Patent ID: 6041321
Filing Date: 2000-03-21
Classification: G06N

Abstract:
An electronic device for performing a convolution operation between an original matrix and a mask matrix, comprising:a plurality of shift registers each comprising a plurality of cells for receiving binary input values representative of the original matrix;a matrix of synapses having a plurality of columns and at least one line for storing weights correlated with the mask matrix, the synapses of each column being connected to a corresponding cell to receive the binary value contained in the cell as an input and to output a weighted value dependent upon the product of the binary value and the weight stored, each synapse having a substantially zero conductance for a first binary value and a conductance correlated with the weight stored for a second binary value;at least one neuron connected to the synapses of a corresponding line to receive a sum of the weighted values of the synapses of the corresponding line as an input and to output a binary result dependent upon the sum, each neuron comprising conductance-measurement means for generating the binary result in dependence on a total conductance of the synapses of the corresponding line;wherein each synapse comprises a positive synapse and a negative synapse formed as memory cells which can store a positive weight and a negative weight, respectively; and wherein said conductance-measurement means generates the binary result in dependence on a comparison between a total conductance of the positive synapses and a total conductance of the negative synapses of the corresponding line; andwherein each memory cell has a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal; wherein the first terminal of each memory cell is connected to a reference terminal; wherein the control terminals of the memory cells of each column are connected to the corresponding cells of the shift registers; wherein the second terminals of the memory cells providing the positive synapses and the negative synapses of each line are connected to a first input line and to a second input line to the corresponding neuron, respectively; and wherein the total conductance of the positive synapses and of the negative synapses of the line are substantially equal to the conductance of the first line and of the second line, respectively.