Hierachical information processing system

A hierarchical information processing system for processing information in parallel over a plurality of cell layers comprising:

• a plurality of afferent signal paths extending from lower order cell-layers to higher order cell-layers for processing information signals, wherein said afferent signals are processed by a plurality of feature-extracting cells u.sub.s and feature-integrating cells u.sub.c alternatively and convergingly;
• a plurality of efferent information paths extending from higher order cell-layers to lower order cell-layers for transmitting an efferent signal, wherein said efferent signals are processed by a plurality of integrative feature-indicating cells w.sub.c and feature-indicating cells w.sub.s alternatively and divergingly;
• cells layers in each stage, except input-cell layer U.sub.o of the lowest stage and the cell layer in the highest stage, having converging afferent connections from feature-extracting cells u.sub.s to feature-integrating cells u.sub.c, and diverging efferent connections from an integrative feature-indicating cell w.sub.c to a feature-indicating cell w.sub.s ;
• an inhibiting cell u.sub.sv convergingly receiving a pattern signal from the said feature-integrating cell u.sub.c of the preceding stage and sending output signals via modifiable inhibitory connections to the said feature-extracting cell u.sub.s ;
• a threshold controlling cell w.sub.cx receiving signals from the cell w.sub.c via unmodifiable excitatory connections and receiving converging signals from the cells u.sub.s in the same stage and controlling the selectivity for extracting particular features by said feature-extracting cell u.sub.s ;
• a feature-indicating inhibitory cell w.sub.sv connected to the feature-indicating cell w.sub.s and connected divergingly and unmodifiably to the integrated feature-indicating cell w.sub.c in the lower stage;
• wherein each feature-extracting cell u.sub.s is connected to send an unmodifiable excitatory signal or gate signal to each feature-indicating sell w.sub.s, and each integrative feature-indicating cell w.sub.c is connected to send a gain control or heterosynaptic facilitation signal to a feature-integrating cell u.sub.c, and the transmission of efferent signals is gated by the afferent signals in the cell w.sub.s, and simultaneously, the transmission of afferent signals is facilitated by the presence of the efferent signals in the cell w.sub.c ;
• whereby a pattern corresponding to the cell which is yielding the largest output among the feature-integration cells u.sub.c of the highest stage is interpreted as recognized;
• and the output of the cell layer w.sub.co of integrative feature-indicating cells of the lowest stage being interpreted as the output of associative recall or as the result of segmentation of a single pattern which is now being recognized.

A hierarchial information processing system for processing information in parallel over a plurality of cell layers comprising:

• a plurality of afferent signal paths extending from lower order cell-layers to higher order cell-layers for processing information signals, wherein said afferent signals are processed by a plurality of feature-extracting analog cells u.sub.s and feature-integrating analog cells u.sub.c alternatively and convergingly;
• a plurality of efferent information paths extending from higher order cell-layers to lower order cell-layers for transmitting an efferent signal, wherein said efferent signals are processed by a plurality of integrative feature-indicating analog cells w.sub.c and feature-indicating analog cell w.sub.s alternatively and divergingly;
• cell layers in each stage, except input-cell layer U.sub.o of the lowest stage and the cell layer in the highest stage, having converging afferent connections from feature-extracting cells u.sub.s to feature-integrating cells u.sub.c, and diverging efferent connections from an integrative feature-indicating cell w.sub.c to feature-indicating cell w.sub.s ;
• wherein each feature-extracting cell u.sub.s is connected to send an unmodifiable excitatory signal or gate signal to each feature-indicating cell w.sub.s, and each integrative feature-indicating cell w.sub.c is connected to send a gain control or heterosynaptic facilitation signal to a feature-integrating cell u.sub.c, and the transmission of efferent signals is gated by the afferent signals in the cell w.sub.s, and simultaneously, the transmission of afferent signals is facilitated by the presence of the efferent signals in the cell w.sub.c ;
• whereby a pattern corresponding to the cell which is yielding the largest output among the feature-integrating cells u.sub.c of the highest stage is interpreted as recognized;
• and the output of the cell layer w.sub.co of integrative feature-indicating cells of the lowest stage being interpreted as the output of associative recall or as the result of segmentation of a single pattern which is now being recognized.