title: Optoelectronic architecture for associative memory applicable to 2-D pattern comparison.
abstract: A simple optoelectronic architecture is defined with capabilities of matching a test image (1-D or 2-D) with stored images. It is shown that if a test image and a complementary stored image together with complementary test image and stored image are compared optically, the emerging light intensity is minimum for the best match (i.e., shortest Hemming distance). This allows the suggested architecture to do efficient parallel comparison and to point out the best matched test image. If the image is presented in a two color scheme (say red-blue) and the memory images are stored in the complimentary color scheme transparency (i.e., blue-red), then a white light source allows comparison and detection of best matched image without the need for a separate set of complimentary images. A time-varying light intensity (or a time-varying thresholding voltage) source and an integrating-threshold device which switches its state when light input falls below a threshold value are two ingredients, which are used to select the best match in parallel. Grey level detection can also be implemented by the scheme. The architecture is also ideally suited to finding the closeness of match of two images.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong