Basic cell for firing spatio-temporal pulses and pattern recognition unit using the same

Pattern recognition equipment comprising a plurality of spatio-temporal pulse firing basic cells arranged in two dimensions, each of said spatio-temporal pulse firing basic cells including:

• a time input port;
• a plurality of space input ports;
• a time output port;
• a plurality of space output ports;
• time data input means for inputting time input data a.sup.t from said time input port at a timing t;
• space data input port means for inputting space input data b.sub.k from said plurality of space input ports at a timing t, where k=0, 1, . . . , u, and u is an integer;
• calculating means for obtaining, from said time input data a.sup.t and said space input data b.sub.k, time output data a.sup.t+1 and space output data C.sub.k, by logical operations defined by following expressions:
• ##EQU3## where Pa, Pd, q.sub.e and q.sub.i are binary constants, S is a threshold value of a predetermined integer equal to or greater than 1, and .SIGMA.b.sub.k represents summation of values b.sub.k for k=0 to k=u;
• time data output means for outputting, at next timing t+1, said time output data a.sup.t+1 from said calculating means to said time output port and for providing said time output data as the next time input data a.sup.t+1 to said time input port;
• and
• space data output means for outputting said space output data C.sub.k from calculating means to said space output ports, wherein said space input ports of each of said basic cells are each connected to said space output ports of one of a plurality of other basic cells, and said plurality of space output ports of said each basic cell are each connected to one of said plurality of other basic cells, thereby forming a spatio-temporal pulse generating means.