CAREER: Modularized Silicon-based Neuromorphic Visual Processing Systems Implemented in Analog VLSI

职业：在模拟 VLSI 中实现的模块化硅基神经形态视觉处理系统

• 批准号: 9984386
• 负责人: Albert Titus
• 金额: $ 19.98万
• 依托单位: Rochester Institute of Tech
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-09-01 至 2001-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9984386&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Modularized; Silicon; based; Neuromorphic

9984386TitusThe project presented in this proposal combines educational and research activities through exploration and development.The research portion of the work will be formed around the field of analog VLSI systems with an emphasis on neuromorphic processing. A unique approach will be taken to implement an integrated artificial visual system that is formed from distinct components that are designed to work together seamlessly. The entire system will be designed to operate as an entire, functional unit, but will be designed as modular pieces with each piece created individually; the complexity of the visual system requires that it be modeled in manageable pieces. The visual system will consist of the low-level processing functions performed by the retina, mid-level stereopsis processing, and highlevel object recognition. The retina function has been implemented successfully, but modifications will he made to previous designs to accommodate the connections to other levels of processing. An analog VLSI stereopsis processor design that has been created will be redesigned to fully take advantage of top-down connections from an object recognition-processing unit. Finally, a unique object recognition system will be designed based on current psychophysical and biological models of object recognition that is compatible with analog VLSI. The final system will be a silicon-based system that performs multiple visual functions and implemented on an analog VLSI platform.The proposed research will provide new insights into the development of artificial visual systems through the concept of modularization. This type of processing-specific analog circuit is compact and has very low power consumption, making it ideally suited for low cost, high volume, and autonomous exploration devices. Also, this work will generate a set of design standards for analog VLSI, which will aid the mainstreaming of this technology. Students working on the research in this project will gain exposure to diverse fields of science and develop new insights into how to model and synthesize complex systems.The teaching portion of the work will be formed around increasing the use of technology in the classrooms, by addressing the needs of a diverse student body through varied teaching methods, by increasing the understanding of integration and system-level IC design, and by addressing the retention and recruitment problems at the undergraduate and graduate levels, respectively. These objectives are closely linked to one common theme: improving education through commitment. By developing new methods or using the variety of existing methods to transfer knowledge to students, students from all walks of life can find electrical engineering to be exciting and fulfilling. This will be accomplished by continuing to experiment with group learning techniques and alternative forms of evaluation and assessment.The study of analog VLSI systems requires an understanding of all levels of a system, from transistor physics to amplifier design to IC-level layout issues to board-level interconnections. Students must also have an understanding of these levels and their relationship in order to be successful designers of the more complex systems of the future. These concepts will be reinforced by highlighting integration and system constraints in the core electronics class, by introducing a new IC layout elective class and examining the introduction of layout tools at the freshman level.The proposed educational plan is closely tied to the research plan by involving undergraduate students in the research projects and by involving research-oriented graduate students in the educational process through guided supervision. The results from the proposed research will be brought to undergraduate students in the form of group projects, case studies for reinforcing core knowledge, and through examples in class. Student portfolios will be explored as means for aiding students in improving their understanding of material through regular assessment by maintaining an up-to-date website intended for elementary and high school students, they will have access to the ongoing research work. Additionally, student-oriented research-based project demonstrations will be developed that will be brought into classrooms to further engage the students as they are formulating their future interests.***

9984386 TitusThe项目在本提案中提出的教育和研究活动相结合，通过探索和发展。研究部分的工作将形成围绕模拟超大规模集成电路系统领域的重点是神经形态处理。 将采取一种独特的方法来实现一个集成的人工视觉系统，该系统由设计为无缝协作的不同组件组成。 整个系统将被设计为作为一个完整的功能单元运行，但将被设计为模块化的部分，每个部分单独创建;视觉系统的复杂性要求它被建模为可管理的部分。 视觉系统将由视网膜执行的低级处理功能、中级立体视觉处理和高级物体识别组成。 视网膜功能已经成功实现，但将对以前的设计进行修改，以适应与其他处理级别的连接。 一个模拟VLSI立体视觉处理器的设计，已创建将被重新设计，充分利用自上而下的连接，从一个对象的处理单元。 最后，一个独特的目标识别系统将设计基于当前的心理物理和生物模型的目标识别，是兼容的模拟VLSI。 最终的系统将是一个基于硅的系统，执行多种视觉功能，并在模拟VLSI平台上实现。拟议的研究将提供新的见解，通过模块化的概念，人工视觉系统的发展。 这种处理专用模拟电路结构紧凑，功耗极低，非常适合低成本、大容量和自主勘探设备。 此外，这项工作将产生一套模拟VLSI的设计标准，这将有助于这项技术的主流化。 通过本项目的研究，学生将接触到不同的科学领域，并对如何建模和合成复杂系统有新的见解。教学部分的工作将围绕增加技术在课堂上的使用，通过不同的教学方法满足多样化学生的需求，通过增加对集成和系统级IC设计的理解，以及分别解决本科生和研究生的留职和招聘问题。 这些目标与一个共同的主题密切相关：通过承诺改善教育。 通过开发新方法或使用各种现有方法向学生传授知识，各行各业的学生都可以找到令人兴奋和充实的电气工程。 这将通过继续实验小组学习技术和替代形式的评价和assessment.The模拟超大规模集成电路系统的研究需要一个系统的各个层次的理解，从晶体管物理放大器设计到IC级布局问题板级互连。 学生还必须了解这些层次及其关系，以便成为未来更复杂系统的成功设计师。 这些概念将通过在核心电子课程中突出集成和系统约束，引入新的IC布局选修课并在新生阶段检查布局工具的引入来加强。拟议的教育计划与研究计划紧密联系，通过让本科生参与研究项目，并通过指导监督让研究型研究生参与教育过程。 从拟议的研究结果将被带到本科生在小组项目的形式，案例研究，以加强核心知识，并通过在课堂上的例子。 学生档案将被探索作为帮助学生通过定期评估提高他们对材料的理解的手段，通过维护一个最新的网站，为小学和高中学生，他们将有机会获得正在进行的研究工作。 此外，以学生为导向的研究为基础的项目演示将被带入课堂，以进一步吸引学生，因为他们正在制定自己的未来利益。