VLSI implementations of electronic neural networks: an example in character recognition

A large class of applications where theoretical considerations that promote high-accuracy classification result in constrained network architectures have been identified through a series of experiments in pattern recognition using neural net algorithms. These constrained nets can map onto appropriately designed hardware. The concepts learned from the pattern recognition experiments are discussed, and it is shown how they can be applied to chip design. A neural net chip for machine vision is described. The chip combines analog and digital processing and is reconfigurable