An extension of multidimensional synchronous dataflow to handle arbitrary sampling lattices

Abstract

Multidimensional synchronous dataflow (MDSDF) is a model of computation that has been proposed and implemented for specifying multidimensional multirate signal processing systems such as image and video processing algorithms. The model is an extension of synchronous dataflow (SDF) and has all of the desirable properties of the SDF model such as static schedulability, exposure of data and functional parallelism and a visually pleasing syntax well suited for block diagram signal processing environments such as Ptolemy and Khoros. However, the MDSDF model as specified by Lee (1993) is limited to modeling multidimensional systems sampled on the rectangular lattice. Since some multidimensional systems of practical interest use non-rectangular sampling lattices and non-rectangular multirate operators like hexagonal decimators, models that are capable of representing and simulating such systems are of interest. This paper describes an extension of the MDSDF model that allows signals on arbitrary sampling lattices to be represented, and that allows the use of non-rectangular downsamplers and upsamplers.