Optical homodyne processor
AssigneeThe United State of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorEugene L. Green
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An analog optical processor which performs complex transform operations or omplex correlations to yield quantitative (numerical) output. This is accomplished on data points which are used as inputs serially or simultaneously. The dynamic range of the input function that may be operated upon is not limited, as heretofore, by the characteristics of a medium on which the input function is recorded or stored. The dynamic range of the output is also not limited by the characteristics of a discrete electro-optical sensor.
Claims10
An optical homodyne processor for performing complex transform operations on input functions which comprises:
- laser means for generating a beam of light to be used as a reference beam and as an argument of the input functions;
- a subcarrier frequency source generating frequencies substantially lower than the frequency of the laser beam;
- acoustic modulator deflector means for obtaining a plurality of arguments of the input functions using said subcarrier frequency source and said beam of light as the output of the acoustic modulator deflector;
- optical transform operator means for operating on the output of said acoustic modulator deflector means so as to accomplish spatial modulation of the output of said acoustic modulator deflector means and to obtain optical readout thereof;
- a matrix of a plurality of light sensors for reading the optical readout of said optical transform operator means combined with the reference beam;
- electronic processor means for multiplying the input functions with the output of said matrix of a plurality of light sensors and integrating the result to obtain an output thereof;
- storage means for storing the output of said electronic processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.