Method for extracting optical energy from an optical beam

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9274344-B2
Application number	US-201313942561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2013
Priority date	Jul 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A method includes generating a primary beam using light emitted by a light-source. The method includes generating a secondary beam using a portion of the light using a lens of a telescope. The lens includes one or more refraction elements positioned on a first surface of the lens, and the secondary beam is generated by diverting the portion of the light using the one or more refraction elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a primary mirror;
a secondary mirror; and
a lens comprising a refraction portion surrounded by a substantially planar portion, wherein the substantially planar portion, the primary mirror, and the secondary mirror are arranged to generate a primary beam using a first portion of light emitted from a light-source, and wherein the refraction portion is arranged to generate a beacon beam using a second portion of the light emitted from the light-source.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a first telescope configured to communicate data to a second telescope via the primary beam.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein first telescope is located at a first location, and wherein the second telescope is located at a second location that is remote of the first location.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second telescope is configured to locate the first telescope based at least in part on the beacon beam.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lens comprises a second refraction portion surrounded by the substantially planar portion, and wherein both the refraction portion and the second refraction portion have a concave shape relative to the substantially planar portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the concave shape of the refraction portion extends into a thickness of the lens.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lens comprises a second refraction portion surrounded by the substantially planar portion, and wherein both the refraction portion and the second refraction portion have a convex shape relative to the substantially planar portion.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the convex shape of the refraction portion extends away from the substantially planar portion.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the primary beam has a first diameter, wherein the beacon beam has a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter in a far field.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lens is coated with an anti-reflective coating.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light-source includes a laser.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lens comprises:
a first surface that is substantially planar; and
a second surface, wherein the first surface is separated from the second surface by a thickness, wherein the second surface includes the refraction portion and the substantially planar portion.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the refraction portion is configured to generate a portion of the beacon beam when light emitted from a light-source passes through the lens, wherein the second surface includes a second refraction portion, wherein the second refraction portion is configured to generate a second portion of the beacon beam when light emitted from the light-source passes through the lens.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the refraction portion and the second refraction portion have a concave shape relative to the second surface, and wherein the second surface is substantially flat exclusive of the refraction portion and the second refraction portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the refraction portion and the second refraction portion have a convex shape relative to the second surface, and wherein the second surface is substantially flat exclusive of the refraction portion and the second refraction portion.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first surface and the second surface of the lens are coated with an anti-reflective coating.

17. A method comprising:
generating a primary beam using a first portion of light emitted by a light-source using a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, and a substantially planar portion of a lens of a telescope; and
generating a beacon beam by diverting a second portion of the light using a refraction portion of the lens that is surrounded by the substantially planar portion.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the primary beam is generated by reflecting the light using the primary mirror and the secondary mirror of the telescope, and wherein the lens is coated with an anti-reflective coating.

19. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a first refraction center of the refraction portion is a distance away from a lens center of the lens, wherein a second refraction center of the second refraction portion is the distance away from the lens center.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light emitted by the light source has a first diameter when incident on the lens, and wherein the lens has a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Wilcken Stephen K

Classifications

• G02B17/0804

  using two curved mirrors (G02B17/0864, G02B17/0896 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B3/00

  Simple or compound lenses · CPC title

• G02B23/06

  having a focussing action, e.g. parabolic mirror · CPC title

• H04B10/11

  Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum · CPC title

• G02B27/108 Primary

  for sampling a portion of a beam or combining a small beam in a larger one, e.g. wherein the area ratio or power ratio of the divided beams significantly differs from unity, without spectral selectivity · CPC title