Quality Control for Scalable Media Processing Applications

Many media processing applications create a load that varies significantly over time. Hence, if such an application is assigned a lower processing-time budget than needed in its worst-case load situation, deadline misses are likely to occur. This problem can be dealt with by designing media processing applications in a scalable fashion. A scalable media processing application can run in multiple qualities, leading to correspondingly different resource demands. The problem we consider is to find an accompanying quality control strategy, which minimizes both the number of deadline misses and the number of quality changes, while maximizing the quality of processing. We present an initial approach to the above problem by modeling it as a Markov decision process (MDP). Our model is based on measuring relative progress at milestones. Solving the MDP results in a quality control strategy that can be applied during runtime with only little overhead. We evaluate our approach by means of a practical example, which concerns a scalable MPEG-2 decoder.     

A Neural Network Approach for Signal Detection in Digital Communications

In this paper, we propose a new approach for signal detection in wireless digital communications based on the neural network with transient chaos and time-varying gain (NNTCTG), and give a concrete model of the signal detector after appropriate transformations and mappings. It is well known that the problem of the maximum likelihood signal detection can be described as a complex optimization problem that has so many local optima that conventional Hopfield-type neural networks fail to solve. By refraining from the serious local optima problem of Hopfield-type neural networks, the NNTCTG makes use of the time-varying parameters of the recurrent neural network to control the evolving behavior of the network so that the network undergoes the transition from chaotic behavior to gradient convergence. It has richer and more flexible dynamics rather than conventional neural networks only with point attractors, so that it can be expected to have much ability to search for globally optimal or near-optimal solutions. After going through a transiently inverse-bifurcation process, the NNTCTG can approach the global optimum or the neighborhood of global optimum of our problem. Simulation experiments have been performed to show the effectiveness and validation of the proposed neural network based method for the signal detection in digital communications.     

An Effective Software Pipelining Algorithm for Clustered Embedded VLIW Processors

This paper proposes a software pipelining framework, CALiBeR (ClusterAware Load Balancing Retiming Algorithm), suitable for compilers targetingclustered embedded VLIW processors. CALiBeR can be used by embedded systemdesigners to explore different code optimization alternatives, that is, high-qualitycustomized retiming solutions for desired throughput and program memory sizerequirements, while minimizing register pressure. An extensive set of experimentalresults is presented, demonstrating that our algorithm compares favorablywith one of the best state-of-the-art algorithms, achieving up to 50% improvementin performance and up to 47% improvement in register requirements. In orderto empirically assess the effectiveness of clustering for high ILP applications,additional experiments are presented contrasting the performance achievedby software pipelined kernels executing on clustered and on centralized machines.     

用于实时数据传输的滑动帧方法及其实现

根据某雷达系统对测量信号的快速传输要求,提出采用滑动帧的处理方法并在FPGA中实现,克服了传统帧处理难以满足快速传输要求的不足。阐述了滑动帧结构的构造思想,详述了滑动帧结构的特点及具体功能模块的实现。根据实际应用需求构造了滑动帧结构处理器,试验和应用结果表明设计可行有效,能充分满足实时数据传输的要求。     

计算机远程控制系统的设计与实现

介绍了一个计算机远程控制系统的设计与实现，该系统采用客户机／服务器模式，实现远程屏幕的实时传输，采用LZW压缩算法对图像进行压缩传输，在接受方进行解码并且实现了远程文件创建和删除、显示被控制端的主机信息、发送实时消息等功能。采用鼠标，键盘的模拟方式对计算机进行实时控制。     

Grouped Approach for the Design of H.264/AVC Motion Estimation Architectures

This letter presents a novel approach for organizing computational resources into groups within H.264/AVC motion estimation architectures, leading to reductions of up to 75% in the equivalent gate count with respect to state‐of‐the‐art designs.     

中央电视台第一个数字化演播室视频系统介绍

数字电视系统在提高图像质量方面已显示出极大的优越性。因此，世界各国电视台都已开始数字化的进程，中国也不例外。本文详细介绍了中央电视台第一个数字化演播室－８００ｍ＾２演播室的视频系统，包括视频系统数字信号格式的确定，主要设备的特点以及演播室数字视频系统的主要特点等，供广大同行参考。     

Proactive resource allocation for asynchronous real-time distributed systems in the presence of processor failures

We present two proactive resource allocation algorithms, RBA^*-FT and OBA-FT, for fault-tolerant asynchronous real-time distributed systems. The algorithms consider an application model where task timeliness is specified by Jensen's benefit functions and the anticipated application workload during future time intervals is described by adaptation functions. In addition, we assume that reliability functions of processors are available a priori. Given these models, our objective is to maximize aggregate task benefit and minimize aggregate missed deadline ratio in the presence of processor failures. Since determining the optimal solution is computationally intractable, the algorithms heuristically compute sub-optimal resource allocations, but in polynomial time. Experimental results reveal that RBA^*-FT and OBA-FT outperform their non-fault-tolerant counterparts in the presence of processor failures. Furthermore, RBA^*-FT performs better than OBA-FT, although OBA-FT incurs better worst-case and amortized computational costs. Finally, we observe that both algorithms robustly withstand errors in the estimation of anticipated failures.     

Foveation-Based Error Resilience and Unequal Error Protection over Mobile Networks

By exploiting new human-machine interface techniques, such as visual eyetrackers, it should be possible to develop more efficient visual multimedia services associated with low bandwidth, dynamic channel adaptation and robust visual data transmission. In this paper, we introduce foveation-based error resilience and unequal error protection techniques over highly error-prone mobile networks. Each frame is spatially divided into foveated and background layers according to perceptual importance. Perceptual importance is determined either through an eye tracker or by manually selecting a region of interest. We attempt to improve reconstructed visual quality by maintaining the high visual source throughput of the foveated layer using foveation-based error resilience and error correction using a combination of turbo codes and ARQ (automatic reQuest). In order to alleviate the degradation of visual quality, a foveation based bitstream partitioning is developed. In an effort to increase the source throughput of the foveated layer, we develop unequal delay-constrained ARQ (automatic reQuest) and rate compatible punctured turbo codes where the punctual pattern of RCPC (rate compatible punctured convolutional) codes in H.223 Annex C is used. In the simulation, the visual quality is significantly increased in the area of interest using foveation-based error resilience and unequal error protection; (as much as 3 dB FPSNR (foveal peak signal to noise ratio) improvement) at 40% packet error rate. Over real-fading statistics measured in the downtown area of Austin, Texas, the visual quality is increased up to 1.5 dB in PSNR and 1.8 dB in FPSNR at a channel SNR of 5 dB.     

半导体晶圆制造车间层控制的内容及方法

半导体晶圆制造企业是资本密集、技术密集型产业,晶圆制造厂也是公认生产最为复杂的工厂之一。产品更新换代快、市场竞争激烈等特点使得投资者对设备产能和设备利用率高度重视。这已不仅仅是技术问题,而是生产制造过程管理的问题。本文介绍了半导体晶圆制造车间层控制的内容及方法。