A Low-Latency ASIC Architecture for Real-Time Line Segment Detection
TL;DR
The proposed design is based on the step-length algorithm and incorporates five ASIC-specific features: register-based line buffering with data reuse, multiplierless MCM-based filtering, 8-class angle quantization, a CAM-like associative memory for single-cycle matching, and an optimized duplicate removal mechanism.
Abstract
Line segment detection is a critical preprocessing step in embedded vision applications such as autonomous navigation, visual SLAM, and industrial inspection. Deep learning methods achieve high accuracy but require substantial resources, limiting their deployment on resource-constrained platforms. Classical algorithms are efficient but exhibit content-dependent latency. This paper presents a low-latency ASIC architecture for real-time line segment detection. The proposed design is based on the step-length algorithm and incorporates five ASIC-specific features: register-based line buffering with data reuse, multiplierless MCM-based filtering, 8-class angle quantization, a CAM-like associative memory for single-cycle matching, and an optimized duplicate removal mechanism. The architecture is fully pipelined and processes one pixel per clock cycle with deterministic latency. Synthesized in a 45nm CMOS process, the design achieves 325 FPS at VGA resolution and 48 FPS at Full HD, with 25.54 mW power consumption and 0.412 mm\textsuperscript{2} area. At 125 MHz, the throughput increases to 406 FPS at VGA resolution with 31.48 mW power consumption. Compared with a 90nm ASIC implementation based on the Line Hough Transform, the proposed design reduces power consumption by 49\% and delivers over 1.6 times higher frame rate. The architecture is well suited for edge-computing applications requiring real-time performance, low power, and minimal area.