Patent Application
20230149819
An increasing amount of content is being provided through digital streaming and other such distribution channels. For applications such as esports, this may include broadcasting a stream that includes a selection or arrangement of various player or game-related streams. Viewers of such a broadcast stream may receive media content that includes a view of any or all of the individual streams that make up the broadcast, which may be equally divided spatially in a display area or may include a customized view that may include different selections, sizes, and arrangements of the content for these individual streams. In many situations, a team of people observing the individual streams will attempt to manually select the stream(s) of interest to show or broadcast at any given time based on their impression of the interest in the individual streams. Such an approach can be cumbersome and expensive, and may result in viewers of a broadcast missing important or climactic scenes, or scenes that may otherwise be of greater interest.
Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:
Approaches in accordance with various embodiments can provide for the dynamic presentation of content. In particular, various embodiments can attempt to dynamically select content to be broadcast, as well as how to arrange, size, or feature the selected content, in order to provide content that is most likely to be of interest to one or more viewers. This can be accomplished, at least in part, by predicting an occurrence of one or more events of interest in one or more sources of content, such as one or more input media streams. The occurrence can be predicted using other types or sources of content or data for the session as well, such as non-game video, player input, and game data, among other such options. In some applications, these media streams may include content relating to a common session, such as a session of online esports gameplay involving multiple players. These streams can be analyzed to predict the probability of one or more events occurring over a future period of time, and these probabilities can be used to assign priority values to the various streams. These priority values can be used to determine which streams to select for a broadcast and/or how to arrange those streams in a broadcast area, such as to adjust a size, placement, or highlighting of content from a particular stream or content source. This determination may be automatic, manual, or a combination thereof, such as may involve providing priority or recommendation information to one or more human observers who may make the final decision as to a selection and arrangement of content to be included in a broadcast stream at any point in time. The selection, arrangement, and other aspects of this content can be adjusted over time as the determined importance values change, such as when different streams have higher probabilities of the occurrence of one or more events of interest, such that the broadcast can have a higher likelihood of including views of many of the most interesting events in the session. Such an system process can remove the need for a large team of expert observers and/or production staff to observe the content streams in real time and attempt to manually determine which stream(s) to include in a broadcast over time. Such an approach can provide various other advantages as well, such as improved selection of live content presented to viewers, an ability of individual users to customize priorities assigned to different streams for different types of events or content, improved engagement of game viewers with minimal curation, and the dynamic configuration of live stream for events such as competitive sporting events, among other such options.
As an example,
In order to provide the best possible experience for a viewer, a broadcaster can attempt to select and arrange the content in a way that best conveys information about the session, such as a gameplay session. This can include, for example, attempting to include in the broadcast at many of the important events or occurrences as possible, where an “important” event may correspond to any event that may be of more interest to a user, or may provide more impact on the game or session, than another normal event or occurrence in the game. In conventional systems, this typically involves a team of human observers watching the various streams, feeds, or other sources of game- or session-related content, then determining which streams are likely to have an event of interest occur in the near future. These observers must then coordinate with each other, often in or near real time, to attempt to adjust the broadcast to include these events. This can be a complicated, expensive, and time-consuming process, which can result in at least some of the important events being missed in the broadcast. While mechanisms such as replay can allow for these events to be presented at a later time, the experience is generally not as favorable as if a viewer had been able to see that event occur in real time.
Accordingly, approaches in accordance with various embodiments can attempt to provide the ability for improved content selection, arrangement, highlighting, and/or featuring, where at least some of these aspects may be determined automatically, or at least may require fewer observers to generate a broadcast. In at least some embodiments, these decisions may be made based, at least in part, upon a predicted state of the content and various contextual data associated with the content. This state can include, for example, the predicted occurrence of various events of interest that may be represented in specific streams or feeds, where the broadcast can be modified to include or feature at least some of these feeds or streams, or other such sources of content or data, based at least in part upon the predicted occurrence.
Often in live game broadcasting, viewers are provided with a curated stream configuration of one or more of the players along with live commentary of the game, where the curation is performed by a team of observers. An observer can correspond to one of a set of people tasked to watch or “observe” one or more input streams to determine which stream, or streams, to feature or highlight in a broadcast stream at any time. Different types of actions, events, or occurrences may happen at different time instances in different player streams. An observer, or team of observers, can manually select a specific stream of interest based on these game actions, events, or occurrences, as well as other information such as emotions or interests, and configure that stream as a “main stream” for at least the current point in time for the broadcast. In some embodiments, this main stream selection may involve increasing the resolution (proportion) of the selected main stream within a given display area or presentation space, or performing another such action to feature or highlight a main stream. For broadcasts that include only a single panel or stream, this can involve not broadcasting the selected main stream.
As an example, a live esports event can involve streaming large amounts of live content, which can involve a significant amount of dedicated software and hardware. As mentioned, there can be multiple concurrent streams of live content such as those illustrated in display 102 of
In the example display 102 of
Approaches in accordance with various embodiments can attempt to automatically predict events of interest in a broadcast stream, in order to cause streams to be selected, featured, or highlighted that have the highest probability of including one or more events of interest. An example system 200 for selecting or highlighting streams based, at least in part, upon predicted events is illustrated in
In this example a single analyzer 204 is shown, but it should be understood that there may be multiple analyzers or analyzer blocks used, such as one per input stream, one per input stream type, or one per data type, where there may be multiple types of data in a single stream. As discussed in more detail elsewhere herein, an analyzer 204 can attempt to predict the occurrence of one or more events of interest in a given stream over a future period of time. In at least one embodiment, an event of interest can be an event of a type for which the analyzer model was trained to detect, as may have been classified in the relevant training data. In at least one embodiment, an analyzer can output a probability and/or confidence in each occurrence prediction. An analyzer may also generate information about the event or occurrence, such as a type of event or event importance. In at least one embodiment, an analyzer 204 may also output a period of time in the future over which this event is predicted to occur. This may include, for example, a point in time T of initial probability plus a length of time A over which that event is predicted to occur, at least with a minimum probability or confidence. If the event does not occur during that time period (T, T+Δ) then the event can be determined to have not occurred (such as by setting the event occurrence probability to 0), such that that event would no longer be considered for stream selection and highlighting unless that event were to be selected again as a probable event.
As will be discussed in more detail later herein, an analyzer can utilize approaches such as computer vision and machine learning to identify objects and occurrences in the video data that are indicative of an upcoming event, such as a player zooming in a scope of a sniper rifle to be centered on another player, which indicates a high probability of an elimination event in the near future. An analyzer might also analyze audio content to determine sounds that are predictive of an upcoming event, such as the sound of a player placing a detonator or lighting a fuse, or an audio signal (e.g., an in-game character's catchphrase) when a special ability is activated. An analyzer might also analyze player input, such as button/key presses or mouse movements, to attempt to determine an action that a player intends to take that may be related to an event of interest. Analyzers may also analyze changes in score, location, time (for time-based trigger events) or other session data or state information that may be indicative of a potential event of interest in a given stream. Different analyzers may be used for different types of analysis, such as a first analyzer trained to analyze video frames, a second analyzer trained to analyze audio data, a third analyzer trained to analyze player input, and so on. There may also be different instances of a given type of analyzer used to analyze separate streams or sources of a type of input in parallel. These analyzers can then each separately output event probability information, or may work together to produce an overall probability value for a given stream based on information related to that stream and any predicted events for that stream over an upcoming period of time. There may be various tunable parameters, as may be game- or session-specific, which can impact probability and timing, such as the amount of delay between lighting a fuse and an explosion occurring, or a probability of the explosion occurring if the fuse is lit, etc. In at least one embodiment, a given stream can continue to be analyzed for a predicted event until that event occurs or until a predicted time period for that event expires.
In this example, an analyzer 204, or set of analyzers, will output data for one or more predicted events in a stream, such as the probability of one or more events and the predicted period of occurrence for any or all of those events in a stream, which can be provided as input to a stream priority decision maker 206, or other such system, service, module, or component. Such a decision maker can analyze the various predicted event data for the given input streams to determine relative priorities for at least a current point in time, or future period time over which those events are predicted to occur. This can include, for example, setting priority scores for each stream based upon factors such as a number of events predicted over a future period of time, a type or importance of those predicted events, a probability of those events occurring, and a time at which those events are predicted to occur, among other such options. In some embodiments, the priority for a stream based on a given predicted event may go down, or have lower weighting, as time goes along, as a stream may be more likely to be featured at the beginning of a 10 second window where an event is predicted to occur than at the 9 second point of that 10 second window, where there is little time left for that event to occur. This stream priority data can be updated continually, or at least at a determined sampling or analysis rate, and the real-time priority data can be provided as input to a broadcast control module 208, system, service, process, or component, along with the content from the live streams 202 or inputs.
In some embodiments, priority information for a given stream may be impacted by information determined from another stream or source as well. As illustrated in the example configuration 300 of
As mentioned, there may also be other streams for consideration that may not directly correlate to specific predictable events. These may include, for example, leaderboards, commentary streams, mini-maps, and the like. In some embodiments, such streams may have pre-defined importance values, and thus may be selected for inclusion based on those pre-defined values, or may be indicated to be included to some extent at all times. Such rules or criteria can be provided through a set of override parameters 210, which can cause certain feeds, streams, or content to be selected or featured even though a determined importance score based on those streams might otherwise be insufficient to result in their selection. One or more override parameters, or another such rule, policy, criteria, or value, can be used for any content where a type of limit or criterion is to be put in place as to the selection, arrangement, inclusion, or featuring of that content in a resulting broadcast. These parameters can be set or modified by any authorized person or entity, such as an observer, broadcaster, content provider, or viewer, among other such options. In some embodiments, this may be a minimum importance value for specific streams or types of content, a minimum or maximum feature time or rate, a minimum or maximum feature size (e.g., so text of a leaderboard is legible when displayed on an average display), and so on.
In at least one embodiment, an algorithm used by the stream priority decision maker 206 can assign one or more priority parameters to each input stream based, at least in part, upon the predicted event probabilities from the analyzer 204. In at least one embodiment, an equation used to determine stream priority values PS
P
S
=f(Gconf,EPS
where PS
In some embodiments, this priority information can be used to automatically determine which streams to select or highlight, as well as how to size or arrange content from those streams in an output broadcast. This information may be used as default information that can be overridden by one or more observers 212, or may be provided as recommendations for use by one or more observers 212 in selecting or highlighting streams, among other such options. In some embodiments, this priority information can serve as an input that can be used by an observer to perform actions, such as to modify a streaming configuration or select specific streams to highlight. In one embodiment, an observer may be able to view one or more input streams through an interface, and priority information about these streams may be presented in this interface. Providing priority information may include, for example, highlighting to an observer streams that have a higher probability of event occurrence over a future period of time. This may include providing a colored or thicker boarder around higher importance streams, providing an icon or text indicating a probability or event type, or other such information. An observer can then utilize various tools, presented through the interface, to modify a presentation of video data and/or audio data in streams in the output or broadcast stream, such as to change a selection, rearrange, resize, add text, effects, or highlighting, and so on. In many cases, an observer can have an ability to move a focus in the broadcast stream to a given “higher importance” stream, or visually increase the resolution of that stream in a respective screen area.
An observer device 212 or interface can enable one or more observers to view streams, priority data, and related information, as well as to provide corresponding input to a broadcast control system 208. In some embodiments, at least some of the decision making can be performed by the observer device 212 or broadcast control system 208 automatically, or another such component, as discussed herein. The broadcast control system 208 can then send the relevant information to a stream renderer 216, which can generate one or more final broadcast streams 218, or other such outputs, to be transmitted to one or more intended recipients. In some embodiments a single broadcast stream may be multicast to multiple different recipients, while in other embodiments there may be multiple different broadcasts streams generated, which may have different selections. For example, there may be a first broadcast stream with only a single selected player stream at any time that can be displayed on smaller devices, and a second broadcast stream with several streams included that can be presented on larger devices or displays. Similarly, there may be different versions broadcast for individual viewers and for group viewings, such as in a stadium or sports bar. In some embodiments, a broadcast control system 208 may also receive assets from one or more asset generators 214 that can be included in the broadcast. These assets can include additional streams or presentations, as may relate to leaderboards, scoreboards, or maps that may be generated separately from a rendering engine of a game system. The asset generator can also provide additional graphics, audio, or content that can be included in the broadcast stream, such as a highlight border around the content for a featured stream.
In some embodiments, the priority and live feed information can be passed to a common location (geographically or logically), where one or more observers can analyze this and other relevant information. In other embodiments these observers may be located in different locations, and some or all of this information may be directed to individual observers. These feeds may also be provided as input to a commentator or analyst booth or system, wherein one or more commentators can provide a live commentary of a game as it is happening. There may be multiple displays or multi-display panels, and there may be specific systems to monitor these various gaming events. An observer system can enable one or more observers to cause portions of the broadcast to switch between different streams, modify presentations of these streams, or perform other such actions. There may also be some type of panel or portion of a display which corresponds to, for example, a scoreboard, leaderboard, or map, which may be automatically included and updated in at least some settings.
In at least some embodiments, a broadcast control system 208 may also enforce various rules on modifications or selections for a broadcast. For example, while it may be desirable to quickly switch to other streams, or change which streams are featured, in order to not miss important events, constant and rapid modifications of the broadcast can be distracting for a viewer, and can make it difficult for a viewer to follow or contextualize what is being broadcast. It might be the case that a quick cutover may be permitted at any time for events of high importance, but for lower importance events the events may transition less quickly, or may not transition at all, in order to attempt to maintain a minimum switch time, or a minimum period of time in which a stream is displayed or featured before another stream is displayed or featured instead. In some instances, a broadcast control system 208 (or observer system 212, etc.) may determine not to switch to a lower importance stream if a higher priority event is predicted to occur at a subsequent (imminent) point in the future, which would then involve two switches in rapid succession rather than a single switch that may miss the lower importance event, but will ensure the higher priority stream is selected or featured without a rapid series of content changes. Further, if a given stream has had a stream of important events in a session, such as for a player who is dominating the game, then the broadcast control system 208 might determine to at least display that stream even if there are other streams that, at various points in time, might have a higher importance score. In some embodiments, an observer override parameter may be set such that streams for such players, such as all-stars, celebrities, or guest stars, or otherwise streams corresponding to people or sources of emphasis or high interest are always given higher priority or always at least displayed.
A stream priority decision maker 206 or broadcast control system 208 can also have a mechanism for conflict resolution. For example, there may be a limit (e.g., four) as to the number of live player streams that can be concurrently displayed in a given broadcast due to factors such as content type and supported display size or resolution. It might be the case, however, that there may be more (e.g., five or six) live player streams that have similar importance values over an upcoming period of time. Similarly, there may be multiple live player views that are predicted to include views of the same predicted event, such as views of a massive explosion. A number of players may also work together to cause a specific event to occur, which would then be represented with potentially equal probability over the same time period for all those players. A conflict resolution algorithm can consider various factors to attempt which streams to select, feature, or highlight in such situations. For example, one approach would be to select the stream that has been selected less frequently, or has gone the longest period of time since last being featured. Another approach would be to assign a higher importance weighting to a player with a higher rank, or a player who is performing better in the current session. If streams include different views of the same event, then a decision may be made to attempt to select the stream that will provide the best view of the event. In some instances, a switch may not be made if one of those streams is already selected or featured, unless the current stream has been selected or featured for a long time and a rule is in place to attempt to provide a diversity of stream selections over time. If there are multiple streams shown concurrently, then a determination can be made as to which stream to replace, which may be based upon current importance values but may also be determined based upon any of these or other such factors, such as display time or time since last event of interest. Various other options can be utilized as well within the scope of the various embodiments.
In some embodiments, streams can be selected based at least in part upon importance ranking, regardless of the actual importance score. In other embodiments, there may be a minimum importance score required in order for importance to be used for selection or arrangement. If none of the streams, or fewer streams than are able to be displayed concurrently, at least meet this minimum importance score, then other criteria can be used for selection, as discussed elsewhere herein. This might be the case, for example, at the beginning of a level where no events of interest may happen for an initial period of time. Accordingly, there may be some default rules or logic used to determine which content to present, and how to present that content. This may involve, for example, periodically rotating between the available feeds or streams.
In some instances, a broadcast control system 208 or observer console 212 may have the ability to modify a number of streams or feeds to be presented in a broadcast. This may be based upon any of a number of different factors, such as a number of active players, a relative importance of predicted events, locations within a game map, and so on. For example, if a player is eliminated then the number of displayed streams may be reduced by one. If, on the other hand, one player is doing substantially better in the game than two others, then the number of streams displayed for these other players may be reduced by one (or two), in order to provide a larger view for the stream of the high-performing player. In other embodiments, the number of streams presented may stay the same, but the size or resolution of certain streams may be reduced in order to increase a size or resolution of the stream for the high-performing player. A highlight, border, or other content may also be added to draw attention to the stream for the high-performing player.
In some embodiments, a viewer may also have an ability to specify which events, or types of events, are of most interest to them. For example, some viewers may wish to see as many player elimination events as possible, while others may be more interested in the adventure aspects and may wish to see as many level-based accomplishments as possible. In some embodiments, this information may be used by an observer 212 or broadcast control system 208 in order to determine which content to include, or how to display that content, in a given broadcast, or may be stored on a receiving client device that can determine how to display the received content based on those rules or preferences, such as where content for multiple streams are sent by the broadcast control system and the selection or arrangement of this content on a client device can be determined, or at least modified, on the client device. A viewer may also be able to provide other preference information, such as preference for specific players, types of views, switching frequency, and the like. A viewer may also be able to modify the placement and size of different stream display regions or panels in a presentation interface. In some embodiments, lower priority streams may be sent to the client device as well, such that a user of the client device can cause these streams to be displayed if interested, but those lower priority streams might be sent at a lower resolution or bandwidth in order to conserve resources (and allow for successful transmission over even poor network connections) needed for content that is less likely to be displayed, or less likely to be prominently displayed at high resolution and full view.
In some embodiments, an observer 212 or broadcast control system 208 can also have control over which audio stream is included in this broadcast. It may not provide a good viewer experience to switch the audio stream each time the video stream is switched, as the audio channel can help to provide context for what is being displayed. In some embodiments where there is a commentator feed, that commentator feed may always be presented, either by itself or blended with audio from one or more player or game feeds. For example, the audio for a featured stream may be blended with the commentator track in order for the viewer to get the full experience for important events in the featured stream. In some embodiments, audio for each displayed video stream may be blended, although potentially at lower volumes for less important streams, such that a viewer can be better aware of the occurrences of events in non-featured streams based, at least in part, upon being able to hear the sounds for those events. In some embodiments, a blended audio stream may be provided that can include sounds that may not correspond to events that are displayed in a selected stream, such that a viewer might hear a sound for an event that is not displayed but can gain better context for what else might be happening in that game session.
As mentioned, various approaches can utilize such a system to attempt to optimize broadcast streams for better visualization of events or occurrences represented in multiple input media streams. In at least one embodiment, an analyzer 204 can include a complex processing algorithm which will work on stream data, as well as supporting gamer action data. The analyzer can then output a set of stream priority parameters that can be used to define the importance of a given stream based on the various analyzer inputs. Streams with higher importance values may then be allocated a larger display area for better visibility, or may be highlighted with a bright or flashing frame, among other such options. As mentioned, observer override parameters can be used for various purposes, such as to enable a specific stream to remain unaffected, or at least minimally affected in only certain ways, by the event probability input. This may involve setting a flag or value indicating whether a stream may be modified, or may include data specifying a way or extent in which a stream can be modified. This may include, for example, one or more complex parameters, such as rendering details, for a stream to be displayed, which may then be weighed with the priority parameters.
In at least one embodiment, various video streams or other media representative of a game session can be analyzed. This can include, for example, one or more audio and video streams of a game session, or audio and/or video data captured and stored for a game session, among other such options. The media can be analyzed to detect, identify, or predict specific occurrences or events in the game. This can include any event or occurrence that is determinable in a game, such as may relate to the appearance or disappearance of an object or character, the death or revival of a character, a use of an item, an activation of a switch, a collection of an item, an achievement, and the like. In some embodiments, media data can be analyzed to attempt to determine or predict these occurrences by detecting related actions or occurrences in the audio, video, text, or other such game content.
In many instances, it might take a significant amount of training data in order to train a model, or effort to program an algorithm, to detect or predict the various events through the ways in which those events can be represented. For example, an elimination of an adversary in a shooter game can happen in many different ways, from many different angles, to many different characters, and without access to the game code it can be a significant challenge to attempt to train a model, or program an algorithm, or use computer vision, to attempt to detect or predict all these event generations.
For various types of events, however, there can be specific types of actions or occurrences in the game that may be detected without the need for complex model training or algorithm programming. As an example, a heads-up display (HUD) in a game feed can indicate a number of remaining targets for each player. Each time a player successfully and/or completely hits a target, the HUD is updated to reflect this event. Similarly, each time a player takes significant damage from an opponent the health meter or shield meter displayed in a status message on the screen will decrease, and obtaining a power up, shield, or armor can also cause these numbers to increase. Another status message might display an amount of ammo for a current weapon. Each time a player obtains a new weapon, the ammo (or power, paint, etc.) icon can change accordingly. For each of these status messages or displays, they can occur in approximately the same location with very similar appearances, and can change in very well defined ways. Accordingly, at least certain types of events can be determined or predicted by monitoring changes in these and other types of information, icons, or presentations of content that are related to, but distinct from, the actual gameplay involving the avatars, objects, and player characters in the game.
A subsequent display at a later time in that game session might indicate that, in just a matter of a few seconds, the player hit two additional targets. This might be reflected by two changes of icons in the HUD. Another status display illustrates that there was a corresponding reduction in a specific type of ammunition corresponding to the shots that hit the targets. By detecting these very specific changes, a determination can be made that an event occurred, or series of events occurred, that resulted in the player hitting two of the targets. The detection of this event can then be used for a number of different purposes, as discussed in more detail later herein. There may also have been audio sounds generated that correspond to a target being hit by a player, etc. This information can be used to determine that a player is on a hot streak, such that there is a higher likelihood of similar events in the near future such that this stream should be features. In other instances, if this indicates that most other characters in this stream have been terminated and there are few left, then it may be preferable to feature another stream that has a higher probability of character eliminations over a near time in the future.
Since such an approach is looking for specific types of occurrences in a game, or other media content, a set of detectors can be used to detect occurrences that may correspond to potential events of interest. In at least one embodiment, video content can be analyzed (although audio, sideband game data, and other content may be analyzed as well in at least some embodiments). The detectors used for such video can include detectors that attempt to detect or recognize specific patterns, icons, text, or images, among other such options. Further, since the icons, text, or other content will typically be in specific locations in the game display, these detectors can run on the corresponding regions or portions of the display, which can conserve significant resources versus running multiple detectors on entire images, particularly for high resolution displays. For example, sections or regions of a display that are considered for detection may include at least some amount of padding around the expected location of the content to be detected. In at least some embodiments it is desirable to not include more pixels than necessary in order to reduce resource requirements and improve speed of detection. In at least some embodiments, however, it is desirable to have a sufficient amount of padding (e.g., a “spatial buffer” in one or more directions from the expected location of the content to be detected), or consider an appropriate number of extra pixels, to allow for slight variations. Variations can occur due to factors such as rendered shaking of the screen content, changes in resolution or user settings, objects appearing or disappearing from view, and the like. In some embodiments the content may also move over time, or change in appearance. Thus, in at least some embodiments the amount of padding to use, as well as the number of regions to analyze, may be game-specific.
The example display 420 of
As mentioned, however, various embodiments can analyze or detect additional types of information as well in an attempt to more accurately predict potential events of interest. As an example, the display 440 of
In this example, the event prediction module 482 may receive all video frames on a stream for a game session, or may receive a sampling of frames, such as one frame per 100 ms or every tenth frame. In some embodiments the module may receive all frames but only analyze such a sampling. The frames (or other content) to be analyzed can be directed to a pre-processing module 468, which can perform or manage pre-processing of individual frames using one or more pre-processing algorithms. In this example, a repository 470 can store a set of pre-processing algorithms, and the pre-processing module 468 can select the appropriate algorithm(s) for the content. In some embodiments, the algorithms to be applied may be based at least in part upon a type of content to be analyzed, or a result of a prior pre-processing step. In this example, a game-specific configuration file 473 can be consulted that can indicate the types of pre-processing to be performed for a certain game. Various other determination approaches can be used as well within the scope of the various embodiments.
In at least one embodiment, dependent region processing can be performed for one or more video frames. When performing dependent region processing, detection of one object or occurrence can trigger additional processing to be performed for one or more other regions of a frame. For example, an icon may be detected to appear in a first region of a video frame. The appearance of this icon can be indicative of the presence of additional information elsewhere in the video frame, or a future video frame. One or more corresponding regions of the frame could then be analyzed using one or more detectors associated with that type of additional information. In at least one embodiment, detection of such an object or occurrence may trigger a sequence or series of detectors to attempt to obtain additional information about a state of the game, whether represented in audio, video, user input, or other such data. It might be the case that one or more of these additional detectors were not enabled when the icon was detected, but are instead activated or triggered upon such detection. In some embodiments, combinations of events, actions, inputs, or occurrences may be analyzed to attempt to determine or predict a particular outcome. For example, an icon might appear on a screen indicating a particular action occurred, but this might be accompanied by another action or display indicating information about the party or player that caused that action or was affected by that action, among other such options.
In this example, individual video frames can have a sequence of pre-processing algorithms applied. This can include, for example, first identifying from the configuration file which region(s) of the image frame to analyze. In this example, the regions are rectangles defined by coordinates or percentages. Percentages can be preferable in some embodiments, as the game may be run at many different possible resolutions and if using discrete coordinates then coordinates either need to be stored for each resolution or a calculation needs to be performed to convert to different coordinates at different resolutions. In one example, a region specification can indicate a region that takes up 10% of the display in width and height, and is at 5% from the top center of the display. These values are highly parameterizable and can be specified for individual games, levels, scenarios, and the like. As mentioned, a given region size can allow for sufficient padding to ensure to capture the intended information or content.
For each region of a frame selected for analysis, one or more pre-processing algorithms can be applied. These algorithms can include, for example, grayscaling, color isolating, converting to HSV (hue, saturation, value) color space, upscaling, downscaling, smoothing, noise removal, filtering, stretching, warping, or perspective correction, among other such options. Various other image or content manipulation techniques are used as well. As a final pre-processing step in this example, some level or type of thresholding may be applied to the pixels of the selected regions in order to provide for at least some level of background removal. As mentioned, in at least some games the content (e.g., text) of interest will be displayed against a background of the game. In order for detection algorithms, such as those that may rely on OCR, to function more accurately, thresholding can be used to remove (or apply a specific value) to background pixels, such that the region once processed appears more like black and white content, particularly for text, which can appear more like the types of content OCR engines were designed to process. Further, aspects such as anti-aliasing and blending can degrade the accuracy of an OCR engine if not sufficiently removed or accounted for in the processing. The thresholding can also help to remove transient background noise where applicable. In this example, the data for the pre-processed regions can then be temporarily stored to a cache 310 or other such location.
A prediction module 474 or engine, which can also take the form of a device, system, service, or process, can then access the region data from cache 472 and process the data using one or more detectors. In this example, the game-specific configuration file 473 can specify the detector(s) to be used, which can also vary by selection or type of region to be analyzed. The game-specific configuration file 473 can also indicate other types of information, such as types of events that may occur, whether those events should be considered events of interest, a relative importance of those types of events, and related information. The detectors can include any of a variety of detector types, as may relate to pattern detection, icon detection, text detection, audio detection, image detection, motion detection, and the like. The prediction module 474 can access the relevant detectors from a detector repository 476 or other such location, if not already stored in local memory. In various embodiments, a region corresponding to an HUD can have at least text and icon detection performed as discussed elsewhere herein. Where additional game data is available, detection can also include user input analysis, such as to detect inputs, or combinations of inputs, to a keyboard, joypad, controller, etc. If the additional data includes sound or webcam video, the detector can also look for patterns in the audio, such as where a user makes a particular explanation indicative of a type of event, or patterns in the video, where the user makes a particular action or motion indicative of a type of event. Other types of data can be analyzed as well, such as biometric data for a player that may indicate actions or responses indicative of certain types of events. As mentioned, the analysis can be done in near real-time using data streams or after a gameplay session using stored data, among other such options. The types of data available may then depend at least in part upon when the data is analyzed.
The predictor module 474, as may include at least one neural network trained to predict events based on provided input, can process data for the selected regions of the frames (or other game content) using the specified detector(s), which can generate one or more predictions, cues, or other such outputs, which can be stored to local cache 478 in this example. The cues can be any appropriate cues indicative of, or mapped to, a type of predicted event. As an example, a game might indicate a number of skull icons that indicate a number of eliminations a player has caused during a current gameplay session. A change in the number of skulls indicates an elimination event. A change in color of a skull or related icon might indicate a character is nearby, or is injured, which may indicate a probability of an elimination event in a near future. A visual cue in that example use case would be the icon itself, such as a third skull appearing at a position it was previously absent from, or an icon changing to have an appearance of a skull. The change in appearance of a skull or icon could then be passed on as a cue that can be used to predict a corresponding event. In at least some embodiments, a cue can be independent of what the cue means, or an event that a given cue indicates. The prediction engine 474 in this example may concern itself only with detecting or determining the cue, and not attempting to predict an event, which may be performed by a subsequent network, as may be part of a cue-to-event translator 480.
It can be desirable to predict one or more events, or types of events, indicated by the determined cue(s). This can be performed in at least some embodiments by a cue-to-event translation module 480, which may include logic, provided through the game-specific script, or a trained neural network to predict, infer, or determine a type of event from at least these determined cues. Once an event type is predicted, in at least some embodiments it may be desirable to provide or communicate information for the predicted event(s), along with information such as a confidence or probability of the event, as well as a future period of time for the predicted event. In this example, a cue-to-event translation module 480 may apply game specific script 484 or logic, and use terminology from a defined dictionary 486, to transform or translate the cues into text that conforms to the provided dictionary, which may then be provided to an observer along with importance, probability, or other such information. Various detectors may provide different types of outputs in different formats, and a cue to event translation module 480 can provide at least some level of standardization so that output can be compared across various detectors. This can be particularly important where multiple detectors may detect cues for the same events, which then need to be correlated as appropriate. These cues may include cues relating to detected text, icons, motions, features, images, sounds, gestures, biometrics, etc. The cue-to-event translation module 480 in at least some embodiments may include one or more trained neural networks, chained or otherwise, that can accept the cues for a specific time or period of gameplay and infer a type of event may occur with a corresponding confidence value. In this example the translated event data can then be written to an event data log 488 or other such location for access. As mentioned, this log can be human-readable, such that a user or developer can read and understand the log data. The log can also store the data in a format that is usable by one or more processes, algorithms, or applications to perform one or more tasks as discussed herein, as may relate to a generation of montages or highlight videos, player skill analysis, player coaching, game adjustment, player matching, and the like. In some embodiments the event data log will include data for all detected or predicted events, while in other embodiments the log might only store data for certain types or numbers of events, or events determined with at least a minimum confidence, among other such options. In at least some embodiments, parameters of the detection, such as a search area, desired cue, and mapping of the changes in state of the cue to event logs, can be configurable via human readable scripts (e.g., JSON—JavaScript Object Notation).
In at least one embodiment, output of a set of detectors (such as five or six detectors for a given game) will be a match or non-match for an action, event, or occurrence, with a corresponding confidence value or level of confidence. These cues or other values can then be fed to a process, such as may utilize game-specific script 484 (e.g., JavaScript) in the translation module 480, that can perform additional heuristics per-frame. These heuristics can help to improve the event prediction. For example, an OCR detector might report a match for detecting specific textual content, but heuristics may be applied to see how and when that textual content changed, and by how much, and over what period of time, to determine whether the text actually corresponds to an event of interest for a particular application. These heuristics can also help to enable a game-agnostic event prediction module to be customized per-game using script and configuration files that descry the pre-processing and detection logic to be used for a game, along with per-game script for performing heuristic analysis on the data coming out of the core prediction module 474, also referred to as an event detection engine in some embodiments.
A developer or other authorized user can provide information about events of interest to be detected. In this example, recorded gameplay data can be analyzed in an offline manner. A user can access an interface of the event manager to pull in frames of the recorded gameplay, which can be processed by a video decoder 490 in order to generate a preview of individual frames through a first user interface 492. The user can then use one or more interactive controls of the interface 496 to specify one or more regions of frames that are indicative of events of interest. In many instances there may be nothing indicative of such an event in a frame, such that the user may advance to the next frame, or a subsequent frame in the video. If the user notices something indicative of an event of interest, the user can use the controls with the display interface to draw or indicate a region of the frame, such as to draw a bounding box around the region including the content of interest. In some embodiments the user should include an amount of padding in the region, while in other embodiments the padding can be added by tool logic 494 of the event manager, among other such options. The user can use the controls to further associate the region with a type of event, as well as a type of content to be detected, such as specific text, image, icon, pattern, etc. Information for these events, including the regions to be analyzed and related information, can then be written to a game-specific configuration file 472 for the game. When content associated with that game is then received to the event prediction module 474, the game-specific configuration file can be accessed to determine the regions to analyze, as well as the pre-processing to be performed and detectors to be used for those regions for this particular game.
As mentioned, in various embodiments the prediction engine or module is game-agnostic, but allows for plug-ins and scripts to enable it to be customized for specific games. This can include, for example, the specification of various triggers and stabilization factors. A native core detection engine will not know the game for which the video corresponds, but will have information about the region to analyze and the pre-processing to be performed, as well as any model to be used for event matching. In at least one embodiment, an engine can trigger a found trigger, using a state machine, when a pattern is located in a frame that was not there in a previous frame. A changed trigger can come when the pattern was there but it has changed, such as where the text changed. There can also be a lost trigger, where the image was there previously but on this frame it is no longer there. In at least one embodiment, these triggers can be controlled by a stability threshold that is configurable and parameterizable. A user can specify that it is expected that an image be detected with at least a minimum confidence over at least a specified period of temporal samples. As an example, the specification might indicate a desire to detect an image or icon in the region with at least 80% confidence over three samples, such as where the sample rate is every 100 ms. As mentioned, specific triggers can be established for certain types of events, either up front or after the fact, when it is desired to generate or filter event data.
The event prediction engine 474 can be part of an overall framework or platform that enables events to be detected, communicated, and acted upon for various purposes, using various types of game data. An advantage to such a framework is that it can enable users to provide plug-ins to add different types of detectors to be used, as well as to define additional types of events to be detected. A user can also select which types of events are of interest for a particular game or application, and the form of the output to be logged, stored, or communicated. A user can also specify a type of output of the pipeline, such as whether event data should be written to a log, stored to a central repository, forwarded directly to a destination for processing, etc.
In some embodiments one or more detectors can correspond to trained machine learning models, such as trained neural networks. These models can be trained for specific games to detect specific actions, objects, motions, or occurrences that correspond to specific types of actions of interest. Other detectors can be used as well as discussed herein, as may relate to character recognition algorithms, optical flow mechanisms, feature recognition, and the like.
It can be desirable in at least some embodiments to do game-specific customization as content can change significantly between games. While an object such as a breed of dog may have a relatively consistent look in actual video, the artistic representation of that breed may vary significantly between games. Objects such as weapons may have a wide variety of appearances that vary across games, and even within games, such that at least some level of game-specific training or event definitions can be utilized for improved performance. Approaches that utilize HUDs or other types of information displays that are relatively consistent, in both appearance and position, can also help improve accuracy and decrease customization, rather than attempting to identify actions based on objects that may vary greatly in appearance throughout the course of a game session. Further, player customizations may be applied that can further change the appearance and functionality of the game, but any changes to a HUD will likely be consistent throughout a game session.
In at least one embodiment, computer vision and machine learning-based techniques can be used to process game content to predict events. In at least one embodiment, game content can be analyzed to recognize specific types of features in a scene, as may include scenes in which gameplay occurs, objects recognized in a game session that relate to gameplay, and actions performed by a player (or avatar or player controlled gameplay element) during one or more game sessions. In at least one embodiment, one or more gameplay segments can be analyzed for a game scene, and a trained neural network model can generate a set of keywords representative of features determined for that game scene. In at least one embodiment, these keywords can be aggregated and passed to a prediction engine.
In at least one embodiment, at least one neural network will be trained per game. In at least one embodiment, a set of neural networks will be trained per game, with different networks being trained to recognize different types of features, such as scenes, actions, or objects. In at least one embodiment, a network can be trained that can be used for inferencing across a variety of games, or at least across games of a specific type or category with at least somewhat similar gameplay. In at least one embodiment, a first model might be trained to recognize features of a type of game like a first person shooter, while another model might be trained to recognize features of a type of game like a platformer or third person adventure game, as there would be different types of features to detect. In at least one embodiment, types of features to detect can vary by game or type of game. In at least one embodiment, training data for these models can include video streams including annotations for features of types to be recognized for that game or type of game. In at least one embodiment, these annotations are performed manually or with modeling assistance. In at least one embodiment, a model can be configured to output one or more detected feature keywords with corresponding confidence values, and keywords with higher confidence values, or values that at least satisfy a minimum confidence criterion, can be utilized for updating a player profile or generating recommendations.
Such a system can be utilized to determine how to present content for a wide variety of applications. For example, as discussed herein such a system can be used advantageously for broadcasts of competitive session, such as for esports or online gaming broadcasts. Such an application may still utilize one or more observers, to keep track of these input channels, feeds, or streams, as well as to pay attention to what is occurring in the actual session. Instead of a large team of observers employing her or her logic in order to showcase one or more streams with action to the viewers, which would mostly happen after the event has already occurred, a highlighter system can be utilized as described herein that can notify one or more observers as to which streams may include action or events in the near future, whereby the observer can allow these streams to automatically be featured or presented, for example, or can use this information to make more predictive decisions about which content to feature or present in a broadcast. In at least some embodiments, these streams can be prominently highlighted in order to draw attention. An observer may start highlighting these special streams with larger resolution or with special overlays, more prominent positioning, and so on. Other streams selected for presentation may be rendered less prominently, with smaller resolutions, and/or without featuring or highlighting content. As mentioned, such a system may deploy a component or module, such as a rendering assets generator, which can modify the individual stream configuration (e.g., resolution, position, overlays, spotlight around the stream, etc.) for systems without observers, or as suggestions that can be accepted or rejected by an observer. In some embodiments, an esports broadcast may then provide multiple game stream views at the same time on a viewer screen, as well as a spotlight on a highly action-oriented stream, as well as potentially commentary, leaderboard, and mini-map information.
In some embodiments, if a broadcast includes multiple streams to be presented for one or more viewers, then the “important” stream(s) can be identified with, for example, a special effect around the stream display panel, such as a colored or flashing border, or a blinking stream. Such additional content can help a viewer or viewing application to focus on a specific stream.
If such a system is utilized for a streaming server with multiple streams, aspects such as the bitrate and resolution can be allocated based on a relative importance of those streams. In some embodiments, larger chunks of bitrate bandwidth can be allocated to spotlight streams, for example, in order to create high quality streaming for those important streams or content presentations. Other streams or content may then be encoded with lower quality, resolution, or bitrate. Using the priority for a stream can also enable a broadcast system to optimize the performance for streaming. This can involve content that may be included in a replay or highlight state or session. Content that is presented for important events on a client device, for example, can be cached locally on that client device, or an edge server, etc., such that if that content is to be presented again then the content does not need to be rebroadcast or transmitted from the broadcast system, but can be pulled from that local cache. Such an approach can reduce latency for such playback, and can reduce an overall amount of data to be transmitted.
Another potentially important aspect of a streaming and spotlight system can involve the audio manipulation of the broadcast streams. In at least some embodiments, there can be various approaches used to select, feature, or enhance the audio of a spotlighted stream. This can involve, for example, adjusting the other audio streams to relatively low volume levels for multiplexing. Another approach would be to mute other streams temporarily, and only add audio of the spotlighted stream along with the commentary, as discussed elsewhere herein.
As discussed, various approaches presented herein are lightweight enough to execute on a client device, such as a personal computer or gaming console, in real time. Such processing can be performed on content that is generated on that client device or received from an external source, such as streaming content received over at least one network. The source can be any appropriate source, such as a game host, streaming media provider, third party content provider, or other client device, among other such options. In some instances, the processing and/or rendering of this content may be performed by one of these other devices, systems, or entities, then provided to the client device (or another such recipient) for presentation or another such use.
As an example,
In this example, these client devices can include any appropriate computing devices, as may include a desktop computer, notebook computer, set-top box, streaming device, gaming console, smartphone, tablet computer, VR headset, AR goggles, wearable computer, or a smart television. Each client device can submit a request across at least one wired or wireless network, as may include the Internet, an Ethernet, a local area network (LAN), or a cellular network, among other such options. In this example, these requests can be submitted to an address associated with a cloud provider, who may operate or control one or more electronic resources in a cloud provider environment, such as may include a data center or server farm. In at least one embodiment, the request may be received or processed by at least one edge server, that sits on a network edge and is outside at least one security layer associated with the cloud provider environment. In this way, latency can be reduced by enabling the client devices to interact with servers that are in closer proximity, while also improving security of resources in the cloud provider environment.
In at least one embodiment, such a system can be used for performing graphical rendering operations. In other embodiments, such a system can be used for other purposes, such as for providing image or video content to test or validate autonomous machine applications, or for performing deep learning operations. In at least one embodiment, such a system can be implemented using an edge device, or may incorporate one or more Virtual Machines (VMs). In at least one embodiment, such a system can be implemented at least partially in a data center or at least partially using cloud computing resources.
In at least one embodiment, inference and/or training logic 715 may include, without limitation, code and/or data storage 701 to store forward and/or output weight and/or input/output data, and/or other parameters to configure neurons or layers of a neural network trained and/or used for inferencing in aspects of one or more embodiments. In at least one embodiment, training logic 715 may include, or be coupled to code and/or data storage 701 to store graph code or other software to control timing and/or order, in which weight and/or other parameter information is to be loaded to configure, logic, including integer and/or floating point units (collectively, arithmetic logic units (ALUs). In at least one embodiment, code, such as graph code, loads weight or other parameter information into processor ALUs based on an architecture of a neural network to which the code corresponds. In at least one embodiment, code and/or data storage 701 stores weight parameters and/or input/output data of each layer of a neural network trained or used in conjunction with one or more embodiments during forward propagation of input/output data and/or weight parameters during training and/or inferencing using aspects of one or more embodiments. In at least one embodiment, any portion of code and/or data storage 701 may be included with other on-chip or off-chip data storage, including a processor's L1, L2, or L3 cache or system memory.
In at least one embodiment, any portion of code and/or data storage 701 may be internal or external to one or more processors or other hardware logic devices or circuits. In at least one embodiment, code and/or code and/or data storage 701 may be cache memory, dynamic randomly addressable memory (“DRAM”), static randomly addressable memory (“SRAM”), non-volatile memory (e.g., Flash memory), or other storage. In at least one embodiment, choice of whether code and/or code and/or data storage 701 is internal or external to a processor, for example, or comprised of DRAM, SRAM, Flash or some other storage type may depend on available storage on-chip versus off-chip, latency requirements of training and/or inferencing functions being performed, batch size of data used in inferencing and/or training of a neural network, or some combination of these factors.
In at least one embodiment, inference and/or training logic 715 may include, without limitation, a code and/or data storage 705 to store backward and/or output weight and/or input/output data corresponding to neurons or layers of a neural network trained and/or used for inferencing in aspects of one or more embodiments. In at least one embodiment, code and/or data storage 705 stores weight parameters and/or input/output data of each layer of a neural network trained or used in conjunction with one or more embodiments during backward propagation of input/output data and/or weight parameters during training and/or inferencing using aspects of one or more embodiments. In at least one embodiment, training logic 715 may include, or be coupled to code and/or data storage 705 to store graph code or other software to control timing and/or order, in which weight and/or other parameter information is to be loaded to configure, logic, including integer and/or floating point units (collectively, arithmetic logic units (ALUs). In at least one embodiment, code, such as graph code, loads weight or other parameter information into processor ALUs based on an architecture of a neural network to which the code corresponds. In at least one embodiment, any portion of code and/or data storage 705 may be included with other on-chip or off-chip data storage, including a processor's L1, L2, or L3 cache or system memory. In at least one embodiment, any portion of code and/or data storage 705 may be internal or external to on one or more processors or other hardware logic devices or circuits. In at least one embodiment, code and/or data storage 705 may be cache memory, DRAM, SRAM, non-volatile memory (e.g., Flash memory), or other storage. In at least one embodiment, choice of whether code and/or data storage 705 is internal or external to a processor, for example, or comprised of DRAM, SRAM, Flash or some other storage type may depend on available storage on-chip versus off-chip, latency requirements of training and/or inferencing functions being performed, batch size of data used in inferencing and/or training of a neural network, or some combination of these factors.
In at least one embodiment, code and/or data storage 701 and code and/or data storage 705 may be separate storage structures. In at least one embodiment, code and/or data storage 701 and code and/or data storage 705 may be same storage structure. In at least one embodiment, code and/or data storage 701 and code and/or data storage 705 may be partially same storage structure and partially separate storage structures. In at least one embodiment, any portion of code and/or data storage 701 and code and/or data storage 705 may be included with other on-chip or off-chip data storage, including a processor's L1, L2, or L3 cache or system memory.
In at least one embodiment, inference and/or training logic 715 may include, without limitation, one or more arithmetic logic unit(s) (“ALU(s)”) 710, including integer and/or floating point units, to perform logical and/or mathematical operations based, at least in part on, or indicated by, training and/or inference code (e.g., graph code), a result of which may produce activations (e.g., output values from layers or neurons within a neural network) stored in an activation storage 720 that are functions of input/output and/or weight parameter data stored in code and/or data storage 701 and/or code and/or data storage 705. In at least one embodiment, activations stored in activation storage 720 are generated according to linear algebraic and or matrix-based mathematics performed by ALU(s) 710 in response to performing instructions or other code, wherein weight values stored in code and/or data storage 705 and/or code and/or data storage 701 are used as operands along with other values, such as bias values, gradient information, momentum values, or other parameters or hyperparameters, any or all of which may be stored in code and/or data storage 705 or code and/or data storage 701 or another storage on or off-chip.
In at least one embodiment, ALU(s) 710 are included within one or more processors or other hardware logic devices or circuits, whereas in another embodiment, ALU(s) 710 may be external to a processor or other hardware logic device or circuit that uses them (e.g., a co-processor). In at least one embodiment, ALUs 710 may be included within a processor's execution units or otherwise within a bank of ALUs accessible by a processor's execution units either within same processor or distributed between different processors of different types (e.g., central processing units, graphics processing units, fixed function units, etc.). In at least one embodiment, code and/or data storage 701, code and/or data storage 705, and activation storage 720 may be on same processor or other hardware logic device or circuit, whereas in another embodiment, they may be in different processors or other hardware logic devices or circuits, or some combination of same and different processors or other hardware logic devices or circuits. In at least one embodiment, any portion of activation storage 720 may be included with other on-chip or off-chip data storage, including a processor's L1, L2, or L3 cache or system memory. Furthermore, inferencing and/or training code may be stored with other code accessible to a processor or other hardware logic or circuit and fetched and/or processed using a processor's fetch, decode, scheduling, execution, retirement and/or other logical circuits.
In at least one embodiment, activation storage 720 may be cache memory, DRAM, SRAM, non-volatile memory (e.g., Flash memory), or other storage. In at least one embodiment, activation storage 720 may be completely or partially within or external to one or more processors or other logical circuits. In at least one embodiment, choice of whether activation storage 720 is internal or external to a processor, for example, or comprised of DRAM, SRAM, Flash or some other storage type may depend on available storage on-chip versus off-chip, latency requirements of training and/or inferencing functions being performed, batch size of data used in inferencing and/or training of a neural network, or some combination of these factors. In at least one embodiment, inference and/or training logic 715 illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, each of code and/or data storage 701 and 705 and corresponding computational hardware 702 and 706, respectively, correspond to different layers of a neural network, such that resulting activation from one “storage/computational pair 701/702” of code and/or data storage 701 and computational hardware 702 is provided as an input to “storage/computational pair 705/706” of code and/or data storage 705 and computational hardware 706, in order to mirror conceptual organization of a neural network. In at least one embodiment, each of storage/computational pairs 701/702 and 705/706 may correspond to more than one neural network layer. In at least one embodiment, additional storage/computation pairs (not shown) subsequent to or in parallel with storage computation pairs 701/702 and 705/706 may be included in inference and/or training logic 715.
In at least one embodiment, as shown in
In at least one embodiment, grouped computing resources 814 may include separate groupings of node C.R.s housed within one or more racks (not shown), or many racks housed in data centers at various geographical locations (also not shown). Separate groupings of node C.R.s within grouped computing resources 814 may include grouped compute, network, memory or storage resources that may be configured or allocated to support one or more workloads. In at least one embodiment, several node C.R.s including CPUs or processors may grouped within one or more racks to provide compute resources to support one or more workloads. In at least one embodiment, one or more racks may also include any number of power modules, cooling modules, and network switches, in any combination.
In at least one embodiment, resource orchestrator 812 may configure or otherwise control one or more node C.R.s 816(1)-816(N) and/or grouped computing resources 814. In at least one embodiment, resource orchestrator 812 may include a software design infrastructure (“SDI”) management entity for data center 800. In at least one embodiment, resource orchestrator may include hardware, software or some combination thereof.
In at least one embodiment, as shown in
In at least one embodiment, software 832 included in software layer 830 may include software used by at least portions of node C.R.s 816(1)-816(N), grouped computing resources 814, and/or distributed file system 828 of framework layer 820. The one or more types of software may include, but are not limited to, Internet web page search software, e-mail virus scan software, database software, and streaming video content software.
In at least one embodiment, application(s) 842 included in application layer 840 may include one or more types of applications used by at least portions of node C.R.s 816(1)-816(N), grouped computing resources 814, and/or distributed file system 828 of framework layer 820. One or more types of applications may include, but are not limited to, any number of a genomics application, a cognitive compute, and a machine learning application, including training or inferencing software, machine learning framework software (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Caffe, etc.) or other machine learning applications used in conjunction with one or more embodiments.
In at least one embodiment, any of configuration manager 824, resource manager 826, and resource orchestrator 812 may implement any number and type of self-modifying actions based on any amount and type of data acquired in any technically feasible fashion. In at least one embodiment, self-modifying actions may relieve a data center operator of data center 800 from making possibly bad configuration decisions and possibly avoiding underutilized and/or poor performing portions of a data center.
In at least one embodiment, data center 800 may include tools, services, software or other resources to train one or more machine learning models or predict or infer information using one or more machine learning models according to one or more embodiments described herein. For example, in at least one embodiment, a machine learning model may be trained by calculating weight parameters according to a neural network architecture using software and computing resources described above with respect to data center 800. In at least one embodiment, trained machine learning models corresponding to one or more neural networks may be used to infer or predict information using resources described above with respect to data center 800 by using weight parameters calculated through one or more training techniques described herein.
In at least one embodiment, data center may use CPUs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), GPUs, FPGAs, or other hardware to perform training and/or inferencing using above-described resources. Moreover, one or more software and/or hardware resources described above may be configured as a service to allow users to train or performing inferencing of information, such as image recognition, speech recognition, or other artificial intelligence services.
Inference and/or training logic 715 are used to perform inferencing and/or training operations associated with one or more embodiments. Details regarding inference and/or training logic 715 are provided below in conjunction with
Such components can be used to render images using ray tracing-based importance sampling, which can be accelerated through hardware.
Embodiments may be used in other devices such as handheld devices and embedded applications. Some examples of handheld devices include cellular phones, Internet Protocol devices, digital cameras, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), and handheld PCs. In at least one embodiment, embedded applications may include a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (“DSP”), system on a chip, network computers (“NetPCs”), set-top boxes, network hubs, wide area network (“WAN”) switches, or any other system that may perform one or more instructions in accordance with at least one embodiment.
In at least one embodiment, computer system 900 may include, without limitation, processor 902 that may include, without limitation, one or more execution units 908 to perform machine learning model training and/or inferencing according to techniques described herein. In at least one embodiment, computer system 900 is a single processor desktop or server system, but in another embodiment computer system 900 may be a multiprocessor system. In at least one embodiment, processor 902 may include, without limitation, a complex instruction set computer (“CISC”) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (“RISC”) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (“VLIW”) microprocessor, a processor implementing a combination of instruction sets, or any other processor device, such as a digital signal processor, for example. In at least one embodiment, processor 902 may be coupled to a processor bus 910 that may transmit data signals between processor 902 and other components in computer system 900.
In at least one embodiment, processor 902 may include, without limitation, a Level 1 (“L1”) internal cache memory (“cache”) 904. In at least one embodiment, processor 902 may have a single internal cache or multiple levels of internal cache. In at least one embodiment, cache memory may reside external to processor 902. Other embodiments may also include a combination of both internal and external caches depending on particular implementation and needs. In at least one embodiment, register file 906 may store different types of data in various registers including, without limitation, integer registers, floating point registers, status registers, and instruction pointer register.
In at least one embodiment, execution unit 908, including, without limitation, logic to perform integer and floating point operations, also resides in processor 902. In at least one embodiment, processor 902 may also include a microcode (“ucode”) read only memory (“ROM”) that stores microcode for certain macro instructions. In at least one embodiment, execution unit 908 may include logic to handle a packed instruction set 909. In at least one embodiment, by including packed instruction set 909 in an instruction set of a general-purpose processor 902, along with associated circuitry to execute instructions, operations used by many multimedia applications may be performed using packed data in a general-purpose processor 902. In one or more embodiments, many multimedia applications may be accelerated and executed more efficiently by using full width of a processor's data bus for performing operations on packed data, which may eliminate need to transfer smaller units of data across processor's data bus to perform one or more operations one data element at a time.
In at least one embodiment, execution unit 908 may also be used in microcontrollers, embedded processors, graphics devices, DSPs, and other types of logic circuits. In at least one embodiment, computer system 900 may include, without limitation, a memory 920. In at least one embodiment, memory 920 may be implemented as a Dynamic Random Access Memory (“DRAM”) device, a Static Random Access Memory (“SRAM”) device, flash memory device, or other memory device. In at least one embodiment, memory 920 may store instruction(s) 919 and/or data 921 represented by data signals that may be executed by processor 902.
In at least one embodiment, system logic chip may be coupled to processor bus 910 and memory 920. In at least one embodiment, system logic chip may include, without limitation, a memory controller hub (“MCH”) 916, and processor 902 may communicate with MCH 916 via processor bus 910. In at least one embodiment, MCH 916 may provide a high bandwidth memory path 918 to memory 920 for instruction and data storage and for storage of graphics commands, data and textures. In at least one embodiment, MCH 916 may direct data signals between processor 902, memory 920, and other components in computer system 900 and to bridge data signals between processor bus 910, memory 920, and a system I/O 922. In at least one embodiment, system logic chip may provide a graphics port for coupling to a graphics controller. In at least one embodiment, MCH 916 may be coupled to memory 920 through a high bandwidth memory path 918 and graphics/video card 912 may be coupled to MCH 916 through an Accelerated Graphics Port (“AGP”) interconnect 914.
In at least one embodiment, computer system 900 may use system I/O 922 that is a proprietary hub interface bus to couple MCH 916 to I/O controller hub (“ICH”) 930. In at least one embodiment, ICH 930 may provide direct connections to some I/O devices via a local I/O bus. In at least one embodiment, local I/O bus may include, without limitation, a high-speed I/O bus for connecting peripherals to memory 920, chipset, and processor 902. Examples may include, without limitation, an audio controller 929, a firmware hub (“flash BIOS”) 928, a wireless transceiver 926, a data storage 924, a legacy I/O controller 923 containing user input and keyboard interfaces 925, a serial expansion port 927, such as Universal Serial Bus (“USB”), and a network controller 934. Data storage 924 may comprise a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM device, a flash memory device, or other mass storage device.
In at least one embodiment,
Inference and/or training logic 715 are used to perform inferencing and/or training operations associated with one or more embodiments. Details regarding inference and/or training logic 715 are provided below in conjunction with
Such components can be used to render images using ray tracing-based importance sampling, which can be accelerated through hardware.
In at least one embodiment, system 1000 may include, without limitation, processor 1010 communicatively coupled to any suitable number or kind of components, peripherals, modules, or devices. In at least one embodiment, processor 1010 coupled using a bus or interface, such as a 1° C. bus, a System Management Bus (“SMBus”), a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, a Serial Peripheral Interface (“SPI”), a High Definition Audio (“HDA”) bus, a Serial Advance Technology Attachment (“SATA”) bus, a Universal Serial Bus (“USB”) (versions 1, 2, 3), or a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (“UART”) bus. In at least one embodiment,
In at least one embodiment,
In at least one embodiment, other components may be communicatively coupled to processor 1010 through components discussed above. In at least one embodiment, an accelerometer 1041, Ambient Light Sensor (“ALS”) 1042, compass 1043, and a gyroscope 1044 may be communicatively coupled to sensor hub 1040. In at least one embodiment, thermal sensor 1039, a fan 1037, a keyboard 1046, and a touch pad 1030 may be communicatively coupled to EC 1035. In at least one embodiment, speaker 1063, headphones 1064, and microphone (“mic”) 1065 may be communicatively coupled to an audio unit (“audio codec and class d amp”) 1062, which may in turn be communicatively coupled to DSP 1060. In at least one embodiment, audio unit 1064 may include, for example and without limitation, an audio coder/decoder (“codec”) and a class D amplifier. In at least one embodiment, SIM card (“SIM”) 1057 may be communicatively coupled to WWAN unit 1056. In at least one embodiment, components such as WLAN unit 1050 and Bluetooth unit 1052, as well as WWAN unit 1056 may be implemented in a Next Generation Form Factor (“NGFF”).
Inference and/or training logic 715 are used to perform inferencing and/or training operations associated with one or more embodiments. Details regarding inference and/or training logic 715 are provided below in conjunction with
Such components can be used to render images using ray tracing-based importance sampling, which can be accelerated through hardware.
In at least one embodiment, system 1100 can include, or be incorporated within a server-based gaming platform, a game console, including a game and media console, a mobile gaming console, a handheld game console, or an online game console. In at least one embodiment, system 1100 is a mobile phone, smart phone, tablet computing device or mobile Internet device. In at least one embodiment, processing system 1100 can also include, couple with, or be integrated within a wearable device, such as a smart watch wearable device, smart eyewear device, augmented reality device, or virtual reality device. In at least one embodiment, processing system 1100 is a television or set top box device having one or more processors 1102 and a graphical interface generated by one or more graphics processors 1108.
In at least one embodiment, one or more processors 1102 each include one or more processor cores 1107 to process instructions which, when executed, perform operations for system and user software. In at least one embodiment, each of one or more processor cores 1107 is configured to process a specific instruction set 1109. In at least one embodiment, instruction set 1109 may facilitate Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC), Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC), or computing via a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW). In at least one embodiment, processor cores 1107 may each process a different instruction set 1109, which may include instructions to facilitate emulation of other instruction sets. In at least one embodiment, processor core 1107 may also include other processing devices, such a Digital Signal Processor (DSP).
In at least one embodiment, processor 1102 includes cache memory 1104. In at least one embodiment, processor 1102 can have a single internal cache or multiple levels of internal cache. In at least one embodiment, cache memory is shared among various components of processor 1102. In at least one embodiment, processor 1102 also uses an external cache (e.g., a Level-3 (L3) cache or Last Level Cache (LLC)) (not shown), which may be shared among processor cores 1107 using known cache coherency techniques. In at least one embodiment, register file 1106 is additionally included in processor 1102 which may include different types of registers for storing different types of data (e.g., integer registers, floating point registers, status registers, and an instruction pointer register). In at least one embodiment, register file 1106 may include general-purpose registers or other registers.
In at least one embodiment, one or more processor(s) 1102 are coupled with one or more interface bus(es) 1110 to transmit communication signals such as address, data, or control signals between processor 1102 and other components in system 1100. In at least one embodiment, interface bus 1110, in one embodiment, can be a processor bus, such as a version of a Direct Media Interface (DMI) bus. In at least one embodiment, interface 1110 is not limited to a DMI bus, and may include one or more Peripheral Component Interconnect buses (e.g., PCI, PCI Express), memory busses, or other types of interface busses. In at least one embodiment processor(s) 1102 include an integrated memory controller 1116 and a platform controller hub 1130. In at least one embodiment, memory controller 1116 facilitates communication between a memory device and other components of system 1100, while platform controller hub (PCH) 1130 provides connections to I/O devices via a local I/O bus.
In at least one embodiment, memory device 1120 can be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, a static random access memory (SRAM) device, flash memory device, phase-change memory device, or some other memory device having suitable performance to serve as process memory. In at least one embodiment memory device 1120 can operate as system memory for system 1100, to store data 1122 and instructions 1121 for use when one or more processors 1102 executes an application or process. In at least one embodiment, memory controller 1116 also couples with an optional external graphics processor 1112, which may communicate with one or more graphics processors 1108 in processors 1102 to perform graphics and media operations. In at least one embodiment, a display device 1111 can connect to processor(s) 1102. In at least one embodiment display device 1111 can include one or more of an internal display device, as in a mobile electronic device or a laptop device or an external display device attached via a display interface (e.g., DisplayPort, etc.). In at least one embodiment, display device 1111 can include a head mounted display (HMD) such as a stereoscopic display device for use in virtual reality (VR) applications or augmented reality (AR) applications.
In at least one embodiment, platform controller hub 1130 enables peripherals to connect to memory device 1120 and processor 1102 via a high-speed I/O bus. In at least one embodiment, I/O peripherals include, but are not limited to, an audio controller 1146, a network controller 1134, a firmware interface 1128, a wireless transceiver 1126, touch sensors 1125, a data storage device 1124 (e.g., hard disk drive, flash memory, etc.). In at least one embodiment, data storage device 1124 can connect via a storage interface (e.g., SATA) or via a peripheral bus, such as a Peripheral Component Interconnect bus (e.g., PCI, PCI Express). In at least one embodiment, touch sensors 1125 can include touch screen sensors, pressure sensors, or fingerprint sensors. In at least one embodiment, wireless transceiver 1126 can be a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, or a mobile network transceiver such as a 3G, 4G, or Long Term Evolution (LTE) transceiver. In at least one embodiment, firmware interface 1128 enables communication with system firmware, and can be, for example, a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI). In at least one embodiment, network controller 1134 can enable a network connection to a wired network. In at least one embodiment, a high-performance network controller (not shown) couples with interface bus 1110. In at least one embodiment, audio controller 1146 is a multi-channel high definition audio controller. In at least one embodiment, system 1100 includes an optional legacy I/O controller 1140 for coupling legacy (e.g., Personal System 2 (PS/2)) devices to system. In at least one embodiment, platform controller hub 1130 can also connect to one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers 1142 connect input devices, such as keyboard and mouse 1143 combinations, a camera 1144, or other USB input devices.
In at least one embodiment, an instance of memory controller 1116 and platform controller hub 1130 may be integrated into a discreet external graphics processor, such as external graphics processor 1112. In at least one embodiment, platform controller hub 1130 and/or memory controller 1116 may be external to one or more processor(s) 1102. For example, in at least one embodiment, system 1100 can include an external memory controller 1116 and platform controller hub 1130, which may be configured as a memory controller hub and peripheral controller hub within a system chipset that is in communication with processor(s) 1102.
Inference and/or training logic 715 are used to perform inferencing and/or training operations associated with one or more embodiments. Details regarding inference and/or training logic 715 are provided below in conjunction with
Such components can be used to render images using ray tracing-based importance sampling, which can be accelerated through hardware.
In at least one embodiment, internal cache units 1204A-1204N and shared cache units 1206 represent a cache memory hierarchy within processor 1200. In at least one embodiment, cache memory units 1204A-1204N may include at least one level of instruction and data cache within each processor core and one or more levels of shared mid-level cache, such as a Level 2 (L2), Level 3 (L3), Level 4 (L4), or other levels of cache, where a highest level of cache before external memory is classified as an LLC. In at least one embodiment, cache coherency logic maintains coherency between various cache units 1206 and 1204A-1204N.
In at least one embodiment, processor 1200 may also include a set of one or more bus controller units 1216 and a system agent core 1210. In at least one embodiment, one or more bus controller units 1216 manage a set of peripheral buses, such as one or more PCI or PCI express busses. In at least one embodiment, system agent core 1210 provides management functionality for various processor components. In at least one embodiment, system agent core 1210 includes one or more integrated memory controllers 1214 to manage access to various external memory devices (not shown).
In at least one embodiment, one or more of processor cores 1202A-1202N include support for simultaneous multi-threading. In at least one embodiment, system agent core 1210 includes components for coordinating and operating cores 1202A-1202N during multi-threaded processing. In at least one embodiment, system agent core 1210 may additionally include a power control unit (PCU), which includes logic and components to regulate one or more power states of processor cores 1202A-1202N and graphics processor 1208.
In at least one embodiment, processor 1200 additionally includes graphics processor 1208 to execute graphics processing operations. In at least one embodiment, graphics processor 1208 couples with shared cache units 1206, and system agent core 1210, including one or more integrated memory controllers 1214. In at least one embodiment, system agent core 1210 also includes a display controller 1211 to drive graphics processor output to one or more coupled displays. In at least one embodiment, display controller 1211 may also be a separate module coupled with graphics processor 1208 via at least one interconnect, or may be integrated within graphics processor 1208.
In at least one embodiment, a ring based interconnect unit 1212 is used to couple internal components of processor 1200. In at least one embodiment, an alternative interconnect unit may be used, such as a point-to-point interconnect, a switched interconnect, or other techniques. In at least one embodiment, graphics processor 1208 couples with ring interconnect 1212 via an I/O link 1213.
In at least one embodiment, I/O link 1213 represents at least one of multiple varieties of I/O interconnects, including an on package I/O interconnect which facilitates communication between various processor components and a high-performance embedded memory module 1218, such as an eDRAM module. In at least one embodiment, each of processor cores 1202A-1202N and graphics processor 1208 use embedded memory modules 1218 as a shared Last Level Cache.
In at least one embodiment, processor cores 1202A-1202N are homogenous cores executing a common instruction set architecture. In at least one embodiment, processor cores 1202A-1202N are heterogeneous in terms of instruction set architecture (ISA), where one or more of processor cores 1202A-1202N execute a common instruction set, while one or more other cores of processor cores 1202A-1202N executes a subset of a common instruction set or a different instruction set. In at least one embodiment, processor cores 1202A-1202N are heterogeneous in terms of microarchitecture, where one or more cores having a relatively higher power consumption couple with one or more power cores having a lower power consumption. In at least one embodiment, processor 1200 can be implemented on one or more chips or as an SoC integrated circuit.
Inference and/or training logic 715 are used to perform inferencing and/or training operations associated with one or more embodiments. Details regarding inference and/or training logic 715 are provided below in conjunction with
Such components can be used to render images using ray tracing-based importance sampling, which can be accelerated through hardware.
In at least one embodiment, some of applications used in advanced processing and inferencing pipelines may use machine learning models or other AI to perform one or more processing steps. In at least one embodiment, machine learning models may be trained at facility 1302 using data 1308 (such as imaging data) generated at facility 1302 (and stored on one or more picture archiving and communication system (PACS) servers at facility 1302), may be trained using imaging or sequencing data 1308 from another facility(ies), or a combination thereof. In at least one embodiment, training system 1304 may be used to provide applications, services, and/or other resources for generating working, deployable machine learning models for deployment system 1306.
In at least one embodiment, model registry 1324 may be backed by object storage that may support versioning and object metadata. In at least one embodiment, object storage may be accessible through, for example, a cloud storage (e.g., cloud 1426 of
In at least one embodiment, training pipeline 1404 (
In at least one embodiment, training pipeline 1404 (
In at least one embodiment, training pipeline 1404 (
In at least one embodiment, deployment system 1306 may include software 1318, services 1320, hardware 1322, and/or other components, features, and functionality. In at least one embodiment, deployment system 1306 may include a software “stack,” such that software 1318 may be built on top of services 1320 and may use services 1320 to perform some or all of processing tasks, and services 1320 and software 1318 may be built on top of hardware 1322 and use hardware 1322 to execute processing, storage, and/or other compute tasks of deployment system 1306. In at least one embodiment, software 1318 may include any number of different containers, where each container may execute an instantiation of an application. In at least one embodiment, each application may perform one or more processing tasks in an advanced processing and inferencing pipeline (e.g., inferencing, object detection, feature detection, segmentation, image enhancement, calibration, etc.). In at least one embodiment, an advanced processing and inferencing pipeline may be defined based on selections of different containers that are desired or required for processing imaging data 1308, in addition to containers that receive and configure imaging data for use by each container and/or for use by facility 1302 after processing through a pipeline (e.g., to convert outputs back to a usable data type). In at least one embodiment, a combination of containers within software 1318 (e.g., that make up a pipeline) may be referred to as a virtual instrument (as described in more detail herein), and a virtual instrument may leverage services 1320 and hardware 1322 to execute some or all processing tasks of applications instantiated in containers.
In at least one embodiment, a data processing pipeline may receive input data (e.g., imaging data 1308) in a specific format in response to an inference request (e.g., a request from a user of deployment system 1306). In at least one embodiment, input data may be representative of one or more images, video, and/or other data representations generated by one or more imaging devices. In at least one embodiment, data may undergo pre-processing as part of data processing pipeline to prepare data for processing by one or more applications. In at least one embodiment, post-processing may be performed on an output of one or more inferencing tasks or other processing tasks of a pipeline to prepare an output data for a next application and/or to prepare output data for transmission and/or use by a user (e.g., as a response to an inference request). In at least one embodiment, inferencing tasks may be performed by one or more machine learning models, such as trained or deployed neural networks, which may include output models 1316 of training system 1304.
In at least one embodiment, tasks of data processing pipeline may be encapsulated in a container(s) that each represents a discrete, fully functional instantiation of an application and virtualized computing environment that is able to reference machine learning models. In at least one embodiment, containers or applications may be published into a private (e.g., limited access) area of a container registry (described in more detail herein), and trained or deployed models may be stored in model registry 1324 and associated with one or more applications. In at least one embodiment, images of applications (e.g., container images) may be available in a container registry, and once selected by a user from a container registry for deployment in a pipeline, an image may be used to generate a container for an instantiation of an application for use by a user's system.
In at least one embodiment, developers (e.g., software developers, clinicians, doctors, etc.) may develop, publish, and store applications (e.g., as containers) for performing image processing and/or inferencing on supplied data. In at least one embodiment, development, publishing, and/or storing may be performed using a software development kit (SDK) associated with a system (e.g., to ensure that an application and/or container developed is compliant with or compatible with a system). In at least one embodiment, an application that is developed may be tested locally (e.g., at a first facility, on data from a first facility) with an SDK which may support at least some of services 1320 as a system (e.g., system 1400 of
In at least one embodiment, developers may then share applications or containers through a network for access and use by users of a system (e.g., system 1400 of
In at least one embodiment, to aid in processing or execution of applications or containers in pipelines, services 1320 may be leveraged. In at least one embodiment, services 1320 may include compute services, artificial intelligence (AI) services, visualization services, and/or other service types. In at least one embodiment, services 1320 may provide functionality that is common to one or more applications in software 1318, so functionality may be abstracted to a service that may be called upon or leveraged by applications. In at least one embodiment, functionality provided by services 1320 may run dynamically and more efficiently, while also scaling well by allowing applications to process data in parallel (e.g., using a parallel computing platform 1430 (
In at least one embodiment, where a service 1320 includes an AI service (e.g., an inference service), one or more machine learning models may be executed by calling upon (e.g., as an API call) an inference service (e.g., an inference server) to execute machine learning model(s), or processing thereof, as part of application execution. In at least one embodiment, where another application includes one or more machine learning models for segmentation tasks, an application may call upon an inference service to execute machine learning models for performing one or more of processing operations associated with segmentation tasks. In at least one embodiment, software 1318 implementing advanced processing and inferencing pipeline that includes segmentation application and anomaly detection application may be streamlined because each application may call upon a same inference service to perform one or more inferencing tasks.
In at least one embodiment, hardware 1322 may include GPUs, CPUs, graphics cards, an AI/deep learning system (e.g., an AI supercomputer, such as NVIDIA's DGX), a cloud platform, or a combination thereof. In at least one embodiment, different types of hardware 1322 may be used to provide efficient, purpose-built support for software 1318 and services 1320 in deployment system 1306. In at least one embodiment, use of GPU processing may be implemented for processing locally (e.g., at facility 1302), within an AI/deep learning system, in a cloud system, and/or in other processing components of deployment system 1306 to improve efficiency, accuracy, and efficacy of image processing and generation. In at least one embodiment, software 1318 and/or services 1320 may be optimized for GPU processing with respect to deep learning, machine learning, and/or high-performance computing, as non-limiting examples. In at least one embodiment, at least some of computing environment of deployment system 1306 and/or training system 1304 may be executed in a datacenter one or more supercomputers or high performance computing systems, with GPU optimized software (e.g., hardware and software combination of NVIDIA's DGX System). In at least one embodiment, hardware 1322 may include any number of GPUs that may be called upon to perform processing of data in parallel, as described herein. In at least one embodiment, cloud platform may further include GPU processing for GPU-optimized execution of deep learning tasks, machine learning tasks, or other computing tasks. In at least one embodiment, cloud platform (e.g., NVIDIA's NGC) may be executed using an AI/deep learning supercomputer(s) and/or GPU-optimized software (e.g., as provided on NVIDIA's DGX Systems) as a hardware abstraction and scaling platform. In at least one embodiment, cloud platform may integrate an application container clustering system or orchestration system (e.g., KUBERNETES) on multiple GPUs to enable seamless scaling and load balancing.
In at least one embodiment, system 1400 (e.g., training system 1304 and/or deployment system 1306) may implemented in a cloud computing environment (e.g., using cloud 1426). In at least one embodiment, system 1400 may be implemented locally with respect to a healthcare services facility, or as a combination of both cloud and local computing resources. In at least one embodiment, access to APIs in cloud 1426 may be restricted to authorized users through enacted security measures or protocols. In at least one embodiment, a security protocol may include web tokens that may be signed by an authentication (e.g., AuthN, AuthZ, Gluecon, etc.) service and may carry appropriate authorization. In at least one embodiment, APIs of virtual instruments (described herein), or other instantiations of system 1400, may be restricted to a set of public IPs that have been vetted or authorized for interaction.
In at least one embodiment, various components of system 1400 may communicate between and among one another using any of a variety of different network types, including but not limited to local area networks (LANs) and/or wide area networks (WANs) via wired and/or wireless communication protocols. In at least one embodiment, communication between facilities and components of system 1400 (e.g., for transmitting inference requests, for receiving results of inference requests, etc.) may be communicated over data bus(ses), wireless data protocols (Wi-Fi), wired data protocols (e.g., Ethernet), etc.
In at least one embodiment, training system 1304 may execute training pipelines 1404, similar to those described herein with respect to
In at least one embodiment, output model(s) 1316 and/or pre-trained model(s) 1406 may include any types of machine learning models depending on implementation or embodiment. In at least one embodiment, and without limitation, machine learning models used by system 1400 may include machine learning model(s) using linear regression, logistic regression, decision trees, support vector machines (SVM), Naïve Bayes, k-nearest neighbor (Knn), K means clustering, random forest, dimensionality reduction algorithms, gradient boosting algorithms, neural networks (e.g., auto-encoders, convolutional, recurrent, perceptrons, Long/Short Term Memory (LSTM), Hopfield, Boltzmann, deep belief, deconvolutional, generative adversarial, liquid state machine, etc.), and/or other types of machine learning models.
In at least one embodiment, training pipelines 1404 may include AI-assisted annotation, as described in more detail herein with respect to at least
In at least one embodiment, a software layer may be implemented as a secure, encrypted, and/or authenticated API through which applications or containers may be invoked (e.g., called) from an external environment(s) (e.g., facility 1302). In at least one embodiment, applications may then call or execute one or more services 1320 for performing compute, AI, or visualization tasks associated with respective applications, and software 1318 and/or services 1320 may leverage hardware 1322 to perform processing tasks in an effective and efficient manner.
In at least one embodiment, deployment system 1306 may execute deployment pipelines 1410. In at least one embodiment, deployment pipelines 1410 may include any number of applications that may be sequentially, non-sequentially, or otherwise applied to imaging data (and/or other data types) generated by imaging devices, sequencing devices, genomics devices, etc.—including AI-assisted annotation, as described above. In at least one embodiment, as described herein, a deployment pipeline 1410 for an individual device may be referred to as a virtual instrument for a device (e.g., a virtual ultrasound instrument, a virtual CT scan instrument, a virtual sequencing instrument, etc.). In at least one embodiment, for a single device, there may be more than one deployment pipeline 1410 depending on information desired from data generated by a device. In at least one embodiment, where detections of anomalies are desired from an Mill machine, there may be a first deployment pipeline 1410, and where image enhancement is desired from output of an Mill machine, there may be a second deployment pipeline 1410.
In at least one embodiment, an image generation application may include a processing task that includes use of a machine learning model. In at least one embodiment, a user may desire to use their own machine learning model, or to select a machine learning model from model registry 1324. In at least one embodiment, a user may implement their own machine learning model or select a machine learning model for inclusion in an application for performing a processing task. In at least one embodiment, applications may be selectable and customizable, and by defining constructs of applications, deployment and implementation of applications for a particular user are presented as a more seamless user experience. In at least one embodiment, by leveraging other features of system 1400—such as services 1320 and hardware 1322—deployment pipelines 1410 may be even more user friendly, provide for easier integration, and produce more accurate, efficient, and timely results.
In at least one embodiment, deployment system 1306 may include a user interface 1414 (e.g., a graphical user interface, a web interface, etc.) that may be used to select applications for inclusion in deployment pipeline(s) 1410, arrange applications, modify or change applications or parameters or constructs thereof, use and interact with deployment pipeline(s) 1410 during set-up and/or deployment, and/or to otherwise interact with deployment system 1306. In at least one embodiment, although not illustrated with respect to training system 1304, user interface 1414 (or a different user interface) may be used for selecting models for use in deployment system 1306, for selecting models for training, or retraining, in training system 1304, and/or for otherwise interacting with training system 1304.
In at least one embodiment, pipeline manager 1412 may be used, in addition to an application orchestration system 1428, to manage interaction between applications or containers of deployment pipeline(s) 1410 and services 1320 and/or hardware 1322. In at least one embodiment, pipeline manager 1412 may be configured to facilitate interactions from application to application, from application to service 1320, and/or from application or service to hardware 1322. In at least one embodiment, although illustrated as included in software 1318, this is not intended to be limiting, and in some examples (e.g., as illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, each application and/or container (or image thereof) may be individually developed, modified, and deployed (e.g., a first user or developer may develop, modify, and deploy a first application and a second user or developer may develop, modify, and deploy a second application separate from a first user or developer), which may allow for focus on, and attention to, a task of a single application and/or container(s) without being hindered by tasks of another application(s) or container(s). In at least one embodiment, communication, and cooperation between different containers or applications may be aided by pipeline manager 1412 and application orchestration system 1428. In at least one embodiment, so long as an expected input and/or output of each container or application is known by a system (e.g., based on constructs of applications or containers), application orchestration system 1428 and/or pipeline manager 1412 may facilitate communication among and between, and sharing of resources among and between, each of applications or containers. In at least one embodiment, because one or more of applications or containers in deployment pipeline(s) 1410 may share same services and resources, application orchestration system 1428 may orchestrate, load balance, and determine sharing of services or resources between and among various applications or containers. In at least one embodiment, a scheduler may be used to track resource requirements of applications or containers, current usage or planned usage of these resources, and resource availability. In at least one embodiment, a scheduler may thus allocate resources to different applications and distribute resources between and among applications in view of requirements and availability of a system. In some examples, a scheduler (and/or other component of application orchestration system 1428) may determine resource availability and distribution based on constraints imposed on a system (e.g., user constraints), such as quality of service (QoS), urgency of need for data outputs (e.g., to determine whether to execute real-time processing or delayed processing), etc.
In at least one embodiment, services 1320 leveraged by and shared by applications or containers in deployment system 1306 may include compute services 1416, AI services 1418, visualization services 1420, and/or other service types. In at least one embodiment, applications may call (e.g., execute) one or more of services 1320 to perform processing operations for an application. In at least one embodiment, compute services 1416 may be leveraged by applications to perform super-computing or other high-performance computing (HPC) tasks. In at least one embodiment, compute service(s) 1416 may be leveraged to perform parallel processing (e.g., using a parallel computing platform 1430) for processing data through one or more of applications and/or one or more tasks of a single application, substantially simultaneously. In at least one embodiment, parallel computing platform 1430 (e.g., NVIDIA's CUDA) may enable general purpose computing on GPUs (GPGPU) (e.g., GPUs 1422). In at least one embodiment, a software layer of parallel computing platform 1430 may provide access to virtual instruction sets and parallel computational elements of GPUs, for execution of compute kernels. In at least one embodiment, parallel computing platform 1430 may include memory and, in some embodiments, a memory may be shared between and among multiple containers, and/or between and among different processing tasks within a single container. In at least one embodiment, inter-process communication (IPC) calls may be generated for multiple containers and/or for multiple processes within a container to use same data from a shared segment of memory of parallel computing platform 1430 (e.g., where multiple different stages of an application or multiple applications are processing same information). In at least one embodiment, rather than making a copy of data and moving data to different locations in memory (e.g., a read/write operation), same data in same location of a memory may be used for any number of processing tasks (e.g., at a same time, at different times, etc.). In at least one embodiment, as data is used to generate new data as a result of processing, this information of a new location of data may be stored and shared between various applications. In at least one embodiment, location of data and a location of updated or modified data may be part of a definition of how a payload is understood within containers.
In at least one embodiment, AI services 1418 may be leveraged to perform inferencing services for executing machine learning model(s) associated with applications (e.g., tasked with performing one or more processing tasks of an application). In at least one embodiment, AI services 1418 may leverage AI system 1424 to execute machine learning model(s) (e.g., neural networks, such as CNNs) for segmentation, reconstruction, object detection, feature detection, classification, and/or other inferencing tasks. In at least one embodiment, applications of deployment pipeline(s) 1410 may use one or more of output models 1316 from training system 1304 and/or other models of applications to perform inference on imaging data. In at least one embodiment, two or more examples of inferencing using application orchestration system 1428 (e.g., a scheduler) may be available. In at least one embodiment, a first category may include a high priority/low latency path that may achieve higher service level agreements, such as for performing inference on urgent requests during an emergency, or for a radiologist during diagnosis. In at least one embodiment, a second category may include a standard priority path that may be used for requests that may be non-urgent or where analysis may be performed at a later time. In at least one embodiment, application orchestration system 1428 may distribute resources (e.g., services 1320 and/or hardware 1322) based on priority paths for different inferencing tasks of AI services 1418.
In at least one embodiment, shared storage may be mounted to AI services 1418 within system 1400. In at least one embodiment, shared storage may operate as a cache (or other storage device type) and may be used to process inference requests from applications. In at least one embodiment, when an inference request is submitted, a request may be received by a set of API instances of deployment system 1306, and one or more instances may be selected (e.g., for best fit, for load balancing, etc.) to process a request. In at least one embodiment, to process a request, a request may be entered into a database, a machine learning model may be located from model registry 1324 if not already in a cache, a validation step may ensure appropriate machine learning model is loaded into a cache (e.g., shared storage), and/or a copy of a model may be saved to a cache. In at least one embodiment, a scheduler (e.g., of pipeline manager 1412) may be used to launch an application that is referenced in a request if an application is not already running or if there are not enough instances of an application. In at least one embodiment, if an inference server is not already launched to execute a model, an inference server may be launched. Any number of inference servers may be launched per model. In at least one embodiment, in a pull model, in which inference servers are clustered, models may be cached whenever load balancing is advantageous. In at least one embodiment, inference servers may be statically loaded in corresponding, distributed servers.
In at least one embodiment, inferencing may be performed using an inference server that runs in a container. In at least one embodiment, an instance of an inference server may be associated with a model (and optionally a plurality of versions of a model). In at least one embodiment, if an instance of an inference server does not exist when a request to perform inference on a model is received, a new instance may be loaded. In at least one embodiment, when starting an inference server, a model may be passed to an inference server such that a same container may be used to serve different models so long as inference server is running as a different instance.
In at least one embodiment, during application execution, an inference request for a given application may be received, and a container (e.g., hosting an instance of an inference server) may be loaded (if not already), and a start procedure may be called. In at least one embodiment, pre-processing logic in a container may load, decode, and/or perform any additional pre-processing on incoming data (e.g., using a CPU(s) and/or GPU(s)). In at least one embodiment, once data is prepared for inference, a container may perform inference as necessary on data. In at least one embodiment, this may include a single inference call on one image (e.g., a hand X-ray), or may require inference on hundreds of images (e.g., a chest CT). In at least one embodiment, an application may summarize results before completing, which may include, without limitation, a single confidence score, pixel level-segmentation, voxel-level segmentation, generating a visualization, or generating text to summarize findings. In at least one embodiment, different models or applications may be assigned different priorities. For example, some models may have a real-time (TAT<1 min) priority while others may have lower priority (e.g., TAT<10 min). In at least one embodiment, model execution times may be measured from requesting institution or entity and may include partner network traversal time, as well as execution on an inference service.
In at least one embodiment, transfer of requests between services 1320 and inference applications may be hidden behind a software development kit (SDK), and robust transport may be provide through a queue. In at least one embodiment, a request will be placed in a queue via an API for an individual application/tenant ID combination and an SDK will pull a request from a queue and give a request to an application. In at least one embodiment, a name of a queue may be provided in an environment from where an SDK will pick it up. In at least one embodiment, asynchronous communication through a queue may be useful as it may allow any instance of an application to pick up work as it becomes available. Results may be transferred back through a queue, to ensure no data is lost. In at least one embodiment, queues may also provide an ability to segment work, as highest priority work may go to a queue with most instances of an application connected to it, while lowest priority work may go to a queue with a single instance connected to it that processes tasks in an order received. In at least one embodiment, an application may run on a GPU-accelerated instance generated in cloud 1426, and an inference service may perform inferencing on a GPU.
In at least one embodiment, visualization services 1420 may be leveraged to generate visualizations for viewing outputs of applications and/or deployment pipeline(s) 1410. In at least one embodiment, GPUs 1422 may be leveraged by visualization services 1420 to generate visualizations. In at least one embodiment, rendering effects, such as ray-tracing, may be implemented by visualization services 1420 to generate higher quality visualizations. In at least one embodiment, visualizations may include, without limitation, 2D image renderings, 3D volume renderings, 3D volume reconstruction, 2D tomographic slices, virtual reality displays, augmented reality displays, etc. In at least one embodiment, virtualized environments may be used to generate a virtual interactive display or environment (e.g., a virtual environment) for interaction by users of a system (e.g., doctors, nurses, radiologists, etc.). In at least one embodiment, visualization services 1420 may include an internal visualizer, cinematics, and/or other rendering or image processing capabilities or functionality (e.g., ray tracing, rasterization, internal optics, etc.).
In at least one embodiment, hardware 1322 may include GPUs 1422, AI system 1424, cloud 1426, and/or any other hardware used for executing training system 1304 and/or deployment system 1306. In at least one embodiment, GPUs 1422 (e.g., NVIDIA's TESLA and/or QUADRO GPUs) may include any number of GPUs that may be used for executing processing tasks of compute services 1416, AI services 1418, visualization services 1420, other services, and/or any of features or functionality of software 1318. For example, with respect to AI services 1418, GPUs 1422 may be used to perform pre-processing on imaging data (or other data types used by machine learning models), post-processing on outputs of machine learning models, and/or to perform inferencing (e.g., to execute machine learning models). In at least one embodiment, cloud 1426, AI system 1424, and/or other components of system 1400 may use GPUs 1422. In at least one embodiment, cloud 1426 may include a GPU-optimized platform for deep learning tasks. In at least one embodiment, AI system 1424 may use GPUs, and cloud 1426—or at least a portion tasked with deep learning or inferencing—may be executed using one or more AI systems 1424. As such, although hardware 1322 is illustrated as discrete components, this is not intended to be limiting, and any components of hardware 1322 may be combined with, or leveraged by, any other components of hardware 1322.
In at least one embodiment, AI system 1424 may include a purpose-built computing system (e.g., a super-computer or an HPC) configured for inferencing, deep learning, machine learning, and/or other artificial intelligence tasks. In at least one embodiment, AI system 1424 (e.g., NVIDIA's DGX) may include GPU-optimized software (e.g., a software stack) that may be executed using a plurality of GPUs 1422, in addition to CPUs, RAM, storage, and/or other components, features, or functionality. In at least one embodiment, one or more AI systems 1424 may be implemented in cloud 1426 (e.g., in a data center) for performing some or all of AI-based processing tasks of system 1400.
In at least one embodiment, cloud 1426 may include a GPU-accelerated infrastructure (e.g., NVIDIA's NGC) that may provide a GPU-optimized platform for executing processing tasks of system 1400. In at least one embodiment, cloud 1426 may include an AI system(s) 1424 for performing one or more of AI-based tasks of system 1400 (e.g., as a hardware abstraction and scaling platform). In at least one embodiment, cloud 1426 may integrate with application orchestration system 1428 leveraging multiple GPUs to enable seamless scaling and load balancing between and among applications and services 1320. In at least one embodiment, cloud 1426 may tasked with executing at least some of services 1320 of system 1400, including compute services 1416, AI services 1418, and/or visualization services 1420, as described herein. In at least one embodiment, cloud 1426 may perform small and large batch inference (e.g., executing NVIDIA's TENSOR RT), provide an accelerated parallel computing API and platform 1430 (e.g., NVIDIA's CUDA), execute application orchestration system 1428 (e.g., KUBERNETES), provide a graphics rendering API and platform (e.g., for ray-tracing, 2D graphics, 3D graphics, and/or other rendering techniques to produce higher quality cinematics), and/or may provide other functionality for system 1400.
In at least one embodiment, model training 1314 may include retraining or updating an initial model 1504 (e.g., a pre-trained model) using new training data (e.g., new input data, such as customer dataset 1506, and/or new ground truth data associated with input data). In at least one embodiment, to retrain, or update, initial model 1504, output or loss layer(s) of initial model 1504 may be reset, or deleted, and/or replaced with an updated or new output or loss layer(s). In at least one embodiment, initial model 1504 may have previously fine-tuned parameters (e.g., weights and/or biases) that remain from prior training, so training or retraining 1314 may not take as long or require as much processing as training a model from scratch. In at least one embodiment, during model training 1314, by having reset or replaced output or loss layer(s) of initial model 1504, parameters may be updated and re-tuned for a new data set based on loss calculations associated with accuracy of output or loss layer(s) at generating predictions on new, customer dataset 1506 (e.g., image data 1308 of
In at least one embodiment, pre-trained models 1406 may be stored in a data store, or registry (e.g., model registry 1324 of
In at least one embodiment, when selecting applications for use in deployment pipelines 1410, a user may also select machine learning models to be used for specific applications. In at least one embodiment, a user may not have a model for use, so a user may select a pre-trained model 1406 to use with an application. In at least one embodiment, pre-trained model 1406 may not be optimized for generating accurate results on customer dataset 1506 of a facility of a user (e.g., based on patient diversity, demographics, types of medical imaging devices used, etc.). In at least one embodiment, prior to deploying pre-trained model 1406 into deployment pipeline 1410 for use with an application(s), pre-trained model 1406 may be updated, retrained, and/or fine-tuned for use at a respective facility.
In at least one embodiment, a user may select pre-trained model 1406 that is to be updated, retrained, and/or fine-tuned, and pre-trained model 1406 may be referred to as initial model 1504 for training system 1304 within process 1500. In at least one embodiment, customer dataset 1506 (e.g., imaging data, genomics data, sequencing data, or other data types generated by devices at a facility) may be used to perform model training 1314 (which may include, without limitation, transfer learning) on initial model 1504 to generate refined model 1512. In at least one embodiment, ground truth data corresponding to customer dataset 1506 may be generated by training system 1304. In at least one embodiment, ground truth data may be generated, at least in part, by clinicians, scientists, doctors, practitioners, at a facility (e.g., as labeled clinic data 1312 of
In at least one embodiment, AI-assisted annotation 1310 may be used in some examples to generate ground truth data. In at least one embodiment, AI-assisted annotation 1310 (e.g., implemented using an AI-assisted annotation SDK) may leverage machine learning models (e.g., neural networks) to generate suggested or predicted ground truth data for a customer dataset. In at least one embodiment, user 1510 may use annotation tools within a user interface (a graphical user interface (GUI)) on computing device 1508.
In at least one embodiment, user 1510 may interact with a GUI via computing device 1508 to edit or fine-tune (auto)annotations. In at least one embodiment, a polygon editing feature may be used to move vertices of a polygon to more accurate or fine-tuned locations.
In at least one embodiment, once customer dataset 1506 has associated ground truth data, ground truth data (e.g., from AI-assisted annotation, manual labeling, etc.) may be used by during model training 1314 to generate refined model 1512. In at least one embodiment, customer dataset 1506 may be applied to initial model 1504 any number of times, and ground truth data may be used to update parameters of initial model 1504 until an acceptable level of accuracy is attained for refined model 1512. In at least one embodiment, once refined model 1512 is generated, refined model 1512 may be deployed within one or more deployment pipelines 1410 at a facility for performing one or more processing tasks with respect to medical imaging data.
In at least one embodiment, refined model 1512 may be uploaded to pre-trained models 1406 in model registry 1324 to be selected by another facility. In at least one embodiment, his process may be completed at any number of facilities such that refined model 1512 may be further refined on new datasets any number of times to generate a more universal model.
Such components can be used to render images using ray tracing-based importance sampling, which can be accelerated through hardware.
Other variations are within spirit of present disclosure. Thus, while disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit disclosure to specific form or forms disclosed, but on contrary, intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within spirit and scope of disclosure, as defined in appended claims.
Use of terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in context of describing disclosed embodiments (especially in context of following claims) are to be construed to cover both singular and plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context, and not as a definition of a term. Terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Term “connected,” when unmodified and referring to physical connections, is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within range, unless otherwise indicated herein and each separate value is incorporated into specification as if it were individually recited herein. Use of term “set” (e.g., “a set of items”) or “subset,” unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, is to be construed as a nonempty collection comprising one or more members. Further, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, term “subset” of a corresponding set does not necessarily denote a proper subset of corresponding set, but subset and corresponding set may be equal.
Conjunctive language, such as phrases of form “at least one of A, B, and C,” or “at least one of A, B and C,” unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise clearly contradicted by context, is otherwise understood with context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either A or B or C, or any nonempty subset of set of A and B and C. For instance, in illustrative example of a set having three members, conjunctive phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C each to be present. In addition, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, term “plurality” indicates a state of being plural (e.g., “a plurality of items” indicates multiple items). A plurality is at least two items, but can be more when so indicated either explicitly or by context. Further, unless stated otherwise or otherwise clear from context, phrase “based on” means “based at least in part on” and not “based solely on.”
Operations of processes described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. In at least one embodiment, a process such as those processes described herein (or variations and/or combinations thereof) is performed under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions and is implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs or one or more applications) executing collectively on one or more processors, by hardware or combinations thereof. In at least one embodiment, code is stored on a computer-readable storage medium, for example, in form of a computer program comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors. In at least one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that excludes transitory signals (e.g., a propagating transient electric or electromagnetic transmission) but includes non-transitory data storage circuitry (e.g., buffers, cache, and queues) within transceivers of transitory signals. In at least one embodiment, code (e.g., executable code or source code) is stored on a set of one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having stored thereon executable instructions (or other memory to store executable instructions) that, when executed (i.e., as a result of being executed) by one or more processors of a computer system, cause computer system to perform operations described herein. A set of non-transitory computer-readable storage media, in at least one embodiment, comprises multiple non-transitory computer-readable storage media and one or more of individual non-transitory storage media of multiple non-transitory computer-readable storage media lack all of code while multiple non-transitory computer-readable storage media collectively store all of code. In at least one embodiment, executable instructions are executed such that different instructions are executed by different processors—for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium store instructions and a main central processing unit (“CPU”) executes some of instructions while a graphics processing unit (“GPU”) executes other instructions. In at least one embodiment, different components of a computer system have separate processors and different processors execute different subsets of instructions.
Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, computer systems are configured to implement one or more services that singly or collectively perform operations of processes described herein and such computer systems are configured with applicable hardware and/or software that enable performance of operations. Further, a computer system that implements at least one embodiment of present disclosure is a single device and, in another embodiment, is a distributed computer system comprising multiple devices that operate differently such that distributed computer system performs operations described herein and such that a single device does not perform all operations.
Use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of disclosure and does not pose a limitation on scope of disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to practice of disclosure.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
In description and claims, terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms may be not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular examples, “connected” or “coupled” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct or indirect physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated that throughout specification terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or like, refer to action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities within computing system's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within computing system's memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
In a similar manner, term “processor” may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory and transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. As non-limiting examples, “processor” may be a CPU or a GPU. A “computing platform” may comprise one or more processors. As used herein, “software” processes may include, for example, software and/or hardware entities that perform work over time, such as tasks, threads, and intelligent agents. Also, each process may refer to multiple processes, for carrying out instructions in sequence or in parallel, continuously or intermittently. Terms “system” and “method” are used herein interchangeably insofar as system may embody one or more methods and methods may be considered a system.
In present document, references may be made to obtaining, acquiring, receiving, or inputting analog or digital data into a subsystem, computer system, or computer-implemented machine. Obtaining, acquiring, receiving, or inputting analog and digital data can be accomplished in a variety of ways such as by receiving data as a parameter of a function call or a call to an application programming interface. In some implementations, process of obtaining, acquiring, receiving, or inputting analog or digital data can be accomplished by transferring data via a serial or parallel interface. In another implementation, process of obtaining, acquiring, receiving, or inputting analog or digital data can be accomplished by transferring data via a computer network from providing entity to acquiring entity. References may also be made to providing, outputting, transmitting, sending, or presenting analog or digital data. In various examples, process of providing, outputting, transmitting, sending, or presenting analog or digital data can be accomplished by transferring data as an input or output parameter of a function call, a parameter of an application programming interface or interprocess communication mechanism.
Although discussion above sets forth example implementations of described techniques, other architectures may be used to implement described functionality, and are intended to be within scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, although specific distributions of responsibilities are defined above for purposes of discussion, various functions and responsibilities might be distributed and divided in different ways, depending on circumstances.
Furthermore, although subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that subject matter claimed in appended claims is not necessarily limited to specific features or acts described. Rather, specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.
