Fast Image Pre-processing Algorithms Using SSE Instructions

This paper proposes fast image processing algorithms using SSE (Streaming SIMD Extensions) instructions. The CPU's supporting SSE instructions have 128bit XMM registers; data included in these registers are processed at the same time with the SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) mode. This paper develops new SIMD image processing algorithms for Mean filter, Sobel horizontal edge detector, and Morphological erosion operation which are most widely used in automated optical inspection systems and compares their processing times. In order to objectively evaluate the processing time, the developed algorithms are compared with OpenCV 1.0 operated in SISD (Single Instruction Single Data) mode, Intel's IPP 5.2 and MIL 8.0 which are fast image processing libraries supporting SIMD mode. The experimental result shows that the proposed algorithms on average are 8 times faster than the SISD mode image processing library and 1.4 times faster than the SIMD fast image processing libraries. The proposed algorithms demonstrate their applicability to practical image processing systems at high speed without commercial image processing libraries or additional hardwares.