US 12,474,430 B2 · Detection device, system and method for determination of incidence angle of an optical beam

Abstract

The invention relates to the fields of optical technologies and telecommunication technologies, and is dedicated to determination of the direction of optical beam in free-space optical communication systems. The invention is based on the property of interference optical filters (IOF), that transmittance and reflectance of such filters, for a beam with given optical spectrum, depends on the angle of the beam with respect to IOF surface normal. According to the proposed method, at least one IOF is used, which is rotated by defined angle with respect to the optical axis of the detection device. In the implementation of the detection device with one IOF, two optical power detectors are used, which measure optical power of the beam reflected from the IOF and transmitted through the IOF.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A detection device for determination determining an angle of incidence of an optical beam when an optical spectrum of the optical beam is predefined and constant, comprising:

at least two detectors of optical power, and
at least one optical interference filter (OIF) placed in a path of the optical beam,
wherein optical transmission of the at least one OIF depends on an incidence angle of the optical beam to a surface of the at least one OIF,
wherein the angle of incidence with respect to an optical axis of the detection device is determined by comparison of the optical power of the optical beams,
wherein a first OIF and a second OIF of the at least one OIF is/are rotated by a predefined angle with respect to the optical axis of the detection device in a detection plane,
wherein the incidence angle of the optical beam, with respect to the optical axis of the detection device is determined by comparing optical power of the optical beam(s), which is/are transmitted through the at least one OIF and/or reflected from the at least one OIF, and
wherein a receiver detector is positioned directly after the second OIF along the optical axis to receive the optical beam transmitted through the second OIF.

4 more elements

A detection method for determining an angle of incidence of an optical beam when an optical spectrum of the optical beam is predefined and constant, comprising:

directing of the optical beam to at least one optical interference filter (OIF) of a detection device, whose transmittance depends on an incidence angle of the optical beam to OIF,
determining the incidence angle of the optical beam according to a comparison of optical power of the optical beam and an additional optical beam,
wherein the at least one OIF to which the optical beam is directed, is/are rotated by a predefined angle with respect to an optical axis of the detection device in a detection plane, the optical axis of the detection device and OIF surface normal lying within the optical axis of the detection device, and incidence angle of the optical beam, with respect to the optical axis of the detection device, is determined by comparing optical power of the optical beam and the additional optical beam transmitted through the at least one OIF and/or reflected from the at least one OIF, and
wherein a receiver detector is positioned directly after the at least one OIF along the optical axis to receive the optical beam transmitted through the at least one OIF.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Detection device, system and method for determination of incidence angle of an optical beam

Life of this patent

Detection device, system and method for determination of incidence angle of an optical beam

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16