Optical apparatus for determining correlation or convolution functions

摘要

1,029,929. Optical apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. March 31, 1965 [April 13, 1964], No. 13611/65. Heading G2J. [Also in Division G4]. In values of correlation or convolution functions of two patterns for relative displacements along a given line are found by projecting one pattern 12 on to the other 14 as a continum of images displaced along the given line, each image being of a different light frequency, the light passing through the second pattern being collected at a point to represent the sum of the values of the desired functions. Light source 10 and lens 11 produce collimated light which passes through the transparency pattern 12 and the resulting image is broken up into a series of images by a spectroscope 13 comprising lenses 13A, 13B and prism 13C. The continum of images falls on transparency pattern 14 and the light transmitted is gathered by a coverging light guide 15E into a point 15C. This is spread into a line 15D by part 15B, and the image of this line at each frequency is projected by spectroscope 17 onto screen 18 as a series of lines of varying intensity. Each line image represents the value of the correlation function for the corresponding displacement. If the pattern 14 is rotated through 180 degrees the values represent the convolution function instead of the correlation function. Values for displacements along a plurality of lines can be obtained by moving pattern 12 and screen 18 in the y direction and providing a time integrating device, e.g. a phosphor coating, at screen 18. In the form of Fig. 2 (not shown) the values of the autoconvolution function are found by causing the image of pattern 212 to be passed through prism 227 and reflected back as a continum of images onto the pattern 212. Light passing through is reflected by a half-mirror 225 into collector 215 as before. The autocorrelation values may be derived by a similar system (Fig. 3, not shown) in which the image is caused to be inverted by a pair of lenses so that the inversion produced by the spectroscope is cancelled.