text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Sep 24, 2002
|Filing date
|Nov 15, 1997
|Priority date
|Nov 15, 1997
|Fee status
|Publication number
|William Silver
|Original Assignee
|Cognex Corporation
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (2), Non-Patent Citations (5), Referenced by (42), Classifications (10), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The invention relates to digital signal processing, and particularly to digital filtering.
Digital signals are often filtered to enhance signal components of certain characteristics, and to attenuate components of other characteristics. For example, in digital image processing, a "low-pass" filter may be used to pass coarse image features, and to attenuate fine detail, texture, and noise. A "high-pass" filter may be used to enhance object boundaries, and to attenuate regions of nearly uniform signal intensity. Since signal features can occur over a wide range of characteristics, it is useful to be able to adjust the response of a filter over a wide range.
Digital filters are often implemented by a method in which each signal value is replaced by a weighted average of the signal value and a set of neighboring signal values. This method is known as "convolution", the set of weights arranged in a particular pattern is known as a "kernel", and the weights themselves, which can be positive, zero, or negative, are known as "kernel elements". Convolution is particularly important in digital image processing, where symmetrical, non-causal filters such as Gaussian and Laplacian approximations are common.
The size of a kernel is defined to be the size of the smallest region containing all of the kernel's non-zero elements. The ability to adjust the response of a filter over a wide range is largely dependent on the ability to adjust the size of the corresponding kernel over a wide range, because adjusting the weights without adjusting the size has a relatively small effect on the response.
In the general case, convolution is expensive (i.e., requires excessive computational resources), particularly as kernel size increases, and particularly for 2D signals such as images, where computation cost is proportional to the square of the kernel size. The expensive nature of convolution-style filtering can be ameliorated by several methods used separately or in combination.
One method commonly used with image processors that support small, fixed kernel sizes involves performing the convolution multiple times, in effect cascading the corresponding filters to produce the effect of a filter having a much larger kernel. Although this method saves little or no time for 1D signals, significant time is saved for signals having two and higher dimensions. In general, this method works well only for filters that are approximately Gaussian, and is still too expensive for many practical applications.
Another method (i.e., Burt's method as described in William M. Wells, III, Efficient Synthesis of Gaussian Filters by Cascaded Uniform Filters, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PATTERN ANALYSIS AND MACHINE INTELLIGENCE, Vol. PAMI-8, No. 2 (March 1986) ("Wells"); P. J. Burt, "Fast, hierarchical correlations with Gaussian-like kernels," Comput. Vision Lab., Univ. Maryland, Tech. Rep. TR-860, January 1980; and P. J. Burt, "Fast algorithms for estimating local image properties," Comput. Vision, Graphics, Image Processing, vol. 21, pp. 368-382, March 1983, incorporated herein by reference) involves increasing the kernel's size without increasing the computational cost, by inserting zero elements between a fixed number of non-zero elements. With this method, although the computational cost involved is reduced, in practice if a kernel is expanded over more than a small range, the quality of the filter's output becomes unacceptable.
Many methods for implementing multidimensional filters take advantage of the fact that many important filters (including Gaussian and Laplacian approximations) are separable, which means that each dimension of the input signal can be processed separately with a 1D filter that corresponds to the multi-dimensional filter. This reduces the computational cost problem to one of finding inexpensive methods for 1D filtering. The methods described below are based on separable filters.
John F. Canny, Finding Edges and Lines in Images, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Catalog Number AD-A130824 (June 1983) ("Canny"), incorporated herein by reference, describes a method in which a Gaussian filter is approximated by using recursive filters. The response of a recursive filter can be adjusted over a wide range without affecting the computational cost. Since recursive filters are causal and asymmetric, the Canny method applies them in forwards and backwards directions and sums the results to approximate the symmetric Gaussian. The Canny method also applies the filters twice to improve the quality of the approximation.
Methods for convolving a signal with a uniform kernel (also known as a "boxcar" kernel) have also been developed. The elements of a uniform kernel have uniform values within a region, and have values of zero outside this region. Uniform multidimensional kernels are separable, allowing for uniform 1D convolution that can be performed with a small, fixed number of operations where the small fixed number is independent of the size of the kernel.
Wells describes a method for approximating a Gaussian filter by repeated convolution with uniform kernels. According to Wells, a cascade of uniform filters approximates a Gaussian due to the central limit theorem. It is noted that the approximation improves as the number of repeated convolutions increases, and is good after three such convolutions.
A limitation of the prior art methods is that in order to reduce computational cost, considerable flexibility in choosing the shape of the filter is sacrificed. All of the above described methods in which computational cost is independent of kernel size involve Gaussian approximations or boxcar filters. Although Gaussian filters are important in image processing, and different sized Gaussian filters can be combined to approximate band-pass and high-pass filters, there are often practical reasons to prefer other shapes not readily possible using the prior art methods.
Another limitation is that even when Gaussian filtering is desired, the prior art methods are not well-suited to widely-available, inexpensive digital hardware, including specialized circuits and general purpose computers. Although some researchers have taken computational cost into account, typically this has been only in terms of arithmetic operations such as addition and multiplication. With practical digital hardware, particularly modern general purpose computers that have effectively single-clock-cycle multipliers, the number and pattern of memory accesses has a more significant effect on computational cost than the number of arithmetic operations.
For cost and performance reasons, a digital signal processor (including a general purpose computer being used for that purpose) typically provides at least three levels of memory. The lowest level is a small (typically fewer than 128 bytes) register file having an access computational cost of essentially zero. The next level is a medium-sized bank (typically a few tens of kilobytes) of static random access memory ("SRAM") having an access computational cost about the same as the computational cost of an addition or multiplication, independent of the pattern of access. The final level is a large, dynamic random access memory ("DRAM") in which source and destination images are held. Data is copied from DRAM to SRAM to be accessed by the computer's processor. The access computational cost for this copying is typically equivalent to the SRAM access computational cost for long sequential access patterns, but is much higher for short or non-sequential patterns.
The Wells and Canny methods are computationally costly because they generate a significant quantity of intermediate data that is held in memory. For the 1D case, this data does not fit in the register file, so an access cost penalty equivalent to the arithmetic computational cost of an addition or multiplication operation is paid for each piece of data read or written. For separable 2D filtering, data along one dimension (i.e., rows) is sequential in DRAM, while data along the other dimension (i.e., columns) is not sequential, and therefore is slow to gain access to in sequence. To achieve high performance, it is necessary to gain access to and filter many neighboring columns at once, but the intermediate data generated quickly fills all available SRAM and results in significant copying between SRAM and DRAM.
Moreover, the Canny method requires many arithmetic operations, resulting in unacceptably high computational costs in some applications.
High speed industrial guidance and inspection applications, among others, would benefit from higher performance digital filtering executed on inexpensive digital hardware, and would also benefit from more flexibility in specifying the shape of digital filter kernels.
The invention provides an apparatus, a method, and computer software residing on a computer-readable storage medium, for digitally processing a one-dimensional digital signal. The invention includes convolving the one-dimensional digital signal with a function that is the (n+1)th difference (discrete derivative) of an nth order discrete piecewise polynomial kernel so as to provide a second one-dimensional digital signal. Further according to the invention, 'n' is at least 1, the polynomial kernel has a plurality of non-zero elements, the function has a plurality of non-zero elements and at least one zero element, and the function has fewer non-zero elements than the polynomial kernel has non-zero elements. Next, discrete integration is performed n+1 times on the second one-dimensional digital signal, thereby providing a digitally processed one-dimensional signal.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, convolving includes performing computations that involve only the non-zero elements of the function; the polynomial kernel includes at least one selectable parameter, each selectable parameter determining a respective property of the polynomial kernel; a selectable parameter determines size of the polynomial kernel; 'n' is a selectable parameter of the polynomial kernel; a selectable parameter determines the number of pieces of the polynomial kernel; all of the elements of the function are integers; 'n' has value 2; the function includes 's' zero elements between each pair of neighboring non-zero elements, where 's' is a positive integer; there are four non-zero elements of the function, these elements having respective values +1m, −3m, +3m, −1m, where 'm' is a non-zero integer; for at least one non-zero element of the function there are at least two zero elements; the at least one selectable parameter is a positive integer 's', and the function includes first, second, third, and fourth non-zero elements having values +m(s+1), −m(s+3), +m(s+3), −m(s+1) respectively, where 'm' is a non-zero integer, and the function further includes 's' zero elements between the second and third non-zero elements.
The invention also provides an apparatus, method, and computer software on a storage medium for digitally processing a multi-dimensional digital signal, such as an image. The invention includes, for at least one dimension of the multi-dimensional digital signal, convolving a corresponding one-dimensional digital signal with a corresponding function that is the (n+1)th difference of a corresponding nth order discrete piecewise polynomial kernel so as to provide a second multi-dimensional digital signal. Further according to the invention, 'n' is at least 1, each polynomial kernel has a plurality of non-zero elements, each function has a plurality of non-zero elements and a plurality of zero elements, and each function has fewer non-zero elements than the polynomial kernel has non-zero elements. Then, for each convolved dimension, the second multi-dimensional digital signal is discretely integrated n+1 times, where n is the order of the polynomial kernel corresponding to the dimension.
In preferred embodiments of this general aspect of the invention, convolving includes performing computations that involve only the non-zero elements of the corresponding function; each polynomial kernel includes at least one selectable parameter, each selectable parameter determining a respective property of the polynomial kernel; a selectable parameter determines size of each polynomial kernel; 'n' is a selectable parameter of each polynomial kernel corresponding to each dimension; a selectable parameter determines a number of pieces of each polynomial kernel along each dimension; all of the elements of each function are integers; 'n' has value 2; each function includes 's' zero elements between each pair of neighboring non-zero elements, where 's' is a positive integer corresponding to each dimension; there are four non-zero elements of each function, these elements having respective values +1m, −3m, +3m, −1m, where 'm' is a non-zero integer corresponding to each dimension; for at least one non-zero element of each function there are at least two zero elements; and the at least one selectable parameter is a positive integer 's', and each function includes first, second, third, and fourth non-zero elements having values +m(s+1), −m(s+3), +m(s+3), −m(s+1) respectively, where 'm' is a non-zero integer, and each function further includes 's' zero elements between the second and third non-zero elements.
Among the advantages of the invention are one or more of the following. The invention allows one dimensional digital filtering and separable multidimensional digital filtering. A variety of basic kernel shapes can be used. For any such basic kernel shape, the kernel size, and consequently the response of the filter, can be adjusted over a wide range at a computational cost that is substantially independent of the size of the kernel. The amount of intermediate data generated by the filter is small and is substantially independent of the size of the kernel, resulting in highly efficient use of conventional memory architectures. Gaussian approximations equivalent to those resulting from cascaded uniform filters can be produced, but at a computational cost that is lower when the memory access cost is properly accounted for.
Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following descriptions, and from the claims.
The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a plot of a second order piecewise polynomial approximation to a Gaussian low-pass filter kernel, and the first, second, and third differences thereof;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a filter based on the kernel of FIG. 2;
FIG. 3A shows an embodiment of an accumulator of FIG. 3;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a convolve element according to the invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a portion of an adjustable version of the filter of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a plot of a second order single-piece polynomial parabolic low-pass filter kernel, and the first, second, and third differences thereof;
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a filter based on the kernel of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a plot of a second order piecewise polynomial band pass filter kernel, and the first, second, and third differences thereof;
FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are block diagrams showing initialization, and the first and last positions of a sampler that result in a valid output; and
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment two-dimensional filter according to the invention.
As recognized by the invention, any discrete function can be approximated to a desired precision by dividing the discrete function into pieces, and substituting for each piece a discrete polynomial having an order equal to or less than a preselected value 'n'. The resulting approximation is referred to as an "nth order piecewise polynomial". Referring to FIG. 1, the (n+1)th difference 12 of an nth order piecewise polynomial kernel 10 is used. Guidelines for and examples of the construction of the piecewise polynomial kernel are given below.
It can be shown that the (n+1)th difference of an nth order piecewise polynomial is zero everywhere, except where the pieces join. Here, a "difference" is the discrete version of a derivative. Thus, the (n+1)th difference 12 is zero everywhere except at the boundaries where the pieces join. At each such boundary there are one or more non-zero elements in the (n+1)th difference, as discussed below.
A filter control element 16 uses the (n+1)th difference 12 to provide a sampler 22 with information about the relative positions of the non-zero elements of the (n+1)th difference 12, to provide a convolver 24 with the values of the non-zero elements, to provide a summing element 26 (e.g., cascaded accumulators 29 of FIG. 3) with the order n of the filter, and to provide a normalizer 27 with information about the total weight of the kernel. Note that the sampler 22 provides a significant performance benefit, since it enables convolution to be performed using only the non-zero elements of the 1D digital signal 20.
A sequence of positions within a 1D digital signal 20 is designated for filtering, as discussed further below. For each such position, the sampler 22 samples values of elements of the 1D digital signal 20 at relative positions as specified by the filter control element 16, and passes these values to the convolver 24, which computes a weighted sum of the sampled signal elements using the non-zero (n+1)th difference elements from the filter control 16 as weights. The convolver thus produces a sequence of weighted sums corresponding to the sequence of positions within the 1D digital signal.
The sequence of weighted sums is provided to the summing element 26 that contains (n+1) cascaded accumulators 29. The output of the summing element 26 is a sequence of values that is the (n+1)th sum, i.e., the (n+1)th discrete integration, of the convolution of the original 1D signal 20 with the (n+1)th difference of the original kernel 10. As recognized by the invention, convolution by any discrete function is equivalent to convolution by the kth difference of the discrete function, followed by 'k' successive summations. Here, a "summation" is the discrete version of an integration. Thus, the output of the summing element 26 is equal to the convolution of the original signal with the original kernel.
The sequence of values output from the summing element 26 may be adjusted in magnitude by normalizer 27. In some embodiments, the normalizer is not used, which leaves the sequence of values unadjusted. In other embodiments the normalizer effectively divides each value of the sequence by the total weight of the kernel as indicated by the filter control 16 to produce a sequence of weighted averages. In still other embodiments, the normalizer multiplies or divides the elements of the sequence by other appropriate constants. The output of the normalizer is the filtered signal 28.
As described thus far, the method results in a fixed filter, i.e., a filter corresponding to one specific kernel and having a fixed response to its input. The method also applies to an adjustable filter, i.e., a filter that uses one or more filter parameters 14 to select from among a family of piecewise polynomial kernels. As shown in FIG. 1, these filter parameters 14 are read by the filter control 16 and used to generate necessary information for the sampler 22, convolver 24, summing element 26, and normalizer 27.
In a preferred embodiment, the filter parameters 14 include a single filter size parameter that selects from among a family of kernels that have the same order and number of pieces but vary by size. In this embodiment, the filter has a response that is adjustable over a wide range. In other embodiments, one or more filter parameters are used to change the number of pieces or the order of the kernel 10 or both. In a simple case, the filter size parameter changes the size of each piece of the polynomial equally, without changing the number, order, or basic shape of the pieces. This has the effect of changing the number of zero elements in the (n+1)th difference that fall between the non-zero elements that correspond to where the pieces join. Thus, the filter control 16 uses the filter size parameter 14 to determine the relative positions of the non-zero elements to be used by the sampler 22. Another effect is the change in the total weight of the kernel 10, which the filter control determines and provides to the normalizer 27.
In some cases, changing the spacing of the non-zero elements sufficiently adjusts the response of the filter. In other cases, the values of the non-zero elements that the filter control 16 provides to the convolver 24 are also changed. In general, the filter control uses the filter size parameter to adjust the spacing of the non-zero elements for the sampler, to adjust the values of the non-zero elements for the convolver, and to adjust the total weight for the normalizer.
FIG. 2 shows an example of use of a fixed piecewise polynomial kernel 30 and its differences. The piecewise polynomial 30 approximates a Gaussian kernel and is used to provide a low-pass filter. Polynomial 30 provides a second order approximation by including three pieces, each being a portion of a parabola. The three pieces fall between the dividing lines 38, which indicate where the pieces join, including where the pieces join the regions of zero weight that extend indefinitely beyond the kernel. Kernel 30 has 13 non-zero elements having the weights shown.
Curve 32 represents the first difference of the kernel 30 and includes three first order pieces (straight lines). The curve 34 represents the second difference of the kernel 30 and includes three zeroth order pieces, i.e., constant values. The curve 36 represents the third difference of the kernel 30 and is zero everywhere except for positions corresponding to the step-discontinuities in the second difference 34, which correspond to lines 38 where the pieces are joined. The four non-zero elements 40 of the third difference 36 have the values 1, −3, 3, and −1, and adjacent pairs of the elements 40 are separated by four zero elements.
In FIG. 2, for illustration purposes, each element of each difference is plotted at a horizontal position that is between the horizontal positions of the corresponding higher order curve. This positioning illustrates the relationship between the differences and how the differences relate at the boundaries 38. The curves 30, 32, 34, and 36 connecting the elements are drawn to aid in understanding the figure, but it should be understood that all of the signals, kernels, and differences consist solely of a sequence of discrete values. For example, the third difference includes the discrete values: 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, −3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, −1, 0, and excludes all values between these listed discrete values.
FIG. 3 shows the operation of the filter corresponding to FIG. 2. At each position 'i' of a sequence of positions of digital signal 20, the sampler 22 reads four values at relative positions i, i−5, i−10, and i−15. The convolver 24 multiplies these four values by the indicated four non-zero elements 40 of the third difference, and sums the resulting products to produce a weighted sum 25 for each of the positions of the signal 20. The sequence of weighted sums 25 so produced is discretely integrated three times by the accumulators 29 in the summing element 26. The normalization step described above is not shown.
FIG. 3A shows an embodiment of an accumulator 29. An adder 31 receives an input signal 33 and a memory feedback signal 35 from a memory 37, where the memory feedback signal is the result of the addition of the previous values of the input signals 33 and 35. The adder 31 provides an adder signal 39 that is the result of adding the two input signals 33 and 35. The resulting signal 35 is the discrete integration of the input signal 33.
For the convolver 24, a variation suitable for the filter of FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the same results are produced with only one multiplication instead of four. Since this multiplication is by the fixed constant "3", it can be implemented by a single shift operation and a single addition operation if multiplication is computationally more expensive than addition for the particular processor used.
The filtered signal 28 produced is identical to that which would be produced by direct convolution of the signal with the original piecewise polynomial kernel 30. For each position of the signal, direct convolution would require at least thirty-six operations: fourteen memory accesses (including storing the filtered signal value in memory), eleven multiplication operations, and twelve addition operations. Note that this does not include normalization, which is optional. If the kernel elements are stored in SRAM instead of being permanently fixed in circuitry or software (i.e., instead of being "hardwired" or "hard-coded", respectively) that implements the convolver, direct convolution would require as many as fifty-three operations.
According to the invention, only twelve operations are required: five memory accesses, one multiplication operation, and six addition operations (here, subtraction has the same computational cost as addition). Since only three accumulator values are required, all of the accumulator values can be stored in a register file, access to which entails substantially no computational cost.
The filtered signal produced is identical to that which would be produced by the aforementioned method of cascaded uniform filters, where three such uniform filters of width "5" are used. With a cascade of three uniform filters, however, fifteen operations are required: two memory reading operations, two addition/subtract operations, and one memory writing operation for each of the three uniform filter steps. As discussed below, the performance advantage of the present invention is even more significant for two-dimensional filtering.
The usefulness of the low-pass filter of FIGS. 2-4 is enhanced if the response of the filter can be adjusted over a wide range. Regardless of how many zero elements separate the non-zero elements 40 of the third difference 36, as long as the number "s" of zero elements in each of the three pieces is the same, the basic shapes of the second difference 34, first difference 32, and the piecewise polynomial kernel 30 remain the same. The size, values, and total weight of the kernel vary, but the kernel maintains its approximately Gaussian shape.
The size of the corresponding kernel 30 is 3s+1 and the total weight of its elements is (s+1)3. In the case where s=0, a kernel of one element (weight 1) results, and so the corresponding filter would have an output that is the same as its input.
FIG. 5 shows a portion of an adjustable variation of the filter of FIG. 3. In this case a filter size parameter 14 equal to the value "s" is used. The filter control 16 passes this value to the sampler 22, which uses value "s" to select the appropriate elements of the 1D signal 20. The convolver 24 of FIG. 3 or 4 and the summing element 26 of FIG. 3 are also used.
The filter modified as shown in FIG. 5 produces a piecewise second order Gaussian approximation that can be adjusted over a wide range, including a setting that produces an output signal that reflects no changes to the input signal. The number of operations required is independent of the value of the filter size parameter 14. The intermediate storage required by the filter is that sufficient to hold three values (corresponding to the three accumulators in the summing element) and is also independent of the filter size parameter.
FIG. 6 shows another example of a fixed low-pass filter according to the invention. In this example, the piecewise polynomial kernel 50 includes one piece, which is a section of a parabola that joins the extending zero weight regions at boundaries 58. This section has eleven non-zero elements having values shown in FIG. 6. The first order first difference 52, zeroth order second difference 54, and third difference 56 are plotted in a manner similar to FIG. 2.
Unlike the first difference 32 of FIG. 2, the first difference 52 of FIG. 6 has step-discontinuities where it joins the extending zero weight regions at boundaries 58. These step-discontinuities result in impulses in the second difference 54 at the boundaries 58, superimposed on the constant piece of the second difference of a second order function. These impulses result in features called doublets in the third difference 56, superimposed on the impulses. The net result is that at each boundary 58 the third difference 56 has two non-zero elements 60 instead of one non-zero element as was the case for the arrangement shown in FIG. 2.
In an adjustable variation of the filter of FIG. 6, a filter size parameter 's' is used that is equal to the number of zero elements 's' separating the non-zero elements 60 of the third difference 56. The non-zero values of the third difference depend on. 's'; specifically, the values are (s+1), −(s+3), (s+3), and −(s+1). The size of the resulting kernel is s+1, and its total weight is given by the following expression:
FIG. 7 shows an adjustable low-pass filter based on the second order kernel of FIG. 6. In this case the filter control 16 provides position information to the sampler 22 and -kernel values to the convolver 24, based on the filter size parameter 14. The convolver 24 requires an additional operation, specifically a multiplication operation, as compared to that of FIG. 4, but the sampler is made more efficient because two adjacent pairs of values of the signal 20 are accessed, rather than four separate values.
The filtering characteristics of an approximately parabolic low-pass filter are similar to those of an approximately Gaussian filter. Although the latter may have some theoretical advantages, in most practical applications the differences in filter response are not noticeable. The parabolic shape has some other practical advantages, however:
(1) The greater locality of reference of the adjacent pairs compared to four separate locations may result in computational savings, particularly for 2D filtering.
(2) The response of the parabolic filter is more finely adjustable, because each step of the filter size parameter changes the response of the parabolic filter by about half as much as in the case of the second order Gaussian, as measured by the standard deviation of the kernel.
(3) For approximately equivalent filter response, the parabolic kernel is smaller than the Gaussian approximation kernel. While this has no effect on computational cost, it means that the kernel can be placed in more positions along the 1D signal 20, which can reduce loss of signal or loss of fidelity near the ends of the signal.
Note that the parabolic kernel of FIG. 6 cannot be generated by the cascaded uniform filter method of Wells, this method producing only approximations to Gaussian filters. Of course, in addition to providing parabolic kernels and approximate Gaussian kernels, the invention can provide many other filter shapes, thereby allowing unprecedented flexibility in matching filter specifications to particular signal processing applications, in addition to unprecedented computational efficiency.
Another example of a filter according to the invention is shown in FIG. 8, which discloses a band-pass filter. The piecewise polynomial kernel 70 is second order as before, but here there are four pieces joined at five boundaries 78. The first difference 72, second difference 74, and third difference 76 are plotted as before. The third difference has five non-zero elements 80 as shown.
This band-pass filter can be made adjustable by using a filter size parameter "s" to specify the number of zero elements separating the non-zero elements 80. In this case the values of the non-zero elements 80 are independent of "s". The adjustable filter may be implemented along the lines of FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.
Although the examples given above are of second order piecewise polynomial kernels, the method can be applied to piecewise polynomial kernels of any order, and any number of pieces. Furthermore, it is not necessary that each piece be of the same order. The order of the piecewise polynomial is defined to be the same as that of its highest-order piece.
In the above examples of adjustable filters, a filter size parameter is used to define a family of kernels of varying size but the same basic shape. It is also possible to use a parameter or set of parameters to define a family of kernels that vary in other ways, such as by order, number of pieces, or both.
For example, one can define a family of Gaussian approximations using two parameters: an order parameter "r" and a size parameter "s". Each member of the family is an (r+1)-piece r-order polynomial having a shape approaching that of a Gaussian as r increases. For example, the filter of FIG. 2 is a member of this family, where r=2. Each member of this family has (r+2) non-zero elements in the (r+1)th difference. The values of these non-zero elements are:
where 0<=j<=(r+1).
The number of zeros separating the non-zero elements is 's'. The size of the kernel is s(r+1)+1, its total weight is (s+1)(r+1), and its standard deviation is
Also, (r+1) accumulators 29 are needed in the summing block 26. Filter control 16 operates according to these formulas to provide the information needed by the sampler 22, the convolver 24, the summing element 26, and the normalizer 27. Relative to the method of cascaded uniform filters, the computational cost savings increases as r increases, and are greater still for the 2D case.
Any piecewise polynomial can be used to practice this invention, and any desired precision can be achieved in approximating a desired kernel shape. In practice, because some arrangements work better than others, it is useful to have some general guidelines for these filters.
When specifying the parameters of the piecewise polynomial approximation 10, one objective is to minimize the computational cost of the filter, while at the same time achieve a reasonable approximation to some desired shape. In practical applications, because the exact shape of the kernel is usually less important than computational cost, it is useful to understand the characteristics of the piecewise polynomial that affect computational cost, i.e., the number of arithmetic and memory access operations that must be performed to generate each filter output value.
The number of operations is generally proportional to the sum of two terms: the number of non-zero elements in the (n+1)th difference 12, and the order of the piecewise polynomial 10.
As can be seen from the above examples, non-zero elements in the (n+1)th difference arise where the pieces of the polynomial join each other or join the regions of zero weights that extend beyond the kernel. In general, the number of non-zero elements at a particular boundary is (k+1), where k is the order of the highest-order difference that has a discontinuity at the given boundary. Thus it is desirable both to minimize the number of pieces and to avoid discontinuities in the higher-order differences.
These objectives may be at odds in some cases, because eliminating pieces may result in higher order discontinuities. This was shown in the above examples, where the parabolic low-pass filter has two fewer pieces than the Gaussian filter, but has the same number of non-zero elements because discontinuities first appear in the first difference (first order) instead of the second difference (zeroth order).
In some cases there may be so many pieces or so many discontinuities, or both, that the number of non-zero elements in the (n+1)th difference is not fewer than in the kernel itself. For example, any discrete kernel may be viewed as piecewise linear (first order) with one piece per element of the kernel. In such a case, it would be more expensive to use the method described above than to use direct convolution with the original kernel.
In general, increasing the order of the piecewise polynomial increases the number of operations both due to additional summation operations and due to memory accesses that are needed to read and write additional intermediate data. On the other hand, using higher order polynomials can sometimes reduce the number of pieces needed for an effective approximation. In practice, second order piecewise polynomials achieve a good balance between quality of the approximation to a desired shape and computational cost.
Another advantageous characteristic of the piecewise polynomial approximation of the invention is adjustability of the response of the filter over a wide range, as was true for each of the examples described above. Preferably, the adjustment does not require changing the number of pieces or introducing additional discontinuities. Thus, the computational cost associated with the filter is independent of its size, and simplifies the operation of the filter control, sampler, and convolver.
A preferable way to specify the parameters of an adjustable filter having pieces that fit without higher-order discontinuities is to work outward from a lower-order difference of the corresponding kernel instead of starting with the kernel itself. For example, a parabolic kernel as in FIG. 6 may be desired, but the kernel values to use and how to make the filter adjustable may not be known. The first difference should include a segment of a straight line, the slope of the line should be negative, the first difference should take on integer values, and the first difference should cross zero at the middle of the parabola. These guidelines restrict the options for the first difference, which leads to the filter shown. The parabolic kernel itself is obtained by summing the first difference; the particular values of the kernel are not all that important so long as the basic shape of the kernel, i.e., the relationships among the values, is as required by the particular application.
In each of the above examples the elements of the piecewise polynomial kernels and their differences have integer values, and therefore if the signal elements are also integers then the arithmetic operations connected with FIGS. 3, 4, and 7 can be implemented as integer operations. The methods described herein can also be used for floating point signal values, by using floating point arithmetic operations in the convolver 24, summing element 26, and normalizer 27. The methods can also be used with floating point values in the (n+1)th difference, but there are some important considerations.
For proper operation, the values used for the (n+1)th difference should be exact. Any errors that result from a floating point number's inability to represent the exact value accumulate as successive positions of the signal 20 are processed. Generally, the errors grow as the (n+1)th power of position along the signal, so that significant errors accumulate quickly. In many practical applications, due to a combination of the shortness of the signal and the precision of the floating point representation, this may not be a problem. Preferably, however, floating point values are used only where they can represent the desired (n+1)th difference values exactly. Note that floating point signal values can be used freely, since signal errors do not accumulate and since the signal values are usually estimates of some physical quantity.
The following example illustrates how floating point values arise during filter specification and how they are handled. Suppose an adjustable second order piecewise polynomial kernel is sought, and the first difference, a piecewise linear function, is selected as the starting place of the kernel specification. Preferably, to minimize non-zero elements in the third difference, the straight-line pieces of the first difference should join without discontinuities. This requires that one such piece span x units horizontally and y units vertically. If the slope y/x is not an integer, there are non-integral values in the first, second and third differences. If the non-integral values in the third difference can be represented exactly in floating point form, they can be used directly. If not, or if integer operations are used in the filter, then the entire piecewise linear function is multiplied by 'x', or other suitable value, to eliminate the non-integer values. Note that multiplying by x does not change the relative weights of the kernel elements, so the kernel shape is unaffected.
For a signal of length w and a kernel of size d there are (w−d+1) positions for the kernel within the signal, and the filter produces an output value for each of those positions. If preferred, the signal can be extended beyond the ends so that additional output values can be produced. In particular, it may be preferred to produce an output signal that is the same size as the input instead of being reduced in size by d−1. To minimize boundary effects, the signal can be extended by, for example, reflecting it about its endpoints.
For proper operation, the filters should be initialized before they begin producing output values. The initialization procedure is shown in FIG. 9. The length of the signal 20 is w, the size of the piecewise polynomial kernel 10 is d, and the size of the region containing all of the non-zero elements of the (n+1)th difference 12 is (d+n+1).
First, the accumulators 29 in the summing element 26 are set to zero. The sampler 22 starts at position i=0 as shown in FIG. 9a. In this position, the first non-zero element of the (n+1)th difference corresponds to the first signal element at position zero as shown. All of the other non-zero elements are at negative positions, i.e., before the beginning of the signal, and the sampler reads them as zero.
The sequence of positions in the range 0≦i<(w−1) are processed by the filter. The sampler reads any negative signal position (i.e., before the beginning of the signal) as zero. The positions in the range 0≦i<(d−1) represent the initialization sequence. For these positions, no output is produced by the filter, but sampling 22, convolution 24, and accumulation 26 steps are performed to initialize the accumulators 29.
The first position that produces an output value is at i=d−1, as shown in FIG. 9b. In this position, one or more of the non-zero elements of the (n+1)th difference are at negative positions reading zero, as shown. The last position that produces an output value is at i=w−1, as shown in FIG. 9c. The (w−d+1) output values are produced as expected.
An important practical application is the filtering of multi-dimensional digital signals, particularly 2D signals such as images. The procedures and methods described above provide significant benefits in such applications by providing efficient, flexible digital filters. The procedures and methods can be used whenever separable multi-dimensional kernels are used for filtering. A separable n-dimensional kernel is a filter that can be factored into a product of n kernels corresponding to the n dimensions, each of which is a function of only the corresponding dimension. Many kernels commonly used for low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass filtering, and for operations such as edge detection, are separable.
For each of the factors of a separable kernel, a 1D kernel called a projection is constructed with the values along the factor's corresponding dimension. Convolution with a separable n-dimensional kernel is equivalent to successive convolution by each of the n projections. Each of these convolutions is effectively a convolution along one dimension of the signal by a 1D kernel, which allows use of the procedures and methods described herein.
The numerical result is independent of the order of the convolutions. The efficiency of the filter may depend on the order chosen and also on how the procedures and methods described herein are used. Optimum performance depends on the pattern of memory accesses used to process the signal.
FIG. 10 shows a preferred embodiment of a 2D filter selected for use with a memory system containing a large DRAM (or an equivalent such as SDRAM or RAMBUS) memory, a smaller SRAM memory such as a data cache, and a small register file. A two-dimensional signal 100, such as an image with x and y dimensions as shown, is stored in the DRAM. As noted above, such a memory allows accessing elements at sequential addresses much faster than at non-sequential addresses. The elements along the x dimension are considered to be at sequential addresses. Sequences of elements along the x and y dimensions are called rows and columns, respectively.
To minimize the quantity of intermediate data that is stored so that it fits in available SRAM, the x and y filter steps are intermingled. Successive complete rows of y-filtered data are produced one at a time. Each such row produced is immediately x-filtered, resulting in one row of xy-filtered data. Preferably, the rows of y-filtered data are not normalized, both to save computation time and to avoid loss of precision. The xy-filtered data is normalized based on the total weight of the full 2D kernel and is stored in the DRAM memory to form the filter output.
With reference again to FIG. 10, a new row of y-filtered data corresponding to position y=j is produced as follows. A y-sampler 110 reads elements of signal 100 at sequential x positions from rows at y positions relative to j that correspond to the relative positions of the non-zero elements of the (ny+1)th difference of the 2D kernel's y projection. A weighted sum of each such set of elements is computed by a y-convolver 120, using the (ny+1)th difference elements as weights. Also, (ny+1) rows of accumulators 130 are used, and are preferably stored in SRAM. Each value from the y-convolver 120 is added to the accumulator of the first row of accumulators 132 that corresponds to the x position from which the signal values were read by the y-sampler 110. The result of this sum is added to the corresponding accumulator of the second row, and corresponding additions are executed up to the (ny+1)th row 134. The sampling, convolving, and summing operations are repeated for all x positions for one set of y positions in the signal 100. The result in the (ny+1)th row of accumulators 134 is the y-filtered data at position y=j. Note that since data is read from the signal 100 sequentially in x, the access cost is small.
Each row of y-filtered data is x-filtered. An x-sampler 140 reads elements from the (ny+1)th row of accumulators 134 at relative positions that correspond to the relative positions of the non-zero elements of the (nx+1)th difference of the 2D kernel's x projection. A weighted sum of each such set of elements is computed by a x-convolver 150, using the (nx+1)th difference elements as weights. The sequence of weighted sums produced by the x-convolver is summed (nx+1) times by summing element 160, normalized by element 170, and stored in the DRAM memory (not shown).
Note that the initialization steps of FIG. 9 apply independently in both dimensions. Filter parameters and filter control elements are not shown but are identical to the 1D cases.
The intermediate storage required by the 2D filter of FIG. 10 consists of the rows of accumulators in the y-summing block 130 and the accumulators in the x-summing block 160. As in the 1D case, since the storage required for the x-summing block is small and is independent of the kernel size, a zero-cost register file can be used. The storage required for the y-summing block is proportional to the order of the kernel's y projection and to the width of the signal 100, but is also independent of the kernel size. This independence of kernel size is an important and advantageous property. For example, independence of kernel size allows the intermediate storage to be held in a small SRAM memory, which has a significant beneficial effect on the performance of the filter.
The 2D filter of FIG. 10 can be generalized to any number of dimensions.
With a low-pass filter, it may be useful to obtain every mth filtered value instead of every value. This is called sub-sampling by m, and can be done independently in each dimension for a multi-dimensional filter. For the 1D case sub-sampling allows the normalization step to be skipped for filter values to be discarded. For the 2D case according to the embodiment of FIG. 10, substantial savings are possible, because the entire x-filtering step can be eliminated for all rows to be discarded in the y dimension.
Dedicated hardware may be used for all of the elements of the filter of the invention. In such a case, dedicated memory holds the signals, accumulators and filter parameters, dedicated arithmetic elements provide the convolver, summing element, and normalizing element, and dedicated control circuits provide the filter control and sampler. Alternatively, the arithmetic and control elements may be implemented by a field programmable gate array or similar device, so that a variety of filters can be obtained from a single circuit.
Alternatively, the filter of the invention may be implemented by a programmable digital signal processor ("DSP") or general purpose computer. In these forms, the DSP or computer's general purpose memory is used to hold the signals. On devices that have programmer-controlled SRAM, such as the TI TMS320C80 DSP, the accumulator rows 130 for 2D filter can be held in the SRAM. A 2D signal may be processed in vertical strips if it is too wide for all of the accumulators to fit at once. On devices that have conventional data caches, such as the Intel Pentium1 MMX, the processor automatically keeps as much of the rows of accumulators in cache as will fit, depending on competition with other necessary data. The accumulators for 1D filtering, or 2D x-filtering, may be held in general purpose CPU registers.
For DSP or general purpose computer implementations, the sampling, filter control, and arithmetic operations are performed by appropriate software. Guidelines for making optimum use of a particular DSP or computer are provided by the manufacturer.
For any of the embodiments described above, the normalization element is preferably implemented by multiplying by the reciprocal of the total kernel weight rather than dividing by the total weight, since division operations are generally much more computationally expensive. For integer processors, an integer multiplication operation followed by a shift may be used. The filter control element may calculate the appropriate multiplier and shift count corresponding to the reciprocal of the total kernel weight.
For low-pass filters, it may be useful to produce a filtered signal to a higher precision than the input signal, since the weighted average tends to reduce signal noise. In such a case, the filter control element can provide a more appropriate constant to the normalization element.
Other modifications and implementations will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the above description is not intended to limit the invention except as indicated in the following claims.
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|Citing Patent
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|Aug 4, 2009
|Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute
|Apparatus and method for determining stereo disparity based on two-path dynamic programming and GGCP
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|Apr 20, 2010
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|Cognex Corporation
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|Intersil Americas Inc.
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|Cognex Corporation
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|Cognex Corporation
|Method for fast, robust, multi-dimensional pattern recognition
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|Cognex Corporation
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|Adobe Systems Incorporated
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|Cognex Technology And Investment Corporation
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|Sony Corporation
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|Sony Corporation
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|Xerox Corporation
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|Cognex Technology And Investment Corporation
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|Sony Corporation
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|Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company
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|Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
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|Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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|U.S. Classification
|708/315, 708/319
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|May 11, 1998
Owner name: COGNEX CORPORATION, MASSACHUSETTS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SILVER, WILLIAM;REEL/FRAME:009173/0504
Effective date: 19980501
|Feb 27, 2006
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text: Your no amateur when it comes to choosing the sexiest, most curve flattering, -femme fatel- ensembles. Thats why its no surprise that a true beauty vixen such as yourself never dresses in anything thats less than dashing. And by that, we mean slipping your sexiest curves into this halter fishnet garter dress with attached stockings and g-string Style: clothing-intimates-m-81344black Brand: Leg Avenue This item is FINAL SALE and is not eligible for return or exchanges. NOTE: This item is an Expanded Assortment*. Please allow 3-4 business days for item to leave the warehouse.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Calendar- JCSW meetings for 2015-2016
JCSW Joint Meeting Guest Speaker Events:
We hope you can join us for our next meeting on Thursday, May 5: "Before the time comes: conversations on eldercare and end-of-life".
Audrey Zabin, M.Ed.,CMC,LSW will draw on over two decades of experience in elder care management in guiding us through the landscape of elder care. Audrey will arm us with knowledge and tools to proactively address the needs and preferences of aging family members. Audrey will be joined by Rachelle Bernacki, MD, MS, a palliative care physician's perspective on end-of-life issues and by Sheila Nutt, EdD, a JCSW member who will share her personal experience of caring for her aging parents. We will also be taking a photo of the JCSW at 1:00pm outside on the stairs of Gordon Hall (weather permitting).
Thursday, May 5, 11:45am - 2:00pm
Location: Gordon Hall First Floor Waterhouse Room
11:45am Lunch Buffet
12:00-1:00 Part I: Before the time comes: conversations on eldercare and end-of-life
1:00-1:10 JCSW photo
1:10-2:00 Part II: Strategic Plan
To RSVP, click here.
Space is limited! **Please RSVP by May 2.**
You must be affiliated with Harvard Medical School to attend JCSW Events.
Who We Are
A community of women and men who strive to make the working environment better for all.
Harvard Medical School /
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
25 Shattuck Street, Room 206
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: 617.432.0719


text:
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text:
Bayhealth clinical educator Terry Towne received the William H. Spurgeon III Award for her leadership and contributions to the Delmarva Council Boy Scouts of America Learning for Life exploring program.
Despite the appealing fast pace and some solid performances, CBS� new drama �Code Black� is a medical procedural that sacrifices a complex look at the overburdened health-care system for simplistic emotional ploys.
Dave Granlund cartoon on Oprah.
Weight Watchers shares are going bonkers.The stock is up 117 percent following news that Oprah Winfrey just made a big bet on the company.
Ever gotten creeped out by someone who just seemed, well, creepy?
I have always been fascinated with people who have worn the tag of �genius.� Most know about physicist Albert Einstein and his Theory of Relativity and medical researcher Jonas Salk and his polio vaccine. Inventors Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham...
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says we need a revolution.Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says we all want to change the world.
Dave Granlund cartoon on snow.
Love Ranch prostitutes are being offered big money to talk about Lamar Odom's $75,000 brothel visit that nearly ended in a fatal drug overdose, but Odom had "all of them" sign confidentiality agreements, according to...
Put down the witch hat.There has been no shortage of fresh inspiration (scary or otherwise) for Halloween this year.
A pizza delivery driver escaped injury Saturday night after being robbed by three men.
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text:
David has given George a deadline to return Saya. Presumably she will continue to kill chiropterans. Before Saya leaves, George takes her to the place where her time with the Miyagusukus started: the family grave. Somehow, this seemed really appropriate.
Apparently George was told to look after Saya as she slept. Yes, apparently she slept for almost thirty years. Her existence even stopped him from killing himself. After the nice touchy-feely moment, the action starts up again. The guy in the telephone booth from the last episode was a guy named Forrest who apparently knew George from their time in Vietnam. It turns out Forrest is a chiropteran (no surprise there, really), and he attacks the family that night. George is grievously wounded, if not killed.
I never thought of this before, but of course it makes perfect sense that the cellist's case can double as a shield. It's interesting how he's just kind of stalking Saya now. In a good way, though. Whenever she needs help he's always there to save her butt.
Which it seems to be needing very often.moreless


text:
For Michael Middlebrooks, his college career has been for the birds.
After playing his first two seasons for the North Idaho College Cardinals, Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-9 forward, will move onto the Illinois State Redbirds of the Missouri Valley Conference after signing a national letter of intent on Wednesday.
"He was visiting there last weekend and really liked it," NIC men's basketball coach Jared Phay said. "They kind of came out of nowhere a little bit, but were at the right place at the right time."
Phay added that Kansas State was also interested.
"They were involved right until the end," Phay said. "He wanted to be an impact guy and really enjoyed his visit there."
Among the teams in the Missouri Valley Conference are Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Northern Iowa and Wichita State - which advanced to this year's Final Four after beating top-seeded Gonzaga in the third round and losing to eventual national champion Louisville in the semifinals.
"Michael is a long, athletic forward who can block shots," Illinois State coach Dan Muller said. "His length and quickness will allow him to be a very good defender in our system. Michael has only played basketball for four years, so his offensive game will continue to improve with hard work. He comes from tradition-rich Rainier Beach High (in Seattle), so he's used to winning."
"I think they're getting the same thing we got here," Phay said. "He's a big time shot blocker and rebounder. His offensive game needs to improve and he needs to get stronger, but he should fit right in with their program."
Both Kaj Sherman and Keon Lewis will visit Texas-San Antonio this weekend and Sherman will visit Montana next week.
Some former Cardinal players have extended their playing career to the professional level with Mac Hopson (Argentina), Guy-Marc Michel (Greece), Harry Disy (France), Bayo Arigbon (Chile), Brian Morris (Romania), Kerry Williams (Australia) and Daniel Brady (ABA in San Diego) still playing.
"We're really happy right now," Phay said. "It's pretty rewarding on our end to see the kids moving on. We're excited for them."
Middlebrooks joins James Webb (Boise State), Chris Sarbaugh (San Diego) and Jalil Abdul-Bassit (Oregon) in signing with Division I programs.
REUNITED: After Angela Woods signed with Division II Central Washington two weeks ago, she'll have company in Ellensburg next season as Mollie Kramer will also join the Wildcats for the 2013-14 season.
Kramer scored 17 points for NIC in its NJCAA tournament game against Williston State last month.
"We're really excited for Mollie," NIC women's coach Chris Carlson said. "She wasn't a starter for us this year, but man, she had a great game at nationals and was getting better and better throughout the season. She was terrific that final month and to get a scholarship to a D-II program — we're really excited for her. It's great for her and a great pick-up for them."
Hannah Love, who was also considering Central Washington, will move onto Carroll College next year in Helena, Mont.
"She was looking around and then, boom, she took Carroll," Carlson said. "And I think she's going to play well there. (Carroll coach) Rachelle (Sayers) was at Weber State when I was at Eastern. She's been a D-I coach and does a really good job."
Danika Johnson committed to Division II Hawaii-Pacific last week and Katie Buskey has interest from Northern Colorado and South Dakota, with an offer waiting from Farleigh-Dickinson. Aimee Durbidge is visiting St. Edwards College in Austin, Texas, this weekend and Carlson expects that she'll receive an offer upon her visit.
Kabri Emerson signed with Montana Tech of the NAIA last week.
WILLIAMS TABBED: Athletic director Al Williams was selected as a member of the NJCAA Executive Committee at the NJCAA annual meeting April 3-8 at the Coeur d'Alene Resort.
As a member of the committee, he will serve a two-year term as one of four at-large regional representatives, as well as review and oversee appeals, by-laws, and administrative procedures and issues on behalf of the NJCAA and its members.
He will begin the term immediately.
Information from the Illinois State University website was used in this story.


text:
mahindra xylo 8 seater
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We drive Renault's all new MPV, Lodgy. This 7 and 8 seater offering comes only with a diesel motor and will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Hon ...view video
Mahindra Ssangyong Rexton Launch
Mahindra & Mahindra and Ssangyong's first product - Rexton gets rolled out. Is it going to really help Mahindra and Mahindra climb up the price ...view video
Forum Discussions
Best car for rural india
I am interested in 7-8 seater MUV or SUV. But that should be good for rural india and also should be imprresive in city too. and should good for long drive. I am looking for xylo or sumo grande mk2. P
Which one is the better one
Hi I am from Bhutan, a mountainous country. Which one of these would be a better choice to drive in the mountains Chevloret Travera, Mahindra Xylo or Toyota Innova? Thank you
Mahindra Gusto
Mahindra Gusto is powered by an engine with a displacement of 109.6 CC. Its maximum power is 8 BHP. The dimensions of the motorcycle are 1825 x 697 x 1188 mm (length X width X height). The bike's seat height or the ground clearance is 165. ... read more
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Opp. Gsfc, National Highway No 8, Chhani, Baroda., Gujarat., Chhani
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'Alpha' International Organizer Briefcase
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21 Jan
The Latest
21 Sep 15
Swedish Hockey Player Scores a Beautiful Empty Net Own Goal During Delayed Penalty
How do you say "Oops!" in Swedish?
15 Sep 15
Virginia Club Hockey Goalie Ejected for Chugging Beer During Intermission
Where have our freedoms gone?
VIDEO: Coaches Throw Punches in Massive Canadian Youth Hockey Brawl
Definitely a fight.
06 Mar 15
04 Mar 15
VIDEO: 8-Year Old Russian Hockey Players Brawl After a Game
Standard stuff.
23 Feb 15


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HN-AMEC013 American Furniture
Gracia Recliner - TobaccoItem # HN-AMEC013
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- Faux leather upholstery
- Classic, ultra-padded rocker
- Rich tobacco color
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- Dimensions: 39L x 40D x 42H inches
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Gracia Recliner - Tobacco
Complete your living room decor in classic style with the Gracia Recliner - Tobacco. The perfect combination of luxurious comfort and traditional chic, this oversized chaise rocker is upholstered in faux leather that has all the elegance and none of the maintenance headache. Easy to clean and maintain, the smoky tobacco Gracia Recliner is supported by a sturdy base of solid, kiln-dried hardwood, strengthened by sinuous springs and complete with high-density foam padding.About American Furnit


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IDF Responds to Mortar Shell in Golan HeightsSunday, November 11th, 2012
TAZPIT NEWS AGENCY–A short while ago, a mortar shell hit an IDF post in the Golan Heights adjacent to the Israel- Syria border, as part of the internal conflict inside Syria. No damage or injuries have been reported.
In response, IDF soldiers fired warning shots towards Syrian areas.
The IDF has filed a complaint through the UN forces operating in the area, stating that fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity.IDF Spokesperson's Office


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Cruel Britannia: Torture history exposed
2012-11-20 0:00
By Maeve McClenaghan |
At the beginning of 2012 the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg stated that the government completely condemns torture and inhumane treatment and that we never support it or ask other people to do it on our behalf.
They are words that have echoed for decades, in one form or another. The UK is a signatory to the International Convention Against Torture and our political leaders are vociferous about the fact that we do not practice torture. The UK has even gone to war, in part, on the premise of toppling torturous regimes.
But these words are beginning to lose their meaning, juxtaposed as they are against images of orange-jump-suited British prisoners kneeling in the unforgiving Cuban sun at Guantanamo Bay; stories of UK soldiers torturing civilian victims at black-site bases in Iraq; or the sight of British national Binyam Mohammed stepping off the plane back onto UK soil after being held and tortured in Pakistan.
Still the UK government has tried to distance itself from these images. Rogue soldiers misbehave, we are told. The UK had no way of knowing what happens to their citizens held in prisons outside our shores. And, of course, we certainly would never condone such behaviour.
But the cracks in the system are beginning to show. Cleggs words came in the wake of a decision by the Criminal Prosecution Service that MI5 and MI6 agents would not be charged with the ill-treatment and torture of UK resident Binyam Mohamed while he was in Pakistan. Nor would they be charged for the torture of another detainee who had been held at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
And so the public is left wondering, just who is telling the truth here, and can we believe the governments denials any more?
The search for answers to these questions has molded much of Ian Cobains professional life. As an investigative reporter Cobain has for years followed cases of alleged torture and renditions. He has now pulled together his wealth of experience in the book
Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture
. The result is a compendium of examples that together lend weight to the argument that not only does the UK practice torture even against its own citizens, but has a well-developed, if informal and unwritten, policy on how and when such methods are used.
How did we get here?
The title of Cobains book promises a history and that is what he delivers. The story stretches as far back as the Second World War when one of the most sought after streets in Kensington Palace Gardens became the address for a UK internment base, where prisoners of war were held and interrogated. As their upper-class neighbours went about their daily business, residents of what became known as the London Cage suffered beatings, grueling tasks, were deprived of sleep and forced into stress positions, all in attempts to extract information.
A few years later, during the UKs colonial rule of Kenya, torture was again used by the British forces to put down the Mau Mau uprising for independence. Just last month those torture victims, now in their 70s and 80s, were told they could sue the UK government for the treatment they received, which they say included castration, brutal beatings and detention.
Read the full article at:
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Latest News from our Front Page
Pressure from the United Patriots Front Stops Mosque Plan
2016-04-28 20:10
Pressure from the United Patriots Front appears to have killed off a mosque development in Narre Warren North. The City of Casey council now looks likely to withhold planning approval for the development in a special meeting set for Tuesday night. A council report, to be considered by councillors on Tuesday, recommends that the approval be blocked. The mosque opponents' cause has been helped by councillor ...
Police face questions over the influence of the Freemasons
2016-04-28 20:48
South Yorkshire Police today face questions over whether powerful 'secret society' the Freemasons held sway over the force at the time of Hillsborough. Families of victims say that officers who were Masons were promoted into powerful positions despite being ill-equipped, including match commander David Duckenfield. Duckenfield told the fresh inquests he had been a Freemason since 1975 and became head of his ...
England Bans its Own Flag to Avoid Offending Muslims
2016-04-27 2:23
St. George's Cross "racist" towards immigrants Government officials said their city was too multicultural to celebrate St Georges Day, Englands version of the 4th of July. The council said that displaying the English flag may have been seen as racist towards immigrants.
Half of Western European men descended from one Bronze Age king
2016-04-27 2:09
Half of Western European men are descended from one Bronze Age 'king' who sired a dynasty of elite nobles which spread throughout Europe, a new study has shown. The monarch, who lived around 4,000 years ago, is likely to have been one of the earliest chieftains to take power in the continent. He was part of a new order which emerged in ...
"Local Residents" Are Filmed Stealing Dozens of Bottles of Water at London Marathon Stop
2016-04-25 23:10
Editor's Comment: "Local" residents? Why bother blurring their faces? We know who they are. ... London marathon runners were robbed of dozens of bottled waters when thieves raided a refreshment area armed with trolleys during today's race. Nearby residents - including parents with children - were captured on camera piling up crates of free water handed out by volunteers during the 26-mile event. Marathon ...
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Add to Calendar
Today's stressful workplace triggers conflicts between you, your co-workers
and others. When they occur, the choice seems to be emotionally-charged
outbursts we later regret or we sweep an issue under the rug that needs
to be confronted.
In this special workshop designed for business owners and their key managers, you'll
discover alternative tools and techniques for handling conflicts successfully. Working
through conflicts frees up wasted time, improves teamwork, and promotes more
productive working relationships.
This workshop includes a continental breakfast and time for networking followed by a presentation from Pam Hager, Ph.D., vice president of Instructional Consulting Psychological Associates..


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Have you ever wanted to play Funcom's The Secret World? If so, you have a new opportunity thanks to the new 10 day trial available on the official site.
You can get started by visiting The Secret World site and signing up for the trial.
Thanks BlueTurtle13 for the tip.
In other news from The Secret World, there is a small Q&A with the lead system designer Mags. The answered questions were selected from submissions by the community.
Brightmoon - If you could get a do-over on any existing system, what would it be and how would you change it?
If I could get a do-over on any existing system, it'd have to be the Ability Wheel. There are a lot of good points about the Ability Wheel, but there are a few things I'd like to improve even more. One such thing is improving weapon identity and diversity. To take one small example, currently you don't have to look far to find both AoE and single target abilities in any weapon. If, for example, Hammers only had columns and AoEs and Blades only had powerful single target attacks, you'd know that as a melee character Hammers is where you go if you need to take down packs of enemies and Blades is better for taking down bosses and tough monsters. The flip side of this coin, and the reason the game is how it is, is that players have a lot more freedom in making the build they want with the weapons they want.
You can read the rest of the Q&A on The Secret World forum.
KOG Games, developers of Elsword, have announced that their cross-genre MOBA HeroWarz will enter Closed Beta Testing on May 18th. According to the team, the game features RPG elements and in-depth story line, character progression, PvP and more.
HeroWarz is the ultimate action RPG where players select and cultivate unique heroes to build their personal assault force. Dive into an ever expanding, in-depth, story-driven character lineup and prepare for action-packed battles like no other! HeroWarz isn't just for RPG and action gamers. Enter: Arena TV, the standalone PvP element of HeroWarz. Arena TV will be a stand-alone, MOBA based PvP environment that promotes competitive, fast paced action with a character lineup that goes even beyond that of what's offered on the RPG character lineup.
Interested players are invited to head to the HeroWarz site to sign up for testing.
UPDATE: Check out the Letter from the Producer Live brief summary.
Final Fantasy XIV players and fans of Yo-Kai Watch will be happy to hear that, like the Lightning crossover a few months ago, content from the Square Enix RPG series will be heading into the game. The announcement came as part of the larger discussion of the v3.3, "Revenge of the Horde" update that will also see a pair of new dungeons, new main scenario quests and other questing content as well.
Yo-kaiare the physical embodiment of everyday problems, and they live everywhere in our world—under cars, near vending machines, in the river—you just can't see them.
With the power of the
Yo-kaiWatch, though, you can find these hidden Yo-kai, befriend them, and call upon their powers when you need their help. There are over 200 different types of Yo-kaijust waiting to be discovered!
We'll keep you posted when the Letter From the Producer Live summary is posted on the Final Fantasy XIV forum.
Via DualShockers.com
Being a fan of RPGs and Rhythm games it's sort of weird to realize I've never considered the possibilities of mixing the two together. It might seem like mixing these two genres would be a bit weird but Metronomicon manages to meld them into a wonderfully entertaining and exciting package.
Read more of Robin Baird's Metronomicon: Mixing Rhythm Games & RPGs in Fun New Ways.
Black Desert Online is giving players a chance to take part first hand in the effort to hunt down hackers and cheats in the game. A new post on the BDO forum has announced the "Hacker Hunting Initiative" that gives players the opportunity to report bots, hackers and "disruptive hackers" (i.e. griefers). The reward? Elion's Tears and GM's Blessings.
Now to be clear all submissions will be reviewed by our staff and the video needs to visibly include the server, channel, evidence of cheating and name of the player in question. When you submit a video as described above and it leads to the removal of the cheater you will earn one of the following rewards. Please note these rewards are only given to the first five confirmed reports and reports on players that have already been banned will not receive an reward. Once the investigation is complete and ban is finalized rewards will be sent out.
Read more and participate in the conversation on the Black Desert Online forum.
The Chronicles of Elyria site has a new blog post that lays out a neat new in-game mechanic to help players maximize their time in game by equalizing the playing field when members of a "family" travel together. When a player of a higher level is partnering with others of a higher level, stamina is raised to the level of the highest character, though no additional abilities are added. In addition, "bolstering" as the CoE calls it, brings other stat increases to bear.
One thing I should point out is that Bolstering doesn't change the number of skills you have available to you. It only makes you better at the skills you do have. Learning new skills is a different mechanic.
The other thing I should make sure to highlight is that Bolstering only works with in-game family members. It doesn't work with guilds, dynasties, etc... This prevents people from going around Bolstering everyone, as it only effects those people they likely know in real-life. It also creates an additional disadvantage for Wards, as they have nobody to Bolster them.
In addition, a new in-game "currency" is being introduced that awards players for time in game and for anything that leads to advancement of skills or that rewards an achievement.
By granting Story Points it allows us to reward players who are contributing to the story without otherwise penalizing those who can't play as much.
Another note about Story Points is that they are awarded in larger amount based on a character's reputation or fame. Why? Because completing achievements and being productive in the world is more dangerous when one is a Count, Duke, King, or Legendary champion.
Lastly, CoE will allow players to 'earn to play':
In Chronicles of Elyria, the Story Points you earn while playing can be traded in between lifetimes in order to buy Sparks of Life. This is what we call the "Earn-to-play" model of funding. Now, we're not the first to do this. There's been a couple other games that have done something similar. But, as far as we know we're the first to use a currency that rewards people for participating in the story, and as far as we know we're the first do this that doesn't use a subscription model.
It's a comprehensive read that you can check out on the Chronicles of Elyria site.
While still denying a takeover attempt, Vivendi has increased its stock holdings in Ubisoft by 18% which gives the company a nearly 18% ownership stake in the gaming studio and 16% of the voting rights. Ubisoft has been actively seeking other investors to stop a takeover by Vivendi which only needs to gain an additional 12% of the available stocks to force takeover negotiations.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
During today's weekly Warhammer 40K: Eternal Crusade live stream, players will get a look at two Eldar leaders, the Swooping Hawk and the Striking Scorpion. The event will take place at 11:00 am Pacific / 2:00 pm Eastern in the Eternal Crusade Twitch.tv channel. This gives fans an excellent opportunity to chat with the team, check out more game footage and ask their burning questions.
Be there!
We've all seen the glut of games that are begging for your money in the guise of early access but where did they come from? Rob tries to tackle that topic this week.
Read more of Rob Lashley's What's the Deal with Early Access?
According to a Twitter post from the admins of the now-closed World of Warcraft pirate server Nostalrius, the group has been invited to Blizzard's headquarters this coming weekend though the agenda seems to remain unknown to them or they cannot reveal what the plan is as yet.
In addition, former Red 5 CEO Mark Kern will be attending the meetings this weekend and has gone on record as thanking Blizzard for listening.
Speculation is high among former players that this heralds Blizzard's announcement of vanilla / classic realms, though the weekend will reveal more.
See the Twitter post below for details.
Thanks to our anonymous tipster!!
@Blizzard_Ent is willing to meet us in their campus! An announcement is coming this weekend! pic.twitter.com/TnddNoSm3N— NostalriusBegins (@NostalBegins) April 29, 2016
Victor discusses some aspects of combat and replayability in this installment of the Tree of Savior review in progress.
Read more of Victor Barreiro Jr.'s Tree of Savior Review in Progress #3 - Combat and Replayability.
Elite: Dangerous XBox One players have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Frontier Developments announced today that the Horizons expansion will will launch during quarter two 2016. Horizons will include planetary landings, the looting and crafting systems, multicrew coop missions and more.
Elite Dangerous: Horizons for Xbox One will also introduce players to The Engineers. The Engineers is a sweeping, game-changing update that brings even more personality and personalization to Elite Dangerous, putting a face to every mission and adding a range of customization and crafting options that will make every ship in the Elite Dangerous galaxy unique.
Learn more about Seasons by visiting the Elite: Dangerous site.
IMC Games has posted a quick announcement to give Tree of Savior fans looking for the free to play version launch some great news. The F2P iteration of ToS will officially launch on May 10th. The launch was delayed slightly due to issues with founder packs and regional costs. But all that is water under the bridge and things are ready to go.
Greetings, Saviors.
We apologize for the confusion many of you had on our game's F2P release date. Due to the changes recently made, we had to push the release schedule back to May.
The game will be open to everyone on May 10th, and the exact time will be announced in the future once our regular maintenance hours are confirmed.
For detailed reasons why we had to postpone the release date, please refer to the post on our Deveoper's Blog:https://treeofsavior.com/news/?n=378
Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm for Tree of Savior.
IMC Staff
Head to the Tree of Savior site to learn more.
The League of Legends site has been updated with a new lore piece that provides the backstory for a forthcoming hero named Taliyah. Called 'The Bird and the Branch', the story focuses on a young girl's exile and subsequent use of her powers.
You can read the rest of the story on the League of Legends site and we'll keep you posted when more about Taliyah is revealed.
YouTube user DanielL who has made a series of videos remaking locations around Stormwind in World of Warcraft is at it again. This time, DanielL takes on Duskwood, a dark foreboding place near Stormwind. It is beautifully done even here in an early phase. Treat yourself!
XBox One players can finally enjoy DC Universe Online when it officially launches for the console later today. The XBox One version joins the PC and PlayStation 4 versions of DCUO and will contain the same content as all other platforms. There will not be, however, be cross-platform play.
Devs have sent out a launch day trailer and published a handy FAQ on the DC Universe Online site.
Battleborn is ready to hit the ground running on Monday, May 3rd with the official launch. To get players stoked for Monday, Gearbox has released a brand new launch trailer with toe-tapping music and a great look at all the game has to offer. Get hyped!
Battleborn will be simultaneously released for PlayStation 4, XBox One and PC.
Bandai Namco has put out a brand new trailer for Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization that introduces players to the enigmatic and mysterious NPC named Premier. The video also shows off environments and locations filled with danger for players. See what you think and let us know!
But they will have to be careful, these beautiful landscapes hide terrible monsters amongst the environment: including Jelly Floaters, ShadowDemons, Verminous and the Shaman of Gigas, a strong boss using a strange magic!
During their trip through the universe of "Sword Art: Origin", players will also discover the Town Of Beginnings: where a new storyline will begin for them and will take them into a brand new adventure.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is expected to be released in Fall 2016 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
OGPlanet has announced the first details about the forthcoming Uncharted Waters Online expansion scheduled to launch on May 12th. Called Episode Atlantis, the expansion will ultimately consist of three chapters beginning with the May 12th release.
Players can look forward to new features including the Triangulation method to survey land masses to complete maps, the Atlantis Treasure Hunt, Endless Dungeon, Auto-Navigation, new astronomical object discovery and three new ships.
Learn more by visiting the Uncharted Waters Online site.
Square Enix has announced the dates and countries for the first Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour . Fans in Japan, France, Great Britain, Singapore, China and the USA will be able to head to local venues to hear some of the series' most iconic music performed live by a full orchestra.
The idea of a Kingdom Hearts concert has been in the works for several years. But even so, I was astonished to learn that our music would be performed by a full orchestra, in other countries no less. I've been given the opportunity to oversee the creation of the title, logo, and many other aspects of this amazing production, and as the director of the series, I am confident that what we've created will touch the hearts of our beloved fans everywhere.
~ Tetsuya Nomura
The tour is scheduled for 2017 to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series.
Check out the full details and purchase tickets for the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour.


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The Document Foundation Announces LibreOffice Updates and Fundraising AccomplishmentsFeb 23, 2011
The Document Foundation announced today that LibreOffice 3.3.1 with improved stability and new colorful icons is now available for download. The new icons are based on The Document Foundation branding guidelines, and includes updates to several language versions.more »
Available Now Splashtop OS Featuring Chromium BrowserFeb 23, 2011
Announced today, Splashtop OS which features the Chromium browser and Bing search engine is now available for download.more »
Gpredict Gpredict satellite tracking softwareFeb 11, 2011
Predict and track satellite orbits and control amateur radio equipment with Gpredict satellite tracking software.more »
Beyond FUDCon: Faces, Features and Future of FedoraFeb 04, 2011
The North American Fedora User and Developer Conference (FUDCon) was held on Arizona State University campus in Tempe Arizona from January 29 -31, 2011 and proved to be the largest FUDCon to date with over 200 people pre-registered to attend and final attendance numbers estimated around 175 people.more »
Workspace: Piwigo Your photos, your way: Hosting photos with PiwigoJan 24, 2011
Control your content by hosting your own photo gallery and publishing photos on your own server with Piwigo.more »
Shuttleworth Says Qt Apps Wanted For UbuntuJan 18, 2011
"The decision to be open to Qt is in no way a criticism of GNOME. It's a celebration of free software's diversity and complexity," says Ubuntu founder, Mark Shuttleworth in his blog.more »
2D Unity Not on the Natty Plan Says CanonicalJan 17, 2011
"It's not on the Natty plan for now, but we'll be evaluating the progresses and will consider adding a 3rd session option if the development goes as planned," said David Barth, Desktop Experience Team, Engineering Manager at Canonical.more »
Jaspersoft 4 Available NowJan 13, 2011
Jaspersoft 4, a commercial open source Business Intelligence Suite designed for web applications, is now available.more »
Issue 25: Raspberry Pi Handbook 4th Ed./Special Editions
Buy this issue as a PDF
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS released
"Xenial Xerus" comes with a new packages format and several improvements for the enterprise.
Microsoft Visual Studio Code v1.0 is Available for Linux!
Linux users can now download and install the Windows code editor
Open Container Initiative announces Image Format Project
New initiative will address security and interoperability concerns around container technology.
Red Hat Lures Developers with Free RHEL and Container Development Kits
Developers can use RHEL as a development platform without a subscription fee.
Microsoft Brings the Linux Command Line to Windows
Windows users will soon have native access to the Bash shell.
Internet Research Group Proposes Better Email Standard
Improvements to SMTP will provide better guarantee of confidentiality
New Nvidia Driver Offers Wayland Support
Graphics vendor embraces new reality in Linux graphics
Inventor of Email Dies
Pioneer Ray Tomlinson bequeathed the @ sign to billions of Internet users
Microsoft Announces Linux Version of SQL Server
Redmond says its classic database tool will run without Windows
Strange New Attack Lets an Intruder Gain Access Through a Mouse Dongle
New intrusion technique affects most non-Bluetooth wireless mice