Passive optical circuit breaker having plural optical waveguide portions with different transmissivities
AssigneeParker-Hannifin Corporation
InventorHoward Austerlitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A passive optical circuit breaker includes a substrate and an optical waveguide assembly arranged relative to the substrate. The optical waveguide assembly includes a first optical waveguide portion having a first low-loss portion and a first high-loss portion, and a second optical waveguide portion having a second low-loss portion. The first low-loss portion and the second low-loss portion define a first optical path through the optical waveguide assembly, and optical energy directed through the first high-loss portion exceeding a prescribed threshold causes the first optical waveguide portion to physically deflect relative to the second optical waveguide portion and interrupt the first optical path through the optical waveguide assembly.
Claims21
A passive optical circuit breaker, comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- an optical waveguide assembly arranged relative to the substrate, the optical waveguide assembly including:
- i) a first optical waveguide portion having a first low-loss portion and a first high-loss portion, and
- ii) a second optical waveguide portion having a second low-loss portion,
- wherein the first low loss portion and the second low loss portion have a first transmissivity, and the first high-loss portion has a second transmissivity, the first transmissivity being greater than the second transmissivity, and
- wherein the first low-loss portion and the second low-loss portion define a first optical path through the optical waveguide assembly, and optical energy directed through the first high-loss portion exceeding a prescribed threshold causes the first optical waveguide portion to physically deflect relative to the second optical waveguide portion and interrupt the first optical path through the optical waveguide assembly.
A method for limiting optical power provided light generated by a light source, comprising:
- receiving the light at a first waveguide portion having a first low-loss portion and a first high loss portion;
- communicating the received light to a second waveguide portion having a second low-loss portion via a first optical path defined between the first waveguide portion and the second waveguide portion, the first low-loss portion and the second low-loss portion having a first transmissivity and the first high-loss portion having a second transmissivity, the first transmissivity being greater than the second transmissivity;
- and
- interrupting the first optical path based on heat generated by a portion of the received light.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.