A foveated image sensor in standard CMOS technology

Abstract

We describe the design and implementation of a CMOS foveated image sensor for use in mobile robotic and machine vision applications. The sensor is biologically motivated and performs a spatial image transformation from Cartesian to log-polar coordinates. As opposed to traditional approaches, the sensor benefits from a high degree of integration, minimal power consumption and ease of manufacture due to the use of a standard 1.2 /spl mu/m ASIC CMOS process. The prototype imager operates at 28 frames/sec when interfaced to a PC.