Optical data processing system providing free space interconnections

Abstract

An optical ring data distribution interconnect network system has a control unit that provides process data to a plurality of processing elements positioned about a reference circle to form a ring array and a coupled to the control unit for optically processing the processed data. A plurality of interconnects connect the processing elements to one another. According to none embodiment of the present invention, each interconnect includes input means coupled to the control unit to provide an input plurality of non-overlapping pixels. Each pixel is positioned one rotation unit from adjacent pixels. Each pixel is positioned one rotation unit for adjacent pixels along a reference circle forming a ring. A first prism means is coupled to the input means and has a first reflection base plane to generate a reflected optical data array. A second prism means is optically aligned with the first prism means is cascade and has a second reflection base plane having an axis inclined at an angle with respect to the axis of the first reflection base plane to generate an output optical data array. The position of each pixel of the output optical data array is shifted with respect to the position of a corresponding pixel of the input optical data array by one or more rotation units depending on the angle of inclination.