Patent US973027A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US4769644A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4769644A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cellular automata devices
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
•
Filing: 1986-05-05
•
Granted: 1988-09-06
•
Expires: 2006-05-05
Abstract
Abstract Noise and fault tolerant devices made of cellular automata are disclosed. Preferred embodiments include cellular automata with updating rules that set a cell to a first state if more than a threshold number of adjacent cells are in the first state and with output being a state average over all cells; thus updating overcomes noise and fault induced state changes. Embodiments with cells as discrete electronic devices and with cells as quantum wells in a monolithic semiconductor body are disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Gary A. Frazier
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 09:10
CPC Classifications
B; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; G; G06; G06F; G06F15/00; G06F15/76; G06F15/80; G06F15/8007; G06F15/8023; H; H10; H10D; H10D62/00; H10D62/80; H10D62/81; H10D62/815; H10D62/8161; H10D62/82; H10D62/824; H10D8/00; H10D8/70; G06F11/00; G11; G11C; G11C29/00; G11C29/006
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
An electronic device, comprising: (a) an aggregation of active cells, each of said cells having a finite number of states; (b) said cells locally interconnected and with the state of each cell at a time determined by the states at a previous time of the cells connected to said each cell, said determination characterized by said each cell is put into a first state if a weighted number of said connected cells at said previous time in said first state exceeds a threshold number; (c) an input for setting the state of at least one of said cells; and (d) an output for determining the state average over said aggregation; (e) whereby fault or noise induced changes of state in said cells are overcome by the influence of connected cells.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
130 words
An electronic device, comprising: (a) an aggregation of active cells, each of said cells having a finite number of states; (b) said cells locally interconnected and with the state of each cell at a time determined by the states at a previous time of the cells connected to said each cell, said determination characterized by said each cell is put into a first state if a weighted number of said connected cells at said previous time in said first state exceeds a threshold number; (c) an input for setting the state of at least one of said cells; and (d) an output for determining the state average over said aggregation; (e) whereby fault or noise induced changes of state in said cells are overcome by the influence of connected cells.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The device of claim 1, wherein: (a) said aggregation of cells is a planar lattice of cells; and (b) said input sets a plurality of cells in the periphery of said lattice.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The device of claim 1, wherein: (a) said cells have only two states.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The device of claim 3, wherein: (a) said cells are comparators; and (b) said interconnections are resistors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The device of claim 3, wherein: (a) said cells are quantum wells in a semiconductor body; (b) said two states correspond to carriers occupying and not occupying said wells, respectively; and (c) said determination is by electric potential.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The device of claim 3, wherein: (a) said cells are quantum wells in a semiconductor body; (b) said two states correspond to carriers resonantly tunneling through and not resonantly tunneling through said wells, respectively; and (c) said determination is by electric potential.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
79 words
The device of claim 3, wherein: (a) said aggregation of cells is a planar lattice of cells arranged into rows and columns; (b) said interconnections are between adjacent cells in rows, between adjacent cells in columns and between adjacent cells on the diagonals; and (c) said threshold number is between two and three of said adjacent row and column cells and between two and three of said adjacent diagonal cells with two of said adjacent row and column cells.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
101 words
A noise and fault tolerant two-state device, comprising: (a) a cellular automaton with two-state cells and with an updating rule that updates a cell into a first state if a weighted number of the cells connected to said cell and in said first state exceeds a threshold number, with said weighting decreasing monotonically with increasing distance between cells; (b) a input for setting at least one of said cells; and (c) an output for determining the state average over said cells; (d) whereby noise and fault induced changes of state in said cells are overcome by updatings and averaging for output.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
101 words
A noise and fault tolerant two-state device, comprising: (a) a cellular automaton with two-state cells and with an updating rule that updates a cell into a first state if a weighted number of the cells connected to said cell and in said first state exceeds a threshold number, with said weighting decreasing monotonically with increasing distance between cells; (b) a input for setting at least one of said cells; and (c) an output for determining the state average over said cells; (d) whereby noise and fault induced changes of state in said cells are overcome by updatings and averaging for output.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
The device of claim 8, wherein: (a) said cellular automaton is a planar lattice of cells arranged into rows and columns; and (b) said weighting is zero except for nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor cells.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
The device of claim 9, wherein: (a) said output averages the states of a group of cells on the periphery of said lattice.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The device of claim 9, wherein: (a) said input sets the states of a group of cells on the periphery of said lattice.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3794983A
Cited
US4509195A
Cited
US4517659A
Cited
US4510616A
Cited
US4667295A
Cited
US4571635A
Cited
US4541116A
Cited
US4707859A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-09-06 | 1992-03-07 | 1992-09-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-09-06 | 1996-03-07 | 1996-09-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-09-06 | 2000-03-07 | 2000-09-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |