Optical turn for monitoring light from a laser
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorJohn J Uebbing
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is an optical turn used to the monitor the output of a light source such as a VCSEL. Light incoming to the optical turn is reflected off of a totally internally reflecting surface towards a window-mirror, where the light is partially routed to an output lens, and partially diverted to a monitor lens where the diverted light can be focused onto a monitoring device, such as a photodiode. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the optical turn is modified to monitor an incoming light array. In another alternative embodiment, the optical turn monitors an incoming light array, and further includes a zigzag multiplexer that is used to carry out Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM). CWDM is the combination of different wavelengths of light into one beam.
Claims23
An optical turn for redirecting an incoming light array having N light beams, with N≧1 comprising:
- an input lens array having N input lenses that collimate the incoming light array into a collimated light array, with N≧1, each lens in the input lens array having an optical axis;
- a reflective surface positioned at a first angle to an optical axis of a lens in the input lens array;
- a monitor lens array having M monitor lenses, with M≧1;
- an output lens array having P output lenses, with P≧1;
- and
- a window-mirror interposing the reflective surface and the output lens array, at a second angle to an optical axis of a lens in the monitor lens array;
- wherein the collimated light array reflects off of the reflective surface onto the window-mirror, where it is partially transmitted to the output lens array, and partially reflected to the monitor lens array.
An optical turn for redirecting an incoming light array having N light beams, with N≧1, comprising:
- an optically transmissive block;
- an input lens array having N input lenses in the optically transmissive block that collimates the incoming light army into a collimated light array, with N≧1, each lens in the input lens array having an optical axis;
- a totally internally reflecting surface of the optically transmissive block, positioned at a first angle to an optical axis of a lens in the input lens array;
- a monitor lens array having M monitor lenses in the optically transmissive block, with M≧1;
- an output lens may having P output lenses in the optically transmissive block, with P≧1;
- and
- a window-mirror in the optically transmissive block, interposing the totally internally reflecting surface and the output lens array, at a second angle to an optical axis of a lens in the monitor lens array;
- wherein the collimated light array reflects off of the totally internally reflecting surface onto the window-mirror, where it is partially transmitted to the output lens array, and partially reflected to the monitor lens array.
A method for redirecting a light array having N light beams, with N≧1, comprising the steps of:
- collimating each light beam in the light array to create a collimated light array;
- reflecting the collimated light array at a right angle as a reflected light array;
- partially transmitting the reflected light array as a transmitted light array;
- partially deflecting the reflected light array at a right angle as a monitored light array directly towards a light monitoring device;
- focusing the monitored light array onto the light monitoring device;
- and
- focusing the transmitted light array onto an array of fiber-optic cables.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.