Saturation Technique for Rapid Binary Image Processing

An improved technique of limited-precision arithmetic has been devised for use in convolutional filtering of image data prior to conversion of the data to binary form. Both limited-precision arithmetic and conversion to binary form reduce the volume of data, thereby contributing to processing speed and reducing the sizes of circuits needed to perform, and store the results of, intermediate stages of processing. Applications in which these techniques are or could be helpful include robotic vision, recognizing and tracking moving targets, stabilizing images in hand-held video cameras, and general enhancement of images.