FPGA Based Lane Tracking system for Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract: The application of Image Processing to Autonomous driving has drawn significant attention in recently. However, the demanding nature of the image processing algorithms conveys a considerable burden to any conventional realtime implementation. On the other hand, the emergence of FPGAs has brought numerous facilities toward fast prototyping and implementation of ASICs so that an image processing algorithm can be designed, tested and synthesized in a relatively short period in comparison to traditional approaches. This thesis investigates the best combination of current algorithms to reach an optimum solution to the problem of lane detection and tracking, while aiming to fit the design to a minimal system. The proposed structure realizes three algorithms, namely Edge Detector, Hough Transform, and Kalman filter. For each module, the theoretical background is investigated and a detailed description of the realization is given followed by an analysis of both achievements and shortages of the design. It is concluded by describing the advantages of implementing this architecture and the use of these kinds of systems.