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Video Analysis Transputer Array (VATA)

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5662855

This paper presents (a) an overview of the Inmos transputer and its use in parallel arrays for image processing, (b) a functional block-level description of IBM-AT-compatible boards for signal/image processing research using transputers with reconfigurable interconnection topologies, and (c) an overview of the OCCAM and C programming tools for placing parallel algorithms onto such a processor. The hardware consists of two custom printed-circuit boards (and two commercially available boards) within an IBM-AT host. The first provides a flexible input/output interface between a general-purpose high-speed input-data bus and the transputer array. The second contains 32 transputers and 4 programmable crossbar-switch interconnection chips. Several copies of the second board can be cascaded (or even partially-unpopulated) to provide for an arbitrary number of transputer chips. Each one of these boards will perform about 128 million Whetstones or, for highly regular algorithms, a sustained 48 MFLOPS.

Research Organization:
Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
5662855
Report Number(s):
AD-A-209023/1/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English