Regularity Detection Circuitry for Event Occurrences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing regularity detection mechanisms for event occurrences during counting periods require significant storage due to the need for multiple counters, making them inefficient and unattractive for use.
Innovation Solution
A storage-efficient mechanism that uses regularity detection circuitry to consider counting periods in pairs, incrementing and decrementing a count value alternately, and adjusts confidence indications based on whether the count value returns to an initial value, allowing for a single counter to be used during the training phase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple separate counters are used to track event occurrences during current and previous counting periods, then regularity detection accuracy is improved, but storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate counters (current period counter and previous period counter) into a single counter that is reused alternately. The counter is incremented during one counting period and then decremented during the next counting period, allowing regularity detection to be performed with only one physical counter instead of multiple counters, thereby reducing storage requirements while maintaining detection accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic reuse of the counter by switching its function between counting periods. The counter dynamically transitions between incrementing mode (tracking current period events) and decrementing mode (comparing with previous period), allowing the same hardware resource to serve multiple purposes at different times, thus reducing overall storage needs
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method are provided for detecting regularity in a number of occurrences of an event observed during multiple instances of a counting period. The apparatus has regularity detection circuitry for seeking to detect such a regularity, and a storage providing a storage entry having a count value field to store a count value and a confidence indication field to indicate a confidence in the regularity. The regularity detection circuitry is arranged to consider the multiple instances of the counting period in pairs, for one instance in a given pair of the pairs the regularity detection circuitry incrementing the count value following each occurrence of the event, and for the other instance in the given pair the regularity detection circuitry decrementing the count value following each occurrence of the event. Check circuitry is then arranged, following completion of both counting periods in the given pair, to adjust the confidence indication to indicate an increased confidence when it is determined that the count value has returned to an initial value, and otherwise to adjust the confidence indication to indicate a decreased confidence and to reset the count value to the initial value. Such an approach provides a particularly storage efficient mechanism for seeking to detect regularity in a number of occurrences of an event.