IMAGE PROCESSOR

An iconic-to-iconic low-level image processor is provided which comprises a lurality of identical sequential intermediate stages located between an input stage adapted to be connected to image sources such as analog or digital television cameras, ranging devices and conformal mapping arrays and an output stage adapted to be connected, e.g. to monitors, robot vision systems, iconic symbolic mapping devices and image processing computers. The intermediate stages are provided with forward pathway connections which afford sequential image processing as well as retrograde (feedback) pathway connections between adjacent stages in reverse sequence and within stage, recursive pathway connections for each stage. The stages each include neighborhood operators and image buffers and a number of operations are supported including neighborhood operations on images within each stage and between-stage operations on each pixel such as threshold, boolean and arithmetic operations, function mappings and the like.