Optical sparse phased array receiver
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsSeyed Mohammadreza Fatemi, Seyed Ali Hajimiri, Behrooz Abiri, Aroutin Khachaturian
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Abstract
A sparse optical phased array transmitter/receiver includes, in part, a multitude of transmitting/receiving elements that are sparsely positioned. Accordingly, the transmitting/receiving elements are not uniformly distributed at equal distance intervals along a one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or a three-dimensional array. The positions of the transmitting/receiving elements may or may not conform to an ordered pattern.
Claims34
A phased array receiver comprising at least first, second and third receiving elements disposed along a row, wherein said second receiving element is disposed between the first and third receiving elements, and wherein a distance between the first and second receiving elements is different than a distance between the second and third receiving elements, said phased array receiver further comprising:
- first, second and third phase shifters adapted to shift phases of an optical signal received respectively by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- first, second and third amplitude modulators adapted to modulate amplitudes of the optical signal received by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- and
- a combiner adapted to combine the phase-shifted and amplitude-modulated signals supplied by the first, second and third phase shifters and the first, second and third amplitude modulators to generate a combined signal.
A method of detecting a direction of an incident optical signal, the method comprising:
- receiving the incident optical signal via at least first, second and third receiving elements disposed along a row, wherein said second receiving element is disposed between the first and third receiving elements, and wherein a distance between the first and second receiving elements is different than a distance between the second and third receiving elements;
- shifting phases of the optical signal received by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- modulating amplitudes of the optical signal received by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- and
- combining the first, second and third phase-shifted and amplitude-modulated optical signals to generate a combined signal.
A phased array receiver comprising at least first, second and third receiving elements disposed along a two-dimensional array characterized by at least three rows and at least three columns defining nine positions where the at least first, second and third receiving elements may be disposed, wherein the at least first, second and third receiving elements are distributed among the nine positions such at least one of the nine positions does not receive a receiving element, said phased array receiver further comprising:
- first, second and third phase shifters adapted to shift phases of an optical signal received respectively by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- first, second and third amplitude modulators adapted to modulate amplitudes of the optical signal received by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- and
- a combiner adapted to combine the phase-shifted and amplitude-modulated signals supplied by the first, second and third phase shifters and the first, second and third amplitude modulators to generate a combined signal.
A method of detecting a direction of an incident optical signal, the method comprising:
- receiving the incident optical signal via at least first, second and third receiving elements disposed along a two-dimensional array characterized by at least three rows and at least three columns defining nine positions where the at least first, second and third receiving elements may be disposed, wherein the at least first, second and third receiving elements are distributed among the nine positions such at least one of the nine positions does not receive a receiving element;
- shifting phases of the optical signal received by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- modulating amplitudes of the optical signals received by the first, second and third receiving elements;
- and
- combining the first, second and third phase-shifted and amplitude-modulated optical signals to generate a combined signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.