| 摘要 |
<p>The invention relates generally to an optical element (OE) which can operate as an optical analog to digital converter (OADC), converting optical analog information to optical digital information, and/or which can operate as an optical digital to analog converter (ODAC), converting optical digital information into optical analog information. The OE can be usefully employed in a variety of applications to transform analog information present in a light wave front into digital light signals and/or to transform digital information into analog information in the form of the physical parameters of a light wave front. The OE has a wide variety of uses in applications which require analog to digital and/or digital to analog conversion of optical information, for example, in the development of a new generation of optical logic gates for use in optical digital signal processing and computing systems, in the development of a new generation of range finders which are smaller, lighter and less expensive to manufacture than presently existing range finders, and in the development of a new generation of holographic display units. The OE has been tested in a Range Finder device which translates optical information corresponding to the distance to an object into digital information which can be further processed by a computer. The simplicity of the Range Finder of the present invention enables the production of low cost, high quality Range Finders for a wide variety of uses. Additionally, the Range Finders may be constructed which are smaller than conventional range finders. Range Finders of the invention can be constructed to measure in terms of microdistances for quality control and manufacturing purposes, to measure in terms of meters and millimeters for construction and surveying, and to measure in terms of kilometers for large scale surveying and mapping applications.</p> |
