Range imaging devices and methods
Granted: June 2, 2015
Patent Number:
9046359
An array of laser diode emitters is used as an illumination source for a range imaging system. The laser diode emitters are disposed on a common substrate. When one of the emitters fails, the remaining emitters emit enough light to meet the output optical power specification. The emitters can be disposed with a tight spacing. The tight spacing facilitates packaging of the entire array into a compact single package on a common heat sink.
Brightness multi-emitter laser diode module and method
Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number:
9042423
Improved brightness and feedback multi-emitter laser diode modules and methods are provided. A plurality of laser diode emitters emit broad-area light beams in a beam direction. In cross-section, each beam is broad in its slow axis and narrow in its fast axis. Groups of downstream optical components collimate, shape, stack and direct the beams along a light path towards a beam spot (which may be fiber-coupled). After collimating, stacking and directing, the beams are Fourier transformed…
Predictive network testing
Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number:
9036687
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for evaluating a network and for predicting network performance for a higher order modulation by analyzing network signals modulated using a lower order modulation format. A margin index may be generated for the current or projected modulation formats based on displacement vectors for received symbols to indicate a margin remaining before a codeword error occurs to alert the network operator of potential performance issues before actual…
Light emitting semiconductor device
Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number:
9036678
A fiber coupled semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing of such a device are disclosed. The method provides an improved stability of optical coupling during assembly of the device, whereby a higher optical power levels and higher overall efficiency of the fiber coupled device can be achieved. The improvement is achieved by attaching the optical fiber to a vertical mounting surface of a fiber mount. The platform holding the semiconductor chip and the optical fiber can be…
Method and apparatus for orienting magnetic flakes
Granted: May 12, 2015
Patent Number:
9027479
The invention relates to a method of aligning magnetic flakes, which includes: coating a substrate with a carrier having the flakes dispersed therein, moving the substrate in a magnetic field so as to align the flakes along force lines of the magnetic field in the absence of an effect from a solidifying means, and at least partially solidifying the carrier using a solidifying means while further moving the substrate in the magnetic field so as to secure the magnetic flakes in the carrier…
Method and system for mobile reference signature generation
Granted: April 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9020525
A method and an apparatus for generating reference signatures in a cellular wireless communications system are provided. A first signature is obtained for a mobile communication unit at a first location. The first signature comprises first location information, a first timestamp, and radio frequency measurement information, but lacks identification information. The first signature is compared to signatures in a database, to identify a second signature having location information and a…
Time-of-flight (TOF) system, sensor pixel, and method
Granted: April 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9019480
A time-of-flight (TOF) sensor pixel is provided that performs in-pixel subtraction. The TOF sensor pixel includes a photodetector, a capacitor, and circuitry. The photodetector detects light pulses emitted at a clock frequency, after a time of flight, to provide a photocurrent. The capacitor integrates the photocurrent over an integration period, while the circuitry reverses a flow direction of the photocurrent through the capacitor at twice the clock frequency. At the end of the…
Structure and method for edge-emitting diode package having deflectors and diffusers
Granted: April 14, 2015
Patent Number:
9008139
A high field of view, low height package and wafer-level packaging process are provided. The top surface of a first wafer has recesses defined by sidewalls, with a reflector, and a floor. The reflector is incident a horizontal light path form an edge-emitting diode on the floor, directing the light path vertically. A second optically diffusing wafer receives the vertically directed light. A vertical ring to surround each recess is wafer-level fabricated on one of the wafers. The vertical…
Taggent flakes for covert security applications having a selected shape
Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number:
8999616
A plurality of flakes are provided that can be used in ink or paint wherein the flakes are of a size that requires magnification to see their shape, in the form of polygons, such as squares, triangle or rectangles. A breaking or grinding process is used to break a foil into these shaped flakes and frames or walls are provided within the foil sheet so as to delineate the shapes and these lines provided by frames or walls will facilitate breakage in a preferred manner such that the flakes…
Optical switch having a multirow waveguide array
Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number:
9002160
An optical switch platform allowing dual and/or multicast optical switch geometries is disclosed. Only two waveguide arrays are used, one for the input, and one for the output. Multi-row waveguide array(s) can replace individual multiple single-row waveguide arrays for optical switch configurations employing a beam director configured to dispose a plurality of input optical beams in a multi-row pattern of optical beams at an angle-to-offset (ATO) optical element.
Apparatus and method for controlling gain profile of an optical amplifier
Granted: March 31, 2015
Patent Number:
8995048
A change in loading conditions of fiber amplifiers in an optical communications network causes rapid variations in the gain profile of the amplifiers due to spectral hole burning and stimulated Raman scattering. An apparatus for reducing such gain profile variations is described which monitors optical signal perturbations and reacts by adjusting pump powers of the amplifiers and, or fast variable optical attenuator according to a pre-determined function stored in the form of constants in…
Power monitor for optical fiber using background scattering
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8988669
An optical power monitoring device includes a photodetector disposed in close proximity to the cladding of an optical fiber for measuring Rayleigh scattered light from the core of the optical fiber. To ensure only Rayleigh scattered light is measured, a cladding stripper is provided to remove any cladding light prior taking a reading with the photodetector.
Optical interferometer
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8983244
An optical interferometer for demodulating a differential phase shift keying optical signal includes a planar lightwave circuit and at least one free space delay line optically coupled to the planar lightwave circuit. The planar lightwave circuit has a waveguide splitter, a waveguide coupler, and a phase adjuster. In operation, the splitter splits the optical signal into equal portions, the phase adjuster adjusts the relative phase of the optical signal portions, and the free space delay…
WSS with high port isolation and close spaced ports
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8977079
By steering wanted diffraction orders within a concentrated angular region and steering all unwanted diffraction orders outside that region, a wavelength selective switch achieves high port isolation and densely spaced ports. N inputs receive an optical signal. Optics spatially separate and direct wavelength channels from the signal. A phased array switching engine comprising cells steers a wanted diffraction order of each spatially separated wavelength channel from each cell at an angle…
Wavelength referencing by monitoring a voltage across a laser diode
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8976826
A lasing wavelength of a laser diode is determined by applying a forward current to the p-n junction of the laser diode and measuring a voltage across the p-n junction. The lasing wavelength can be determined by performing a simple wavelength calibration of the laser diode. This allows one to stabilize the lasing wavelength, and also to use the laser diode as a reference wavelength source.
Systems and methods for visualizing errors in video signals
Granted: February 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8964858
Systems and methods for analyzing the performance of a digital network include capturing a stream of digital data, e.g., interne protocol (IP) packets, that represent streaming video, identifying which of the IP packets include bit errors, determining to which of a plurality of pixels the IP packets including bit errors belong and identifying such pixels as corrupted pixels, and illuminating only the corrupted pixels on a display of a tool. Corrupted pixels in different time blocks can…
Cable ID using RFID devices
Granted: February 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8963689
The present invention relates to the use of RFID technology to identify specific cables in a bundle, and in particular to a cable identification device in which RFID devices are connected to the far end of a plurality of cables and splitters, and an RF measurement device is used to identify each cable from the central location. The RF measurement device provides the AC RF electrical signal power required to pass through the at least one AC couple splitter to operate the plurality of RFID…
Wavelength selective switch
Granted: February 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8958693
A wavelength selective switch includes a light input/output unit that includes an input unit and an output unit of a wavelength multiplexed light arranged in a form of an array in a first direction, a light dispersing unit that receives the wavelength multiplexed light from the input unit and disperses the wavelength multiplexed light into signal wavelengths, a light condensing element that condenses the light dispersed into the signal wavelengths, and a light deflecting element array…
Laser diode light source
Granted: February 3, 2015
Patent Number:
8948222
A light source including a laser diode, and a method of operating a light source including a laser diode are disclosed. A driving current of the laser diode is dithered to cause a near-field light intensity distribution at an end facet to be perturbed, thereby reducing a time-averaged local intensity of the laser light at the end facet of the laser diode. The reduced time-averaged intensity reduces a possibility of a damage of the end facet.
Method for auto-configuration of a wavelength selective switch in an optical network
Granted: February 3, 2015
Patent Number:
8948592
The invention relates to a method for auto-configuring a wavelength selective switch (WSS) device having an output port and a plurality of input ports and coupled to a WSS controller. When connected to a WDM optical network, the WSS controller is programmed to utilize one or more optical channel monitors (OCM) coupled to the input and/or output ports to detect which of the wavelengths are present at the input ports. Wavelengths that are not detected on any input port are blocked by the…
