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US 4,120,588 AGranted
Multiple path configuration for a laser interferometer
OwnerErik Chauminventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerErik Chauminventor
Estimating the term…
By appropriately arranging and configuring dielectric waveguides formed within a substrate, a path configuration suitable for use in laser interferometer may be fabricated in a small overall area without sacrificing overall sensitivity. The path configuration includes a disposition of overlapping waveguide loops in a first and second plane. Intersection of the crossing waveguide segments is avoided by appropriate disposition of the respective segments in the two separated planes. Transition between the two planes may be made by means of a twisted waveguide bend or a transitional coupler. In one embodiment each waveguide loop may have a generally rectangular shape. The parallel sides of each loop are offset from the adjacent loops by a predetermined distance such that the horizontal dimension of the loops decreases while the vertical dimension increases between the first and last loop of the configuration.
In an inertial rotational sensor, a closed transmission path comprising:
In a ring interferometer for sensing inertial rotations, an optical path comprising:
In an inertial rotational sensor, a waveguide transmission path comprising an ordered plurality of coupled waveguide loops in a first and second plane, each waveguide loop, at least partially circumscribing an area and having at least one crossing waveguide segment in said first plane crossing a waveguide segment of at least one other one of said plurality of waveguide loops in said second plane, said crossing waveguide segment being offset and isolated from said waveguide segment of said other one of said plurality of waveguide loops.
In an inertial rotational sensor, a waveguide transmission path comprising an ordered plurality of coupled waveguide loops, a first waveguide loop of said ordered plurality forming a generally rectangular loop having a horizontal and vertical dimension of a preselected magnitude, a second waveguide loop having a horizontal dimension less than the said first waveguide loop by a predetermined amount and a vertical dimension greater than said first waveguide loop by said predetermined amount, each higher order waveguide loop decreasing in horizontal dimension and increasing in vertical dimension, each waveguide loop at least partially circumscribing an area and having at least one crossing waveguide segment crossing at least one other one of said plurality waveguide loops, said crossing waveguide segment being offset and isolated from said other one of said plurality of waveguide loops.
In an inertial rate sensor, a transmission path comprising a plurality of layers of waveguide loops disposed in a substrate, each layer of waveguide loops including a pluraity of crossing waveguide loops disposed in a first and second plane so that said crossing waveguide loops are offset and isolated in said first and second planes, each plurality of waveguide loops disposed in one said layer of waveguide loops coupled to another one of said plurality of layers of waveguide loops to form a single closed path extending through said plurality of layers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.