Monolithic image perception device and method

• US 8,478,081 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated), Norlitech, LLC
• Original Assignee: AGC Flat Glass North America Incorporated (AGC, Inc.), Norlitech, LLC
• Inventors: Paillet, Guy, Menendez, Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Cunningham, Gregory F
• Application Number:
  US12/880,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20110052011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 382/159, 382/165, 382/170, 382/181, 382/187, 382/312
• US Class Current: 382/312
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/10 Image acquisition document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/94 Hardware or software architectures specially adapted for image or video understanding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/772 comprising A/D, V/T, V/F, I/T or I/F converters

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an apparatus which can acquire, readout and perceive a scene based on the insertion, or embedding of photosensitive elements into or on a transparent or semi-transparent substrate such as glass or plastic. The substrate itself may act as the optical device which deflects the photons of an incident image into the photosensitive elements. A digital neural memory can be trained to recognize patterns in the incident photons. The photosensitive elements and digital neural memory elements may be arranged with light elements controlled in accordance with the patterns detected. In one application, intelligent lighting units provide light while monitoring surroundings and/or adjusting light according to such surroundings. In another application, intelligent displays display images and/or video while monitoring surroundings and/or adjusting the displayed images and/or video in accordance with such surroundings.

Claims

1. An image recognition device comprising:

a plurality of cognitive sensors embedded in or positioned on a transparent or semi-transparent substrate, each sensor comprising;

a photosensitive element; and

a trainable cognitive memory cell associated with the photosensitive element;

a plurality of optical interfaces formed on or embedded in said substrate, each one of said plurality of optical interfaces optically coupled to a corresponding one of said plurality of cognitive sensors; and

a plurality of light elements positioned on said substrate and configured to emit light.

2. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the light output by one or more of the plurality of light elements is controlled in accordance with an output from one or more of the plurality of cognitive sensors.

3. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light elements is geometrically arranged to form an image display apparatus.

4. The image recognition device of claim 3, wherein the image display apparatus is configured to display an image representing light received on the photosensitive elements of one or more of the plurality of cognitive sensors.

5. The image recognition device of claim 3, wherein each cognitive sensor is trainable and configured to recognize patterns based on incident light;

and

the image display apparatus is configured to display an image and to modify the image in accordance with patterns recognized by one or more of the plurality of cognitive sensors.

6. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cognitive sensors have a field of view, and the light elements are configured to emit light in the field of view.

7. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cognitive sensors have a field of view, and the light elements are configured to display an image which is visible by objects in the field of view.

8. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cognitive sensors have a field of view, and the light elements are configured to provide lighting to objects in the field of view and to display an image to the objects in the field of view.

9. The image recognition device of claim 8, wherein one or more of the plurality of cognitive elements are configured to recognize patterns of incident light and to control the provision of lighting and image display of one or more of the plurality of light elements as a function of the patterns recognized.

10. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein each cognitive memory cell is taught to recognize a different portion of an image, and said plurality of cognitive memory cells are configured to operate collectively to recognize said image.

11. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein each said cognitive memory element comprises a plurality of neurons coupled on an input side thereof by a multiplexed input bus and on an output side thereof by an output bus, each said neuron being taught with a knowledge, said knowledge allowing the corresponding neuron to recognize a signal and perform a decision.

12. The image recognition device recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cognitive sensors are configured to perform image recognition operations digitally without a software program through a plurality of parallel elements each having self contained, autonomous behavior.

13. The image recognition device recited in claim 1, wherein light elements of the plurality of light elements are selected from light emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs and plasma cavities.

14. The image recognition device of claim 1, further comprising photovoltaic devices embedded in or positioned on said substrate.

15. The image recognition device of claim 1, further comprising output transmission lines and power supply lines that are directly engraved or diffused on said substrate.

16. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cognitive sensors is configured to receive power from power supply lines and to output communications using the power supply lines.

17. The image recognition device of claim 1, further comprising a transparent or semi-transparent cover layer, wherein the plurality of cognitive sensors and the plurality of light elements are arranged between the cover layer and the substrate.

18. The image recognition device of claim 17, wherein one or more of the plurality of light elements is configured to emit light through the substrate.

19. The image recognition device of claim 17, wherein one or more of the plurality of light elements is configured to emit light through the cover layer.

20. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light elements and plurality of cognitive sensors are arranged in rows and columns, wherein the plurality of light elements and plurality of cognitive sensors alternate in each row and alternate in each column.

21. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light elements and plurality of cognitive sensors are arranged so that each of the plurality of cognitive sensors is surrounded by light elements.

22. The image recognition device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light elements comprise red pixels, green pixels and blue pixels.

23. An image recognition device comprising:

a transparent or semi-transparent substrate;

a plurality of cognitive sensors embedded in or positioned on the substrate, each sensor comprising;

a photosensitive element; and

a trainable cognitive memory cell associated with the photosensitive element;

a plurality of optical interfaces formed on or embedded in said substrate, each one of said plurality of optical interfaces optically coupled to a corresponding one of said plurality of cognitive sensors;

a filler layer comprising a filler between adjacent cognitive sensors of the plurality of cognitive sensors; and

a plurality of light elements positioned on said filler layer and configured to emit light.

24. The image recognition device of claim 23, wherein the plurality of light elements comprise red pixels, green pixels and blue pixels.