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US 6,603,897 B1Granted
Optical multiplexing device with separated optical transmitting plates
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorRobert J. Scholz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multiplexing device includes two facing-but-spaced apart optical transmitting plates, with optical reflective filters in facing contact with outer surfaces of the optical transmitting plates to define a reflective beam path therebetween. Light transceivers are associated with each of the optical reflective filters. The optical transmitting plates have greater indices of refraction than the central medium between them, so that the beam path has a low angle of incidence to the optical reflective filters but a higher angle in the central medium.
Claims23
A multiplexing device operable over a multiplexing wavelength band of light, the multiplexing device comprising
- a first optical transmitting plate having a first-plate outer surface and a first-plate inner surface, the first optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a first-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the first-plate outer surface;
- a second optical transmitting plate having a second-plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface, the second-plate inner surface being in a facing-but-spaced-apart relation to the first-plate inner surface with a central medium separating the first optical transmitting plate from the second optical transmitting plate, the second optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band, wherein the first optical transmitting plate and the second optical transmitting plate each have an index of refraction to light within the multiplexing wavelength band that is multiplexing wavelength band;
- and
- a second-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the second-plate outer surface,
- the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure being positioned to define a beam path that is alternatively and sequentially reflected from the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure.
3 more elements
A multiplexing device operable over a multiplexing wavelength band of light, the multiplexing device comprising
- a first optical transmitting plate having a first-plate outer surface and a first-plate inner surface, the first optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a first-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the first-plate outer surface;
- a second optical transmitting plate having a second-plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface, the second-plate inner surface being in a facing-but-spaced-apart relation to the first-plate inner surface with a central medium separating the first optical transmitting plate from the second optical transmitting plate, the second optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a second-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the second-plate outer surface,
- the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure being positioned to define a beam path that is alternatively and sequentially reflected from the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure;
- and
- a spacer affixed to, extending between, and separating the first optical transmitting plate and the second optical transmitting plate.
4 more elements
A multiplexing device operable over a multiplexing wavelength band of light, the multiplexing device comprising
- a first optical transmitting plate having a first-plate outer surface and a first-plate inner surface, the first optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a first-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the first-plate outer surface;
- a second optical transmitting plate having a second-plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface, the second-plate inner surface being in a facing-but-spaced-apart relation to the first-plate inner surface with a central medium separating the first optical transmitting plate from the second optical transmitting plate, the second optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a second-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the second-plate outer surface,
- the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure being positioned to define a beam path that is alternatively and sequentially reflected from the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure;
- and
- a blocking filter positioned in the beam path at a location between the first optical transmitting plate and the second transmitting plate.
4 more elements
A multiplexing device operable over a multiplexing wavelength band of light, the multiplexing device comprising
- a first optical transmitting plate having a first-plate outer surface and a first-plate inner surface, the first optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a first-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the first-plate outer surface;
- a second optical transmitting plate having a second-plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface, the second-plate inner surface being in a facing-but-spaced-apart relation to the first-plate inner surface with a central medium separating the first optical transmitting plate from the second optical transmitting plate, the second optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a second-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the second-plate outer surface,
- the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure being positioned to define a beam path that is alternatively and sequentially reflected from the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure;
- and
- a masking aperture disposed on one of the first-plate inner surface and the second-plate inner surface and about the beam path.
4 more elements
A multiplexing device operable over a multiplexing wavelength band of light, the multiplexing device comprising
- a first optical transmitting plate having a first-plate outer surface and a first-plate inner surface, the first optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a first-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the first-plate outer surface;
- a second optical transmitting plate having a second-plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface, the second-plate inner surface being in a facing-but-spaced-apart relation to the first-plate inner surface with a central medium separating the first optical transmitting plate from the second optical transmitting plate, the second optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band, wherein the central medium in selected from the group consisting of air and vacuum;
- and
- a second-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the second-plate outer surface,
- the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure being positioned to define a beam path that is alternatively and sequentially reflected from the first-plate optical reflective filter structure and the second-plate optical reflective filter structure.
3 more elements
A multiplexing device operable over a multiplexing wavelength band of light, the multiplexing device comprising
- a first optical transmitting plate having a first-plate outer surface and a first-plate inner surface, the first optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- a first-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the first-plate outer surface, the first-plate optical reflective filter structure comprising at least two first-plate thin-film optical reflective filters;
- a second optical transmitting plate having a second-plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface, the second-plate inner surface being in a facing but spaced apart relation to the first-plate inner surface with a central medium separating the first optical transmitting plate from the second optical transmitting plate, the second optical transmitting plate being transparent to light within the multiplexing wavelength band;
- and
- a second-plate optical reflective filter structure in facing contact with the second-plate outer surface, the second-plate optical reflective filter structure comprising at least one second-plate thin-film optical reflective filter;
- a light transceiver associated with each of the thin-film optical reflective filters,
- wherein the first-plate thin-film optical reflective filters and the second-plate thin-film optical reflective filters are positioned to define a beam path that is alternatively and sequentially reflected from one of the first-plate thin-film optical reflective filters and one of the second-plate thin-film optical reflective filters, and wherein the first optical transmitting plate and the second optical transmitting plate each have an index of refraction to light within the multiplexing wavelength band that is greater than an index of refraction of the central medium to light within the multiplexing wavelength band.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.