Techniques for compensating for errors in an optical interferometer system
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsJan Pekarek, Zbynek Drasal, Lucas N. Taylor, Robert Mark, Mikulas Jandak
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Abstract
Techniques are provided for symmetrically locating optical emitters in a surface of a ferrule. Such symmetrical displacement of each pair of optical emitters diminishes differences in path lengths through which optical signals propagate in an optical interferometer with tilted input and/or output surfaces.
Claims20
An apparatus for transmitting optical signals to an input surface of an optical interferometer, wherein the optical interferometer further comprises an output surface, wherein the input surface is tilted around a first axis and offset at a first angle with respect to a second axis which is orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the output surface is tilted around the first axis and offset at a second angle with respect to the second axis which is orthogonal to the first axis, wherein optical signal is configured to propagate towards the input surface in a third axis which is orthogonal to the first and the second axes, wherein the input surface is on a first optically clear material, the output surface is on a second optically clear material, and wherein the first and the second optically clear materials are separated from one another, the apparatus comprising:
- a ferrule;
- N pairs of optical emitters in a surface of the ferrule, wherein each pair of optical emitters comprises a received optical emitter configured to emit to the input surface a received optical signal and a reference optical emitter configured to emit to the input surface a reference optical signal, wherein N is an integer greater than zero;
- wherein the surface of the ferrule is in a plane formed by a fourth and a fifth axis which are orthogonal to one another;
- and
- wherein cross-sections of the optical emitters of each pair are symmetrically disposed around the fifth axis;
- wherein, for each pair, the received optical emitter is in a half of the plane divided by the fifth axis and the reference optical emitter is in another half of the plane.
A method for transmitting optical signals to an input surface of an optical interferometer, wherein the optical interferometer further comprises an output surface, wherein the input surface is tilted around a first axis offset at a first angle with respect to a second axis which is orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the output surface is tilted around the first axis offset at a second angle with respect to the second axis, wherein optical signal is configured to propagate towards the input surface in a third axis which is orthogonal to the first and the second axes, wherein the input surface is on a first optically clear material, the output surface is on a second optically clear material, and wherein the first and the second optically clear materials are separated from one another, the method comprising:
- receiving N received optical signals, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to one;
- receiving M reference optical signals, wherein M is an integer less than or equal to O, and wherein O is an integer greater than or equal to N;
- and
- emitting N pairs of a received optical signal and a reference optical signal, wherein cross-sections of optical signals of each pair of the N pairs are symmetrically emitted around a fifth axis of a plane in which each emitter is located and which is defined by a fourth axis and the fifth axis that are orthogonal to one another.
An apparatus for transmitting optical signals to an input surface, of a Fabry-Perot etalon, which is tilted around a first axis and offset at a first angle with respect to a second axis which is orthogonal to the first axis, wherein optical signal is configured to propagate in a third axis, orthogonal to each of the first and the second axes, to the input surface of the Fabry-Perot etalon, the apparatus comprising:
- a first set of N optical emitters each of which emit a reflected optical signal from a ferrule surface, wherein N is an integer greater than zero;
- a second set of O optical emitters each of which emit a reference optical signal from the ferrule surface, wherein O is an integer greater than or equal to N;
- and
- wherein the ferrule surface is in a plane formed by fourth and fifth axes;
- wherein a position of each pair of an optical emitter of the first set and an optical emitter of the second set are symmetrically disposed around the fifth axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.