TEMPORAL WINNER TAKES ALL SPIKING NEURON NETWORK SENSORY PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHODS

摘要

Apparatus and methods for contrast enhancement and feature identification. In one implementation, an image processing apparatus utilizes latency coding and a spiking neuron network to encode image brightness into spike latency. The spike latency is compared to a saliency window in order to detect early responding neurons. Salient features of the image are associated with the early responding neurons. An inhibitory neuron receives salient feature indication and provides inhibitory signal to the other neurons within an area of influence of the inhibitory neuron. The inhibition signal reduces probability of responses by the other neurons to stimulus that is proximate to the feature thereby increasing contrast within the encoded data. The contrast enhancement may facilitate feature identification within the image. Feature detection may be used for example for image compression, background removal and content distribution.

主权项

1. A non-transitory computer-readable apparatus configured to store at least one computer processes thereon, the computer process configured to detect an object in a sensory input, the computer process comprising a plurality of instructions configured to, when executed:
based on at least one excitatory signal, generate an inhibitory signal configured to suppress generation of another excitatory signal, and thereby enable the object detection; wherein: the sensory input comprises a plurality of spikes associated with sensory signal of first modality and second modality; the at least one excitatory signal comprises one or more pulses generated based on a portion of the sensory input comprising first representation of the object based on the first modality; the another excitatory signal comprises another one or more pulses configured to be generated based on another portion of the sensory input comprising second representation of the object based on the second modality; and the first representation of the object being characterized by a parameter having a value that is different from value of the parameter associated with the sensory input of the first modality in an area proximate to the object.