Data processing: artificial intelligence – Neural network – Learning task
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-23
2002-10-08
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2122)
Data processing: artificial intelligence
Neural network
Learning task
C706S012000, C706S030000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06463424
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an unit having an associative function which is obtained from an analysis on actions of nerves and brains of animals including human beings (hereinafter referred to as “association unit”), a method for information processing such as recording and reproduction of information utilizing such an unit, and a machine including an information processing computer and operating in close resemblance to animals which belongs to the field of information processing apparatuses such as electronic computers and, more particularly, to the field of artificial intelligence.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current electronic computers perform information processing by recording required information in a storage device after converting it into binary notation and by processing and outputting the recorded information in a central processing unit (also referred to as “CPU”) in accordance with instructions and procedures stored in a storage device. Recently, electronic computers have become able to perform operations such as calculations of numerical values more accurately and quickly as a result of improvements on central processing units, the heart of electronic computers, which have increased speed of information processing and the amount of information that can be processed at a time. However, they are not good at processing information including ambiguity that a man can do very easily such as recognition of faces, voices, tastes, smells and the like, interpretation of braille points and interpretation of sentences (collectively referred to as “pattern recognition”). The inventor has made a study into the functions of nerves and brains of animals and conceived and developed an “association unit” having a function which is very similar to information processing that animals do.
Information processing that a human being does (“memorizing” that is to record information and “recalling” that is to read the record) is characterized in that pieces of information related to each other are memorized as one group and in that a piece of information memorized in advance is recalled from another piece of information which is related to the same.
For example, a man who has heard and memorized a story that Newton discovered the universal gravitation when he saw an apple dropping from an apple tree recalls the name “Newton” from an “apple” on a table.
Such an action of association allows a piece of input information to be understood to some degree of accuracy even if it is not in perfect coincidence with another piece of information stored in advance. This is a method of information processing which is completely different from methods for information retrieval based on perfect coincidence of information and information processing performed in electronic computers wherein pieces of information are recorded separately without any association therebetween although they are recorded accurately.
Further, a human being experiences a phenomenon referred to as “illusion” (referred to as “optical illusion” when it relates to the sense of sight) which is related to such “association”. This in a phenomenon that input information is erroneously recognized under the influence of association on the contrary to the case described above. There are various kinds of illusion. For example, straight lines drawn in a radial direction over parallel lines cause the parallel lines to appear bulgy in the middle (FIG.
1
), and a profile of a triangle that can not actually exist is seen (FIG.
2
). Such a phenomenon referred to as illusion is a phenomenon which no electronic computer encounters. The inventor has noticed that the nature which characterizes the way of information processing specific to animals exists in such a difference.
As described above, information processing that occurs in animals including human beings is considered to be based on a different principle. From such findings obtained on human beings and the like, the inventor thought that a method for information processing having closer similarity to that in human beings and the like would not be a method wherein information is simply recorded and retrieved accurately, but it would be a method wherein individual pieces of information are “associated” (for example, a plurality of pieces of information which are incidentally input at the same time are associated with each other), and various pieces of information which have already been associated can be recalled when only one of such associated pieces of information is input as input information.
The inventor also noticed that the phenomenon of “association” is a phenomenon that is the key of activities such as thinking and language.
For example, the inventor considered that thoughts involved in solving a mathematical problem form one pattern as a whole, and an action of solving a particular mathematical problem proceeds in a way of thinking which is an association made with another problem involving a similar way of thinking.
Association in a language-related activity is as follows. For example, when an article “Fujisan” is pronounced, each of sounds “fu”, “ji”, “sa” and “n” is substantially simultaneously recalled in association with each other in a short period of time (simultaneity will be discussed in detail later). It is therefore considered that those four sounds are recalled substantially unconsciously. That is, when “Fujisa” is recalled, the last sound “n” is substantially “automatically” recalled as a result of association, in other words “associatively” instead of recalling each sound one by one. It is considered that this equally applies to the usage of verbs and the connection of words. For example, it is considered that words “sinogi” and “kezuru” in a chain of words “sinogi-wo-kezuru” are memorized substantially associatively and those words are unconsciously recalled as a chain of words with no attention paid to the connection between each word.
The inventor also thought that memories of driving techniques are related to association. For example, it is considered that when someone rides a bicycle or plays piano, he or she makes a series of actions continuously by recalling them associatively, e.g. he or she keeps balance of the body unconsciously without thinking or moves the fingers to produce a melody as if the fingers are “independently” moving. As apparent from those examples, the inventor conceived the present invention based on an idea that input and output of a plurality of pieces of information which are recalled in association with each other simultaneously or at some time intervals are the key factor of information processing that occurs in the central nervous system of a human being or the like. Specifically, the inventor has conceived an “association unit” which is an unit capable of “association” by associating a plurality of different pieces of information with each other and found that it is possible to create an apparatus capable of information processing having close similarity to that in the central nervous system of an animal such as a human being using such an unit.
It is an object of the invention to provide a basic unit to be used for creating an information processing apparatus capable of information processing similar to that actually occurs in the central nervous system of an animal such as a human being and to provide an apparatus including an information processing computer utilizing such an unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an unit for repeating input and output signals having k or more (k is an integer equal to or greater than 2) signal input terminals and a plurality of output terminals, characterized in that it comprises:
a first repeating means for outputting an output signal having the same contents as those of a first input signal only from particular output terminals associated in advance to each of input terminals in a quantity less than k when the first input signal which is a pulse-shaped rectangular wave signal is
Ataka Koji
Ogata Norio
Powell Mark R.
Starks, Jr. Wilbert L.
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