Abstract: An image processor unit is described. The image processor unit includes a plurality of inputs to receive at least one input image. The image processor unit includes a plurality of outputs to provide at least one output image. The image processor unit includes a network coupled to the plurality of inputs and the plurality of outputs. The network is to couple at least one of the inputs to at least one of the outputs. The image processor unit includes an image processor circuit coupled to the network. The network to route an input image that is received at one of the inputs to the image processor circuit. The image processor circuit is to execute image signal processing program code to generate a processed output image from the input image. The network is to route the processed output image to at least one of the outputs.

Abstract: An image processor is described. The image processor includes an I/O unit to read input image data from external memory for processing by the image processor and to write output image data from the image processor into the external memory. The I/O unit includes multiple logical channel units. Each logical channel unit is to form a logical channel between the external memory and a respective producing or consuming component within the image processor. Each logical channel unit is designed to utilize reformatting circuitry and addressing circuitry. The addressing circuitry is to control addressing schemes applied to the external memory and reformatting of image data between external memory and the respective producing or consuming component. The reformatting circuitry is to perform the reformatting.

Abstract: An execution unit is described. The execution unit includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) circuit having a first input to receive a first value and a second input to receive a second value. The ALU circuit includes circuitry to determine an absolute value of the first value and to add the absolute value to the second value. The first input is coupled to a first data path having register space and an output of another ALU of the execution unit circuit as alternative sources of the first value. The second input is coupled to a second data path having the register space as a source for the second value.

Abstract: A method is described that includes, on an image processor having a two dimensional execution lane array and a two dimensional shift register array, repeatedly shifting first content of multiple rows or columns of the two dimensional shift register array and repeatedly executing at least one instruction between shifts that operates on the shifted first content and/or second content that is resident in respective locations of the two dimensional shift register array that the shifted first content has been shifted into.

Abstract: An apparatus is described that include a line buffer unit composed of a plurality of a line buffer interface units. Each line buffer interface unit is to handle one or more requests by a respective producer to store a respective line group in a memory and handle one or more requests by a respective consumer to fetch and provide the respective line group from memory. The line buffer unit has programmable storage space whose information establishes line group size so that different line group sizes for different image sizes are storable in memory.

Abstract: In a general aspect, an apparatus can include image processing logic (IPL) configured to perform an image processing operation on pixel data corresponding with an image having a width of W pixels and a height of H pixels to produce output pixel data in vertical slices of K pixels using K vertically overlapping stencils of S×S pixels, K being greater than 1 and less than H, S being greater than or equal to 2, and W being greater than S. The apparatus can also include a linebuffer operationally coupled with the IPL, the linebuffer configured to buffer the pixel data for the IPL. The linebuffer can include a full-size buffer having a width of W and a height of (S?1). The linebuffer can also include a sliding buffer having a width of SB and a height of K, SB being greater than or equal to S and less than W.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes simulating execution of an image processing application software program. The simulating includes intercepting kernel-to-kernel communications with simulated line buffer memories that store and forward lines of image data communicated from models of producing kernels to models of consuming kernels. The simulating further includes tracking respective amounts of image data stored in the respective line buffer memories over a simulation runtime. The method also includes determining respective hardware memory allocations for corresponding hardware line buffer memories from the tracked respective amounts of image data. The method also includes generating configuration information for an image processor to execute the image processing application software program. The configuration information describes the hardware memory allocations for the hardware line buffer memories of the image processor.

Abstract: A method is described that includes translating higher level program code including higher level instructions having an instruction format that identifies pixels to be accessed from a memory with first and second coordinates from an orthogonal coordinate system into lower level instructions that target a hardware architecture having an array of execution lanes and a shift register array structure that is able to shift data along two different axis. The translating includes replacing the higher level instructions having the instruction format with lower level shift instructions that shift data within the shift register array structure.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes constructing an image processing software data flow in which a buffer stores and forwards image data being transferred from a producing kernel to one or more consuming kernels. The method also includes recognizing that the buffer has insufficient resources to store and forward the image data. The method also includes modifying the image processing software data flow to include multiple buffers that store and forward the image data during the transfer of the image data from the producing kernel to the one or more consuming kernels.

Abstract: A method is described. The method includes calculating data transfer metrics for kernel-to-kernel connections of a program having a plurality of kernels that is to execute on an image processor. The image processor includes a plurality of processing cores and a network connecting the plurality of processing cores. Each of the kernel-to-kernel connections include a producing kernel that is to execute on one of the processing cores and a consuming kernel that is to execute on another one of the processing cores. The consuming kernel is to operate on data generated by the producing kernel. The method also includes assigning kernels of the plurality of kernels to respective ones of the processing cores based on the calculated data transfer metrics.

Abstract: A sheet generator circuit is described. The sheet generator includes electronic circuitry to receive a line group of image data including multiple rows of data from a frame of image data. The multiple rows are sufficient in number to encompass multiple neighboring overlapping stencils. The electronic circuitry is to parse the line group into a smaller sized sheet. The electronic circuitry is to load the sheet into a data computation unit having a two dimensional shift array structure coupled to an array of processors.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for supporting complex transfer functions on an image processor. One of the methods includes traversing, by each execution lane of an image processor using a shift-register array, a respective local support region and storing input pixels encountered during the traversal into local memory of the image processor. Each execution lane obtains from the local memory of the image processor one or more input pixels according to a complex transfer function. Each execution lane computes a respective output pixel for the kernel program using one or more input pixels obtained from the local memory according to the complex transfer function.

Abstract: A method is described that includes executing a convolutional neural network layer on an image processor having an array of execution lanes and a two-dimensional shift register. The two-dimensional shift register provides local respective register space for the execution lanes. The executing of the convolutional neural network includes loading a plane of image data of a three-dimensional block of image data into the two-dimensional shift register.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for restructuring an image processing pipeline. The method includes compiling program code targeted for an image processor having programmable stencil processors composed of respective two-dimensional execution lane and shift register circuit structures. The program code is to implement a directed acyclic graph and is composed of multiple kernels that are to execute on respective ones of the stencil processors, wherein the compiling includes performing any of: horizontal fusion of kernels; vertical fusion of kernels; fission of one of the kernels into multiple kernels; spatial partitioning of a kernel into multiple spatially partitioned kernels; or splitting the directed acyclic graph into smaller graphs.

Abstract: A method is described that includes, on an image processor having a two dimensional execution lane array and a two dimensional shift register array, repeatedly shifting first content of multiple rows or columns of the two dimensional shift register array and repeatedly executing at least one instruction between shifts that operates on the shifted first content and/or second content that is resident in respective locations of the two dimensional shift register array that the shifted first content has been shifted into.

Abstract: In a general aspect, an apparatus can include image processing logic (IPL) configured to perform an image processing operation on pixel data corresponding with an image having a width of W pixels and a height of H pixels to produce output pixel data in vertical slices of K pixels using K vertically overlapping stencils of S×S pixels, K being greater than 1 and less than H, S being greater than or equal to 2, and W being greater than S. The apparatus can also include a linebuffer operationally coupled with the IPL, the linebuffer configured to buffer the pixel data for the IPL. The linebuffer can include a full-size buffer having a width of W and a height of (S?1). The linebuffer can also include a sliding buffer having a width of SB and a height of K, SB being greater than or equal to S and less than W.

Abstract: An apparatus is described. The apparatus includes an image processing unit. The image processing unit includes a plurality of stencil processor circuits each comprising an array of execution unit lanes coupled to a two-dimensional shift register array structure to simultaneously process multiple overlapping stencils through execution of program code. The image processing unit includes a plurality of sheet generators respectively coupled between the plurality of stencil processors and the network. The sheet generators are to parse input line groups of image data into input sheets of image data for processing by the stencil processors, and, to form output line groups of image data from output sheets of image data received from the stencil processors. The image processing unit includes a plurality of line buffer units coupled to the network to pass line groups in a direction from producing stencil processors to consuming stencil processors to implement an overall program flow.

Abstract: An image processor is described. The image processor includes an I/O unit to read input image data from external memory for processing by the image processor and to write output image data from the image processor into the external memory. The I/O unit includes multiple logical channel units. Each logical channel unit is to form a logical channel between the external memory and a respective producing or consuming component within the image processor. Each logical channel unit is designed to utilize reformatting circuitry and addressing circuitry. The addressing circuitry is to control addressing schemes applied to the external memory and reformatting of image data between external memory and the respective producing or consuming component. The reformatting circuitry is to perform the reformatting.

Abstract: An apparatus is described. The apparatus includes an execution lane array coupled to a two dimensional shift register array structure. Locations in the execution lane array are coupled to same locations in the two-dimensional shift register array structure such that different execution lanes have different dedicated registers.

Abstract: An image processor unit is described. The image processor unit includes a plurality of inputs to receive at least one input image. The image processor unit includes a plurality of outputs to provide at least one output image. The image processor unit includes a network coupled to the plurality of inputs and the plurality of outputs. The network is to couple at least one of the inputs to at least one of the outputs. The image processor unit includes an image processor circuit coupled to the network. The network to route an input image that is received at one of the inputs to the image processor circuit. The image processor circuit is to execute image signal processing program code to generate a processed output image from the input image. The network is to route the processed output image to at least one of the outputs.