. This is similar to putting a slide in a slide projector backwards. The algorithm should also invert the picture, so that something white appears black and vice versa. The inversion portion of the algorithm is like looking at the negative for a black and white picture. Thus, the total effect of your algorithm will be that of looking at the wrong side of the negative of a picture.

To create a new component file, write your code in a file called "flip_invert.c". You may find the component code for the low pass filter in "conv3x3_c.c" helpful in giving you an idea of how to get started. To compile this code, you must include it in the "img_proc" project, so that it appears as an icon in Code Composer. To include your new file, right click on the "img_proc.pjt" icon in the left window of Code Composer, and select "Add Files." Compile and run!