USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Michael A Monahan

Keith Bromley

Richard P Bocker

Larry B Stotts

William H McKnight

Paul S Catano

A visual display has an increased readout capability due to its operation the transflective mode. A source of ambient light and light for radiation through the display from the backside together assure the increased readout capability. Heretofore, ambient light would degrade or washout a display making it nearly impossible for monitoring personnel to decipher alphanumeric or pictoral displays due to the decreased contrast. A pair of linear polarizers sandwich a twisted nematic liquid crystal and have their polarization axes either parallel or mutually orthogonally disposed so that the crystal will present bright or dark areas in response to applied potentials. Because a partially transmitting mirror is interposed between the sandwiched liquid crystal and the radiating light source, the ambient light augments the radiated light to enhance the visual display.

Transmissive and reflective liquid crystal display

Light energy data is generated in sequential interlaced field raster format y a sensor driven in azimuth to detect a panoramic scene. The light energy data is sequentially recorded together with an azimuth rate signal which is a function of the rate that the sensor is driven in azimuth. Because the sensor has been driven in azimuth, however, there is a delay in the sequential detection between first and second interlaced fields of any selected frame of the panoramic scene; consequently, when it is desired to retrieve and playback a 'stop-action' image comprised of a selected frame, compensation must be made for the delay. The recorded azimuth rate signal is used to develop a commensurate delay between the two sequential first and second interlaced fields of light energy data comprising the selected frame of light energy data which is desired to playback in 'stop-action' form. The delay period thus developed is applied to correct the delay between the first and second interlaced fields so that visual display means, such as cathode ray tube monitor, may display the 'stop-action' playback of the selected frame in a corrected form, eliminating the 'jitter' that otherwise would be visually present between first and second interlaced fields due to the sequential field rate of the raster format in which the light energy data is recorded relative to the azimuthal rate at which the sensor was driven.

Image stabilizer system for stop-action playback

An electro-optical system for performing matrix-vector multiplication includes a mask having a plurality of elements of substantially equal resolution area disposed in a matrix of M rows and N columns, each element containing recorded discrete information as defined by its degree of opacity which is representative of a predetermined mathematical value in a known matrix. A light source is positioned to illuminate the mask and has its intensity modulated as a function of the sequential values in a N X 1, vector. A multiple photo-responsive array including M elements disposed in a column is positioned to receive the light energy transmitted by the illuminated mask and generates signals at each element commensurate with the instantaneous photo energy received at its position. A suitable means which is synchronously operative with the modulation of the intensity of the light source, sequentially develops cumulative signals corresponding to the signal information contained in each column of the mask, producing a matrix-vector multiplication result.

Electro-optical system for performing matrix-vector multiplication

A multi-channel optical correlation system employs a light source to illuminate a mask having a plurality of linearly disposed channels, each of which has recorded information defined by variations in opacity along its linear length. The light source is modulated as a function of an unknown input signal. A multiple element charge coupled device having its elements arrayed in linearly disposed groups along axes parallel to the linearly disposed channels of the illuminated mask is positioned to receive the light energy transmitted by the illuminated mask for developing a charge within each such element commensurate with the photo energy received at its discrete position. A source of clock signals is periodically applied to the charge coupled device for cumulatively shifting the charges developed by each of the linearly disposed groups of discrete elements and a suitable means responsive to the resultant cumulative charge outputs of such groups indicates the group having maximum amplitude of cumulative charge thereby identifying the unknown input signal with the recorded information contained on the particular channel associated with that group.

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Poway, CA, United States of America

Michael A Monahan