Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a processor receives an incoming data stream that includes alpha channel data, and a memory stores an application programming interface (API). The API is to route the alpha channel data to a fixed point blending unit to perform one or more blending operations using fixed point representation of the alpha channel data. The API is further to route the incoming data stream to a floating point blending unit to perform operations involving floating point representation of the incoming data.

A polyphase decimation FIR filter apparatus including a modulo integrator circuit configured to integrate input samples and to provide integrated input samples; and a polyphase FIR filter circuit configured to process the integrated input samples, the polyphase FIR filter circuit including a plurality of multiplier accumulator circuits, each configured to accumulate products of coefficients and respective integrated signal samples, wherein each of the multiplier accumulator circuits receives a subset of FIR filter coefficients, wherein the FIR filter coefficients are derived as the nth difference of original filter coefficients, where n is a number of integrators in the integrator circuit, and wherein the FIR filter circuit is configured to perform computation operations with modulo arithmetic.

A polyphase decimation FIR filter apparatus including a modulo integrator circuit configured to integrate input samples and to provide integrated input samples; and a polyphase FIR filter circuit configured to process the integrated input samples, the polyphase FIR filter circuit including a plurality of multiplier accumulator circuits, each configured to accumulate products of coefficients and respective integrated signal samples, wherein each of the multiplier accumulator circuits receives a subset of FIR filter coefficients, wherein the FIR filter coefficients are derived as the nth difference of original filter coefficients, where n is a number of integrators in the integrator circuit, and wherein the FIR filter circuit is configured to perform computation operations with modulo arithmetic.

A finite impulse response (FIR) filter circuit design method using approximate computing, the FIR filter circuit design method including: replacing adders of the FIR filter with approximate adders; and performing a synthesis work according to a set approximate synthesis flow when the replacing of the adders of the FIR filter are replaced with the approximate adders is performed, wherein, in the approximate synthesis flow, a numeric column of each of the approximate adders is divided into an accurate part and an inaccurate part, and a numeric column of the inaccurate part is approximated. In the FIR filter, conventional adders/subtractors are replaced with addition/subtraction having an automated synthesis flow so that energy consumption can be reduced.

A parallel transfer rate converter inputs first parallel data with number of samples being S1 pieces in synchronism with a first clock, and outputs second parallel data with number of samples being S2=S1(m/p) pieces (p is an integer equal to or larger than 1) in synchronism with a second clock having a frequency which is p/m times of a frequency of the first clock. A convolution operation device inputs the second parallel data in synchronism with the second clock, generates third parallel data with number of samples being S3=S2(n/m) pieces (S3 is an integer equal to or larger than 1) by executing a convolution operation with a coefficient indicating a transmission characteristic to the second parallel data, and outputs the third parallel data in synchronism with the second clock.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a digital filter module for use in receivers, particularly suitable for use in a narrow-band electromagnetic receiver. Design of the module is based on a recognition that providing to the module samples of a signal received by a receiver and sampled at a sampling frequency equal to four times the intermediate frequency of the receiver, eliminating zeros in the filter, and implementing the filter module as a resource-shared second-order filter structure that includes two sections advantageously enables saving some hardware components, particularly some multipliers and adders, in implementing a versatile digital filter module that can function either as two real filters or one complex filter. In this manner, substantial reduction of area and power consumption of the filter module may be achieved, while maintaining sufficiently high filtering performance.

A method for optimizing processor operation in a processing system including one or more digital filters is provided according to the invention. The method includes generating initial filter coefficients for the one or more digital filters of the processing system, determining one or more initial filter coefficients for at least one digital filter of the one or more digital filters that can be dropped and dropping the one or more initial filter coefficients. Dropping the one or more initial filter coefficients reduces a total number of filter coefficients to be used by the processing system.

An apparatus for parallel filtering, including a multi-granularity memory, a data cache device, a coefficient buffer broadcast device, a vector operation device and a command queue device. The multi-granularity memory is configured to store data to be filtered, filter coefficients and filtering result data. The data cache device is configured to cache, read and update the data to be filtered. The coefficient buffer broadcast device is configured to cache and broadcast the read filter coefficients. The command queue device is configured to store and output a queue of operation commands for the parallel filtering operation. The vector operation device is configured to perform a vector operation based on the data to be filtered and the output coefficient data, and write an operation result into the multi-granularity filtering result storage unit. A method is also provided. The apparatus and method have a fast filtering speed, a smaller number of accesses, an improved usage efficiency, a reduced power consumption and a wide application scope.

A hardware downscaling module and downscaling methods for downscaling a two-dimensional array of values. The hardware downscaling unit comprises a first group of one-dimensional downscalers; and a second group of one-dimensional downscalers; wherein the first group of one-dimensional downscalers is arranged to receive a two-dimensional array of values and to perform downscaling in series in a first dimension; and wherein the second group of one-dimensional downscalers is arranged to receive an output from the first group of one-dimensional downscalers and to perform downscaling in series in a second dimension.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a digital filter module for use in receivers, particularly suitable for use in a narrow-band electromagnetic receiver. Design of the module is based on a recognition that providing to the module samples of a signal received by a receiver and sampled at a sampling frequency equal to four times the intermediate frequency of the receiver, eliminating zeros in the filter, and implementing the filter module as a resource-shared second-order filter structure that includes two sections advantageously enables saving some hardware components, particularly some multipliers and adders, in implementing a versatile digital filter module that can function either as two real filters or one complex filter. In this manner, substantial reduction of area and power consumption of the filter module may be achieved, while maintaining sufficiently high filtering performance.