Modified Hopfield Neural Networks for Retrieving the Optimal Solution

Due to the rugged energy function of the original Hopfield networks, the output is usually one local minimum in the energy function. This paper presents an analysis on the locations of local minima in Hopfield networks and describes a modified network architecture to eliminate such local minima. In particular, another amplifier is introduced at the processor nodes to give correction terms. This modified Hopfield network has been successfully applied to the construction of analog-to-digital converters with optimal solutions. Experimental results on the voltage transfer characteristics of data converters are presented.