Optical spatial logic arrangement

摘要

An arrangement for processing information in the form of radiant energy includes apparatus (105, 107) for receiving an array of information carrying radiant energy beams and a set of beam array generators (110-1 - 110-n) produce a plurality of information carrying radiant energy beam arrays corresponding to the received array. A pattern detector (e.g. 120-1, 125-1, 128-1) associated with each array generator detects occurrences of a prescribed radiant energy beam pattern in the generated array and an array modifier (e.g. 130-1) is operative to modify the radiant energy beams in the generated array responsive to detected occurrences of said prescribed pattern. The modified arrays are combined in an beam array combiner (e.g. 135-1, 140-1, and 160). Each of the prescribed pattern detectors (e.g. 120-1, 125-1, 128-1) comprises apparatus (510) that generates a plurality of copies of the generated radiant energy beam array applied thereto, apparatus (531) responsive to the prescribed pattern for the generated array which displaces at least one of the plurality of copies of the generated radiant energy beam array relative to other copies of said radiant energy beam array, apparatus (535) that superimposes the relatively displaced copies of the generated radiant energy beam array and apparatus (e.g. 125-1, 128-1) responsive to said superimposed relatively displaced copies of the generated radiant energy beam array which forms a radiant energy beam array identifying the occurrences of said prescribed pattern in said generated radiant energy beam array. The modifications may comprise arithmetic processing, pattern or video image processing or Turing machine type processing.