US 2010/0135668 A1 · COMPACT WIDE-ANGLE PIXELLATED ACTIVE OPTICAL LINK

Abstract

A system, method, and optical communication device are disclosed. The system can include a plurality of optically coupled nodes forming an optical communication network. Each node may include an array of pixel elements, each pixel element having an optical detector and an active optical source. The pixel array may be disposed in a backplane of a lens that is configured to map incoming optical signals to pixel locations in the backplane according to their respective angles of incidence and to minimize a deviation at each pixel location between incoming optical signals arriving at the optical detector and emissions from the optical source. The node may include a processor and memory. The processor can register senders in the optical network at locations in the pixel array and can generate routing information by which to route communications from the registered senders to other pixel elements for transmission to their respective destinations.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An optical communication apparatus, comprising:

a housing having an aperture for receiving optical communication signals;
a lens disposed within the aperture and configured to direct the optical communication signals to locations in a backplane according to their respective angles of incidence;
a pixel array situated in the backplane and optically coupled to the lens, each pixel in the pixel array comprising an optical detector and an active optical source;
a memory configured to store registration information comprising associations between pixels in the array of pixels and one or more senders in an optical network;
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to demodulate an inbound communication signal incident upon a first pixel in the array of pixels and to determine whether an identifier of the inbound communication signal matches a sender associated with the first pixel based on the registration information,
the processor being further configured to modulate the optical source of a second pixel in the array of pixels with an outbound communication signal in response to determining that the identifier of the inbound communication signal matches the registration information.

3 more elements

A method of sending and receiving data in an optical network with a network node having an array of pixels, each pixel comprising an optical detector and an active optical source, the method comprising:

generating registration information comprising a plurality of associations between pixels in the array of pixels and senders in the optical network;
detecting an inbound communication signal at an optical detector of a first pixel in the array of pixels;
obtaining an identifier of the inbound communication signal;
determining whether the identifier of the inbound communication signal matches a sender associated with the first pixel based on the registration information;
and
modulating the optical source of a second pixel in the array of pixels with an outbound communication signal in response to determining that the identifier of the inbound communication signal matches the registration information.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Compact wide-angle pixellated active optical link

Life of this patent

Compact wide-angle pixellated active optical link

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21