Bio-inspired event coded configurable analog circuit block

Abstract

An event coded configurable analog circuit block that forms the building block of a programmable analog array is presented. The design of the event block is inspired from the behavior of biological neurons that process signals in analog domain and transmit them as spike events. In the configurable event block implemented here, no events are transmitted when the signals are relatively constant thereby leading to lower energy dissipation and better utilization of resources in analog arrays. The block diagram and the circuit schematics of the event coded configurable analog block are described. Application examples are presented to demonstrate the reconfigurability and functionality of the event coded circuit block. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.