Dynamically reconfigurable optical morphological processor and its applications

An innovative optically implemented morphological processor is introduced. With the use of a large space-bandwidth-product Dammann grating and a high-speed shutter spatial light modulator, effective structuring element with large size and arbitrary shape can be constructed with dynamic reconfigurability. This reconfigurability is a major improvement over the conventional correlator-based morphological processor in which fixed holographic filters are used as structuring elements (Casasent and Botha, 1988). A novel two-dimensional thresholding photodetector array, capable of performing parallel thresholding and feedback, is utilized in this system and makes possible the implementation of many complex morphological operations requiring iterative feedbacks and full programmability. The optical architecture and the principle of operation are presented. Experimental demonstration of binary image morphological erosion, dilation, opening, and closing are also demonstrated. A technique for extending this technique to gray-scale image using thresholding decomposition technique is also discussed.