Non-linear ranging to control linear ranging measurement device
AssigneeDBM Optics, Incorporated
InventorsMichael Paul Minneman, Michael Paul Atwell, Elwood James Egerton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A range selection circuit (13), including a logarithmic amplifier (23) and output circuitry (25) associated therewith, is configured to directly drive linear ranging circuitry for measurement circuitry (12) in an optical power meter (10) to measure signals that vary over a wide range of, for example, from about −7 dB to about −45 dB. This allows the optical power meter to change ranges as fast as one (1) times the hardware settling time. The range selection circuitry is in parallel with the measurement circuitry, which allows ranging to happen in real time.
Claims21
An apparatus for measuring signals over a large range, comprising
- measurement circuitry to measure signals, the measurement circuitry having a number of respective ranges, and
- a range selector, including
- a non-linear amplifier to select the range of the measurement circuitry based on the magnitude of the signal to be measured.
An optical power meter, comprising
- measurement circuitry for measuring electrical signals representative of detected light over a wide range of optical power, including
- ranging circuitry to determine respective ranges of the optical power measured, and
- a non-linear selector in parallel with the measurement circuitry to control operation of the ranging circuitry to select the measuring range of the measurement circuitry in response to magnitude of the signal to be measured.
A range selector for measurement circuitry useful to measure inputs having a wide range of variation over a number of orders of magnitude, comprising
- a non-linear amplifier providing an output in response to an input representative of a signal to be measured, and
- range selection circuits responsive to the non-linear amplifier to provide range selection signals for use to select operating range of such measurement circuitry.
A high speed range selector for optical power measuring apparatus including measurement circuitry having ranging circuitry and operable to measure signals over a number of substantially linear ranges, characterized in that
- a non-linear means responsive to the magnitude of the signal to be measured provides an input to determine the range selected by the ranging circuitry.
An optical component spectrum analyzer, comprising
- a measuring system for measuring incident light,
- the measuring system having a number of substantially linear operative ranges representative of optical power of the incident light over which such incident light is measurable,
- a logarithmic amplifier responsive to a representation of the optical power of the incident light for providing a non-linear output representative of such optical power, and
- comparator circuitry responsive to such non-linear output for selecting the operative range of the measuring system.
A method of selecting the measuring range of measurement circuitry used to measure an input, comprising
- using a non-linear representation of the input to select the measuring range of the measurement circuitry.
A method of measuring a signal having a large dynamic range using measurement circuitry having plural ranges, comprising
- compressing the dynamic range of the measured signal for measurement by the measurement circuitry operative in a respective range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.