4,381 research outputs found
FPGA-based module for SURF extraction
We present a complete hardware and software solution of an FPGA-based computer vision embedded module capable of carrying out SURF image features extraction algorithm. Aside from image analysis, the module embeds a Linux distribution that allows to run programs specifically tailored for particular applications. The module is based on a Virtex-5 FXT FPGA which features powerful configurable logic and an embedded PowerPC processor. We describe the module hardware as well as the custom FPGA image processing cores that implement the algorithm's most computationally expensive process, the interest point detection. The module's overall performance is evaluated and compared to CPU and GPU based solutions. Results show that the embedded module achieves comparable disctinctiveness to the SURF software implementation running in a standard CPU while being faster and consuming significantly less power and space. Thus, it allows to use the SURF algorithm in applications with power and spatial constraints, such as autonomous navigation of small mobile robots
A 64mW DNN-based Visual Navigation Engine for Autonomous Nano-Drones
Fully-autonomous miniaturized robots (e.g., drones), with artificial
intelligence (AI) based visual navigation capabilities are extremely
challenging drivers of Internet-of-Things edge intelligence capabilities.
Visual navigation based on AI approaches, such as deep neural networks (DNNs)
are becoming pervasive for standard-size drones, but are considered out of
reach for nanodrones with size of a few cm. In this work, we
present the first (to the best of our knowledge) demonstration of a navigation
engine for autonomous nano-drones capable of closed-loop end-to-end DNN-based
visual navigation. To achieve this goal we developed a complete methodology for
parallel execution of complex DNNs directly on-bard of resource-constrained
milliwatt-scale nodes. Our system is based on GAP8, a novel parallel
ultra-low-power computing platform, and a 27 g commercial, open-source
CrazyFlie 2.0 nano-quadrotor. As part of our general methodology we discuss the
software mapping techniques that enable the state-of-the-art deep convolutional
neural network presented in [1] to be fully executed on-board within a strict 6
fps real-time constraint with no compromise in terms of flight results, while
all processing is done with only 64 mW on average. Our navigation engine is
flexible and can be used to span a wide performance range: at its peak
performance corner it achieves 18 fps while still consuming on average just
3.5% of the power envelope of the deployed nano-aircraft.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables, 2 listings, accepted for publication
in the IEEE Internet of Things Journal (IEEE IOTJ
Storing and Querying Probabilistic XML Using a Probabilistic Relational DBMS
This work explores the feasibility of storing and querying probabilistic XML in a probabilistic relational database. Our approach is to adapt known techniques for mapping XML to relational data such that the possible worlds are preserved. We show that this approach can work for any XML-to-relational technique by adapting a representative schema-based (inlining) as well as a representative schemaless technique (XPath Accelerator). We investigate the maturity of probabilistic rela- tional databases for this task with experiments with one of the state-of- the-art systems, called Trio
Video in e-learning systems
The world is changing rapidly in the field of multimedia and it is inevitable to prepare to
use and utilize the new teaching method. This is specifically true in the case of the use of educational
films both as video and also using such video on the Internet. Our first task is to decide whether the
development of material will be an independent film or a part of an e-learning course. In both cases
the method of construction is different. The next step is to select the target group of the film. There is a
wide scale of possible viewers or participants (who must have a certain level of basic knowledge) and
also handicapped people should be able to use the results. The final product ought to be acceptable for
e-learning and distance-learning as well. Using the information technology in education is general and
the present being of the e-learnig is part of this fact. We can use e-learning effectively only if the
system is filled up with electronic educational material. The most effective ones are the multimediamaterials.
The effectiveness of the multimedia-material can be improved with the application of video
From Design to Production Control Through the Integration of Engineering Data Management and Workflow Management Systems
At a time when many companies are under pressure to reduce "times-to-market"
the management of product information from the early stages of design through
assembly to manufacture and production has become increasingly important.
Similarly in the construction of high energy physics devices the collection of
(often evolving) engineering data is central to the subsequent physics
analysis. Traditionally in industry design engineers have employed Engineering
Data Management Systems (also called Product Data Management Systems) to
coordinate and control access to documented versions of product designs.
However, these systems provide control only at the collaborative design level
and are seldom used beyond design. Workflow management systems, on the other
hand, are employed in industry to coordinate and support the more complex and
repeatable work processes of the production environment. Commercial workflow
products cannot support the highly dynamic activities found both in the design
stages of product development and in rapidly evolving workflow definitions. The
integration of Product Data Management with Workflow Management can provide
support for product development from initial CAD/CAM collaborative design
through to the support and optimisation of production workflow activities. This
paper investigates this integration and proposes a philosophy for the support
of product data throughout the full development and production lifecycle and
demonstrates its usefulness in the construction of CMS detectors.Comment: 18 pages, 13 figure
PRODUCT LINE ARCHITECTURE FOR HADRONTHERAPY CONTROL SYSTEM: APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION
Hadrontherapy is the treatment of cancer with charged ion beams. As the
charged ion beams used in hadrontherapy are required to be accelerated to
very large energies, the particle accelerators used in this treatment are
complex and composed of several sub-systems. As a result, control systems
are employed for the supervision and control of these accelerators.
Currently, The Italian National Hadrontherapy Facility (CNAO) has the
objective of modernizing one of the software environments of its control
system. Such a project would allow for the integration of new types of
devices into the control system, such as mobile devices, as well as
introducing newer technologies into the environment.
In order to achieve this, this work began with the requirement analysis
and definition of a product line architecture for applications of the upgraded
control system environment. The product line architecture focuses on
reliability, maintainability, and ease of compliance with medical software
certification directives. This was followed by the design and development of
several software services aimed at allowing the communication of the
environments applications and other components of the control system, such
as remote file access, relational data access, and OPC-UA. In addition,
several libraries and tools have been developed to support the development
of future control system applications, following the defined product line
architecture.
Lastly, a pilot application was created using the tools developed during
this work, as well as the preliminary results of a cross-environment
integration project. The approach followed in this work is later evaluated by
comparing the developed tools to their legacy counterparts, as well as
estimating the impact of future applications following the defined product
line architecture.Hadrontherapy is the treatment of cancer with charged ion beams. As the
charged ion beams used in hadrontherapy are required to be accelerated to
very large energies, the particle accelerators used in this treatment are
complex and composed of several sub-systems. As a result, control systems
are employed for the supervision and control of these accelerators.
Currently, The Italian National Hadrontherapy Facility (CNAO) has the
objective of modernizing one of the software environments of its control
system. Such a project would allow for the integration of new types of
devices into the control system, such as mobile devices, as well as
introducing newer technologies into the environment.
In order to achieve this, this work began with the requirement analysis
and definition of a product line architecture for applications of the upgraded
control system environment. The product line architecture focuses on
reliability, maintainability, and ease of compliance with medical software
certification directives. This was followed by the design and development of
several software services aimed at allowing the communication of the
environments applications and other components of the control system, such
as remote file access, relational data access, and OPC-UA. In addition,
several libraries and tools have been developed to support the development
of future control system applications, following the defined product line
architecture.
Lastly, a pilot application was created using the tools developed during
this work, as well as the preliminary results of a cross-environment
integration project. The approach followed in this work is later evaluated by
comparing the developed tools to their legacy counterparts, as well as
estimating the impact of future applications following the defined product
line architecture
The Thin Gap Chambers database experience in test beam and preparations for ATLAS
Thin gap chambers (TGCs) are used for the muon trigger system in the forward
region of the LHC experiment ATLAS. The TGCs are expected to provide a trigger
signal within 25 ns of the bunch spacing. An extensive system test of the ATLAS
muon spectrometer has been performed in the H8 beam line at the CERN SPS during
the last few years. A relational database was used for storing the conditions
of the tests as well as the configuration of the system. This database has
provided the detector control system with the information needed for
configuration of the front end electronics. The database is used to assist the
online operation and maintenance. The same database is used to store the non
event condition and configuration parameters needed later for the offline
reconstruction software. A larger scale of the database has been produced to
support the whole TGC system. It integrates all the production, QA tests and
assembly information. A 1/12th model of the whole TGC system is currently in
use for testing the performance of this database in configuring and tracking
the condition of the system. A prototype of the database was first implemented
during the H8 test beams. This paper describes the database structure, its
interface to other systems and its operational performance.Comment: Proceedings IEEE, Nuclear Science Symposium 2005, Stockholm, Sweeden,
May 200
NullHop: A Flexible Convolutional Neural Network Accelerator Based on Sparse Representations of Feature Maps
Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have become the dominant neural network
architecture for solving many state-of-the-art (SOA) visual processing tasks.
Even though Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) are most often used in training
and deploying CNNs, their power efficiency is less than 10 GOp/s/W for
single-frame runtime inference. We propose a flexible and efficient CNN
accelerator architecture called NullHop that implements SOA CNNs useful for
low-power and low-latency application scenarios. NullHop exploits the sparsity
of neuron activations in CNNs to accelerate the computation and reduce memory
requirements. The flexible architecture allows high utilization of available
computing resources across kernel sizes ranging from 1x1 to 7x7. NullHop can
process up to 128 input and 128 output feature maps per layer in a single pass.
We implemented the proposed architecture on a Xilinx Zynq FPGA platform and
present results showing how our implementation reduces external memory
transfers and compute time in five different CNNs ranging from small ones up to
the widely known large VGG16 and VGG19 CNNs. Post-synthesis simulations using
Mentor Modelsim in a 28nm process with a clock frequency of 500 MHz show that
the VGG19 network achieves over 450 GOp/s. By exploiting sparsity, NullHop
achieves an efficiency of 368%, maintains over 98% utilization of the MAC
units, and achieves a power efficiency of over 3TOp/s/W in a core area of
6.3mm. As further proof of NullHop's usability, we interfaced its FPGA
implementation with a neuromorphic event camera for real time interactive
demonstrations
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