 PMA Programmable Matching Accelerator
The Programmable Matching Accelerator (PMA) is one of Cogent’s flagship products. This device is a high-speed image matcher that combines the concept of command control and data flow computing. Based on an advanced “Super Pipeline,” “Super Parallel Design Architecture” and a new generation of field-programmable gate arrays, the PMA is being used successfully by law enforcement and civilian agencies around the world.
In addition to providing extremely high processing speed, the PMA also affords redundancy and flexibility. The initial configuration will allocate individual processors to particular types of searches, but in the event of a matcher failure or of a significant change in workload distribution, the server, ensuring that all processors are always working to their maximum capacity, switches these allocations automatically. Consequently, the PMA processors function as effective, independent units, providing very substantial flexibility and a robust protection against component degradation. In any one search, multiple independent parallel streams can carry out the processing. The output from a process is a list of identification numbers of the respondents, which pass a threshold together with their match scores. The server produces an overall list for the entire search. Combining and ranking all surviving search respondents produce this list. The matching technology for the PMA features a multi-level comparison-elimination mechanism. At each level, the print being searched is compared with all potential candidates in that level. Depending on the comparison results, some of the candidates are eliminated while the others remain as the candidates for the next level. The matchers for each different level use different algorithms.
Scalable and Upgradeable
Cogent's PMAs are modular units that can be linearly scaled to handle databases of tens of millions of fingerprint records, with response times of seconds. Utilizing Field Programmable Gate Arrays, PMAs can be programmed to perform a variety of matching tasks for fingerprints, palm prints, facial images, and other biometrics. Cogent's PMA servers are the first commercially available fingerprint comparison servers based on advanced hyper-pipeline, super-parallel data flow computing.
The linear scalability of the PMA server architecture can accomodate almost any database size and response time. Additional PMA boards or servers can be added to upgrade systems to meet evolving needs for larger databases while maintaining, or increasing, system throughput.
Field Proven Technology Providing Cost Effective Solutions
Cogent has been providing PMA technology to customers since 1995 and has a production facility to manufacture and test PMA servers in Pasadena, California. The PMA servers feature a mirrored hardware architecture providing both data and hardware fault tolerance. With an “active-active” processor configuration, the PMA dynamically optimizes throughput performance should a failure occur. PMA servers can be easily upgraded to Cogent's latest in biometric matching technology to support growth, expansion, and new technology insertion to ensure investment protection.
Cogent's PMA architecture provides upgrade paths for users to incorporate the latest PMA processing boards as their operational needs dictate. Cogent's PMA server technology has brought the concept of Moore's Law* to the biometric identification industry. Cogent provides the best value today, and for years to come.
* Every 18-24 months, processing speeds double with the cost staying approximately constant.
Key PMA Features:
• Field programmable logic
• Hyper-pipeline architecture
• Massively parallel processing
• Sustained 80 Mbytes/sec high speed I/O
• Ethernet 10/100 BaseT
• Fault-tolerant architecture
• Dynamic load balancing
• Upgradeable to higher speed processors
• UNIX real time operating system
• Linearly scalable configurations
• Rack-mounted design |
