Circuit assembly for controlling an optical system to generate optical pulses and pulse bursts

An optical system for generating optical pulses, comprising:

• a seed light source;
• an amplitude modulator optically coupled to the seed light source;
• and
• a circuit assembly controlling the seed light source and amplitude modulator, said circuit assembly comprising:
• a control circuit generating a pulsed seed drive signal and being connected to the seed light source for driving said seed light source with the seed drive signal to generate seed optical pulses, the control circuit further generating a plurality of logic signals, said logic signals each defining a succession of ON and OFF states and having a predetermined relative timing relationship;
• at least one programmable delay line, each of said at least one delay line receiving one of the logic signals for delaying said one of the logic signals to adjust said relative timing relationship;
• a logic gating module for combining said logic signals according to at least one logical rule, thereby providing a modulator drive signal, said modulator drive signal defining a succession of ON states and OFF states determined by the ON and OFF states of the logic signals, the adjusted relative timing relationship of the logic signals and said at least one logical rule, said logic gate module being connected to the amplitude modulator for driving said amplitude modulator using the modulator drive signal,
• whereby said optical system outputs one of said optical pulses at each ON state of the modulator drive signal synchronized with the passage of one of said seed optical pulses through the amplitude modulator.

A method for outputting optical pulses, comprising:

• a) generating a pulsed seed drive signal;
• b) driving a seed light source with the seed drive signal to generate seed optical pulses;
• c) generating a pulsed modulator drive signal in coordination with the seed drive signal, said generating of the modulator drive signal comprising the substeps of:
• i. generating a plurality of logic signals each defining a succession of ON and OFF states, said logic signals having a predetermined relative timing relationship;
• ii. delaying at least one of the logic signals to adjust said relative timing relationship;
• and
• iii. combining said logic signals according to at least one logical rule, thereby providing the modulator drive signal, said modulator drive signal defining a succession of ON states and OFF states determined by the ON and OFF states of the logic signals, the adjusted relative timing relationship of the logic signals and said at least one logical rule;
• and
• d) driving an amplitude modulator optically coupled to said seed light source using said modulator drive signal;
• whereby said optical pulses are outputted at each ON state of the modulator drive signal synchronized with the passage of one of said seed optical pulses through the amplitude modulator.