Patent · US Expired

Programmable methods of performing complex optical computations using data processing system

US4764891A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
13References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 12, 1987
Grant dateAug 16, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 12, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06E3/005
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods of performing complex optical computations, preferably using a programmable optical data processor having a plurality of spatial light modulators to impress data onto a data beam. Data can be applied to a subset of the modulators so as to impress a corresponding data image onto the beam; with uniform data applied to the remaining ones of the modulators so as to impress corresponding uniform data images onto the beam such that the computation performed is dependent on the data applied to the subset of the modulators. Any one of a number of performable optical computations can be programmably performed by providing data to selected subsets of the plurality of spatial modulators.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.