1. An FPGA architecture, comprising:
a rectification module configured to receive image data from memory and rectify the image data;
a filter module configured to receive the rectified image data and filter unwanted data from the rectified image data to generate filtered image data wherein the rectification module and filter module are operatively connected by two pass-through agents associated with the rectification module and filter module respectively;
a disparity module configured to receive the filtered image data and generate a result in order to determine a distance between an object and a vehicle, wherein the filter module and disparity module are operatively connected by two pass-through agents associated with the filter module and disparity module respectively; and,
a plurality of arbiters, each arbiter interfacing with the memory, wherein each arbiter is configured to receive a request for data from one or more read agents associated with the rectification module, filter module, or disparity module, and wherein a write agent associated with the disparity module is configured to transmit the result to the memory.
2. The FPGA architecture of claim 1, wherein the image data comprises right pixels of an image, right rectification table entries, left pixels of the image, and left rectification table entries, and
wherein the rectification module is further configured to compare the right pixels of the image with the right rectification table entries to generate right rectified pixels of the image and compare the left pixels of the image with the left rectification table entries to generate left rectified pixels of the image.
3. The FPGA architecture of claim 2, wherein the rectified image data comprises right rectified pixels and left rectified pixels of an image, and
wherein the filter module is further configured to compare the right rectified pixels with the left rectified pixels of the image to remove unwanted data and generate right filtered pixels and left filtered pixels.
4. The FPGA architecture of claim 1, wherein the filtered image data comprises right filtered pixels and left filtered pixels of the image, and
wherein the disparity module is further configured to compare the right filtered pixels with the left filtered pixels to generate the result.
5. The FPGA architecture of claim 1, further comprising:
a Harris module configured to receive a first image and a second image and detect features and a location of the features in the first and second image,
wherein the Harris module is further configured to transmit a result to memory based on the detected features.
6. The FPGA architecture of claim 5, further comprising;
a vision odometry sum of absolute differences module configured to receive the first and second image, a list of the features for the first image, and a list of the features for the second image,
wherein the vision odometry sum of absolute differences module is further configured to compare the list of the features between the first and second images to determine a distance traveled by the vehicle, and
wherein the vision odometry sum of absolute differences module is further configured to generate a result based on the comparison of the list of the features between the first and second images.
7. The FPGA architecture of claim 1,
wherein each arbiter is configured to
receive a request for data from an agent associated with the rectification module, the filter module, the disparity module, a Harris module, or a vision odometry sum of absolute differences module, and
transmit the requested data to the agent associated with the rectification module, the filter module, the disparity module, a Harris module, or a vision odometry sum of absolute differences module.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A unitary conduit for transporting a fluid, the conduit comprising:
a body; and
a plurality of flow passages located within the body, at least one flow passage having an inlet end and an exit end, wherein the plurality of flow passages and the body have a unitary construction wherein each flow passage is separated from an adjacent flow passage by a separation wall that prevents a flow through the separation wall and wherein the body is made using a metallic powder and has a contour adapted to facilitate a reduction in stress.
2. A unitary conduit according to claim 1 wherein at least one flow passage has a cross sectional shape that is substantially constant from the inlet end to the exit end.
3. A unitary conduit according to claim 2 wherein the cross sectional shape is substantially circular.
4. A unitary conduit according to claim 1 wherein at least one flow passage has a cross sectional area that is substantially constant from the inlet end to the exit end.
5. A unitary conduit for transporting a fluid, the conduit comprising:
a body; and
a flow passage located within the body, said flow passage having an inlet end and an exit end, wherein the flow passage and the body have a unitary construction and wherein the body is made from a metallic material and has a contour adapted to facilitate a reduction in stress wherein the cross sectional area of the flow passage varies substantially uniformly from the inlet end to the exit end.
6. A unitary conduit according to claim 5 wherein the flow passage has a first cross sectional shape near the inlet end and a second cross sectional shape near the exit end wherein the cross sectional shape changes substantially uniformly from the first cross sectional shape near the inlet end to the second cross sectional shape near the exit end.
7. A unitary conduit according to claim 6 wherein the first cross sectional shape is substantially circular and the second cross sectional shape is substantially non-circular.
8. A unitary conduit for transporting a fluid, the conduit comprising:
a body made using a metallic powder, the body having an exterior contour;
a plurality of flow passages located within the body, each flow passage having an interior contour wherein the exterior contour of the body generally conforms to the interior contours of the flow passages and is adapted to facilitate a reduction in stress wherein the flow passages and the body have a unitary construction; and
wherein each flow passage is separated from an adjacent flow passage by a separation wall that prevents a flow through the separation wall.
9. A unitary conduit for transporting a fluid, the conduit comprising:
a body made from a metallic material, the body having an exterior contour;
a flow passage located within the body, said flow passage having an interior contour, an inlet end and an exit end, wherein the exterior contour of the body generally conforms to the interior contour of the flow passage and is adapted to facilitate a reduction in stress;
a plurality of flow passages located within the body; and
wherein the flow passage and the body have a unitary construction and wherein the plurality of flow passages are separated from one another by at least one separation wall having a thickness wherein the thickness of the separation wall varies along a longitudinal direction.
10. A unitary conduit according to claim 8 wherein at least one flow passage has a first cross sectional shape near the inlet end and a second cross sectional shape near the exit end.
11. A unitary conduit for transporting a fluid, the conduit comprising:
a body made from a metallic material, the body having an exterior contour;
a flow passage located within the body, said flow passage having an interior contour, an inlet end and an exit end, wherein the exterior contour of the body generally conforms to the interior contour of the flow passage and is adapted to facilitate a reduction in stress; and
wherein the flow passage and the body have a unitary construction and wherein the flow passage has a first cross sectional shape near the inlet end and a second cross sectional shape near the exit end wherein the cross sectional shape of the flow passage changes substantially uniformly from the first cross sectional shape near the inlet end to the second cross sectional shape near the exit end.
12. A unitary conduit according to claim 11 wherein the flow passage has a first cross sectional shape near the inlet end and a second cross sectional shape near the exit end wherein the first cross sectional shape is substantially circular and the second cross sectional shape is substantially non-circular.
13. A unitary conduit for transporting a fluid, the conduit comprising:
a body; and
a flow passage located within the body, said flow passage having an inlet end, wherein the flow passage branches to a plurality of sub-passages located within the body and wherein the flow passage and the body have a unitary construction and wherein the body is made using a metallic powder and has a contour adapted to facilitate a reduction in stress.
14. A unitary conduit according to claim 13 wherein the cross sectional shape of a sub-passage changes in a longitudinal direction.