Circularly scanned electronically addressed optical correlator
AssigneeGrumman Aerospace Corporation
InventorsRobert W. Brandstetter, Nils J. Fonneland
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Abstract
A system for identifying and determining the orientation and location of multiple objects includes a camera and a mechanism for permitting the camera to scan a scene containing the objects. Objects in the moving scene are identified by optical filtering. Filters representing each of the objects to be identified are stored in a digital image memory, from which they are retrieved as needed, Fourier transformed, and loaded into a spatial light modulator to form a matched filter for an input image modulated and transformed laser beam.
Claims21
A system for determining the location and orientation of a plurality of objects in a moving image frame, comprising:
- image frame capture means for electronically capturing an image frame containing scene information;
- image frame moving means for causing said image frame to move in respect to a target coordinate system;
- storage means for storing reference image information about said plurality of objects, a separate reference image being stored for each object;
- optical filter means for comparing said reference image information with said scene information by modulating a beam of light carrying said scene information with said reference image information to obtain a correlation image;
- correlation means for detecting a selected one of said object in said correlation image;
- and
- transformation resolver means for determining a position and orientation of said selected object in respect to said target coordinate system.
A system for interrogating an optical matched filter with moving scene images, comprising a video camera, means for moving an image plane of said camera, image supply means for supplying scene imagery from said camera to a first spatial light modulator means including a first spatial light modulator for transferring said scene imagery to a coherent light beam, and filter interrogation means for causing said scene imagery modulated light beam to interrogate said optical matched filter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.