Approximate Pattern Matching in Nanotechnology

Approximate pattern matching is comparing an unknown pattern with a database of stored patterns with a specified error tolerance. This ability to compensate for real world sensor errors makes approximate pattern matching an ideal choice for a wide range of applications including fingerprint, picture and bar-code identification, industrial automation, robotics and bioinformatics. This paper shows that a target pattern may be matched with a library of patterns within any specified error tolerance with a single deterministic threshold function. This function for n bit patterns can be implemented in nanotechnology using 2n + 1 unit area RTDs and one RTD of 1.5 times unit area and is configurable for any error tolerance and any given target pattern. keywords: approximate pattern matching, threshold circuits, RTD, nanotechnology, reconfiguration