VLSI implementation of receptive fields for smart vision sensors

Most of the early vision processes in vertebrate vision systems are performed within receptive fields of the retina. Building silicon retina IC's has been attempted in the past, but they have not reached a satisfactory conclusion due to technology constraints. Targeting a wafer-size smart vision sensor, we focus in this paper on researching the VLSI implementation of different receptive fields with dedicated functions. The Microelectronic Receptive Field (MERF) is defined as a functional block of the larger system, performing a preprogrammed operation on visual input signals. Results from VLSI chips with various integrated implementations of receptive fields are presented.<>