An all-optical processor for 3D object recognition based on integral photography is presented. The optical processor consists of two subsystems: one is a projection system of a 3D object into an array of elemental images that have different perspectives of the 3D object and the other is an optical system to perform the 2D correlation between the corresponding sets of elemental images. A 3D object is illuminated by incoherent light and then is projected into an array of elemental images by use of a microlens array. Each elemental image corresponds to a different perspective of the 3D object. The set of elemental images contain information of the 3D object as shown in integral photography method. After an optical incoherent-to-coherent conversion by an optically addressed spatial light modulator, an optical system is used to perform the correlation between the input and the reference 3D objects. We present experimental and numerical results of the recognition of 3D objects. We also show that the system can recognize a slightly rotated 3D object.

Date Published: 4 October 2001
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 4564, Optomechatronic Systems II, (4 October 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.444076

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4564:
Optomechatronic Systems II
Hyungsuck Cho, Editor(s)