Cort-X II: low power element design of a large-scale spatio-temporal pattern clustering system

Complex spatio-temporal patterns can be clustered using a network of parametrically coupled logistic maps. This paper describes the processing element design of such a Cort-X system. Each Cort-X element consists of a non-linear coupling (LC) and a non-linear dynamic element (IRON). The circuits are designed for low-power operation and to be robust against process variations. This has been accomplished by using open-loop circuits, and a self-calibration technique that compensate for process variations. The circuits were implemented in a 0.25 mum, 2.5V CMOS process and consumes a total of 12mW of power at 1MHz which is about a factor of 20 less power than previous realizations. This opens the possibility for building a large-scale Cort-X system on a chip for the recognition of complex spatio-temporal patterns.