User manual

Small Vision System User Manual 5
1.1 Implementations of the Stereo Engine
The Stereo Engine exists in several implementations, including embedded, low-power systems and
general purpose microcomputers. The embedded systems, or Small Vision Modules (SVMs), contain
DSPs or other standalone processors, and produce digital range information. They are meant for end
applications where size, cost, and power limitations are critical. SRI will develop embedded SVM
systems in partnership with companies who are interested in a particular application.
The Small Vision System (SVS) is an implementation of the Stereo Engine on general-purpose
microcomputers, especially PCs running Linux or Windows 95/98/2000/NT. It consists of a set of library
functions implementing the stereo algorithms. Users may call these functions to compute stereo results on
any images that are available in the PC’s memory. Typically, standard cameras and video capture devices
are used to input stereo images. The Small Vision System is a development environment for users who
wish to explore the possibility of using stereo in an application.
This manual is useful as a source of general information about the Stereo Engine for any
implementation, but is also specifically aimed at the development environment of the SVS. It explains the
core characteristics of the Stereo Engine, serves as a reference for the stereo function API, and discusses
sample applications that use the API. There are also several tutorials that illustrate writing programs to
the SVS API, in the documentation folder.