Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080212034 | SPECKLE REDUCTION IN LASER-PROJECTOR IMAGES - A laser projector having a configurable spatial light modulator (SLM) adapted to display various spatial modulation patterns and redirect illumination from a laser to form an image on the viewing screen. The laser projector drives the SLM to change spatial modulation patterns at a rate that causes the corresponding sequence of projected images to fuse to mitigate appearance of speckle in the resulting fused image. The SLM can be designed to redirect the illumination using either diffraction or specular reflection of light from the displayed spatial modulation pattern. In one embodiment, the SLM is a MEMS device having an array of individually addressable mirrors supported over a substrate and adapted to move (e.g., translate and/or rotate) with respect to the substrate. | 09-04-2008 |
20080212159 | DIRECT OPTICAL IMAGE PROJECTORS - An apparatus includes a reconfigurable spatial light modulator, a light source, and a transmission filter. The reconfigurable spatial light modulator is capable of producing spatially varying amplitude and/or phase modulations of an incident light wavefront. The light source is configured to direct an illumination light beam towards the reconfigurable spatial light modulator such that the modulator produces a modulated outgoing light beam there from. The transmission filter is configured to spatially filter a light pattern formed by the outgoing light beam and to selectively transmit light from substantially only one diffractive order of the light pattern. | 09-04-2008 |
20080315099 | DETECTOR OF INFRARED RADIATION HAVING A BI-MATERIAL TRANSDUCER - A representative embodiment of the invention provides an infrared (IR) detector having a movable plate supported at an offset distance from a substrate by a suspension arm. In response to a temperature difference between the plate and the substrate generated by the incident IR radiation, the suspension arm deforms and changes the offset distance for the plate. In one embodiment, the suspension arm has three rod-shaped bimorph transducers that lie within a plane that is parallel to the substrate. The transducers are also parallel to one another, with the transducer that is attached to an anchor of the suspension arm being located between the two transducers that are attached to the plate. | 12-25-2008 |
20090009719 | COMPACT IMAGE PROJECTOR - A representative embodiment of the invention provides a compact image projector having a light source coupled to a spatial light modulator (SLM). The light source has a substantially planar structure. The overall size of the SLM is dominated by its length and/or width. The projector has an optical arrangement that enables the SLM to be oriented so that the SLM's dominant dimensions are parallel to the plane of the light source. Due to this relative orientation of the SLM and light source, one of the dimensions of the image projector can be smaller than 12 mm, which advantageously enables incorporation of the projector into a hand-held electronic device, such as a cell phone, PDA, or media player. | 01-08-2009 |
20090009848 | ENHANCED OPTICAL READOUT SCHEME FOR A THERMAL IMAGER EMPLOYING A RECONFIGURABLE SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR - An apparatus includes a reconfigurable spatial light modulator capable of spatially modulating an incident wavefront responsive to an image formed on the modulator. A light source is configured to direct a coherent illumination light beam towards the modulator such that the modulator produces a modulated outgoing light beam therefrom. A filter is configured to spatially filter a light pattern formed by the outgoing light beam on a plane to selectively transmit light from a plurality of diffraction peaks therein. | 01-08-2009 |
20090184659 | Time division multiplexing a DC-to-DC voltage converter - An apparatus includes a DC-to-DC voltage converter. The DC-to-DC voltage converter has a plurality of pairs of outputs and is configured to apply voltages across the pairs of outputs in a time division multiplexed manner. | 07-23-2009 |
20090184976 | System and Method for Color-Compensating a Video Signal Having Reduced Computational Requirements - A system for, and method of, color-compensating a video signal. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a first transformation circuit configured to receive and transform a gamma-encoded input video signal into a gamma-encoded RGB video signal R′G′B′ and (2) a second transformation circuit coupled to the first transformation circuit and configured to receive and linearly transform the gamma-encoded RGB video signal R′G′B′ into a chrominance-compensated, gamma-encoded rgb video signal r′g′b′. | 07-23-2009 |
20090185086 | LIGHT MODULATOR FOR OPTICAL IMAGE PROJECTION - A spatial light modulator | 07-23-2009 |
20090185140 | Multi-color light source - System including first and second light sources and controller. First light source is configured to generate first light beam of first perceived color. Second light source is configured to generate second light beam of different second perceived color. Controller is configured to direct light from first light beam to an image projector during first time intervals and to direct light from second light beam to an image projector during second time intervals. First light source generates first light beam with first intensity. Second light source generates second light beam with different second intensity. Controller is configured to temporally interleave first and second time intervals such that second time intervals are longer than first time intervals. Method also provided. | 07-23-2009 |
20090185141 | DIFFUSER CONFIGURATION FOR AN IMAGE PROJECTOR - According to one embodiment, an image projector has a spatial light modulator (SLM) adapted to modulate illumination from a laser with a spatial pattern such that the modulated illumination projects an image on a viewing screen. The image projector further has an optical diffuser located on an optical path between the laser and the SLM. The laser is adapted to illuminate the SLM through the optical diffuser to create an illuminated area at the SLM. The optical diffuser is adapted to introduce an angular spread into the light transmitted therethrough. The image projector is adapted to move the illuminated area with respect to the SLM to mitigate speckle in the projected image. | 07-23-2009 |
20090185251 | OSCILLATING MIRROR FOR IMAGE PROJECTION - An apparatus includes a substrate and a mirror. The mirror is attached to the substrate via a spring. An electro-mechanical driver is operable to cause the mirror to rotationally oscillate about first and second non-collinear axes at different first and second frequencies. | 07-23-2009 |
20090195882 | Mechanical lenses - A mechanical lens includes a rigid chamber, a first transparent window located to close one end of the chamber, a flexible transparent membrane window located to close another end of the chamber, and a transparent fluid having an index of refraction. The flexible transparent membrane window is along an optical path of light received through said first transparent window. The chamber is filled with said fluid and a curvature of said flexible transparent membrane window is responsive to a pressure of said transparent fluid. | 08-06-2009 |
20100025581 | INFRARED IMAGING APPARATUS - A representative embodiment of the invention provides an infrared (IR) imaging system adapted to (i) convert an IR image of an object into mechanical displacements of a plurality of movable plates, (ii) use the mechanical displacements to impart a corresponding spatial phase modulation pattern onto a beam of visible light, and (iii) apply spatial filtering to convert the spatial phase modulation pattern into a visible image of the object. | 02-04-2010 |
20100066800 | MONITOR HAVING INTEGRAL CAMERA AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME - As discussed herein, there is presented a visual communication system, a method of conducting two-way visual communication and an apparatus. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes: (1) a lens substrate having a first array of micro lenses on one side thereof, (2) an optical output substrate having a second array of display pixels and (3) an optical input substrate having a third array of image sensors laterally inter-dispersed with respect to display pixels of the first array and positioned to receive light from the micro lenses of the first array. | 03-18-2010 |
20100290009 | IMAGE PROJECTOR EMPLOYING A SPECKLE-REDUCING LASER SOURCE - An image projector having one or more broadband lasers designed to reduce the appearance of speckle in the projected image via wavelength diversification. In one embodiment, a broadband laser has an active optical element and a nonlinear optical element, both located inside a laser cavity. The broadband laser generates an output spectrum characterized by a spectral spread of about 10 nm and having a plurality of spectral lines corresponding to different spatial modes of the cavity. Different individual spectral lines effectively produce independent speckle configurations, which become intensity-superimposed in the projected image, thereby causing a corresponding speckle-contrast reduction. | 11-18-2010 |
20100329670 | RECEIVER FOR OPTICAL TRANSVERSE-MODE-MULTIPLEXED SIGNALS - A representative optical receiver of the invention receives an optical transverse-mode-multiplexed (TMM) signal through a multimode fiber that supports a plurality of transverse modes. The optical receiver has a plurality of optical detectors operatively coupled to a digital signal processor configured to process the TMM signal to determine its modal composition. Based on the determined modal composition, the optical receiver demodulates each of the independently modulated components of the TMM signal to recover the data encoded onto the TMM signal at the remote transmitter. | 12-30-2010 |
20100329671 | TRANSVERSE-MODE MULTIPLEXING FOR OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS - An optical communication system having an optical transmitter and an optical receiver optically coupled via a multi-path fiber. The optical transmitter launches, into the multi-path fiber, an optical transverse-mode-multiplexed (TMM) signal having a plurality of independently modulated components by coupling each independently modulated component into a respective transverse mode of the multi-path fiber. The TMM signal undergoes inter-mode mixing in the multi-path fiber before being received by the optical receiver. The optical receiver processes the received TMM signal to reverse the effects of inter-mode mixing and recover the data carried by each of the independently modulated components. | 12-30-2010 |
20110134205 | IMAGING TERMINAL - An apparatus includes a state-switchable screen, a video camera, and a video projector. The video camera and projector are located on a side of the screen opposite to the side thereof of a video conference participant. The apparatus is configured to temporally interleave the screen between a substantially transparent state and a diffusive state. In the substantially transparent state, the video projector is configured to be outside of a viewing field of a video conference participant looking toward the video camera. | 06-09-2011 |
20110234985 | DESPECKLING LASER-IMAGE-PROJECTION SYSTEM - An optical device for projecting an image is disclosed. In one embodiment, the optical device includes a configurable optical diffuser adapted to produce a diffuse optical beam having a temporally varying pattern of angular divergence. The optical device further includes a plurality of lenslet pairs to shape the diffuse optical beam and a spatial light modulator to spatially modulate the shaped optical beam to project an image. | 09-29-2011 |
20110243490 | WAVEGUIDE COUPLER FOR OPTICAL TRANSVERSE-MODE MULTIPLEXING - An optical coupler for coupling a multimode waveguide and two or more other waveguides. In one embodiment, the optical coupler has an optical phase mask disposed between the multimode waveguide and two or more other waveguides. The optical phase mask imposes on the light passing therethrough a spatial phase pattern that causes selective mode-to-waveguide coupling between the multimode waveguide and the other waveguides. The optical coupler can be used, e.g., in transmitters and receivers of optical transverse-mode-multiplexed signals. | 10-06-2011 |
20110243574 | MULTIMODE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION - An optical transmitter includes a set of optical waveguides and first, second, and third optical modulators. Output ends of the optical waveguides of the set form a two-dimensional array capable of end-coupling the optical waveguides of the set to a multimode optical fiber in response to the array being located to optically face one end of the multimode optical waveguide. The first optical modulator is optically connected to a first of the optical waveguides of the set, and each of the second and third optical modulators is optically connected to the second and third of the optical waveguides of the set. The set of optical waveguides is configured to provide a coupling matrix of rank three or more between the optical modulators and optical propagation modes in the multimode optical fiber. | 10-06-2011 |
20120075598 | PROJECTING AN IMAGE USING A MOVING ILLUMINATION BEAM - According to one embodiment, an image projector has a spatial light modulator (SLM) adapted to modulate illumination from a laser with a spatial pattern such that the modulated illumination projects an image on a viewing screen. The image projector further has an optical diffuser located on an optical path between the laser and the SLM. The laser is adapted to illuminate the SLM through the optical diffuser to create an illuminated area at the SLM. The optical diffuser is adapted to introduce an angular spread into the light transmitted therethrough. The image projector is adapted to move the illuminated area with respect to the SLM to mitigate speckle in the projected image. | 03-29-2012 |
20120177384 | SCALABLE WAVEGUIDE-MODE COUPLER FOR AN OPTICAL RECEIVER OR TRANSMITTER - A waveguide-mode (WM) coupler having a plurality of single-mode fibers, each optically coupled to a different respective waveguide mode of a multimode fiber. The coupling optics employed by the WM coupler are scalable and include reflective fiber-tip coatings, polarization beam splitters, phase masks, and quarter-wave plates configured to overlap and/or separate the optical beams corresponding to different waveguide modes of the multimode fiber in a manner that does not cause a significant increase in the optical insertion losses with an increase in the number of optical channels in the WM coupler. | 07-12-2012 |
20130068937 | Optical mode couplers for multi-mode optical fibers - An apparatus includes a first optical mode coupler having a spatial light modulator with a two-dimensional array of separately controllable optical phase modulators. The optical mode coupler is configurable to cause the spatial light modulator to couple a light source or light detector to an end-face of a multi-mode optical fiber via a plurality of light beams. Each of the light beams couples to a different one of optical modes in the multi-mode optical fiber. | 03-21-2013 |
20130070330 | OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR SIGNAL AMPLIFICATION USING A MULTIMODE FIBER - An optical coupler for coupling optical-pump power into a multimode fiber configured to transport an optical space-division-multiplexed (SDM) signal, the coupling being performed in a manner that enables amplification of the SDM signal in the multimode fiber via a stimulated-emission process or a stimulated Raman-scattering process. The optical coupler can be a part of an optical transmitter configured for co-directional pumping, an optical receiver configured for contra-directional pumping, or a relay station disposed within an optical communication link and configured for either type of pumping. The optical coupler can advantageously be used, e.g., to offset the different degrees of attenuation to which the SDM-signal components corresponding to different guided modes of the multimode fiber are subjected to therein. | 03-21-2013 |
20130128133 | LIGHT MODULATOR FOR OPTICAL IMAGE PROJECTION - A spatial light modulator comprising an array-type liquid crystal panel, a polarization beam splitter, an oblique wave plate and a converging lens. The polarization beam splitter is orientated to direct a source light towards a reflective planar surface of the array-type liquid crystal panel. The oblique wave plate and converging lens are located between the polarization beam splitter and the array-type liquid crystal panel. The converging lens is configured to direct light from the reflective planar surface onto a facing surface of the polarization beam splitter. | 05-23-2013 |
20130216183 | COMPACT WAVELENGTH-SELECTIVE CROSS-CONNECT DEVICE HAVING MULTIPLE INPUT PORTS AND MULTIPLE OUTPUT PORTS - A wavelength-selective cross-connect (WSXC) device having N input ports and M output ports and configured to route any set of one or more carrier wavelengths from a corresponding input port to any selected output port. In one embodiment, the WSXC device includes a diffraction grating and a beam-steering device optically coupled to each other and to the input/output ports so that each of the carrier wavelengths traverses the diffraction grating and the beam-steering device two or more times en route from the respective input port to a designated output port. Various unfolded configurations of the WSXC device are also disclosed. | 08-22-2013 |
20130230319 | MULTIMODE OPTICAL FIBER, MODE DELAY ADJUSTER FOR FIBER SYSTEMS, AND METHODS TO USE SUCH FIBERS, ADJUSTERS, AND SYSTEMS - An apparatus includes a multi-mode optical fiber having a selected plurality of optical propagating modes. The selected plurality may include only a proper subset of or may include all of the optical propagating modes of the multi-mode optical fiber. Each optical propagating mode of the selected plurality has a group velocity that varies over a corresponding range for light in, at least, one of the optical telecommunications C-band, the optical telecommunications L-band, and the optical telecommunications S-band. The ranges corresponding to different ones of the modes of the selected plurality are non-overlapping. The ranges of a group velocity-adjacent pair of the ranges are separated by a nonzero gap of less than about 10,000 meters per second. | 09-05-2013 |
20130236195 | OPTICAL FEED-FORWARD EQUALIZER FOR MIMO SIGNAL PROCESSING - A feed-forward equalizer can be used in the host optical receiver to perform at least some of the desired signal processing in the optical domain, e.g., prior to coherently detecting and digitizing the received optical signal(s). In some embodiments, the signal processing implemented in the feed-forward equalizer can at least partially compensate the adverse effects of chromatic dispersion, polarization-mode dispersion, and/or spatial-mode mixing/crosstalk imparted on the received optical signal(s) in the optical transport link. This reduces the signal-processing load of and the signal-processing requirements to the receiver's electrical DSP. | 09-12-2013 |
20130315532 | OPTICAL TIME DOMAIN REFLECTOMETRY FOR MULTIPLE SPATIAL MODE FIBERS - An apparatus includes an N×1 spatial mode multiplexer, an optical source and an optical receiver. The spatial mode multiplexer has N input ports and an output port end-couplable to a multimode optical fiber. The multiplexer is configured to preferentially couple light between individual ones of the input ports and corresponding spatial optical modes of the multimode optical fiber. The optical source is connected to a first one of the input ports to launch an optical probe pulse into the fiber. The optical receiver is connected to electrically analyze an optical signal backscattered from the multimode optical fiber and output by a second one of the input ports in response to the launch of the optical probe pulse into the fiber. | 11-28-2013 |
20140002577 | Videoconferencing Technique | 01-02-2014 |
20140079392 | Multi-Mode Optical Transmission Line With Differential Modal Group Delay Compensation - An apparatus includes an all-optical transmission line having, at one wavelength, a pair of relatively orthogonal optical propagating modes whose local group velocities differ along a part of the all-optical transmission line. The all-optical transmission line is formed by a sequence of optically end-connected multi-mode fiber segments. The segments include, at least, 80% of the optical path length of the all-optical transmission line. Each segment is configured such that a differential group delay between the pair varies monotonically there along and changes by, at least, 200 pico-seconds thereon. | 03-20-2014 |
20140153922 | Multi-Mode Optical Communication With Mode Mixtures - An apparatus includes an optical transmitter having a plurality of optical data modulators and an end-face coupler. Each of the optical data modulators is configured to output a corresponding data-modulated optical carrier. The optical end-face coupler is configured to direct the data-modulated optical carriers into a pattern of light beams to illuminate an end-face of a multi-mode optical fiber with a pattern of light spots. The optical end-face coupler is configured to cause each of the data-modulated optical carriers to excite a set of orthonormal optical propagating modes of the multi-mode optical fiber. Some of the orthonormal optical propagating modes of the set have nontrivially differing intensity and/or phase profiles. | 06-05-2014 |
20140186024 | OPTICAL RECEIVER HAVING A MIMO EQUALIZER - An optical receiver comprising an optical-to-electrical converter and a digital processor having one or more equalizer stages. The optical-to-electrical converter is configured to mix an optical input signal and an optical local-oscillator signal to generate a plurality of electrical digital measures of the optical input signal. The digital processor is configured to process the electrical digital measures to recover the data carried by the optical input signal. At least one of the equalizer stages is configured to perform signal-equalization processing in which the electrical digital measures and/or digital signals derived from the electrical digital measures are being treated as linear combinations of arbitrarily coupled signals, rather than one or more pairs of 90-degree phase-locked I and Q signals. The latter feature enables the digital processor to more-effectively mitigate the receiver-, link-, and/or transmitter-induced signal impairments because various orthogonality-degrading effects can be mitigated in a relatively straightforward manner. | 07-03-2014 |
20140294346 | WAVELENGTH-SELECTIVE CROSS-CONNECT DEVICE HAVING ASTIGMATIC OPTICS - A wavelength-selective cross-connect (WSXC) device configured to route any set of carrier wavelengths from a corresponding input port to any selected output port. The WSXC device comprises a diffraction grating and a beam-steering device optically coupled to one another and to the input/output ports using astigmatic optics. The astigmatic optics includes one or more cylindrical lenses configured to image one beam-steering surface onto another beam-steering surface to enable a continuous spectral response. The astigmatic optics may further include (i) a cylindrical Fourier lens that enables the WSXC device to convert a change in the angular beam steering performed by the beam-steering device into a corresponding image-spot displacement at the output ports and/or (ii) one or more cylindrical lenses configured to image the active surface of the beam-steering device onto the diffraction grating. Various unfolded configurations of the various embodiments of the WSXC device are also disclosed. | 10-02-2014 |
20150085352 | OPTICAL AMPLIFIER FOR SPACE-DIVISION MULTIPLEXING - In an example embodiment, an optical amplifier comprises a doped multi-core optical fiber and two optical couplers placed at the ends of the doped multi-core fiber, with each optical coupler having a respective plurality of optical waveguide cores optically coupled to the optical waveguide cores of the doped multi-core fiber. The spatial arrangement of the cores at the input end of the first optical coupler is configured for low-loss intake of the optical energy from the input transmission line. The spatial arrangement of the cores at the output end of the first optical coupler and the spatial arrangement of the cores at the input end of the second optical coupler match the spatial arrangement of the cores in the doped multi-core fiber. The spatial arrangement of the cores at the output end of the second optical coupler is configured for low-loss transfer of the optical energy into the output transmission line. | 03-26-2015 |
20150086199 | COMPACT TWO-STAGE OPTICAL AMPLIFIER - Various exemplary embodiments relate to an optical amplifier, including: a multicore rare-earth doped optical fiber with a first plurality of cores associated with a first stage of the optical amplifier and a second plurality of cores associated with a second stage of the optical amplifier; a three dimensional (3D) waveguide configured to couple input space division multiplexed (SDM) channels into the first plurality of cores at a first end of the multicore rare-earth doped optical fiber and to couple channels from the second plurality of cores to output SDM channels; a reflector configured to optically interconnect the first plurality of cores to the second plurality of cores; and pump laser coupled to the multicore rare-earth doped optical fiber configured to produce laser pump light to pump the multicore rare-earth doped optical fiber. | 03-26-2015 |
20150086200 | Space To Wavelength Superchannel Conversion - An apparatus inputs an input configured to receive an input optical signal, and an output configured to output an output optical signal. A superchannel converter is coupled between the input and the output. The superchannel converter is configured to convert N spatial modes of the input optical signal to M spatial modes of the output optical signal. | 03-26-2015 |
20150086201 | Data Multiplexing And Mixing Of Optical Signals Across Propagation Modes - An apparatus, e.g. an optical device, includes an optical transmitter and a mixer. The transmitter is configured to transmit a plurality of optical data channels that each include at least one spectral component at a same frequency. The mixer is configured to combine a first data channel with a second data channel. The combining is such that first and second optical channels output by the optical transmitter each include contributions from the first and second data channels at the same frequency. | 03-26-2015 |