Photonic crystal based rotation sensor
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Company, Inc.
InventorsDaniel A. Tazartes, Kenneth D. Marino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gyroscope having photonic crystals for sensing rotation uses the Sagnac effect to determine angular motion. The gyroscope comprises a photonic crystal capable of guiding counter-propagating light beams in a closed path. A light source, coupling, and detection apparatus permits detection of phase changes between the counter-propagating beams, thereby permitting measurement of angular rotation. The photonic crystal comprises a periodic structure of pillars and voids which creates a photonic bandgap waveguide within which light waves in the proper wavelength range propagate with low loss.
Claims23
A rotation sensor comprising:
- a light source;
- a splitter for splitting light from the source into a first beam and a second beam;
- and
- a light guide with photonic crystal structure receiving the first and second beam from the splitter and guiding the first beam in a first direction and the second beam in an opposite direction in the light guide.
A rotation sensor comprising:
- a light source;
- a splitter for splitting light from the light source into a first beam and a second beam;
- a first light guide with photonic crystal structure receiving the first and second beam and guiding the first beam in a first direction and the second beam in an opposite direction in the first light guide;
- a second light guide in a coplanar topology parallel to the first light guide;
- and
- a light feedthrough photonic structure connecting the first light guide to the second light guide.
A sensor comprising:
- a photonic waveguide having a plurality of dielectric tubes connected along longitudinal axes forming adjacent concentric rings that define an inner chamber;
- and
- a device optically coupled with the photonic waveguide that measures phase, frequency, or amplitude of light in the inner chamber.
An optical interferometer comprising:
- a first photonic waveguide with a first end and a second end;
- and
- a second photonic waveguide which a first end and a second end optically coupled with the first and the second end of the light waveguide;
- wherein light introduced into the first coupled end is split between the first photonic waveguide and the second photonic waveguide and combined at the second coupled end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.