Fibre-optic communication system and an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10447397-B2
Application number	US-201715819319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2017
Priority date	Nov 23, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A fiber-optic communication system for an aircraft including: a light source operable to generate light; a transceiver in optical communication with the light source, the transceiver including a control input and a reflector; an optical fiber in optical communication with the transceiver; and a light detector in optical communication with the optical fiber. The transceiver is operable to generate an amplitude modulated light signal by selectively reflecting the light received from the light source into the optical fiber using the reflector according to information received at the control input. The light detector is operable to receive the amplitude modulated light signal from the optical fiber and to detect an amplitude of the amplitude modulated light signal to extract the information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fibre-optic communication system for an aircraft, the system comprising:
a light source operable to generate light;
a transceiver in optical communication with the light source so as to receive the light therefrom, the transceiver comprising a control input and a reflector;
an optical fibre in optical communication with the transceiver; and
a light detector in optical communication with the optical fibre;

wherein the transceiver is operable to generate an amplitude modulated light signal by selectively reflecting the light received from the light source into the optical fibre using the reflector according to information received at the control input,
wherein the light detector is operable to receive the amplitude modulated light signal from the optical fibre and to detect an amplitude of the amplitude modulated light signal to extract the information, and
wherein the reflector is positioned to selectively reflect the light received from the light source and the reflector is moved or blocked to generate the amplitude modulated light signal.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reflector is blocked and a barrier in the transceiver selectively blocks light transmitted into the optical fibre according to the information received at the control input to generate the amplitude modulated light signal.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the barrier is positioned in a light path of the transceiver, and wherein the barrier is operable to vary its physical properties to selectively transmit or block light travelling along the light path according to the information received at the control input to generate the amplitude modulated light signal, and wherein the barrier comprises at least one of the following: an electro-optic modulator, a multiple quantum well modulator, a Mach-Zehnder modulator.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the barrier is a moveable barrier positioned adjacent a light path of the transceiver, the moveable barrier being moveable between a transmission position and a blocking position according to the information received at the control input to generate the amplitude modulated light signal, wherein in the transmission position the moveable barrier is spaced from the light path, and in the blocking position the moveable barrier blocks the light path, and wherein the moveable barrier comprises at least one of the following: a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), a shutter, a rotating barrier, a push-up barrier.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reflector is a movable reflector, the moveable reflector being positioned to reflect the light received from the light source and being moveable to selectively direct the reflected light into the optical fibre according to the information received at the control input to generate the amplitude modulated light signal.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is in optical communication with the light source via the optical fibre, and wherein the light source and the light detector are in optical communication with the optical fibre via an optical coupler, the optical coupler being operable to transmit the light from the light source to the optical fibre and to transmit the amplitude modulated light signal from the optical fibre to the light detector.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the optical fibre comprises a fibre Bragg grating (FBG).

8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising an extra light detector, an extra optical coupler, and an extra FBG, the extra FBG being in a light path between the optical coupler and the light detector such that light is reflected by the extra FBG back to the optical coupler, wherein the light source and the extra light detector are in optical communication with the optical coupler via the extra optical coupler, the extra optical coupler being operable to transmit the light from the light source to the optical coupler and to transmit the light reflected by the extra FBG from the optical coupler to the extra light detector, wherein the extra FBG is matched with the FBG.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an energy harvesting system electrically coupled to the transceiver, the energy harvesting system being operable to generate electrical power from an external energy source and to provide the electrical power to the transceiver so as to power the transceiver.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver does not include a light source.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light source is positioned in a temperature-conditioned area of the aircraft, and the transceiver is positioned in a non-temperature-conditioned area of the aircraft, and wherein the temperature-conditioned area of the aircraft is one or more of the following: an avionics bay, a passenger compartment, a flight-deck, and the non-temperature-conditioned area of the aircraft is one or more of the following: a wing, a landing gear, an engine.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver further comprises a further light detector in optical communication with the light source so as to receive the light therefrom, the further light detector being operable to demodulate the received light to extract further information therefrom.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a processing device communicatively coupled to the transceiver so as to receive the further information therefrom, wherein the processing device is operable to provide the information to the control input.

14. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an additional transceiver, an additional optical fibre in optical communication with the additional transceiver, and an additional light detector in optical communication with the additional optical fibre, the additional transceiver being in optical communication with the light source so as to receive the light therefrom, the additional transceiver comprising an additional control input and an additional reflector, wherein the additional transceiver is operable to generate an additional amplitude modulated light signal by selectively reflecting the light received from the light source into the additional optical fibre using the additional reflector according to additional information received at the additional control input, and wherein the additional light detector is operable to receive the additional amplitude modulated light signal from the additional optical fibre and to detect an amplitude of the additional amplitude modulated light signal to extract the additional information.

15. An aircraft comprising a fibre-optic communication system having:
a light source operable to generate light;
a transceiver in optical communication with the light source so as to receive the light therefrom, the transceiver comprising a control input and a reflector;
an optical fibre in optical communication with the transceiver; and
a light detector in optical communication with the optical fibre; and
wherein the transceiver is operable to generate an amplitude modulated light signal by selectively reflecting the light received from the light source into the optical fibre by moving or blocking the reflector according to information received at the control input, and wherein the light detector is operable to receive the amplitude modulated light signal from the optical fibre and to detect an amplitude of the amplitude modulated light signal to extract the information.

16. An aircraft comprising the fibre-optic communication system of claim 1 .

17. An optical communication method using a fiber-optic communication system in an aircraft, wherei

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Barad Kayvon
• Cipullo Alessio

Classifications

• H04B10/67

  Optical arrangements in the receiver · CPC title

• H04B10/2587 Primary

  using a single light source for multiple stations · CPC title

• G02B6/4246

  Bidirectionally operating package structures · CPC title

• B64C13/24

  Transmitting means · CPC title

• H04B10/54

  Intensity modulation · CPC title