Union processing of sequences of patterns

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a processing node of a hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) system with a union processor that enables a more stable representation of sequences by unionizing or pooling patterns of a temporal sequence. The union processor biases the HTM system so a learned temporal sequence may be more quickly recognized. The union processor includes union elements that are associated with incoming spatial patterns or with cells that represent temporal relationships between the spatial patterns. A union element of the union processor may be activated if a persistence score of the union element satisfies a predetermined criterion. The persistence score of the detector is updated based on the activation states of the spatial patterns or cells associated with the detector. After activation, the union element remains active for a period longer than a time step for performing the spatial pooling.