Holographic code division multiple access

Claim 1

An encoder for encoding a plurality of incoming temporal information-bearing light signals to produce a plurality of spatially modulated light signals, the encoder comprising: light source means for generating a plurality of temporally modulated information-bearing light signals, a plurality of fibers, each of said fibers for guiding an associated one of said temporally modulated information-bearing light signals from said light source means, a plurality of input collimating lenses, each optically coupled to a respective one of said fibers, for spatially spreading the associated incoming temporally modulated light signal to produce an associated spread light signal, and a plurality of encoding masks, each of said masks optically coupled to a respective one of said input collimating lenses, for modulating said associated spread light signal to produce a spatially modulated light signal, each of said masks including first regions having a first transmission characteristic and second regions having a second transmission characteristic, said first and second regions arranged according to a preselected pattern from a set of two-dimensional code patterns having at least pseudo-random arrays and wherein said patterns correspond to sequences with predetermined correlation properties.

Claim 3

A method for encoding a plurality of incoming temporal information-bearing light signals to produce a plurality of spatially modulated light signals, the method comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of temporally modulated information-bearing light signals and transmitting the temporally modulated information-bearing light signals on individual optical fibers, spatially spreading the temporally modulated incoming light signals received from each of the optical fibers with individual input collimating lenses to produce spread light signals, and modulating each said spread light signal with an encoding mask uniquely associated with each said spread light signal to produce the spatially modulated light signals, each said mask including first regions having a first transmission characteristic and second regions having a second transmission characteristic, said first and second regions arranged according to a preselected pattern from a set of two-dimensional patterns having at least pseudo-random arrays and wherein said patterns correspond to sequences with predetermined correlation properties.

Claim 4

A method for encoding a plurality of incoming temporal information-bearing light signals to produce a plurality of spatially modulated light signals, the method comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of temporally modulated information-bearing light signals and transmitting the temporally modulated information-bearing light signals on individual optical fibers, spatially spreading the temporally modulated incoming light signals received from each of the optical fibers with individual input collimating lenses to produce spread light signals, and modulating each said spread light signal with an encoding mask uniquely associated with each said spread light signal to produce the spatially modulated light signals, each said mask including first regions having a first transmission characteristic and second regions having a second transmission characteristic, said first and second regions arranged according to a preselected pattern from a set of two-dimensional patterns having at least pseudo-random arrays and wherein said patterns correspond to sequences with predetermined correlation properties.