Plugin infrastructure for hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) system

• US 8,175,985 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Numenta, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Numenta, Inc.
• Inventors: Sayfan, Giyora, Ahmad, Subutai, Curry, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
• Application Number:
  US12/402,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 711/117
• US Class Current: 706/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/02 Neural networks

Abstract

A system for implementing a hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) network using a plugin infrastructure. The plugin infrastructure registers the plugins to be used in instantiating the HTM network. The plugin may include one or more functions for creating one or more components of the HTM network in a runtime engine. The plugin is associated with a component specification describing the components of the HTM network created by invoking the functions of the plugin. After the plugin is registered, the plugin infrastructure allows functions of the plugin to be invoked to instantiate The HTM network on a runtime engine. After the HTM network is instantiated, the runtime engine may run the instance of the HTM network to learn and infer the causes of input data. The system may also include one or more external programs to provide various supporting operations associated with the runtime engine by referencing the component specification. The supporting operations that can be performed by the external programs include, among others, validating a netlist defining the structure of the HTM network, build help information for the component, and generating a graphical user interface associated with the HTM network.

Claims

1. A system comprising a processor for implementing a hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) network, the system further comprising:

a plugin including a function for creating a component of the HTM network;

a component specification associated with the plugin, the component specification describing properties of the component; and

a runtime engine operably coupled to the plugin, the runtime engine invoking the function of the plugin to create an instance of the HTM network, the runtime engine running the instance of the HTM network to learn and infer the causes of input data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the properties of the component described in the component specification comprise an input of the component, an output of the component, a command that can be performed on the component, and a parameter that is configurable by a user.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more tools operably coupled to the runtime engine to support operations associated with the runtime engine by referencing the component specification.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more tools comprise a network constructor building a netlist defining a structure of the HTM network, the network constructor validating the netlist by confirming whether properties of the component described in the netlist comply with descriptions of the properties in the component specification.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more tools comprise a plugin manager for building help information for the component by extracting descriptions associated with the component from the component specification.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more tools comprise a visualizer for providing a graphical user interface associated with the HTM network by referencing the component specification.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the network constructor automatically sets parameters or connections of the component based on the component specification.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the runtime engine comprises a plugin manager for supporting operations associated with the plugin.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the component specification includes version information for determining compatibility with other parts of the system.

10. A computer-implemented method of managing a hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) network, comprising:

at a computing device, registering a plugin including a function for creating a component of the HTM network on a runtime engine, the plugin associated with a component specification describing properties of the component;

instantiating the HTM network by invoking the function of the registered plugin; and

running the instance of the HTM network to learn and infer causes of input data received at the instance of the HTM network.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the properties of the component described in the component specification comprise an input of the component, an output of the component, a command that can be performed on the component, and a configurable parameter.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising one or more tools communicating with the runtime engine to provide supporting operations for the runtime engine, the one or more tools referencing the component specification.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

at a network constructor, building a netlist defining a structure of the HTM network, the runtime engine instantiating the HTM network according to the netlist; and

at the network constructor, validating the netlist by confirming whether the properties of the component described in the netlist comply with descriptions in the component specification.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising the automatically setting parameters or connections of the component based on the component specification.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising building help information for the component by extracting descriptions associated with the component from the component specification.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising providing a graphical user interface associated with the HTM network by referencing the component specification.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising determining compatibility of the component with the runtime engine based on the component specification.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium structured to store instructions executable by a processor, the instructions, when executed cause the processor to:

register a plugin including a function for creating a component of a hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) network on a runtime engine, the plugin associated with a component specification describing properties of the component;

instantiate the HTM network by invoking the function of the registered plugin; and

run the instance of the HTM network to learn and infer causes of input data received at the instance of the HTM network.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the properties of the component described in the component specification comprise an input of the component, an output of the component, a command that can be performed on the component, and a parameter that is configurable by a user.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to:

build a netlist defining a structure of the HTM network; and

validate the netlist by confirming whether the properties of the component described in the netlist comply with descriptions in the component specification.