Abstract:
A LIGHT BEAM IS DIGITALLY DEFLECTED TO SELECTED ONES OF A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE POSITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LOGICAL FUNCTION WHICH CONTROLS THE OPERATION OF THE BEAM DEFLECTING MEANS. OPTICAL ENCODING MEANS UNIQUELY ENCODE A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE BEAM FOR EACH DISCRETE POSITION. WHEN THE LIGHT BEAM IS POLYCHROMATIC, THE LIGHT BEAM IS PASSED THROUGH A DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF FILTERS AT EACH DISCRETE POSITION SO THAT THE BEAM CONTAINS A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF WAVELENGTHS AT EACH POSITION. WHEN
THE LIGHT BEAM IS MONOCHROMATIC, THE BEAM MAY BE SPLIT INTO A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF PATHS FOR EACH DISCRETE POSITION AND THEN INTENSITY-ENDODED BY MASKS IN THE PATHS. A MONOCHROMATIC BEAM MAY ALSO BE DIRECTED TO A PROCESSED LIPPMANN FILM WHICH WILL REFLECT THE BEAM AT UNIQUE COMBINATIONS OF BRAGG ANGLES CORRESPONDING TO EACH DISCRETE POSITION.