Asynchronous Communication of 2D Motion Information Using Winner-Takes-All Arbitration

We describe a system that communicates motion informationcomputed in a 2D photosensitive array using fully arbitered,asynchronous channels. The architecture is neurally inspired,and employs analog winner-takes-all (WTA) circuits, instead ofthe digital binary-tree arbiters found in other designs. We havefabricated a prototype system that incorporates an array of 9×12 pixels in a 2 µm, double-polysilicon,double-metal process. Experimental results verify system functionalitywith a full-handshaking communication cycle of 3 µs.We have tested the WTA circuits independently, and have verifiedtheir operation down to an 18 ns cycle.

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