Approximation techniques are useful for implementing pattern recognizers, communication decoders and sensory processing algorithms where computational precision is not critical to achieve the desired system level perf...Approximation techniques are useful for implementing pattern recognizers, communication decoders and sensory processing algorithms where computational precision is not critical to achieve the desired system level performance. In our previous work, we had proposed margin propagation (MP) as an efficient piece-wise linear (PWL) approximation technique to a log-sum-exp function and had demonstrated its advantages for implementing probabilistic decoders. In this paper, we present a systematic and a generalized approach for synthesizing analog piecewise-linear (PWL) computing circuits using the MP principle. MP circuits use only addition, subtraction and threshold operations and hence can be implemented using universal conservation principles like the Kirchoff's current law. Thus, unlike the conventional translinear CMOS current-mode circuits, the operation of the MP circuits are functionally similar in weak, moderate and strong inversion regimes of the MOS transistor making the design approach bias-scalable. This paper presents measured results from MP circuits prototyped in a 0.5μm standard CMOS process verifying the bias-scalable property. As an example, we apply the synthesis approach towards designing linear classifiers and verify its performance using measured results.展开更多
The variable block-size motion estimation(ME) and disparity estimation(DE) are adopted in multi-view video coding(MVC) to achieve high coding efficiency. However, much higher computational complexity is also introduce...The variable block-size motion estimation(ME) and disparity estimation(DE) are adopted in multi-view video coding(MVC) to achieve high coding efficiency. However, much higher computational complexity is also introduced in coding system, which hinders practical application of MVC. An efficient fast mode decision method using mode complexity is proposed to reduce the computational complexity. In the proposed method, mode complexity is firstly computed by using the spatial, temporal and inter-view correlation between the current macroblock(MB) and its neighboring MBs. Based on the observation that direct mode is highly possible to be the optimal mode, mode complexity is always checked in advance whether it is below a predefined threshold for providing an efficient early termination opportunity. If this early termination condition is not met, three mode types for the MBs are classified according to the value of mode complexity, i.e., simple mode, medium mode and complex mode, to speed up the encoding process by reducing the number of the variable block modes required to be checked. Furthermore, for simple and medium mode region, the rate distortion(RD) cost of mode 16×16 in the temporal prediction direction is compared with that of the disparity prediction direction, to determine in advance whether the optimal prediction direction is in the temporal prediction direction or not, for skipping unnecessary disparity estimation. Experimental results show that the proposed method is able to significantly reduce the computational load by 78.79% and the total bit rate by 0.07% on average, while only incurring a negligible loss of PSNR(about 0.04 d B on average), compared with the full mode decision(FMD) in the reference software of MVC.展开更多
基金Supported by a Research Grant from The National Science Foundation(CCF:0728996)
文摘Approximation techniques are useful for implementing pattern recognizers, communication decoders and sensory processing algorithms where computational precision is not critical to achieve the desired system level performance. In our previous work, we had proposed margin propagation (MP) as an efficient piece-wise linear (PWL) approximation technique to a log-sum-exp function and had demonstrated its advantages for implementing probabilistic decoders. In this paper, we present a systematic and a generalized approach for synthesizing analog piecewise-linear (PWL) computing circuits using the MP principle. MP circuits use only addition, subtraction and threshold operations and hence can be implemented using universal conservation principles like the Kirchoff's current law. Thus, unlike the conventional translinear CMOS current-mode circuits, the operation of the MP circuits are functionally similar in weak, moderate and strong inversion regimes of the MOS transistor making the design approach bias-scalable. This paper presents measured results from MP circuits prototyped in a 0.5μm standard CMOS process verifying the bias-scalable property. As an example, we apply the synthesis approach towards designing linear classifiers and verify its performance using measured results.
基金Project(08Y29-7)supported by the Transportation Science and Research Program of Jiangsu Province,ChinaProject(201103051)supported by the Major Infrastructure Program of the Health Monitoring System Hardware Platform Based on Sensor Network Node,China+1 种基金Project(61100111)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(BE2011169)supported by the Scientific and Technical Supporting Program of Jiangsu Province,China
文摘The variable block-size motion estimation(ME) and disparity estimation(DE) are adopted in multi-view video coding(MVC) to achieve high coding efficiency. However, much higher computational complexity is also introduced in coding system, which hinders practical application of MVC. An efficient fast mode decision method using mode complexity is proposed to reduce the computational complexity. In the proposed method, mode complexity is firstly computed by using the spatial, temporal and inter-view correlation between the current macroblock(MB) and its neighboring MBs. Based on the observation that direct mode is highly possible to be the optimal mode, mode complexity is always checked in advance whether it is below a predefined threshold for providing an efficient early termination opportunity. If this early termination condition is not met, three mode types for the MBs are classified according to the value of mode complexity, i.e., simple mode, medium mode and complex mode, to speed up the encoding process by reducing the number of the variable block modes required to be checked. Furthermore, for simple and medium mode region, the rate distortion(RD) cost of mode 16×16 in the temporal prediction direction is compared with that of the disparity prediction direction, to determine in advance whether the optimal prediction direction is in the temporal prediction direction or not, for skipping unnecessary disparity estimation. Experimental results show that the proposed method is able to significantly reduce the computational load by 78.79% and the total bit rate by 0.07% on average, while only incurring a negligible loss of PSNR(about 0.04 d B on average), compared with the full mode decision(FMD) in the reference software of MVC.