Optical random access memory having folded image
First Claim
1. An optical data system comprising:
- an optical data means for storing data as light altering characteristics and being organized into a plurality (P) of juxtaposed data regions each having capacity to store (B) bits of data;
controllable light source means for selectively illuminating at least one of said juxtaposed data regions of said optical data means;
data imaging lens means arranged in such proximity to and in optical registration with said juxtaposed data regions so that the image resolving power of said data imaging lens means is substantially uniform over the field of view of each said data region;
sensor means having a plurality (S) of juxtaposed light sensors arranged at a common image surface for sensing data as a light image corresponding to one of said selectively illuminated data region;
reflective optical surface means disposed in an optical path between said data imaging lens means and said common image surface for reflectively redirecting said light image onto said sensor means at said common image surface; and
data signal output means coupled to said sensor means for outputting data signals representing said data of an illuminated and imaged data region.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A compact optical memory in which data is stored in an optical data layer capable of selectively altering light such as by changeable transmissivity, reflectivity, polarization, and/or phase. The data is illuminated by controllable light sources and an array of multi-surface diffractive imaging lenslets cause a data image to be projected onto an array of light sensors by reflecting, hence folding the image rays, by means of a mirror that both reflects and optically modifies the light rays to redirect them onto the sensor array located substantially coplanar with the data layer. Data is organized into an annular array of patches (called pages). By selective illumination of each data page, one of the lenslets images the selected data page onto a central image plane where the sensor array is located. Light in the data image pattern strikes different ones of the arrayed light sensors, thereby outputting a pattern of binary bits in the form of electrical data signals. By selectively and sequentially illuminating different ones of the data regions (pages) on the data layer, correspondingly different data patterns are imaged by the corresponding lenslets onto the common sensor array, thereby enabling many stored data images to be retrieved by multiplexing at electro-optical speed.
43 Citations
10 Claims
-
1. An optical data system comprising:
-
an optical data means for storing data as light altering characteristics and being organized into a plurality (P) of juxtaposed data regions each having capacity to store (B) bits of data; controllable light source means for selectively illuminating at least one of said juxtaposed data regions of said optical data means; data imaging lens means arranged in such proximity to and in optical registration with said juxtaposed data regions so that the image resolving power of said data imaging lens means is substantially uniform over the field of view of each said data region; sensor means having a plurality (S) of juxtaposed light sensors arranged at a common image surface for sensing data as a light image corresponding to one of said selectively illuminated data region; reflective optical surface means disposed in an optical path between said data imaging lens means and said common image surface for reflectively redirecting said light image onto said sensor means at said common image surface; and data signal output means coupled to said sensor means for outputting data signals representing said data of an illuminated and imaged data region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. An optical data system comprising:
-
a substantially planar optical data means for storing data as light altering characteristics and being organized into a plurality (P) of juxtaposed data regions each having capacity to store (B) bits of data and arrayed in a planar annular pattern having a light transmissive window at the center of said annular pattern; controllable light source means disposed proximate a first side of said planar optical data means for selectively illuminating at least one of said juxtaposed data regions of said optical data means; data imaging lens means arranged in such proximity to and in optical registration with said juxtaposed data regions so that the image resolving power thereof is substantially uniform over the field of view of that data region to form an image thereof on a common image surface; a reflective optical surface disposed generally parallel to said planar optical data means spaced from the second side thereof for reflecting a data image of each of said data regions back and inwardly toward said center of said annular pattern; sensor means having a plurality (S) of juxtaposed light sensors arranged proximate said planar optical data means in registration with said transmissive window to provide said common image surface for sensing data as a light image corresponding to an illuminated data region; and data signal output means coupled to said sensor means for outputting data signals representing said data of an illuminated and imaged data region.
-
Specification