Electrical pulse tranformation using optical delay lines
AssigneeBAE SYSTEMS plc
InventorChristopher Ralph Pescod
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A recirculating optical delay line 30 has a laser 32 controlled by wavelength control 33 so as to vary the wavelength of radiation over time to provide a first input 34 to an optical modulator 35. The modulator 35 modulates the intensity of the first input 34 with a pulsed electromagnetic frequency signal 36 to produce a pulsed modulated optical signal 39. The signal 39 passes through an optical coupler 40 into a delay loop 41 having a delay fibre 44 arranged to delay the signal 39 for a predetermined duration. The wavelength control 33 is arranged to vary the first input 35 so as to ensure that overlapping pulses of the signal 39 in the delay loop 41 are at different wavelengths, thereby inhibiting optical mixing effects between the overlapping pulses.
Claims15
An optical delay line (30), comprising
- an optical source (31) arranged to generate intensity modulated pulses of light,
- a delay fibre (41) arranged to carry the pulses of light,
- an optical coupler (40;
- 70) arranged to allow the pulses of light to enter and to exit the delay fibre, and characterised by
- an optical source controller arranged to vary the wavelength of each pulse of light such that each successive portion of each pulse of light within the delay fibre is segregated by wavelength.
An optical delay line, as in any preceding claim, wherein the optical coupler is a 2 by 2 optical coupler.
An optical delay line, as in any preceding claim, wherein an optical modulator is arranged to generate the pulses of light by modulating a light source with a pulsed electromagnetic frequency input (38).
An optical delay line, as in any preceding claims, wherein the optical source includes a distributed feedback semiconductor laser.
An optical delay line substantially as illustrated in and/or described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.
A method of generating a delayed electrical signal, including
- generating modulated pulses of light,
- passing the pulses of light through a delay fibre (41),
- constructing the delayed electrical signal from the electrical sub-signals, and characterised by
- varying the wavelength of the pulses of light with respect to time, such that each successive portion of each pulse of light within the delay fibre is segregated by wavelength, and
- converting the delayed pulses of light into electrical sub-signals after they have exited the delay fibre and according to the wavelength of the portions of each delayed pulse of light.
A method of generating a delayed optical signal substantially as illustrated in and/or described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.