Parallel data processor

Claim 1

A data processing system for simultaneously processing a plurality of data words, the data words being provided by means for generating data words coupled to the system for inputting data words to be processed thereto, the system comprising: one or more data processing planes each of which comprises plurality of processing elements logically organized in rows and in columns as a two-dimensional array of processing elements, each of said processing elements comprising means for performing arithmetic and logical operations on data words in a simultaneous manner with others of said processing elements; and wherein each of said processing elements within a given plane of processing elements is operatively coupled to all processing elements within immediately adjacent rows and columns of said given plane for transferring data therebetween and is also further operatively coupled to a plurality of processing elements disposed in non-immediately adjacent rows and columns of said given plane for transferring data therebetween.

Claim 13

A method of simultaneously processing a plurality of data words with a first two-dimensional array of discreet data processing elements, individual ones of the data words being generated by individual ones of a plurality of energy sensors organized as an array of energy sensors each of which views an environment and is responsive to energy received from the environment to generate at least one data word expressive of a characteristic of the received energy, each of the energy sensors having an output signal coupled to an associated data processing element for outputting generated data words thereto, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, with a processing element, a data word (I REC ) from a sensor, each processing element comprising means for performing at least arithmetic and/or logical operations on a data word in accordance with a stored program; transferring at least one data word from each processing element to n logically adjacent processing elements, a transferred data word being expressive of a received sensor generated data word modified by a value of a first weighting value (W N ); transferring at least one data word from each processing element to m logically nonadjacent processing elements, a transferred data word being expressive of the magnitude of a received sensor generated data word modified by a value of a second weighting value (W F ); receiving at each processing element at least one data word from n logically adjacent processing elements, the received data word being expressive of a magnitude of a sensor generated data word received by logically adjacent corresponding processing elements (I RECN ) modified by the value of the first weighting value W N ; receiving at each processing element at least one data word from m logically nonadjacent processing elements, the received data word being expressive of a magnitude of a sensor data word received by logically nonadjacent processing elements (I RECF ) modified by the value of the second weighting value W F ; and calculating, at each processing element receiving at least one data word from adjacent and nonadjacent processing elements, a modified received sensor data word (I MOD ) in accordance with a predefined relationship between a magnitude of a data word received from a coresponding sensor I REC and the data words I RECN and I RECF received from n adjacent and m nonadjacent processing elements, respectively.

Claim 14

A method of simultaneously processing a plurality of data words with a first two-dimensional array of discreet data processing elements, individual ones of the data words being generated by individual ones of a plurality of energy sensors organized as an array of energy sensors each of which views an environment and is responsive to energy received from the environment to generate at least one data word expressive of a characteristic of the received energy, each of the energy sensors having an output signal coupled to an associated data processing element for outputting generated data words thereto, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, with a processing element, a data word (I REC ) from a sensor, each processing element comprising means for performing at least arithmetic and/or logical operations on a data word in accordance with a stored program; transferring at least one data word from each processing element to n logically adjacent processing elements, a transferred data word being expressive of a received sensor generated data word modified by a value of a first weighting value (W N ); transferring at least one data word from each processing element to m logically nonadjacent processing elements, a transferred data word being expressive of the magnitude of a received sensor generated data word modified by a value of a second weighting value (W F ); receiving at each processing element at least one data word from n logically adjacent processing elements, the received data word being expressive of a magnitude of a sensor generated data word received by logically adjacent corresponding processing elements (I RECN ) modified by the value of the first weighting value W N ; receiving at each processing element at least one data word from m logically nonadjacent processing elements, the received data word being expressive of a magnitude of a sensor data word received by logically nonadjacent processing elements (I RECF ) modified by the value of the second weighting value W F ; and calculating, at each processing element receiving at least one data word from adjacent and nonadjacent processing elements, a modified received sensor data word (I MOD ) in accordance with a predefined relationship between a magnitude of a data word received from a coresponding sensor I REC and the data words I RECN and I RECF received from n adjacent and m nonadjacent processing elements, respectively.