Optical processor for recognition of three-dimensional targets viewed from any direction

A procedure is presented for generating a small bank of optical correlation filters that can recognize a large number of perspective views of an object. The method applies to general kinds of image distortions in addition to those generated by different perspective views. The holographic filters are also invariant to image intensity and position (translation invariance). The method of design is to decompose the entire set of object variations into a set of eigenimages. These eigenimages contain complete information about the target set. An iterative procedure combines the eigenimages with different relative phases, so that complete target information can be extracted in an optical implementation. An example illustrates that a set of only 20 holographic filters recognizes a three-dimensional target over a continuous range of viewing angles.