Optical pattern recognition for missile guidance

Research on optical pattern recognition (OPR) for missile guidance has addressed three general areas: new OPR techniques, OPR experiments on specific missile guidance problems and scenarios, and component evaluation and testing. In the area of component evaluation and testing, research has been concentrated on 2-D spatial light modulators (SLM) with specific attention to the photo-DKDP, prom, and the liquid crystal light valve and to a general test and evaluation procedure for these devices. A general SLM test and evaluation procedure has been developed. In the area of new OPR techniques, a coherence measure correlator, an equalization correlator, moment invariant hybrid correlator and an averaged filter correlator have been developed. Specific missile guidance scenarios persued were OPR of multi-sensor and infrared imagery. The former has laid initial ground work for a future program in optical statistical and deterministic pattern recognition. The latter has initiated a generalized approach to OPR using hyperspace formulations and linear combinations of orthonormal basis functions.