Implementation of artificial neural network using counter for weight storage

A proposal is brought forward to implement an artificial neural network (ANN) by using digital counters for weight storage. Digital counters are utilized to store the weights, while synapse and neuron are constructed with analog circuits. Through a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit, the digital weight is converted into a pulse signal as the input of the analog synapse circuit. In this way, the weight can be long-term stored and easily modified, meanwhile the synapse and neuron have small size in silicon area. By combining the advantages of both analog and digital realization of the ANN, this method is a meaningful way for implementation of an ANN and fuzzy processors including on-chip learning.