An Optical-Digital Computer for Parallel Processing of Images

An optical-digital computer (ODC) that enables parallel processing of images is discussed. A number of optical and analog electronic preprocessing operations are described. These include the use of the texture variance to separate objects in an image on the basis of texture, application of autocorrelation techniques to find hidden periodicities in images, masking on the basis of color, Fourier analysis, and planimetric analysis of color scenes. A particular design of an ODC is discussed. The computer consists of an optical system, an image analyzer, a bandwidth compressor and digitizer, and a digital computer. A number of applications are furnished. Emphasis is given to processing aerial and radiographic imagery.