Optical beam sweeper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9851443-B2
Application number	US-201213422533-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2012
Priority date	Mar 16, 2012
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

An optical device, comprising an optical device, comprising an optical beam sweeper that includes a multi-wavelength laser source and an optical power splitter. The optical power splitter has an optical input optically coupled to the multi-wavelength laser source, the optical power splitter having N optical outputs, each optical output connected by a corresponding optical pathway of a parallel array to an optical output surface of the optical beam sweeper. N parallel optical paths connect the optical input to the optical output surface, each optical path including a corresponding one the optical pathways and having a different optical path length than the one or more other optical paths, the optical path lengths differing in a wavelength-dependent way.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical device, comprising:
an optical beam sweeper, including:
a multi-wavelength laser source,
an optical power splitter having an optical input optically coupled to the multi-wavelength laser source, the optical power splitter having N optical outputs, each optical output connected, by a corresponding optical pathway of a parallel array, to a common optical output surface of the optical beam sweeper; and

wherein each of the corresponding N parallel optical pathways connecting the optical input to the common optical output surface has a different optical path length than the other parallel optical pathways, the different optical path lengths differing in a wavelength-dependent way.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein each of the optical pathways includes a corresponding controllable delay element capable of being adjusted to change a total phase change produced on propagating through the optical pathway.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the delay elements are configurable to cause a relative phase change of at least 1 degree between light emitted from ones of the optical pathways that are laterally neighboring on the output surface.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the controllable delay elements includes an optical resonator optically coupled to corresponding one of the optical pathways.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the optical resonator is configured as an all-pass resonator.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein a resonance wavelength of the optical resonator is within 1 percent of an output wavelength of the laser source traveling through the corresponding optical pathway.

7. The device of claim 4 , wherein a resonance wavelength of the optical resonator is adjustable.

8. The device of claim 2 , wherein the corresponding controllable delay elements are configured such that light emitted by neighboring ends of the optical pathways increases monotonically along one direction in the output surface.

9. The device of claim 2 , wherein the each of the corresponding controllable delay elements of the optical pathways have a different number of optical resonators therein.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device includes at least 10 of the corresponding optical pathways.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the multi-wavelength laser source includes a plurality of lasers optically coupled to optical inputs of an optical beam combiner, an optical output of the optical beam combiner being optically coupled to the optical power splitter, each of the lasers being configured to emit light at a wavelength different from the other of the lasers.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the optical beam combiner is an optical wavelength multiplexer.

13. The device of claim 1 , further including a range-finding subunit configured as a light detection and ranging device, the optical beam sweeper being part of the range-finding subunit.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the optical beam sweeper is part of a light detection and ranging device that further includes an optical detector subunit and a positioning subunit.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the common optical output surface has a planar outer surface.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein locational orientations of the multi-wavelength laser source and the optical power splitter, including the corresponding N parallel optical pathways and the common optical output surface, are static with respect to each other.

17. A method, comprising:
producing an optical output beam, including:
emitting an optical beam from a multi-wavelength laser source optically coupled to an optical power splitter, the optical power splitter having N optical outputs, each optical output connected, by a corresponding optical pathway of a parallel array, to a common optical output surface of the optical beam sweeper; and

wherein each of the corresponding N parallel optical pathways connecting the optical input to the common optical output surface has a different optical path length than the other parallel optical pathways, the different optical path lengths differing in a wavelength-dependent way.

18. The method of claim 17 , further including changing a direction of the optical output beam by changing the wavelength of the optical beam emitted by the multi-wavelength laser source.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the change in the direction is produced without moving the beam sweeper or its component parts.

20. The method of claim 17 , further including simultaneously producing a plurality of the optical output beams by emitting a plurality of the optical beams each having a different wavelength, each optical beam being emitted from the multi-wavelength laser source.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the common optical output surface has a planar outer surface.

Assignees

• Chen Long
• Alcatel Lucent

Inventors

• Chen Long

Classifications

• G01S7/484

  Transmitters · CPC title

• G01S7/4814

  of transmitters alone · CPC title

• G02B6/29301

  based on a phased array of light guides (integrated arrayed waveguide gratings G02B6/12009) · CPC title

• G01S7/4817

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G02B27/0087

  Phased arrays · CPC title