Hierarchical Image Grid Interpolation for Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional interpolators consume high power and area, leading to limited throughput and mismatched bandwidth with downstream image processing units, resulting in low frame rates and inefficient resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for interpolating attribute values in an image grid using a hierarchical approach, where root values are determined and metadata is pre-calculated based on gradients, allowing child node values to be derived efficiently through a tree structure with combinational logic, reducing the need for expensive 3-input additions and minimizing area and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional interpolators are used to determine attribute values at unknown data points, then interpolation accuracy is maintained, but power consumption and area requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image grid into multiple tiles, where each tile is processed independently by a separate interpolator. This segmentation allows the system to use multiple low-power interpolators operating in parallel rather than one large high-power interpolator, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining interpolation accuracy for each tile region
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from processing the entire image as a single domain to processing multiple smaller tile domains in parallel. This dimensional change in the processing architecture enables better utilization of downstream units and reduces the power and area requirements of individual interpolators while maintaining overall throughput
2Measurement precision
If conventional interpolators are used to ensure accurate attribute interpolation, then interpolation quality is maintained, but device area and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the image into multiple tiles and using separate interpolators for each tile, the patent reduces the area required for each individual interpolator. The cumulative area of multiple small interpolators is less than that of a single large interpolator providing the same overall coverage, thus reducing total device area while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple tile processing operations into a unified rendering pipeline, where multiple low-area interpolators work in parallel. This combining approach achieves the functional equivalent of a large interpolator while using less total area, as the downstream processing units can efficiently handle the combined output from multiple tile interpolators
3Loss of energy
If conventional interpolators operate at lower speeds to reduce power consumption, then energy efficiency improves, but throughput and frame rates decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the rendering workload into multiple independent tile processing streams. Each interpolator operates at lower speed with reduced power consumption, but the parallel execution of multiple tile interpolators maintains high overall throughput. The combined output from all tile interpolators achieves the required frame rates despite individual interpolators operating more efficiently rather than at maximum speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces parallelism as a new dimension in the processing architecture, transitioning from a single sequential interpolator to multiple parallel interpolators. This allows the system to achieve high throughput not by increasing the speed of individual interpolators (which would increase power consumption), but by increasing the number of interpolators operating in parallel at lower, more energy-efficient speeds
4Productivity
If conventional interpolators are designed for high throughput, then processing speed increases, but power consumption and area requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves high throughput by segmenting the rendering workload into multiple independent tile streams that can be processed in parallel. Each tile interpolator is designed for moderate throughput with corresponding moderate power consumption, but the aggregate throughput of all parallel interpolators exceeds that of a single high-performance interpolator, while the aggregate power consumption is lower due to the efficiency of smaller, specialized units
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the throughput-power contradiction by adding parallelism as a new dimension to the architecture. Instead of increasing the speed and power of a single interpolator to achieve high throughput, the system uses multiple interpolators operating in parallel at lower power levels, achieving the same or higher overall throughput with reduced total power consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A method for interpolating values of an attribute for an image grid may include determining a root value of the attribute for a root node located centrally in the image grid, pre-calculating metadata for multiple child nodes in one or more hierarchical levels based on one or more gradients of the attribute, and deriving values of the attribute for each of the child nodes at each of the hierarchical levels based on the corresponding root value and metadata for the hierarchical level of each child node, wherein each child node may be used as a root node in the next hierarchical level. The image grid may have multiple outer cells arranged radially around a central cell, and the root node may be located in the central cell.