Multi-channel optical correlator system

Claim 1

A multi-channel optical correlation system comprising: a mask having a plurality of linearly disposed channels, each said channel having known recorded information defined by variations in opacity along its linear length; a light source positioned to illuminate said mask; means for modulating the intensity of said light source as a function of an input signal; optical means for transmitting image forming light energy of the illuminated mask to a selected image plane; means positioned to intercept the image-forming light energy transmitted by said optical means for sweeping said image forming light energy along the axes of said linearly disposed channels; and means for integrating the intensity of the swept image light energy along the linear length of each channel over the time period of the input signal for producing the correlation integral f(t)g(t - x)dt, where f(t) is the modulation of the light source resultant from the input signal, and g(x) is the light intensity transmittance along a channel; whereby a stationary peak intensity of illumination within any of the channels of the resultant integrated image of said mask at said image plane indicates correlation of said input signal with the recorded information of that channel.

Claim 11

A method of classifying an unknown input signal by optical correlation comprising the steps of: recording known signal information represented by variations in opacity along the linear length of a plurality of channels; modulating the illumination of the recorded known signal information as a function of the unknown input signal; forming an image of the illuminated recorded known signal information; sweeping the image-forming light energy of the illuminated recorded known signal information along the axes of the linear length of the channels; and integrating the light intensity of the swept light energy at the image plane over the time period of the unknown input signal for producing the correlation integral f(t)g(t - x)dt where f(t) is the modulation of the light source resultant from the input signal, and g(x) is the liGht intensity transmittance along a channel, thereby generating a stationary peak intensity of light in any channel wherein the unknown input signal correlates with the recorded known signal information of that channel.

Claim 12

A method of classifying an unknown input signal by optical correlation comprising the steps of: recording known signal information represented by variations in opacity along the linear length of a plurality of channels; modulating the illumination of the recorded known signal information as a function of the unknown input signal; forming an image of the illuminated recorded known signal information; sweeping the image-forming light energy of the illuminated recorded known signal information along the axes of the linear length of the channels; and integrating the light intensity of the swept light energy at the image plane over the time period of the unknown input signal for producing the correlation integral f(t)g(t - x)dt where f(t) is the modulation of the light source resultant from the input signal, and g(x) is the liGht intensity transmittance along a channel, thereby generating a stationary peak intensity of light in any channel wherein the unknown input signal correlates with the recorded known signal information of that channel.