Patent GB-997198-A (GB)
Title: Adaptive recognition method and system
IPC: G06F17/18
Filed: 1961-09-22
Abstract: 997,198. Correlation detection. GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. Sept. 22, 1961 [Oct. 6, 1960], No. 34106/61. Addition to 971,109. Heading G1U. [Also in Division G4] In a system as claimed in the parent Specification for recognising recurrent signals with increasing accuracy and capable of distinguishing such recurrent signals from random noise and other signals supplied by an input, to enable progressively more accurate identification of the recurrent signals; the input signal is first quantised to provide predetermined maximum and minimum input signal amplitudes, and thereafter the required time spaced values of input signal amplitudes are derived by shifting the input signals to successive locations of a storage device at a predetermined periodic frequency to enable comparison of the quantised input signals available at such locations to be made with the stored characteristics. In Fig. 1 an input containing a signal to be recognised is applied over a series resistance to a saturable d.c. amplifier 2 feeding positive and negative acting diode clamps 3, 5, biased by reference voltages V ref . to establish corresponding quantisation levels for the input signal. The two level output is applied to a shift register 7 receiving advance pulses over line 8 from a generator (not shown) to sample the input at discrete intervals of time established by the time separation of the pulses and to advance the samples through the stages of the register at these discrete intervals. The output of each stage of the shift register is connected over cathode follower 9 and normally closed contacts 10 of relay 11 to charge sampling capacitor 12; the relays being momentarily operable by thyratron 33 when pulsed by generator 31, to open contacts 10 and close contacts 13 to parallel connect each capacitor 12 to storage capacitor 14, which is connected over resistor 15 to quantising saturable D.C. amplifier 16, whose output feeds positive and negative acting diode clamps 17, 19 biased by corresponding reference voltages. The quantised output is cathode follower coupled to one end of the winding of relay 23 returned to the corresponding cathode follower 9: the relay being inoperative to connect a positive reference voltage +V ref  to line 26 and operative to connect a negative voltage -V ref  thereto. The relay corresponding to each shift register stage is operative when the storage capacitor output and shift register output are of opposed polarities and inoperative when they are of similar polarities, and the corresponding voltages V ref  applied to line 26 are combined in a known analog summing circuit 29 to produce an output proportional to the number of inputs carrying a voltage +V ref , which is applied to a threshold detector 30 operative on the input exceeding a preset value to operate pulse generator 31 pulsing thyratron 33 to energize relay 11 for each shift register stage, thus momentarily interconnecting storage and sampling capacitors 12, 14 for averaging. Thus, in operation, the two-level quantised input is sampled at discrete time intervals determined by the shift pulses, and the information signal is set into the first stage of the shift register and subsequently shifted along the register, whose various stages represent quantised samples of input at successive time intervals, and the comparison between the voltage output from each stage and that on the corresponding storage capacitor operates through the summing circuit and threshold detector to produce an output when a high correlation exists between the output and storage voltages. Pulse generator 31 operates relays 32 connecting each sampling capacitor to an associated storage capacitor, so that a new threshold is set exceeding the previous threshold. The voltages on the storage capacitors represent the nature and characteristics of the repetitive signal in the input, and may energize indicating means. A modified form of the circuit operating relay 23 is described (Fig. 2, not shown).