Optical wavelength selecting filter-module and optical wavelength selecting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11506883-B2
Application number	US-201917415099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2019
Priority date	Dec 25, 2018
Publication date	Nov 22, 2022
Grant date	Nov 22, 2022

Abstract

An optical wavelength selecting filter-module into which light is incident from a prescribed direction determined in advance, the optical wavelength-selective filter module including: an optical filter of which an orientation can be changed; a frequency information acquiring unit which acquires frequency information that is information indicating a frequency of light to be transmitted through the optical filter; a temperature information acquiring unit which acquires temperature information that indicates a temperature of the optical filter; a determining unit which determines an orientation of the optical filter based on relationship information that is information associating, for each prescribed frequency, the temperature and an orientation of the optical filter at which light of the frequency is transmitted through the optical filter at transmittance equal to or higher than prescribed transmittance at the temperature, a temperature indicated by the temperature information, and a frequency indicated by the frequency information; and an actuator which points the optical filter in an orientation having been determined by the determining unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical wavelength selecting filter-module into which light is incident from a prescribed direction determined in advance, the optical wavelength-selective filter module comprising:
an optical filter of which an orientation can be changed;
a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having computer program instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by the processor, perform processing of:
acquiring frequency information that is information indicating a frequency of light to be transmitted through the optical filter;
acquiring temperature information that indicates a temperature of the optical filter;
determining an orientation of the optical filter based on relationship information that is information associating, for each prescribed frequency, the temperature and an orientation of the optical filter at which light of the frequency is transmitted through the optical filter at transmittance equal to or higher than prescribed transmittance at the temperature, a temperature indicated by the temperature information, and a frequency indicated by the frequency information;
an actuator which points the optical filter in the orientation; and
a deforming element which deforms into a prescribed shape in accordance with a temperature as a result of a change in the temperature, wherein the orientation of the optical filter is changed by at least one of a drive by the actuator and a deformation of the deforming element.

2. The optical wavelength selecting filter-module according to claim 1 , wherein an orientation of the optical filter is changed by a rotation around a rotation axis that is perpendicular to an optical path of the light,
wherein the computer program instructions further perform processing of:
the determining an incidence angle of the light with respect to the optical filter as the orientation, and
wherein the actuator rotates the optical filter in accordance with the incidence angle.

3. An optical wavelength selecting method that is performed by an optical wavelength-selective filter which includes an optical filter of which an orientation can be changed, the optical wavelength selecting method comprising:
acquiring the frequency information that is information indicating a frequency of light to be transmitted through the optical filter;
acquiring temperature information that indicates a temperature of the optical filter;
determining an orientation of the optical filter based on relationship information that is information associating, for each prescribed frequency, the temperature and an orientation of the optical filter at which light of the frequency is transmitted through the optical filter at transmittance equal to or higher than prescribed transmittance at the temperature, a temperature indicated by the temperature information, and a frequency indicated by the frequency information;
pointing the optical filter in the orientation; and
deforming a deforming element which deforms into a prescribed shape in accordance with a temperature as a result of a change in the temperature, wherein the orientation of the optical filter is changed by at least one of a drive by the actuator and a deformation of the deforming element.

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Imai Takeshi
• Kanai Takuya
• Senoo Yumiko
• Asaka Kota

Classifications

• G02B5/28

  Interference filters · CPC title

• G02B26/007 Primary

  the movable or deformable optical element controlling the colour, i.e. a spectral characteristic, of the light · CPC title

• H04J14/02

  Wavelength-division multiplex systems · CPC title