Optical operation element, optical data processing circuit and photoelectric operation element

• US 5,704,015 A
• Filed: 10/20/1993
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Downs, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US08/138,120
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 395/25, 364/807, 364/822, 364/837, 364/841, 364/845, 364/713, 359/107, 359/237, 359/248, 359/245, 359/259, 359/298, 359/315, 359/316, 250/226, 250/208.2
• US Class Current: 706/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/0675 using electro-optical, acousto-optical or opto-electronic means

Abstract

A modulating optical operation element is composed of a light receiving separation element having a pair of light receiving elements, a photoelectric operation element made of an operation element for calculating electric signals outputted from the light receiving separation element and outputting an electric signal in response to a result of this calculation, a transmission type light modulation element made of a transmission type liquid crystal sandwiched between transparent electrodes, and polarizers disposed on both sides of this light modulation element. An optical neuron yet for outputting an information beam consisting of light outputted from each optical neuron element is constituted by arranging a plurality of these elements a two-dimensional pattern. A constituent unit of an optical neural network is made by the combination of this neuron layer with a weighted information beam output means for weighting a modulated information beam outputted from the neuron layer and outputting the modulated information beam. An optical neural network which acts as optical data processing circuit is constituted by connecting a plurality of these constituent units together.

Claims

1. A modulating optical operation element comprising:

a photoelectric operation element having

(a) a light receiving separation element including at least two adjacently arranged optical filter means for simultaneously receiving and separating the input information beam into individual information beams and a plurality of light receiving elements which simultaneously receive said individual information beams and output separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other; and

(b) an operation element which outputs a resulting electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by subjecting said separated electrical information signals to an operation; and

a light modulation element which modulates light by changing a transmissivity or a reflection characteristic thereof with respect to light in response to said resulting electric signal.

2. A modulating optical operation element as defined in claim 1, wherein said light receiving separation element simultaneously receives and separates an input information beam containing positive and negative information and outputs separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other.

3. A constituent unit of an optical data processing circuit comprising:

a plurality of modulating optical operation elements;

each modulating optical operation element having

a photoelectric operation element including

(a) a light receiving separation element including at least two adjacently arranged optical filter means for simultaneously receiving and separating the input information beam into individual information beams and a plurality of light receiving elements which simultaneously receive said individual information beams and output separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other, and

(b) an operation element which outputs a resulting electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by subjecting said separated electrical information signals to an operation, and

a light modulation element which modulates light by changing a transmissivity or a reflection characteristic thereof with respect to light in response to said resulting electric signal;

said plurality of modulating optical operation elements being arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally and generating a modulated information beam consisting of a beam outputted from each modulating optical operation element.

4. A constituent unit of an optical data processing circuit as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

a weighted information beam output means for weighing a modulated information beam outputted from said plurality of modulating optical operation elements which outputs a weighted information beam.

5. A constituent unit of an optical data processing circuit as defined in claim 4, wherein

said weighted information beam output means weighs a modulated information beam outputted from a first group of modulating optical operation elements of said plurality of modulating optical operation element and outputs a weighted information beam;

wherein a second group of modulating optical operation elements of said plurality of modulating optical operation elements receives, as an input, the weighted information beam outputted from said weighted information beam output means and produces an output by modulating said information beam;

said constituent unit further comprising an information beam re-input means for inputting a modulated information beam outputted from said second group of modulating optical operation elements to said first group of modulating optical operation elements again.

6. An optical data processing circuit comprising:

a plurality of constituent units of an optical data processing circuit, each constituent unit having a plurality of modulating optical operation elements;

each modulating optical operation element having

a photoelectric operation element having

(a) a light receiving separation element including at least two adjacently arranged optical filter means for simultaneously receiving and separating the input information beam into individual information beams and a plurality of light receiving elements which simultaneously receive said individual information beam and output separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other, and

(b) an operation element which outputs a resulting electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by subjecting said separated electrical information signals to an operation, and

a light modulation element which modulates light by changing a transmissivity or a reflection characteristic thereof with respect to light in response to said resulting electric signal;

said plurality of modulating optical operation elements being arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally and generating a modulated information beam consisting of a beam outputted from each modulating optical operation element; and

each constituent unit also including a weighted information beam output means for weighing the modulated information beam outputted from said plurality of modulating optical operation elements and outputting a weighted information beam;

said plurality of constituent units being connected to each other in such a manner that an information beam outputted from one constituent unit of said plurality of constituent units enters another constituent unit, one after another.

7. An optical data processing circuit as defined in claim 6, wherein includes a plurality of one or two-dimensionally arranged modulating optical operation elements, including a first and a second group of modulating optical operation elements;

each modulating optical operation element having

a photoelectric operation element having

(a) a light receiving separation element including at least two adjacently arranged optical filter means for simultaneously receiving and separating the input information beam into individual information beams and a plurality of light receiving elements which simultaneously receive said individual information beam and output separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other, and

(b) an operation element which outputs a resulting electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by subjecting said separated electrical information signals to an operation, and

a light modulation element which modulates light by changing a transmissivity or a reflection characteristic thereof with respect to light in response to said resulting electric signal; and

said constituent unit also includes a weighted information beam output means for weighing a modulated information beam outputted from the first group of modulating optical operation elements and outputting a weighted information beam to said second group of modulating optical operation elements, said second group producing an output by modulating said weighted information beam; and

an information beam re-input means for inputting the modulated information beam outputted from said second group of modulating optical operation elements to said first group of modulating optical operation elements again.

8. A photoelectric operation element which converts an input optical signal into an electric signal, and produces an output by computing said electric signal comprising:

a light receiving separation element including at least two adjacently arranged optical filter means for simultaneously receiving and separating the input information beam into individual information beams and a plurality of light receiving elements which simultaneously receive said individual information beams and outputs separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other; and

an operation element which outputs an electric signal in response to an operation result obtained by processing said separated electrical information signals outputted from said light receiving separation element.

9. A photoelectric operation element layer comprising:

a plurality of photoelectric operation elements;

each photoelectric operation element having

(a) a light receiving separation element including a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of adjacently arranged optical filter means for simultaneously receiving an input information beam and separating said input information beam into individual information beams, said light receiving elements receiving said individual information beams and outputting separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other; and

(b) an operation element which outputs an electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by computing said separated electrical information signals outputted from said light receiving separation element;

said plurality of photoelectric operation elements being arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally.

10. A photoelectric operation element which converts an inputted optical signal into an electric signal, and produces an output by computing said electric signal, said photoelectric operation element comprising:

a light receiving separation element including

(a) a pair of light receiving separation elements, arranged adjacently to each other, which simultaneously receive and optically filter an input information beam containing positive and negative information and separate said input information beam into separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other; and

(b) an operation element which outputs an electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by computing said separated electrical information signals.

11. A photoelectric operation element layer comprising:

a plurality of photoelectric operation elements, each photoelectric operation element having

(a) a light receiving separation element including a pair of light receiving separation elements, arranged adjacently to each other, which simultaneously receive and optically filter an input information beam containing positive and negative information and separate said input information beam into separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other; and

(b) an operation element which outputs an electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by computing said separated electrical information signals, which are arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally.

12. A photoelectric operation element layer as defined in claim 11,

wherein said plurality of photoelectric elements are arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally.

13. A photoelectric operation element which converts an input optical signal into an electric signal, and produces an output by computing said electric signal, said photoelectric operation element comprising:

a light receiving separation element, including a pair of adjacently arranged optical filter means for simultaneously receiving an input information beam, containing positive and negative information and separating said input information beam into individual information beams and outputting separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other; and

an operation element which outputs an electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by computing said separated electrical signals outputted from said light receiving separation element;

said photoelectric operation element being capable of receiving an input information beam from two directions.

14. A photoelectric operation element layer comprising:

a plurality of photoelectric operation elements, each having

a light receiving separation element, including a pair of adjacently arranged optical filter means for receiving and simultaneously separating an information beam containing positive and negative information into individual information beams and outputting separated electrical information signals which are independent of each other; and

an operation element which outputs an electric signal corresponding to an operation result obtained by computing said separated electrical signals outputted from said light receiving separation element;

said plurality of photoelectric operation elements being capable of receiving an input information beam from two different directions.