OPTICAL PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 3,726,997 A
• Filed: 02/26/1969
• Issued: 04/10/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Buckley C. Pierstorff, Donald V. Gnau
• Original Assignee: Buckley C. Pierstorff, Donald V. Gnau
• Inventors: Gnau, Donald V., Pierstorff, Buckley C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borchelt, Benjamin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buczinski, S. G.
• Application Number:
  US04/802,547
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 340/146.3 235/181 356/156,162,168 350/162SF 178/6.8
• US Class Current: 382/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/88 Image or video recognition using optical means, e.g. reference filters, holographic masks, frequency domain filters or spatial domain filters

Abstract

An optical processing system for detecting the presence of certain shapes in a scene, having a bipolar aperture mask, a lens, a television camera located beyond the focal plane of the lens, a stripped mask adjacent the camera; the aperture mask has portions, corresponding to the shape to be detected, of dissimilar optical properties, and adjacent strips of the stripped mask have respective optical properties corresponding to that of each of the respective portions of the aperture mask.

Claims

1. An optical processing system, comprising;

a. a scene containing various shapes, one class of which is to be detected, b. lens means for imaging said scene, including a bipolar aperture mask having portions of dissimilar optical properties, each generally corresponding in shape to the shape of said class to be detected, c. detection means located in a position spaced from the focal plane of said lens means for developing an output signal in response to the optical output of said lens means, d. a stripped mask, each of the adjacent strips of which have respective optical properties corresponding to that of each of the respective portions of said bipolar aperture mask, e. delay means responsive to the output signal from said detection means for developing a delayed output signal, f. subtraction means responsive to the output signal from said detection means and the delayed output signal from said delay means for developing a difference signal, and g. detector means responsive to said difference signal for developing an output signal indicative of the class of shapes to be detected.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein;

h. said optical properties are color transmissivities.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein;

h. said optical properties are polarization planes.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein;

h. said detection means comprises a television camera, and i. said stripped mask is located adjacent the face of said television camera.