Oscillating circuits and information processing devices

Abstract

This invention provides an oscillation circuit and an information processing device, achieving a reduction in circuit size. The oscillation circuit (1) includes diodes (D1, D2, D3), inductors (L1, L2), and a power supply unit (V1). The diodes (D1, D2, D3) are nonlinear passive components with negative differential resistance. In the oscillation circuit (1), the diode (D1) with a first negative differential resistance and the composite inductor (11) are connected in series to form the oscillation unit (10). The composite inductor (11) includes inductors (L1) and (L2) and is connected in series with the inductors (L1, L2). The diode (D2) with a second negative differential resistance is connected in parallel with the inductor (L1). The diode (D3) with a third negative differential resistance is connected in series with the diode (D1) and is connected in parallel with the composite inductor (11). Furthermore, a burst pulse is output from the common connection point (Vout) of the inductors (L1, L2) and the diode (D2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to oscillation circuits and information processing devices. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, AI-oriented computing systems have been developed to provide advanced AI (Artificial Intelligence) services. Among these, neuromorphic computing, conceived from neural signal processing in the brain, has attracted considerable attention.

[0003] In AI based on deep learning, simplified models of brain neurons and their coupling circuits are used (simulated neurons). In contrast, in neuromimicry, models that mimic the spike pulses output by nerve cells (spiking neurons, etc.) are used to perform intelligent information processing that further mimics the structure of the brain.

[0004] In addition, in neuromorphic computing, an oscillating circuit that mimics neural signal pulses is used as a signal source unit to construct the computing system.

[0005] As a technique related to oscillating circuits, for example, the following technique has been proposed: connecting two N-type negative resistance elements in series, and connecting a resonant circuit consisting of an inductor and a capacitor at the connection point of the two N-type negative resistance elements to suppress parasitic oscillations.

[0006] In addition, the following technique is proposed: the connection point of two negative differential resistor elements is used as the output extraction point, an oscillating voltage is applied to the power supply side terminal of one negative differential resistor element, and the binary output determined by the thermal noise applied to the negative differential resistor element is used as a natural random number.

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-333227

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-018500

[0009] To make the pulse signal resemble a neural pulse, burst pulse oscillations with varying pulse intervals and pulse counts are required. However, conventional circuits for burst pulse oscillations suffer from the problem of a large number of components and an increased circuit size. Summary of the Invention

[0010] In one aspect, the object of the present invention is to provide an oscillation circuit capable of reducing the circuit size in a circuit that causes burst pulse oscillation, and an information processing apparatus having the oscillation circuit.

[0011] To address the aforementioned issues, an oscillation circuit is provided. The oscillation circuit includes: an oscillation section comprising a first diode and a composite inductor connected in series, wherein the first diode has a first negative differential resistance, and the composite inductor connects the first inductor and a second inductor in series; a second diode having a second negative differential resistance and connected in parallel with the first inductor; and a third diode having a third negative differential resistance, connected in series with the first diode and connected in parallel with the composite inductor, outputting a burst pulse from a common connection point of the first inductor, the second inductor, and the second diode.

[0012] In addition, to solve the above-mentioned problems, an information processing device equipped with the above-mentioned oscillation circuit is provided.

[0013] Based on one aspect, it is possible to reduce the circuit size. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention as examples.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillation circuit according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a diagram representing an example of a sudden pulse.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram used to illustrate negative differential resistance.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillating circuit.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram representing an example of an oscillating waveform.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillating circuit.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram representing an example of an oscillating waveform.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillating circuit.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a diagram representing an example of an oscillating waveform.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the negative differential resistance characteristics of a tunnel diode.

[0025] Figure 11This is a diagram illustrating an example of a burst pulse waveform.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a burst pulse waveform.

[0027] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a burst pulse waveform.

[0028] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillation circuit according to the second embodiment.

[0029] Figure 15 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a burst pulse waveform.

[0030] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing an example of an oscillator circuit group with multiple oscillator circuits.

[0031] Figure 17 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a burst pulse waveform.

[0032] Figure 18 This is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the power supply section.

[0033] Figure 19 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an oscillating circuit with a feedback loop.

[0034] Figure 20 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a burst pulse waveform.

[0035] Figure 21 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a memory circuit.

[0036] Figure 22 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a memory computing device.

[0037] Figure 23 This is a diagram representing an example of a spike neural network system. Detailed Implementation

[0038] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] [First Implementation Method]

[0040] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of an oscillation circuit according to the first embodiment. The oscillation circuit 1 includes diode D1 (first diode), diode D2 (second diode), diode D3 (third diode), inductor L1 (first inductor), inductor L2 (second inductor), and power supply V1 (DC (Direct Current) power supply).

[0041] Diodes D1, D2, and D3 are nonlinear passive components with negative differential resistance, such as Esaki diodes or resonant tunnel diodes.

[0042] In the oscillation circuit 1, a diode D1 with a first negative differential resistance and a composite inductor 11 are connected in series to form an oscillation section 10. The composite inductor 11 connects inductors L1 and L2 in series.

[0043] Furthermore, the oscillation circuit 1 connects diode D2, which has a second negative differential resistance, in parallel with inductor L1. Additionally, diode D3, which has a third negative differential resistance, is connected in series with diode D1 and in parallel with the combined inductor 11. The output of the oscillation circuit 1 is the common connection point (Vout) of inductors L1 and L2 and diode D2, from which burst pulses (neural-like pulses) are output.

[0044] In the connection relationship of each component, the positive terminal of the power supply V1 is connected to the anode of diode D1, and the cathode of diode D1 is connected to the anode of diode D3 and one end of inductor L2.

[0045] The other end of inductor L2 is connected to the anode of diode D2 and one end of inductor L1. The negative terminal of power supply V1 is connected to the other end of inductor L1, the cathode of diode D2, and the cathode of diode D3.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a graph representing an example of a burst pulse. The vertical axis represents voltage (mV), and the horizontal axis represents time (μs). From Figure 1 The output terminal (common connection point) of the oscillator circuit 1 shown oscillates as follows: Figure 2 The burst pulse P is shown. The burst pulse P has an intermittent pulse P1 and a short pulse P2 contained within the intermittent pulse P1.

[0047] In this way, in the oscillation circuit 1, diodes D1, D2, and D3, as nonlinear elements with negative differential resistance, and inductors L1 and L2 are used to oscillate burst pulses by applying a DC voltage. As a result, since burst pulses can be oscillated with fewer components, the circuit size can be reduced.

[0048] <Negative Differential Resistance>

[0049] Next, the negative differential resistance will be explained. Furthermore, in the following, diodes with negative differential resistance may be referred to as tunnel diodes. Therefore, diodes D1, D2, and D3 may also be referred to as tunnel diodes D1, D2, and D3, respectively.

[0050] Tunnel diodes have the following characteristics: the concentration of impurities in the p-type and n-type layers is higher than that in pn junction diodes and transistors with typical rectification characteristics.

[0051] Figure 3 This is a diagram used to illustrate negative differential resistance. It shows the current-voltage characteristic (forward characteristic) of a high-impurity pn junction, with the vertical axis representing current and the horizontal axis representing voltage. In a typical pn junction diode, if a forward bias is applied (a positive voltage is applied to the p side and a negative voltage is applied to the n side), the current increases above the forward junction voltage.

[0052] In contrast, in a tunnel diode with a high impurity concentration pn junction, if a forward bias is applied, a tunneling effect (the phenomenon of electrons passing through the potential barrier formed in the depletion layer) occurs in the voltage range h0, resulting in an increase in current. Furthermore, if the forward bias is further increased, the tunneling effect decreases in the voltage range h1, and the current decreases relative to the voltage increase (the negative differential resistance region).

[0053] Because this characteristic is equivalent to the ratio of voltage increment to current increment, i.e., the differential resistance becomes negative, the resistive component with a negative value is called negative differential resistance (negative resistance). Furthermore, the slope of the characteristic curve within the negative differential resistance region represents the differential coefficient of the negative differential resistance.

[0054] For tunnel diodes, by utilizing a voltage range (the negative differential resistance region) where the current decreases as the voltage increases, a high-frequency oscillation circuit for a self-excited system can be realized, for example.

[0055] <Minimum Components of an Oscillating Circuit>

[0056] Next, use Figures 4-9 right Figure 1 The components of the oscillation circuit 1 shown are the smallest components (basic units) used to make burst pulses oscillate.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillating circuit. The oscillating circuit 1a0 includes a tunnel diode D1, an inductor L1, and a power supply unit V1. The positive terminal of the power supply unit V1 is connected to the anode of the tunnel diode D1, and the cathode of the tunnel diode D1 is connected to one end of the inductor L1. The negative terminal of the power supply unit V1 is connected to the other end of the inductor L1.

[0058] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillation waveform. It shows the oscillation pulse p0 output from the output terminal Vout of oscillation circuit 1a0, with the vertical axis representing voltage (mV) and the horizontal axis representing time (μs). As with oscillation circuit 1a0, the oscillation pulse p0 is generated using a tunnel diode D1 and an inductor L1.

[0059] The period of the oscillation pulse p0 is approximately 15 μs, and the duty cycle is approximately 50%. Furthermore, the oscillation pulse p0 becomes... Figure 2 The burst pulses are short-interval pulses. In addition, due to the nonlinear characteristics of the current-voltage curve of the tunnel diode D1, the waveform of the oscillating pulse p0 is not a sine wave, but a waveform with steep rise and fall.

[0060] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillating circuit. The oscillating circuit 1a1 includes a tunnel diode D1, a tunnel diode D2, an inductor L1, and a power supply unit V1. The positive terminal of the power supply unit V1 is connected to the anode of the tunnel diode D1, and the cathode of the tunnel diode D1 is connected to the anode of the tunnel diode D2 and one end of the inductor L1. The negative terminal of the power supply unit V1 is connected to the other end of the inductor L1 and the cathode of the tunnel diode D2.

[0061] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillation waveform. It shows the oscillation pulse p1 output from the output terminal Vout of oscillation circuit 1a1, with the vertical axis representing voltage (mV) and the horizontal axis representing time (μs). Similar to oscillation circuit 1a1, for oscillation circuit 1a0, the oscillation pulse p1 is generated by connecting tunnel diode D2 in parallel with inductor L1 and in series with tunnel diode D1.

[0062] The period of oscillation pulse p1 is approximately the same as that of oscillation pulse p0, but the duty cycle of the pulse is asymmetrical. This can be considered as adding a bypass line to the oscillation circuit 1a0 through the tunnel diode D2, and the pulse width modulation is generated through the negative differential resistance and nonlinear characteristics of the tunnel diode D2.

[0063] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillating circuit. The oscillating circuit 1a2 includes a tunnel diode D1, a tunnel diode D2, an inductor L1, an inductor L2, and a power supply unit V1. The positive terminal of the power supply unit V1 is connected to the anode of the tunnel diode D1, and the cathode of the tunnel diode D1 is connected to one end of the inductor L2.

[0064] The other end of inductor L2 is connected to the anode of tunnel diode D2 and one end of inductor L1. The negative terminal of power supply V1 is connected to the other end of inductor L1 and the cathode of tunnel diode D2.

[0065] Figure 9This is a diagram illustrating an example of an oscillation waveform. It shows the oscillation pulse p2 output from the output terminal Vout of oscillation circuit 1a2, with the vertical axis representing voltage (mV) and the horizontal axis representing time (μs). Similar to oscillation circuit 1a2, for oscillation circuit 1a1, the oscillation pulse p2 is generated by inserting inductor L2 between the cathode of tunnel diode D1 and the anode of tunnel diode D2 and one end of inductor L1. The oscillation pulse p2 is a waveform consisting of a series of short pulses superimposed within intermittent pulses.

[0066] In this way, by adding an inductor L2 to the oscillator circuit 1a1 to become Figure 8 The connection structure shown constitutes an oscillating circuit 1a2, which can generate burst pulses of intermittently repeating short pulse trains.

[0067] In addition, relative to the oscillation circuit 1a2, tunnel diode D3 and tunnel diode D1 are connected in series and in parallel with the composite inductor 11 containing inductors L1 and L2, thereby forming a... Figure 1 The oscillation circuit 1 shown.

[0068] By adding a tunnel diode D3 to the oscillation circuit 1a2, the negative differential resistance and nonlinear characteristics of the tunnel diode D3 can be used to adjust the intermittent pulse degree (the proportion of intermittent pulses contained in a certain period) of the oscillation pulse p2.

[0069] Furthermore, the amplitude of the burst pulse can be altered by making the size (component size) of the tunnel diode D1 variable. The diode size is proportional to the amount of current flowing through the diode. Increasing the size of the tunnel diode D1 increases the amplitude of the burst pulse, while decreasing the size of the tunnel diode D1 decreases the amplitude of the burst pulse.

[0070] As explained above, by using the oscillation circuit 1, which consists of the smallest components of tunnel diodes D1, D2, D3 and inductors L1, L2, it is possible to oscillate burst pulses that mimic nerve signal pulses, thereby reducing the circuit size.

[0071] <Characteristics of Tunnel Diodes>

[0072] The characteristics of tunnel diodes D1, D2, and D3 will be explained next. Figure 10 This is a graph illustrating an example of the negative differential resistance characteristics of a tunnel diode. The vertical axis represents current, and the horizontal axis represents voltage. Characteristic curves k1, ..., k5 represent the negative differential resistance characteristics of the tunnel diode.

[0073] Characteristic curve k1 represents the negative differential resistance of a tunnel diode with a size of 100μm, characteristic curve k2 represents the negative differential resistance of a tunnel diode with a size of 80μm, and characteristic curve k3 represents the negative differential resistance of a tunnel diode with a size of 60μm.

[0074] Furthermore, characteristic curve k4 represents the negative differential resistance of a tunnel diode with a size of 20 μm, and characteristic curve k5 represents the negative differential resistance of a tunnel diode with a size of 10 μm. Thus, depending on the size of the tunnel diode and the current flowing through it, the larger the size of the tunnel diode, the greater the negative differential resistance.

[0075] In the oscillation circuit 1, the tunnel diode D1 is made to function as the oscillation driving source of the oscillation circuit 1 by making the negative differential resistance of the tunnel diode D1 greater than that of the tunnel diodes D2 and D3.

[0076] Therefore, tunnel diode D1 is selected, for example, to be the size of one of the characteristics in characteristic curves k1, k2, and k3. Additionally, tunnel diodes D2 and D3 are selected to be the size of any one of the characteristics in characteristic curves k4 and k5.

[0077] For example, the size of tunnel diode D1 can be set to 100μm (characteristic curve k1), the size of tunnel diode D2 to 20μm (characteristic curve k4), and the size of tunnel diode D3 to 10μm (characteristic curve k5). Furthermore, as long as the negative differential resistance of tunnel diodes D2 and D3 is smaller than that of tunnel diode D1, the negative differential resistances of tunnel diodes D2 and D3 can be the same (and the sizes of tunnel diodes D2 and D3 can also be the same).

[0078] By selecting the size of the tunnel diode in this way, the tunnel diode D1 can function as the oscillation drive source of the oscillation circuit 1. In addition, the burst pulse can be stably oscillated by combining the tunnel diode D1 and the series inductors L1 and L2.

[0079] Furthermore, multiple tunnel diodes with different negative differential resistances can be made to have the same structure relative to the semiconductor layer. Therefore, it is also possible to construct the oscillation circuit 1 on a single chip without integrating different types of chips, thus building an oscillation circuit group for burst pulses.

[0080] <Characteristics of Composite Inductors>

[0081] Next, use Figures 11-13 The characteristics of inductors L1 and L2 included in the composite inductor 11 are explained. Figures 11-13 This is a graph representing an example of a burst pulse waveform. The vertical axis represents voltage (mV), and the horizontal axis represents time (μs).

[0082] exist Figure 11 The image shows the waveform G0 of a burst pulse when the inductance of inductor L1 (first inductor) and the inductance of inductor L2 (second inductor) are the same (e.g., L1 = L2 = 100 μH).

[0083] exist Figure 12 The image shows the waveform G1 of a burst pulse when the inductance of inductor L1 is smaller than that of inductor L2 (e.g., L1 = 50 μH, L2 = 100 μH).

[0084] By making the inductance of inductor L1 smaller than that of inductor L2, the period of the intermittent pulse can be made shorter than that of waveform G0, and the number of short pulses contained in the intermittent pulse can be less than that of waveform G0.

[0085] exist Figure 13 The image shows the waveform G2 of a burst pulse when the inductance of inductor L2 is less than the inductance of inductor L1 (e.g., L1 = 100 μH, L2 = 50 μH).

[0086] By making the inductance of inductor L2 smaller than that of inductor L1, the period of the intermittent pulse can be made shorter than that of waveform G0, and the number of short pulses contained in the intermittent pulse can be greater than that of waveform G0.

[0087] In this way, by changing the settings of the inductances of inductors L1 and L2, the interval of the intermittent pulse period and the number of short pulses superimposed within the intermittent pulse can be adjusted. Therefore, the intermittent pulse period and the number of short pulses can be flexibly adjusted, thus enabling burst pulse oscillations suitable for desired information processing.

[0088] [Second Implementation]

[0089] Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment described above, a DC power supply was used as the input power supply, but in the second embodiment, an AC (Alternating Current) power supply or a power supply that outputs a DC voltage superimposed with an AC voltage (hereinafter referred to as DC+AC voltage) is used, thereby causing various sudden pulse oscillations.

[0090] Figure 14 This diagram illustrates an example of the oscillation circuit according to the second embodiment. The oscillation circuit 1b includes tunnel diodes D1, D2, and D3, inductors L1 and L2, and a power supply unit V2. The power supply unit V2 is an AC power supply or a power supply that outputs a DC+AC voltage. Furthermore, besides the power supply unit V2, since... Figure 1 Since the structure is the same, the description of the circuit structure is omitted.

[0091] Figure 15 This is a diagram showing an example of a burst pulse waveform. The vertical axis represents voltage (mV), and the horizontal axis represents time (ms). In the oscillator circuit 1b, a DC+AC voltage is output from the power supply V2. Waveform g11 is the waveform of the DC+AC voltage from the power supply V2, and waveform g12 represents the waveform of the burst pulse output from the output terminal Vout of the oscillator circuit 1b.

[0092] The power supply unit V2 receives a power supply voltage that applies a random AC voltage in addition to the DC voltage, allowing the waveform of the burst pulse to change in a complex manner by varying the input voltage. Furthermore, the random AC voltage is a voltage that causes variations in the amplitude and frequency of the AC voltage.

[0093] Figure 16 This diagram illustrates an example of an oscillator circuit group comprising multiple oscillator circuits. The oscillator circuit group 1B includes oscillator circuits 1b1, 1b2, ..., 1bn. Each oscillator circuit in 1b1, 1b2, ..., 1bn includes power supply sections V2b-1, V2b-2, ..., V2b-n that output different AC voltages. The tunnel diodes D1, D2, D3 and the inductors L1, L2 share common characteristics across the oscillator circuits 1b1, 1b2, ..., 1bn.

[0094] With such a structure, the oscillator circuit group 1B can generate n burst pulses with different waveforms from the output terminals Vout of the oscillator circuits 1b1, 1b2, ..., 1bn.

[0095] Figure 17 This is a diagram showing an example of a burst pulse waveform. The vertical axis represents voltage (mV), and the horizontal axis represents time (μs). Charts g1, ..., g9 show the waveforms of burst pulses output from the output terminal Vout of each of the oscillation circuits 1b1, ..., 1b9 when a certain regularity is given to the change of AC voltage output from the power supply.

[0096] exist Figure 17 In the example, AC voltages of sine waves with different amplitudes are output from the power supply section V2b-1, ..., V2b-9. For example, the sine wave signal is changed from 500mV to 450mV in increments of 50mV per amplitude (9 AC voltage signals).

[0097] Here, the above describes the structure of multiple AC power supplies with different output amplitudes of AC voltage. However, if only the amplitude of the AC voltage is changed, the power supply section can be composed of one AC power supply and multiple resistors with different resistance values.

[0098] Figure 18This diagram illustrates an example of the structure of a power supply section. It shows an example of a power supply section V0 consisting of an AC power source and multiple resistors. The power supply section V0 includes an AC power source v10 and resistors R1, ..., Rn. The output terminal of the AC power source v10 is connected to one end of each of the resistors R1, ..., Rn, and the other end of each resistor becomes the input terminal of n oscillating circuits. The resistance values ​​of each of the resistors R1, ..., Rn are different.

[0099] In this configuration, an AC power supply v10 that shares a common output AC voltage sinusoidal signal is structured with multiple resistive elements having different resistance values ​​branching out the sinusoidal signal output. This allows AC voltages with varying amplitudes to be applied to n oscillating circuits. By forming such a structure, it is possible to generate sinusoidal waveforms with the same period but different amplitudes as input signals using a circuit structure with a further reduction in the number of components.

[0100] Furthermore, as shown above, the tunnel diode and inductor in the oscillation circuit have the same characteristics, and the burst pulse waveform is diversified based on the change of the output voltage from the power supply. However, the characteristics of the tunnel diode and inductor can also be changed for each oscillation circuit.

[0101] For example, by using different inductance characteristics of the inductor in each oscillation circuit, the fundamental frequency of the burst pulse (the frequency of the intermittent pulse, the frequency of the short pulse) can be varied, enabling a wider variety of burst pulse oscillations.

[0102] Additionally, such oscillating circuits can also improve the performance of memory computing, for example, by using one of the architectures of recurrent neural networks, namely, the memory computing described later.

[0103] [Third Implementation Method]

[0104] Next, the third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is a structure in which a feedback loop is provided in the oscillation circuit.

[0105] Figure 19 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an oscillating circuit with a feedback loop. The oscillating circuit 3 includes an oscillating circuit 1 (first oscillating circuit) and an oscillating circuit 2 (second oscillating circuit), and is a circuit with a feedback loop that uses the output signal of the oscillating circuit 1 as the input of the oscillating circuit 2 and the output signal of the oscillating circuit 2 as the input of the oscillating circuit 1.

[0106] The oscillation circuit 1 includes a tunnel diode D1 (first diode), a tunnel diode D2 (second diode), a tunnel diode D3 (third diode), an inductor L1 (first inductor), an inductor L2 (second inductor), a power supply section V1a (first power supply section), and a rectifier diode d1 (first rectifier diode).

[0107] Furthermore, in the oscillation circuit 1, the tunnel diode D1 and the composite inductor 11 (first composite inductor) are connected in series to form the oscillation section 10 (first oscillation section). The composite inductor 11 is a composite series inductor that includes inductors L1 and L2 and connects the inductors L1 and L2 in series.

[0108] The oscillation circuit 2 includes a tunnel diode D11 (fourth diode), a tunnel diode D12 (fifth diode), a tunnel diode D13 (sixth diode), an inductor L11 (third inductor), an inductor L12 (fourth inductor), a power supply section V1b (second power supply section), and a rectifier diode d2 (second rectifier diode).

[0109] In the oscillation circuit 2, the tunnel diode D11 and the composite inductor 21 (second composite inductor) are connected in series to form the oscillation section 20 (second oscillation section). The composite inductor 21 is a composite series inductor that includes inductors L11 and L12 and connects the inductors L11 and L12 in series.

[0110] Here, in the oscillation circuit 3, conventional rectifier diodes d1 and d2 are provided to prevent reverse current of the power supply voltage component due to the feedback loop. Furthermore, oscillation circuits 1 and 2 within oscillation circuit 3 are floating circuits (ungrounded circuits), forming a structure where interaction is achieved solely through the feedback loop.

[0111] Furthermore, a feedback loop (first feedback loop) is formed connecting the input terminal a1 (first input terminal) of oscillating circuit 1 and the output terminal Vout2 (second output terminal) of oscillating circuit 2. Additionally, a feedback loop (second feedback loop) is formed connecting the input terminal b1 (second input terminal) of oscillating circuit 2 and the output terminal Vout1 (first output terminal) of oscillating circuit 1.

[0112] In the connection relationship of each component, the positive terminal (first output terminal) of the power supply section V1a is connected to the anode of tunnel diode D1 and the cathode of rectifier diode d2. The cathode of tunnel diode D1 is connected to the anode of tunnel diode D3 and one end of inductor L2.

[0113] The other end of inductor L2 is connected to the anode of tunnel diode D2, the anode of rectifier diode d1, output terminal Vout1, and one end of inductor L1. The negative terminal (second output terminal) of power supply section V1a is connected to the other end of inductor L1, the cathode of tunnel diode D2, and the cathode of tunnel diode D3.

[0114] On the other hand, the positive terminal (third output terminal) of the power supply section V1b is connected to the anode of the tunnel diode D11 and the cathode of the rectifier diode d1. The cathode of the tunnel diode D11 is connected to the anode of the tunnel diode D13 and one end of the inductor L12.

[0115] The other end of inductor L12 is connected to the anode of tunnel diode D12, the anode of rectifier diode d2, output terminal Vout2, and one end of inductor L11. The negative terminal (fourth output terminal) of power supply section V1b is connected to the other end of inductor L11, the cathode of tunnel diode D12, and the cathode of tunnel diode D13.

[0116] Figure 20 This is a graph showing an example of a burst pulse waveform. The vertical axis represents voltage (mV), and the horizontal axis represents time (ms). Graph g21 shows the waveform of the burst pulse output from output terminal Vout1, and graph g22 shows the waveform of the burst pulse output from output terminal Vout2.

[0117] In this way, by incorporating feedback loops in the two oscillating circuits 1 and 2, complex and diverse burst pulse waveforms can be generated in oscillating circuit 3. Furthermore, while the above describes a structure where two oscillating circuits are interconnected, more oscillating circuits can also be used. In this case, by making the number of interconnected circuits unbalanced, even more complex and diverse burst pulses can be generated.

[0118] [Fourth Implementation Method]

[0119] Next, the fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment is an information processing device that applies the oscillation circuit 1 to memory calculations. Figure 21 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a memory circuit. The memory circuit 4 includes multiple oscillating circuits 1, which are arranged in a two-dimensional lattice. Furthermore, multiple feedback loops of the oscillating circuits 1 are randomly generated (arrows in the diagram).

[0120] In this way, multiple oscillating circuits 1 interconnected by random feedback loops function as nonlinear nodes within the memory circuit 4. Therefore, compared to using simple nonlinear elements (diodes, inductors, etc.) to form a single node, more complex and high-performance memory computation functions can be achieved.

[0121] Figure 22This diagram illustrates an example of a memory computing device. The memory computing device 40 includes an input circuit 41, a memory circuit 4, a learning data processing circuit 42, and an output circuit 43. Furthermore, a readout weighting unit 43a is disposed within the output circuit 43.

[0122] Data is input from input circuit 41 to memory circuit 4, where it is processed. During memory learning, the weighting values ​​are adjusted in readout weighting unit 43a based on the error between the learning data (teacher data) output from learning data processing circuit 42 and the processed data, and the adjusted data is output from output circuit 43. In this way, by adjusting the weights according to the error between the output of memory circuit 4 and the learning data, high-speed learning can be performed in real time.

[0123] [Fifth Implementation]

[0124] The fifth embodiment is an information processing device that applies the oscillation circuit 1 to a spike neural network system. Figure 23 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a spike neural network system. The spike neural network system 5 includes oscillating circuits 1-1, ..., 1-4, encoding units 51-1, ..., 51-4, and a neural network unit 52 comprising multiple neuronal elements connected in a network.

[0125] Oscillating circuits 1-1, ..., 1-4 oscillate burst pulses. Encoding units 51-1, ..., 51-4 receive the burst pulses and the input signal, mix the burst pulses and the input signal to generate an encoded pulse signal, and output it to the neural network unit 52. Furthermore, in the encoding units 51-1, ..., 51-4, the input signal is modulated based on at least one of the burst pulse intensity, frequency, and interval to generate the encoded pulse signal. In the neural network unit 52, information processing is performed based on the encoded pulse signal.

[0126] As explained above, the oscillation circuit according to the present invention uses a circuit comprising a tunnel diode and an inductor having negative differential resistance within a specified voltage range as the basic unit to oscillate burst pulses. Thus, a circuit with a small number of components and highly integrated, low-power oscillation of neural-like burst pulses can be constructed.

[0127] The above embodiments are exemplified, but the structures of each part shown in the embodiments can be replaced with other structures having the same function. Furthermore, any other arbitrary structures or processes can be added. Moreover, structures can be formed by combining any two or more structures (features) from the above embodiments.

[0128] The above description merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Furthermore, various modifications and alterations can be made by those skilled in the art. The invention is not limited to the correct structures and applications shown and described above; all corresponding modifications and equivalents are considered to be within the scope of the invention based on the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0129] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0130] 1…Oscillating circuit; 10…Oscillating section; 11…Combined inductor; D1, D2, D3…Diodes; L1, L2…Inductors; V1…Power supply section.

Claims

1. An oscillation circuit, comprising: The first oscillation circuit includes a first diode and a first composite inductor, wherein the first diode and the first composite inductor are connected in series. The first diode has a first negative differential resistance, and the first composite inductor connects the first inductor and the second inductor in series. The second diode has a second negative differential resistor and is connected in parallel with the first inductor mentioned above; as well as The third diode has a third negative differential resistor and is connected in series with the first diode and in parallel with the first composite inductor. A burst pulse is output from the common connection point of the first inductor, the second inductor, and the second diode.

2. The oscillation circuit according to claim 1, wherein, It also includes a power supply, which outputs a DC voltage, an AC voltage, or a DC voltage superimposed with an AC voltage. The first output terminal of the power supply is connected to the anode of the first diode, the cathode of the first diode is connected to one end of the second inductor and the anode of the third diode, the other end of the second inductor is connected to one end of the first inductor and the anode of the second diode, and the second output terminal of the power supply is connected to the other end of the first inductor, the cathode of the second diode, and the cathode of the third diode.

3. The oscillation circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The first negative differential resistor is greater than the second negative differential resistor and the third negative differential resistor.

4. The oscillation circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The first inductance of the first inductor and the second inductance of the second inductor can be varied, and the period of the intermittent pulse contained in the burst pulse and the number of short pulses superimposed on the intermittent pulse can be varied.

5. The oscillation circuit according to claim 4, wherein, Regarding the first period of the intermittent pulse and the first number of short pulses contained in the burst pulse output when the first inductor and the second inductor are equal, The first inductor is made smaller than the second inductor, and when the first inductor is smaller than the second inductor, the second period of the intermittent pulses included in the burst pulse output is shorter than the first period, and the number of the second short pulses included in the burst pulse is reduced compared to the number of the first pulses. Make the second inductor smaller than the first inductor, make the third period of the intermittent pulses included in the burst pulse output when the second inductor is smaller than the first inductor shorter than the first period, and make the third number of the short pulses included in the burst pulse increase compared to the first number of pulses.

6. The oscillation circuit according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the second negative differential resistance and nonlinear characteristics of the second diode, the duty cycle of the intermittent pulse contained in the burst pulse is made asymmetrical.

7. The oscillation circuit according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the third negative differential resistance and nonlinear characteristics of the third diode, the intermittent degree of the intermittent pulse contained in the burst pulse can be varied.

8. The oscillation circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The amplitude of the aforementioned burst pulse can be varied depending on the size of the first diode.

9. An information processing device, comprising a storage circuit, The aforementioned memory circuit is configured with multiple oscillation circuits, which are arbitrarily connected to each other. The aforementioned oscillation circuit includes a second diode and a third diode. The oscillation circuit includes a first diode with a first negative differential resistance and a first composite inductor that connects a first inductor and a second inductor in series. The first diode and the first composite inductor are connected in series. The second diode has a second negative differential resistance and is connected in parallel with the first inductor. The third diode has a third negative differential resistance and is connected in series with the first diode and in parallel with the first composite inductor. A burst pulse is output from the common connection point of the first inductor, the second inductor, and the second diode.

10. An information processing device, comprising: The oscillation circuit includes a first diode, a first combined inductor, a second diode, and a third diode, wherein... The first diode and the first composite inductor are connected in series, wherein the first diode has a first negative differential resistance, the first composite inductor connects the first inductor and the second inductor in series, the second diode has a second negative differential resistance and is connected in parallel with the first inductor, and the third diode has a third negative differential resistance and is connected in series with the first diode and in parallel with the first composite inductor. A burst pulse is output from the common connection point of the first inductor, the second inductor and the second diode. The encoding unit generates an encoded pulse signal based on the burst pulse output from the aforementioned oscillation circuit and the input signal; and A neural network, comprising multiple neuronal elements, performs the information processing of the aforementioned encoded pulse signals.

Images