Compact Bit-Serial VLSI Neuroprocessor for Automotive Use

An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) has been developed as a prototype of neuroprocessors for real-time diagnosis and control of automotive engines. The application of this ASIC was previously reported in "Neuroprocessor for Detecting Misfire in an Automotive Engine" (NPO-20044) NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 21, No. 12 (December 1997), page 60. The neuroprocessor is configured as a recurrent neural network, which differs from a conventional feedforward neural network in that the inputs to some of the neurons can include feedback signals in the form of time-lagged, weighted outputs from other neurons. Thus, the neuroprocessor responds not only to current inputs but also to the recent history of inputs.