openvino/docs/IE_PLUGIN_DG/InferRequest.md

Synchronous Inference Request

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InferRequest class functionality:

• Allocate input and output tensors needed for a backend-dependent network inference.
• Define functions for inference process stages (for example, preprocess, upload, infer, download, postprocess). These functions can later be used to define an execution pipeline during :doc:Asynchronous Inference Request <openvino_docs_ov_plugin_dg_async_infer_request> implementation.
• Call inference stages one by one synchronously.

InferRequest Class ##################

OpenVINO Plugin API provides the interface ov::ISyncInferRequest which should be used as a base class for a synchronous inference request implementation. Based of that, a declaration of a synchronous request class can look as follows:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.hpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:header]

Class Fields ++++++++++++

The example class has several fields:

• m_profiling_task - array of the std::array<openvino::itt::handle_t, numOfStages> type. Defines names for pipeline stages. Used to profile an inference pipeline execution with the Intel® instrumentation and tracing technology (ITT).

• m_durations - array of durations of each pipeline stage.

• backend-specific fields:

  • m_backend_input_tensors - input backend tensors.
  • m_backend_output_tensors - output backend tensors.
  • m_executable - an executable object / backend computational graph.
  • m_eval_context - an evaluation context to save backend states after the inference.
  • m_variable_states - a vector of variable states.

InferRequest Constructor ++++++++++++++++++++++++

The constructor initializes helper fields and calls methods which allocate tensors:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:ctor]

.. note::

Use inputs/outputs information from the compiled model to understand shape and element type of tensors, which you can set with ov::InferRequest::set_tensor and get with ov::InferRequest::get_tensor. A plugin uses these hints to determine its internal layouts and element types for input and output tensors if needed.

~InferRequest Destructor ++++++++++++++++++++++++

Destructor can contain plugin specific logic to finish and destroy infer request.

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:dtor]

set_tensors_impl() +++++++++++++++++++

The method allows to set batched tensors in case if the plugin supports it.

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:set_tensors_impl]

query_state() +++++++++++++

The method returns variable states from the model.

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:query_state]

infer() +++++++

The method calls actual pipeline stages synchronously. Inside the method plugin should check input/output tensors, move external tensors to backend and run the inference.

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:infer]

1. infer_preprocess()

---

Below is the code of the infer_preprocess() method. The method checks user input/output tensors and demonstrates conversion from user tensor to backend specific representation:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:infer_preprocess]

2. start_pipeline()

---

Executes a pipeline synchronously using m_executable object:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:start_pipeline]

3. wait_pipeline()

---

Waits a pipeline in case of plugin asynchronous execution:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:wait_pipeline]

4. infer_postprocess()

---

Converts backend specific tensors to tensors passed by user:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:infer_postprocess]

get_profiling_info() +++++++++++++++++++++

The method returns the profiling info which was measured during pipeline stages execution:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:get_profiling_info]

cancel() +++++++++

The plugin specific method allows to interrupt the synchronous execution from the AsyncInferRequest:

.. doxygensnippet:: src/plugins/template/src/sync_infer_request.cpp :language: cpp :fragment: [infer_request:cancel]

The next step in the plugin library implementation is the :doc:Asynchronous Inference Request <openvino_docs_ov_plugin_dg_async_infer_request> class.

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