Efficient fuzzy logic architectures suitable for silicon compilation

The increasing complexity of fuzzy logic systems and their application to an ever widening set of problems leads to a requirement for automatic system generation methods. Fuzzy logic has proved to be a good alternative to traditional methods, with uses found in control, pattern matching and expert reasoning systems. Its use in embedded system controllers, in particular, brings about a need for efficient hardware solutions. This arises at a time when Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are proving to be an increasingly attractive implementation route, in terms of cost, speed and reliability. Compilation methods which map a high level fuzzy logic description directly down to silicon are being developed. Efficient fuzzy logic architectures are therefore sought for the outcome of this mapping. This paper discusses the hardware requirements for fuzzy logic and develops a range of flexible implementation schemes which are suitable for silicon compilation.