An Integrated Circuit for Two-Dimensional Edge-Detection with Local Adaptation Based on Retinal Networks

We designed an integrated circuit for edge detection of a two-dimensional image based on the vertebrate outer retina, which has wide dynamic range in image processing. The unit circuit is simple, and operates as a current-mode analog metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) circuit. In order to extract edges from an image composed of bright and dark domains, the circuit realizes a function called local adaptation in which the sensitivity adapts to local brightness of the image. Simulation results, using the simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE), of two-dimensional Gaussian-distributed images in which the intensity ranged over four orders of magnitude, showed the local adaptation. As a result, the intensity of output images was in the range of one order of magnitude. Furthermore, as the simulation result of real images, it was shown that edges in the dark domain, which was five times darker than the bright domain, were successfully detected as the bright domain in which input photocurrents ranged over two orders of magnitude.