Diffraction-pattern sampling for automatic pattern recognition

This paper describes diffraction-pattern sampling as a basis for automatic pattern recognition in photographic imagery; it covers: diffraction-pattern generation, diffraction-pattern/image-area relationships, diffraction-pattern sampling, algorithm development (using an interactive computer-graphic based facility), facility description, and experimental results which have been obtained over the last few years at General Motors' AC Electronics-Defense Research Laboratories, Santa Barbara, Calif. Sampling the diffraction pattern results in a sample signature--a different one for each sampling geometry. The kinds of information obtainable from sample signatures are described, and considerations for developing algorithms based on such information are discussed. A tutorial section is included for the purpose of giving the reader an intuitive feeling for the kinds of information contained in a diffraction pattern and how it relates to the original photographic imagery.