ASSOCIATIVE MEMORY SYSTEMS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS TO PICTURE AND ARITHMETIC PROCESSES

Two different associative memory systems implemented by cryotrons and cutpoint cells are presented. The cutpoint cellular associative memory designed on the basis of stage delay analysis does not use any ladder structure, but employs a high-speed controlled shift register for the sequential tagging of all matched memory words. Both systems are so mechanized that their structures are simple and especially compatible with the batch fabrication of integrated circuits. Moreover, both systems can perform ordered information retrieval following Lewiss sorting scheme, template-matching pattern recognition based on the union-intersection concept and nonbulk two-summand additions of signed binary numbers in the signed-2s-complement number system. The basic operations of each system include comparison, reading, writing, sensing and output-summing processes being all performed on the basis of parallel-by-bit. During simultaneous comparison, a bit-position corresponding to all bit-memories of equal significance can be masked out. The processing system for arithmetic operations consists of an associative memory, right shift registers and Mealy type sequential machines.