Recognizing and judging apparatus

A recognizing and judging apparatus having a network organized in a multilayered hierarchical manner and comprising:

• a given number of branched tree structures each having a plurality of layers, said given number being equal to a number of sets of characteristic data of an object to be recognized by said apparatus;
• and
• a plurality of recognition units constituting said branched tree structures and positioned in said plurality of layers, each of said recognition units comprising:
• a signal input section to which a signal is inputted;
• a quantizer for quantizing said signal input to said signal input section;
• a path input section having at least one path input terminal;
• a path output section having at least one path output terminal;
• and
• a path selecting section operatively coupled with both said path input section and said path output section for selectively providing connection therethrough between said at least one path input terminal and said at least one path output terminal according to an output of said quantizer;
• wherein a path selecting section of each of recognition units positioned on a layer adjacent to a lowermost layer of said plurality of layers comprises a learning device for changing a strength of said connection between said at least one path input terminal and a path output terminal indicated by the output of said quantizer;
• wherein said learning device comprises a maximum-output-terminal detector for detecting a path output terminal from which a maximum path signal is outputted, a comparator for comparing a number assigned to the path output terminal detected by said maximum-output-terminal detector and a number assigned to a path output terminal indicated by the output of said quantizer, and a load increaser for increasing a strength of connection between said path input terminal and said path output terminal indicated by the output of said quantizer based on a result of comparison performed by said comparator.