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US 11,175,140 B2Granted
Resonator fiber optic gyroscope with integrated photonics interface
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsMatthew Wade Puckett, Neil A. Krueger, Glen A. Sanders
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Abstract
A resonant fiber optic gyroscope (RFOG) comprises two integrated photonics interfaces coupling the optical resonator coil to the multi-frequency laser source that drives the RFOG; wherein the two integrated photonics interfaces comprise a first waveguide layer and a second waveguide layer wherein the first waveguide layer comprises two waveguide branches which come together to form a single waveguide branch; the second waveguide layer comprises two waveguide branches which remain separate from each other; and wherein the waveguide structure is configured to match an integrated photonics mode to a fiber mode supported by an optical fiber.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- an integrated photonics interface including at least two waveguide optical couplers, each of the at least two waveguide optical couplers having a proximal end and a distal end, each of the at least two waveguide optical couplers having a waveguide structure including, a first waveguide layer extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the integrated photonics interface, the first wave guide layer including a first wave guide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the integrated photonics interface and a second waveguide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the wave guide optical coupler, and a second waveguide layer separated from the first wave guide layer, the second wave guide layer extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the integrated photonics interface, the second waveguide layer including a third waveguide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the integrated photonics interface and a fourth waveguide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the wave guide optical coupler;
- an optical resonator coil comprising a first port and a second port, wherein the first port is optically coupled to the proximal end of a first waveguide optical coupler of the at least two wave guide optical couplers and the second port is optically coupled to the proximal end of a second waveguide optical coupler of the at least two wave guide optical couplers, the distal end of the first wave guide layer of the first wave guide optical coupler being optically coupled to the distal end of the first waveguide layer of the second wave guide optical coupler and the second waveguide layer of the first waveguide optical coupler is optically coupled to the distal end of the second waveguide layer of the second wave guide optical coupler to form wave guides in the integrated photonics interface;
- and wherein the wave guide structure is configured to match an integrated photonics mode to a fiber mode supported by an optical fiber.
A system comprising:
- an integrated photonics interface including at least two waveguide optical couplers, each of the at least two waveguide optical couplers having a proximal end and a distal end, each of the at least two waveguide optical couplers having a waveguide structure including,
- at least two waveguide layers, each waveguide layer extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the integrated photonics interface, a first waveguide layer including a first waveguide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the integrated photonics interface and a second waveguide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the integrated photonics interface;
- an optical resonator coil comprising a first port and a second port, wherein the first port is optically coupled to the proximal end of a first waveguide optical coupler of the at least two waveguide optical coupler and the second port is optically coupled to the proximal end of a second waveguide optical coupler of the at least two waveguide optical coupler;
- the distal end of the first waveguide layer of the first waveguide optical coupler is optically coupled to the distal end of the first waveguide layer of the second waveguide optical coupler and the second waveguide layer of the first waveguide optical coupler is optically coupled to the distal end of the second waveguide layer of the second waveguide optical coupler to form at least a first waveguide in the integrated photonics interface;
- and
- wherein the waveguide structure is configured to match an integrated photonics mode to a fiber mode supported by an optical fiber.
3 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving a first optical signal and a second optical signal;
- communicating a portion of the first optical signal into an optical resonator through a waveguide optical coupler of an integrated photonics interface so that the portion of the first optical signal propagates in a first direction through the optical resonator;
- communicating a portion of the second optical signal into the optical resonator through a second waveguide optical coupler of integrated photonics interface so that the portion of the second optical signal propagates in a second direction through the optical resonator, which is opposite the first direction;
- wherein each of the first waveguide optical coupler and the second waveguide optical coupler has a proximal end and a distal end, each first and second waveguide optical coupler including at least two waveguide layers extending between the proximal end and a distal end of the first and second waveguide optical couplers, each of a first and second waveguide layer of the at least two waveguide layers including a first waveguide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the associated first and second waveguide optical coupler and a second waveguide branch that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the associated first and second waveguide optical coupler, the distal end of the first waveguide layer of the first waveguide optical coupler is optically coupled to the distal end of the first waveguide layer of the second waveguide optical coupler and the second waveguide layer of the first waveguide optical coupler is optically coupled to the distal end of the second waveguide layer of the second waveguide optical coupler to form at least one waveguide in each layer of the integrated photonics interface;
- emitting a portion of the first optical signal propagating in the first direction in the optical resonator;
- and
- emitting a portion of the second optical signal propagating in the second direction in the optical resonator.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.