Apparatus for comparing information items to determine similarity therebetween

摘要

940,912. Comparing data. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Jan. 12, 1960 [Jan. 12, 1959], No. 1102/60. Heading G4M. Relates to apparatus for comparing an unknown item of information defined by a plurality of parameters with a library of known items defined by similar parameters which are stored as binary coded representations. In the embodiment described, the spectra of known elements are each defined by one hundred parameters D 0 -D 99 each parameter being the amplitude or intensity of a reference wavelength represented by a four-digit binary coded number. The parameters D 0 -D 99 , are stored in succession for each known element in channels C 1 , C 2 , C 4 , C 8 of a magnetic tape. The apparatus is designed to calculate the correspondence factor where W 0 -W 99 are the corresponding parameters of an unknown element to be identified and K is a constant, and to this end, the observed values of W 0 -W 99 are set into respective potentiometer weighting units W 0 -W 99 , the factor #(D 0 2 + D 1 2 +... +D 99 2) is stored as an 8-digit binary coded number in channel C 6 of the magnetic tape, and the factor #(W 0 2 + W 1 2 +... + W 99 2) is calculated and set into potentiometer weighting unit 44. The digital representations of parameters D 0 -D 99 of each known element are supplied through the respective gates G 0 -G 99 converted to analogue form by respective units R 0 -R 99 , and applied to the respective weighting unit W 0 -W 99 . When the one hundred parameters have been read out from the tape, the sum voltage VDWS applied to terminal 39 of difference amplifier 40 represents the numerator of the correspondence factor. The denominator is similarly calculated by means of gates A10-A17, digital to analogue conversion stages R77 and potentiometer 44. Assuming potentiometer 66 to be set so that the full voltage derived from the tapping of potentiometer 44 is applied to amplifier 40, level-sensing unit 53 will only be triggered when there is 100% correspondence between the spectra of the unknown element and of a known element with which it is compared. During each comparison operation, a number identifying the known element being compared is read into store 61 from channel C 6 , and if unit 53 is triggered, this number is fed through gate 64 to operate a printing machine 60. If potentiometer 66 is adjusted so that the voltage VWC supplied to amplifier 40 is reduced, a printout is obtained of those elements whose spectra exhibit, for example, more than 80% correspondence to the unknown spectrum.