Optical read-only memory

Claim 2

Apparatus for reading information from an optical information plane in bit form, said plane being divisible into information bearing blocks arranged in a first pattern, each of said blocks containing areas arranged in a second pattern, each of said areas bearing optical information, said apparatus comprising: a. a first array of individually controlled light sources arranged in said first pattern, each of said light sources being arranged to illuminate only a correspondingly positioned group of said blocks, wherein a group comprises less than the total number of blocks; b. a second array of detector elements arranged in said second pattern; and c. a lens system for receiving light from any illuminated information bearing block and for imaging said light on said array of detector elements so that the light from each of said areas in said illuminated block falls on the correspondingly positioned detector element.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: a. a third array of individually controlled light sources arranged in said second pattern, each of said light sources being arranged to illuminate correspondingly positioned ones of said areas in each of said blOcks; and b. a fourth array of photosensitive elements arranged in said first pattern and positioned to be illuminated by light from said third array of light sources in said second pattern, such that, if any of said blocks is illuminated, the corresponding element of said fourth array of said photosensitive elements in said first pattern is illuminated.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising: a. a plurality of electrical signal sources for producing corresponding signals each having a different characteristic parameter; b. means responsive to said plurality of electrical signals for modulating the light output of said individually controlled light sources in said third array; and c. means for scanning the outputs of said photosensitive elements in said fourth array to determine the said characteristic parameter of the signal received by each of said photosensitive elements.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said characteristic parameter is frequency.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein: a. each of said blocks of said plane contains a number of specimens of said second pattern of information bearing areas, said specimens being arranged in a third pattern, and further comprising; b. an array of optical gates arranged in said third pattern, adapted to be controlled by a corresponding number of electrical control signals and arranged so that each gate can receive light from the corresponding one of said specimens; c. means for generating a plurality of electrical signals of a corresponding plurality of frequencies and for applying said plurality of electrical signals to said array of optical gates as said electrical control signals; d. said lens system being adapted to apply the output of said array of optical gates to said second array of photosensitive elements to produce electrical output signals from said photosensitive elements; and e. filter means for producing an output indication of the frequencies present in said electrical output signals.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said individually controlled light sources and said detector elements comprise diodes which are light emitters when forward biased and are light detectors when back biased.

Claim 8

An optical associative memory for reading information from an optical information plane in bit form, said plane being dividable into information bearing blocks arranged in a first pattern, each of said blocks containing areas arranged in a second pattern, each of said areas bearing optical information indicated by its opaque or nonopaque condition, said apparatus comprising: a. an array of individually controlled light sources arranged in said second pattern, each of said light sources being arranged to illuminate all of the correspondingly positioned ones of said areas; b. an array of photosensitive elements arranged in said first pattern; and c. a lens system for receiving light from any illuminated information bearing area and for focusing said light on said array of photosensitive elements so that the light from each of said blocks having said area illuminated falls on the correspondingly positioned photosensitive element.

Claim 9

An optical associative memory for reading information from an optical information plane in bit form, said plane being dividable into information bearing blocks arranged in a first pattern, each of said blocks containing areas arranged in a second pattern, each of said areas bearing optical information indicated by its opaque or nonopaque condition, said apparatus comprising: a. an array of individually controlled light sources arranged in said second pattern, each of said light sources being arranged to illuminate all of the correspondingly positioned ones of said areas; b. an array of photosensitive elements arranged in said first pattern; and c. a lens system for receiving light from any illuminated information bearing area and for focusing said light on said array of photosensitive elements so that the light from each of said blocks having said area illuminated falls on the correspondingly positioned photosensitive element.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the diodes in said second array are forward biased to emit light which illuminated correspondingly positioned ones of said areas in each of said blocks, and the diodes in said first array are back biased to act as light detectors which are arranged in said first pattern and positioned to be illuminated by light from said second array, such that if any of said blocks is illuminated the corresponding diode in said first array is illuminated.