%% Image Processing using UART and FPGA %%

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Project Overview

Built a hardware-accelerated image processing system using UART communication between MATLAB and an FPGA. The system performs darkening, brightening, and inversion transformations on images in real time.

FPGA Setup

System Workflow

MATLAB reads and converts the image into 8-bit RGB values, sending them byte-by-byte over UART to the FPGA. The FPGA uses FSMs to receive, process, and return transformed pixels back to MATLAB for display.

System Flow

Code Structure

Features

- 3 image transformations: lighten, darken, invert
- Hardware control via Basys 3 board switches
- Verilog modules for receiver, transmitter, and FSM-based control
- MATLAB GUI for visualization and UART interfacing

Output Side-by-Side

Closer Output

Challenges & Learnings

A major challenge was enabling more complex color filtering using UART. Continuous transmission and live reading by MATLAB made buffered storage difficult, resulting in black images. Future improvements include implementing FIFO-based buffering and better synchronization strategies.

Team Members

Varsha Athreya, Melissa Regalado, Punnisa Amornsirikul, and Conor Holland Ruane