Modeling and Mapping of Optimized Schedules for Embedded Signal Processing Systems

The demand for Digital Signal Processing (DSP) in embedded systems has been increasing rapidly due to the proliferation of multimedia- and communication-intensive devices such as pervasive tablets and smart phones. Efficient implementation of embedded DSP systems requires integration of diverse hardware and software components, as well as dynamic workload distribution across heterogeneous computational resources. The former implies increased complexity of application modeling and analysis, but also brings enhanced potential for achieving improved energy consumption, cost or performance. The latter results from the increased use of dynamic behavior in embedded DSP applications. Furthermore, parallel programming is highly relevant in many embedded DSP areas due to the development and use of Multiprocessor System-On-Chip (MPSoC) technology. The need for efficient cooperation among different devices supporting diverse parallel embedded computations motivates high-level modeling that expresses dynamic signal processing behaviors and supports efficient task scheduling and hardware mapping. Starting with dynamic modeling, this thesis develops a systematic design methodology that supports functional simulation and hardware mapping of dynamic reconfiguration based on Parameterized Synchronous Dataflow (PSDF) graphs. By building on the DIF (Dataflow Interchange Format), which is a design language and associated software package for developing and experimenting with dataflow-based design techniques for signal processing systems, we have developed a novel tool for functional simulation of PSDF specifications. This simulation tool allows designers to model applications in PSDF and simulate their functionality, including use of the dynamic parameter reconfiguration capabilities offered by PSDF. With the help of this simulation tool, our design methodology helps to map PSDF specifications into efficient implementations on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Furthermore, valid schedules can be derived from the PSDF models at runtime to adapt hardware configurations based on changing data characteristics or operational requirements. Under certain conditions, efficient quasi-static schedules can be applied to reduce overhead and enhance predictability in the scheduling process. Motivated by the fact that scheduling is critical to performance and to efficient use of dynamic reconfiguration, we have focused on a methodology for schedule design, which complements the emphasis on automated schedule construction in the existing literature on dataflow-based design and implementation. In particular, we have proposed a dataflow-based schedule design framework called the dataflow schedule graph (DSG), which provides a graphical framework for schedule construction based on dataflow semantics, and can also be used as an intermediate representation target for automated schedule generation. Our approach to applying the DSG in this thesis emphasizes schedule construction as a design process rather than an outcome of the synthesis process. Our approach employs dataflow graphs for representing both application models and schedules that are derived from them. By providing a dataflow-integrated framework for unambiguously representing, analyzing, manipulating, and interchanging schedules, the DSG facilitates effective codesign of dataflow-based application models and schedules for execution of these models. As multicore processors are deployed in an increasing variety of embedded image processing systems, effective utilization of resources such as multiprocessor systemon-chip (MPSoC) devices, and effective handling of implementation concerns such as memory management and I/O become critical to developing efficient embedded implementations. However, the diversity and complexity of applications and architectures in embedded image processing systems make the mapping of applications onto MPSoCs difficult. We help to address this challenge through a structured design methodology that is built upon the DSG modeling framework. We refer to this methodology as the DEIPS methodology (DSG-based design and implementation of Embedded Image Processing Systems). The DEIPS methodology provides a unified framework for joint consideration of DSG structures and the application graphs from which they are derived, which allows designers to integrate considerations of parallelization and resource constraints together with the application modeling process. We demonstrate the DEIPS methodology through cases studies on practical embedded image processing systems

MULTI-SCALE SCHEDULING TECHNIQUES FOR SIGNAL PROCESSING SYSTEMS

A variety of hardware platforms for signal processing has emerged, from distributed systems such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) to parallel systems such as Multicore Programmable Digital Signal Processors (PDSPs), Multicore General Purpose Processors (GPPs), and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to heterogeneous combinations of parallel and distributed devices. When a signal processing application is implemented on one of those platforms, the performance critically depends on the scheduling techniques, which in general allocate computation and communication resources for competing processing tasks in the application to optimize performance metrics such as power consumption, throughput, latency, and accuracy. Signal processing systems implemented on such platforms typically involve multiple levels of processing and communication hierarchy, such as network-level, chip-level, and processor-level in a structural context, and application-level, subsystem-level, component-level, and operation- or instruction-level in a behavioral context. In this thesis, we target scheduling issues that carefully address and integrate scheduling considerations at different levels of these structural and behavioral hierarchies. The core contributions of the thesis include the following. Considering both the network-level and chip-level, we have proposed an adaptive scheduling algorithm for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) designed for event detection. Our algorithm exploits discrepancies among the detection accuracy of individual sensors, which are derived from a collaborative training process, to allow each sensor to operate in a more energy efficient manner while the network satisfies given constraints on overall detection accuracy. Considering the chip-level and processor-level, we incorporated both temperature and process variations to develop new scheduling methods for throughput maximization on multicore processors. In particular, we studied how to process a large number of threads with high speed and without violating a given maximum temperature constraint. We targeted our methods to multicore processors in which the cores may operate at different frequencies and different levels of leakage. We develop speed selection and thread assignment schedulers based on the notion of a core's steady state temperature. Considering the application-level, component-level and operation-level, we developed a new dataflow based design flow within the targeted dataflow interchange format (TDIF) design tool. Our new multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC)-oriented design flow, called TDIF-PPG, is geared towards analysis and mapping of embedded DSP applications on MPSoCs. An important feature of TDIF-PPG is its capability to integrate graph level parallelism and actor level parallelism into the application mapping process. Here, graph level parallelism is exposed by the dataflow graph application representation in TDIF, and actor level parallelism is modeled by a novel model for multiprocessor dataflow graph implementation that we call the Parallel Processing Group (PPG) model. Building on the contribution above, we formulated a new type of parallel task scheduling problem called Parallel Actor Scheduling (PAS) for chip-level MPSoC mapping of DSP systems that are represented as synchronous dataflow (SDF) graphs. In contrast to traditional SDF-based scheduling techniques, which focus on exploiting graph level (inter-actor) parallelism, the PAS problem targets the integrated exploitation of both intra- and inter-actor parallelism for platforms in which individual actors can be parallelized across multiple processing units. We address a special case of the PAS problem in which all of the actors in the DSP application or subsystem being optimized can be parallelized. For this special case, we develop and experimentally evaluate a two-phase scheduling framework with three work flows --- particle swarm optimization with a mixed integer programming formulation, particle swarm optimization with a simulated annealing engine, and particle swarm optimization with a fast heuristic based on list scheduling. Then, we extend our scheduling framework to support general PAS problem which considers the actors cannot be parallelized

A Networked Dataflow Simulation Environment for Signal Processing and Data Mining Applications

In networked signal processing systems, dataflow graphs can be used to describe the processing on individual network nodes. However, to analyze the correctness and performance of these systems, designers must understand the interactions across these individual "node-level'' dataflow graphs --- as they communicate across the network --- in addition to the characteristics of the individual graphs. In this thesis, we present a novel simulation environment, called the NS-2 -- TDIF SIMulation environment (NT-SIM). NT-SIM provides integrated co-simulation of networked systems and combines the network analysis capabilities provided by the Network Simulator (ns) with the scheduling capabilities of a dataflow-based framework, thereby providing novel features for more comprehensive simulation of networked signal processing systems. Through a novel integration of advanced tools for network and dataflow graph simulation, our NT-SIM environment allows comprehensive simulation and analysis of networked systems. We present two case studies that concretely demonstrate the utility of NT-SIM in the contexts of a heterogeneous signal processing and data mining system design

Design Tools for Dynamic, Data-Driven, Stream Mining Systems

The proliferation of sensing devices and cost- and energy-efficient embedded processors has contributed to an increasing interest in adaptive stream mining (ASM) systems. In this class of signal processing systems, knowledge is extracted from data streams in real-time as the data arrives, rather than in a store-now, process later fashion. The evolution of machine learning methods in many application areas has contributed to demands for efficient and accurate information extraction from streams of data arriving at distributed, mobile, and heterogeneous processing nodes. To enhance accuracy, and meet the stringent constraints in which they must be deployed, it is important for ASM systems to be effective in adapting knowledge extraction approaches and processing configurations based on data characteristics and operational conditions. In this thesis, we address these challenges in design and implementation of ASM systems. We develop systematic methods and supporting design tools for ASM systems that integrate (1) foundations of dataflow modeling for high level signal processing system design, and (2) the paradigm on Dynamic Data-Driven Application Systems (DDDAS). More specifically, the contributions of this thesis can be broadly categorized in to three major directions: 1. We develop a new design framework that systematically applies dataflow methodologies for high level signal processing system design, and adaptive stream mining based on dynamic topologies of classifiers. In particular, we introduce a new design environment, called the lightweight dataflow for dynamic data driven application systems environment (LiD4E). LiD4E provides formal semantics, rooted in dataflow principles, for design and implementation of a broad class of stream mining topologies. Using this novel application of dataflow methods, LiD4E facilitates the efficient and reliable mapping and adaptation of classifier topologies into implementations on embedded platforms. 2. We introduce new design methods for data-driven digital signal processing (DSP) systems that are targeted to resource- and energy-constrained embedded environments, such as unmanned areal vehicles (UAVs), mobile communication platforms, and wireless sensor networks. We develop a design and implementation framework for multi-mode, data driven embedded signal processing systems, where application modes with complementary trade-offs are selected, configured, executed, and switched dynamically, in a data-driven manner. We demonstrate the utility of our proposed new design methods on an energy-constrained, multi-mode face detection application. 3. We introduce new methods for multiobjective, system-level optimization that have been incorporated into the LiD4E design tool described previously. More specifically, we develop new methods for integrated modeling and optimization of real-time stream mining constraints, multidimensional stream mining performance (e.g., precision and recall), and energy efficiency. Using a design methodology centered on data-driven control of and coordination between alternative dataflow subsystems for stream mining (classification modes), we develop systematic methods for exploring complex, multidimensional design spaces associated with dynamic stream mining systems, and deriving sets of Pareto-optimal system configurations that can be switched among based on data characteristics and operating constraints

Adaptive tracking of people and vehicles using mobile platforms

Tracking algorithms have important applications in detection of humans and vehicles for border security and other areas. For large-scale deployment of such algorithms, it is critical to provide methods for their cost- and energy-efficient realization. To this end, commodity mobile devices have significant potential for use as prototyping and testing platforms due to their low cost, widespread availability, and integration of advanced communications, sensing, and processing features. Prototypes developed on mobile platforms can be tested, fine-tuned, and demonstrated in the field and then provide reference implementations for application-specific disposable sensor node implementations that are targeted for deployment. In this paper, we develop a novel, adaptive tracking system that is optimized for energy-efficient, real-time operation on off-the-shelf mobile platforms. Our tracking system applies principles of dynamic data-driven application systems (DDDAS) to periodically monitor system operating characteristics and apply these measurements to dynamically adapt the specific classifier configurations that the system employs. Our resulting adaptive approach enables powerful optimization of trade-offs among energy consumption, real-time performance, and tracking accuracy based on time-varying changes in operational characteristics. Through experiments employing an Android-based tablet platform, we demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed tracking system design for multimode detection of human and vehicle targets.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

DESIGN SPACE EXPLORATION FOR SIGNAL PROCESSING SYSTEMS USING LIGHTWEIGHT DATAFLOW GRAPHS

Digital signal processing (DSP) is widely used in many types of devices, including mobile phones, tablets, personal computers, and numerous forms of embedded systems. Implementation of modern DSP applications is very challenging in part due to the complex design spaces that are involved. These design spaces involve many kinds of configurable parameters associated with the signal processing algorithms that are used, as well as different ways of mapping the algorithms onto the targeted platforms. In this thesis, we develop new algorithms, software tools and design methodologies to systematically explore the complex design spaces that are involved in design and implementation of signal processing systems. To improve the efficiency of design space exploration, we develop and apply compact system level models, which are carefully formulated to concisely capture key properties of signal processing algorithms, target platforms, and algorithm-platform interactions. Throughout the thesis, we develop design methodologies and tools for integrating new compact system level models and design space exploration methods with lightweight dataflow (LWDF) techniques for design and implementation of signal processing systems. LWDF is a previously-introduced approach for integrating new forms of design space exploration and system-level optimization into design processes for DSP systems. LWDF provides a compact set of retargetable application programming interfaces (APIs) that facilitates the integration of dataflow-based models and methods. Dataflow provides an important formal foundation for advanced DSP system design, and the flexible support for dataflow in LWDF facilitates experimentation with and application of novel design methods that are founded in dataflow concepts. Our developed methodologies apply LWDF programming to facilitate their application to different types of platforms and their efficient integration with platform-based tools for hardware/software implementation. Additionally, we introduce novel extensions to LWDF to improve its utility for digital hardware design and adaptive signal processing implementation. To address the aforementioned challenges of design space exploration and system optimization, we present a systematic multiobjective optimization framework for dataflow-based architectures. This framework builds on the methodology of multiobjective evolutionary algorithms and derives key system parameters subject to time-varying and multidimensional constraints on system performance. We demonstrate the framework by applying LWDF techniques to develop a dataflow-based architecture that can be dynamically reconfigured to realize strategic configurations in the underlying parameter space based on changing operational requirements. Secondly, we apply Markov decision processes (MDPs) for design space exploration in adaptive embedded signal processing systems. We propose a framework, known as the Hierarchical MDP framework for Compact System-level Modeling (HMCSM), which embraces MDPs to enable autonomous adaptation of embedded signal processing under multidimensional constraints and optimization objectives. The framework integrates automated, MDP-based generation of optimal reconfiguration policies, dataflow-based application modeling, and implementation of embedded control software that carries out the generated reconfiguration policies. Third, we present a new methodology for design and implementation of signal processing systems that are targeted to system-on-chip (SoC) platforms. The methodology is centered on the use of LWDF concepts and methods for applying principles of dataflow design at different layers of abstraction. The development processes integrated in our approach are software implementation, hardware implementation, hardware-software co-design, and optimized application mapping. The proposed methodology facilitates development and integration of signal processing hardware and software modules that involve heterogeneous programming languages and platforms. Through three case studies involving complex applications, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed contributions for compact system level design and design space exploration: a digital predistortion (DPD) system, a reconfigurable channelizer for wireless communication, and a deep neural network (DNN) for vehicle classification

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURES FOR ENERGY- AND RESOURCE-EFFICIENT SIGNAL PROCESSING SYSTEMS

For a large class of digital signal processing (DSP) systems, design and implementation of hardware and software is challenging due to stringent constraints on energy and resource requirements. In this thesis, we develop methods to address this challenge by proposing new constraint-aware system design methods for DSP systems, and energy- and resource-optimized designs of key DSP subsystems that are relevant across various application areas. In addition to general methods for optimizing energy consumption and resource utilization, we present streamlined designs that are specialized to efficiently address platform-dependent constraints. We focus on two specific aspects in development of energy- and resource-optimized design techniques: (1) Application-specific systems and architectures for energy- and resource- efficient design. First, we address challenges in efficient implementation of wireless sensor network building energy monitoring systems (WSNBEMSs). We develop new energy management schemes in order to maximize system lifetime for WSNBEMSs, and demonstrate that system lifetime can be improved significantly without affecting monitoring accuracy. We also present resource efficient, field programmable gate array (FPGA) architecture for implementation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. We have demonstrated that our design provides at least 8.8% enhancement in terms of resource efficiency compared to Xilinx FFT v7.1 within the same OFDM configuration. (2) Dataflow-based methods for structured design and implementation of energy- and resource- efficient DSP systems. First, we introduce a dataflow-based design approach based on integrating interrupt-based signal acquisition in context of parameterized synchronous dataflow (PSDF) modeling. We demonstrate that by applying our approach, energy- and resource-efficient embedded software can be derived systematically from high level models of dynamic, data-driven applications systems (DDDASs) functional structure. Also, we present an in-depth development of lightweight dataflow-Verilog (LWDF-V), which is an integration of the LWDF programming model with the Verilog hardware description language (HDL), and we demonstrate the utility of LWDF-V for design and implementation of digital systems for signal processing. We emphasize efficient of LWDF with HDLs, and emphasize the application of LWDF-V to design DSP systems with dynamic parameters on FPGA platforms

클라우드 환경에서 빠르고 효율적인 IoT 스트림 처리를 위한 엔드-투-엔드 최적화

학위논문(박사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 공과대학 컴퓨터공학부, 2021.8. 엄태건.As a large amount of data streams are generated from Internet of Things (IoT) devices, two types of IoT stream queries are deployed in the cloud. One is a small IoT-stream query, which continuously processes a few IoT data streams of end-users’s IoT devices that have low input rates (e.g., one event per second). The other one is a big IoT-stream query, which is deployed by data scientists to continuously process a large number and huge amount of aggregated data streams that can suddenly fluctuate in a short period of time (bursty loads). However, existing work and stream systems fall short of handling such workloads efficiently because their query submission, compilation, execution, and resource acquisition layer are not optimized for the workloads. This dissertation proposes two end-to-end optimization techniques— not only optimizing stream query execution layer (runtime), but also optimizing query submission, compiler, or resource acquisition layer. First, to minimize the number of cloud machines and maintenance cost of servers in processing many small IoT queries, we build Pluto, a new stream processing system that optimizes both query submission and execution layer for efficiently handling many small IoT stream queries. By decoupling IoT query submission and its code registration and offering new APIs, Pluto mitigates the bottleneck in query submission and enables efficient resource sharing across small IoT stream queries in the execution. Second, to quickly handle sudden bursty loads and scale out big IoT stream queries, we build Sponge, which is a new stream system that optimizes query compilation, execution, and resource acquisition layer altogether. For fast acquisition of new resources, Sponge uses a new cloud computing service, called Lambda, because it offers fast-to-start lightweight containers. Sponge then converts the streaming dataflow of big stream queries to overcome Lambda’s resource constraint and to minimize scaling overheads at runtime. Our evaluations show that the end-to-end optimization techniques significantly improve system throughput and latency compared to existing stream systems in handling a large number of small IoT stream queries and in handling bursty loads of big IoT stream queries.다양한 IoT 디바이스로부터 많은 양의 데이터 스트림들이 생성되면서, 크게 두 가지 타입의 스트림 쿼리가 클라우드에서 수행된다. 첫째로는 작은-IoT 스트림 쿼리이며, 하나의 스트림 쿼리가 적은 양의 IoT 데이터 스트림을 처리하고 많은 수의 작은 스트림 쿼리들이 존재한다. 두번째로는 큰-IoT 스트림 쿼리이며, 하나 의 스트림 쿼리가 많은 양의, 급격히 증가하는 IoT 데이터 스트림들을 처리한다. 하지만, 기존 연구와 스트림 시스템에서는 쿼리 수행, 제출, 컴파일러, 및 리소스 확보 레이어가 이러한 워크로드에 최적화되어 있지 않아서 작은-IoT 및 큰-IoT 스트림 쿼리를 효율적으로 처리하지 못한다. 이 논문에서는 작은-IoT 및 큰-IoT 스트림 쿼리 워크로드를 최적화하기 위한 엔드-투-엔드 최적화 기법을 소개한다. 첫번째로, 많은 수의 작은-IoT 스트림 쿼 리를 처리하기 위해, 쿼리 제출과 수행 레이어를 최적화 하는 기법인 IoT 특성 기반 최적화를 수행한다. 쿼리 제출과 코드 등록을 분리하고, 이를 위한 새로운 API를 제공함으로써, 쿼리 제출에서의 오버헤드를 줄이고 쿼리 수행에서 IoT 특 성 기반으로 리소스를 공유함으로써 오버헤드를 줄인다. 두번째로, 큰-IoT 스트림 쿼리에서 급격히 증가하는 로드를 빠르게 처리하기 위해, 쿼리 컴파일러, 수행, 및 리소스 확보 레이어 최적화를 수행한다. 새로운 클라우드 컴퓨팅 리소스인 람다를 활용하여 빠르게 리소스를 확보하고, 람다의 제한된 리소스에서 스케일-아웃 오 버헤드를 줄이기 위해 스트림 데이터플로우를 바꿈으로써 큰-IoT 스트림 쿼리의 작업량을 빠르게 람다로 옮긴다. 최적화 기법의 효과를 보여주기 위해, 이 논문에서는 두가지 시스템-Pluto 와 Sponge-을 개발하였다. 실험을 통해서, 각 최적화 기법을 적용한 결과 기존 시스템 대비 처리량을 크게 향상시켰으며, 지연시간을 최소화하는 것을 확인하였다.Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 IoT Stream Workloads 1 1.1.1 Small IoT Stream Query 2 1.1.2 Big IoT Stream Query 4 1.2 Proposed Solution 5 1.2.1 IoT-Aware Three-Phase Query Execution 6 1.2.2 Streaming Dataflow Reshaping on Lambda 7 1.3 Contribution 8 1.4 Dissertation Structure 9 Chapter 2 Background 10 2.1 Stream Query Model 10 2.2 Workload Characteristics 12 2.2.1 Small IoT Stream Query 12 2.2.2 Big IoT Stream Query 13 Chapter 3 IoT-Aware Three-Phase Query Execution 15 3.1 Pluto Design Overview 16 3.2 Decoupling of Code and Query Submission 19 3.2.1 Code Registration 19 3.2.2 Query Submission API 20 3.3 IoT-Aware Execution Model 21 3.3.1 Q-Group Creation and Query Grouping 24 3.3.2 Q-Group Assignment 24 3.3.3 Q-Group Scheduling and Processing 25 3.3.4 Load Rebalancing: Q-Group Split and Merging 28 3.4 Implementation 29 3.5 Evaluation 30 3.5.1 Methodology 30 3.5.2 Performance Comparison 34 3.5.3 Performance Breakdown 36 3.5.4 Load Rebalancing: Q-Group Split and Merging 38 3.5.5 Tradeoff 40 3.6 Discussion 41 3.7 Related Work 43 3.8 Summary 44 Chapter 4 Streaming Dataflow Reshaping for Fast Scaling Mechanism on Lambda 46 4.1 Motivation 46 4.2 Challenges 47 4.3 Design Overview 50 4.4 Reshaping Rules 51 4.4.1 R1:Inserting Router Operators 52 4.4.2 R2:Inserting Transient Operators 54 4.4.3 R3:Inserting State Merger Operators 57 4.5 Scaling Protocol 59 4.5.1 Redirection Protocol 59 4.5.2 Merging Protocol 60 4.5.3 Migration Protocol 61 4.6 Implementation 61 4.7 Evaluation 63 4.7.1 Methodology 63 4.7.2 Performance Analysis 68 4.7.3 Performance Breakdown 70 4.7.4 Latency-Cost($) Trade-Off 76 4.8 Discussion 77 4.9 Related Work 78 4.10 Summary 80 Chapter 5 Conclusion 81박

The "MIND" Scalable PIM Architecture

MIND (Memory, Intelligence, and Network Device) is an advanced parallel computer architecture for high performance computing and scalable embedded processing. It is a Processor-in-Memory (PIM) architecture integrating both DRAM bit cells and CMOS logic devices on the same silicon die. MIND is multicore with multiple memory/processor nodes on each chip and supports global shared memory across systems of MIND components. MIND is distinguished from other PIM architectures in that it incorporates mechanisms for efficient support of a global parallel execution model based on the semantics of message-driven multithreaded split-transaction processing. MIND is designed to operate either in conjunction with other conventional microprocessors or in standalone arrays of like devices. It also incorporates mechanisms for fault tolerance, real time execution, and active power management. This paper describes the major elements and operational methods of the MIND architecture