Optical computing device and optical computing method
AssigneeFujikura Ltd.
InventorsHiroyuki Kusaka, Masahiro Kashiwagi, Yuichiro Kunai
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Abstract
An optical computing device includes: a light diffraction element group including light diffraction elements having an optical computing function, wherein the light diffraction element group passes light through the light diffraction elements in turn, the light passing through the light diffraction elements was either: reflected or scattered from a non-illuminant object located outside the optical computing device, or emitted from an illuminant object located outside the optical computing device, and neither the non-illuminant object nor the illuminant object is a display.
Claims4
An optical computing device comprising:
- a light diffraction element group including light diffraction elements having an optical computing function;
- and
- a filter that:
- is a block including a material having a refractive index greater than that of air,
- is not a light diffraction element that includes microcells each having an independently set thickness and refractive index,
- is disposed between the light diffraction element group and a non-illuminant object or an illuminant object such that a surface of the block on a side opposite to a side facing the light diffraction elements is orthogonal to an optical axis of a first light diffraction element closest to the filter among the light diffraction elements, and
- selectively transmits light traveling in a direction that forms an angle of less than or equal to a specific angle, which is a critical angle at the surface of the block, with the optical axis, wherein the selectively transmitted light is either:
- reflected or scattered from parts of the non-illuminant object and travelling in different directions, wherein the non-illuminant object is located outside the optical computing device and is not a display, or
- emitted from parts of the illuminant object and travelling in different directions, wherein the illuminant object is located outside the optical computing device and is not a display, wherein
- the light diffraction element group passes the selectively transmitted light through the light diffraction elements in turn.
An optical computing method for carrying out optical computing with an optical computing device comprising a light diffraction element group including light diffraction elements and a filter that is a block including a material having a refractive index greater than that of air, is not a light diffraction element that includes microcells each having an independently set thickness and refractive index, and is disposed between the light diffraction element group and a non-illuminant object or an illuminant object such that a surface of the block on a side opposite to a side facing the light diffraction elements is orthogonal to an optical axis of a first light diffraction element closest to the filter among the light diffraction elements, comprising:
- with the filter, selectively transmitting light traveling in a direction that forms an angle of less than or equal to a specific angle, which is a critical angle at the surface of the block, with the optical axis, wherein the selectively transmitted light is either:
- reflected or scattered from parts of the non-illuminant object and travelling in different directions, wherein the non-illuminant object is located outside the optical computing device and is not a display, or
- emitted from parts of the illuminant object and travelling in different directions, wherein the illuminant object is located outside the optical computing device and is not a display;
- and
- passing the selectively transmitted light through the light diffraction elements in turn.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.