Content-addressable holographic data storage system for invariant pattern recognition of gray-scale images

Conventionally a holographic data storage system uses binary digital data as the input pages. We propose and demonstrate the use of a holographic data storage system for the purpose of invariant pattern recognition of gray-scale images. To improve the correlation accuracy for gray-scale images, we present a coding technique, phase Fourier transform (phase-FT) coding, to code a gray-scale image into a random and balanced digital binary image. In addition to the fact that a digital data page is obtained for incorporation into a holographic data storage system, this phase-FT coded image produces dc-free homogenized Fourier spectrum. This coded image can also be treated as an image for further processing, such as synthesis of distortion-invariant filters for invariant pattern recognition. A space-domain synthetic discriminant function (SDF) filter has been synthesized using these phase-FT coded images for rotation-invariant pattern recognition. Both simulation and experimental results are presented. The results show good correlation accuracy in comparison to correlation results obtained for SDF filter synthesized using the original gray-scale images themselves.