Patents Examined by Ken N Vanderpuye
  • Patent number: 9923634
    Abstract: Methods and systems enable amplifying optical signals using a Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW) having second order optical nonlinearity to generate an optical pump by injection locking. The BRW may also be used for parametric amplification of optical signals using the optical pump. Feedback phase-power control may be performed to maximize output power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Inwoong Kim, Youichi Akasaka, Jeng-Yuan Yang, Motoyoshi Sekiya
  • Patent number: 9917648
    Abstract: Particular embodiments provide a method for delivering data in the upstream direction without the need for upstream radio frequency (RF) modulation. For example, in some embodiments, an optical network may reach to a gateway associated with a user device. The gateway may receive digital baseband data from the user device in the upstream direction. The gateway can then send the digital baseband data through the optical network without modulating the digital baseband signal via radio frequency. At the headend, because no modulation is performed in the upstream direction, there is no need for de-modulation in the headend. In one embodiment, a scheduler-based approach is used to avoid instances of optical beat interference in the upstream direction as only one upstream device that may interfere with other devices may be able to send data at one time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: Zoran Maricevic, Dean Stoneback, Marcel F. Schemmann, Amarildo Vieira, Venkatesh G. Mutalik
  • Patent number: 9917640
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical coupler device, especially for monitoring purposes in an optical point-to-point transmission link, which includes a first, a second and a third optical port and is configured to transmit a first optical signal received at the first optical port to the second optical port and to transmit a second optical signal received at the second optical port to the first and third optical port according to a monitoring split ratio with respect to the optical power of the second optical signal, the first and second optical signal having a wavelength lying in a first optical band. The device is further configured to transmit a third and a fourth optical signal received at the third and the second optical port to the respective other optical port, the third and fourth optical signal having a wavelength lying in a second optical band. The device is controllable with respect to the monitoring split ratio and includes a control means adapted to receive a control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Adva Optical Networking SE
    Inventor: Klaus Grobe
  • Patent number: 9917652
    Abstract: Adaptive communications focal plane arrays that may be implemented in, e.g., a specially-configured camera that can be utilized to receive and/or process information in the form of optical beams are presented. A specialized focal plane array (FPA) having a plurality of optical detectors is utilized, where one or more optical detectors are suppressed such that data is not allowed to be output from the one or more suppressed optical detectors, and only a significantly smaller number or subset of optical detectors receiving optical beams are allowed to output data. In this way, the rate at which data is to be output by an adaptive communications FPA (ACFPA) can be significantly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: SUREFIRE LLC
    Inventors: John C. Bortz, Narkis Shatz
  • Patent number: 9917645
    Abstract: The method includes receiving axis signals from a multi-axis position sensing detector, generating a reference signal by summing the axis signals, determining a mirror position of a mirror directing the optical beam based on the beam position error of each axis of the multi-axis position sensing detector, and actuating the mirror to move to the mirror position. Each axis signal is indicative of a beam position of an optical beam incident on the multi-axis position sensing detector, each axis signal corresponding to an axis of the multi-axis position sensing detector. For each axis of the multi-axis position sensing detector, the method includes converting a phase of an axis to have a 90 degree phase difference from a signal of the axis, generating an axis-phasor signal by summing the axis signals, and comparing the axis-phasor signal and the reference signal to determine a phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Robert Steinkraus, Klaus Ulander
  • Patent number: 9918149
    Abstract: An optically-switch data network includes an optical data bus, an optical wavelength bus, and multiple nodes connected by the optical data bus and the optical wavelength bus. A first node determines that it has communication information to transmit to a second node, and determines if a first subscription signal is present on the optical wavelength bus. The first subscription signal includes a target frequency. If the first subscription signal is not present on the optical wavelength bus, the first node injects an optical communication signal onto the optical data bus. The optical communication signal includes the communication information and a carrier wave. The carrier wave includes the target frequency. The second node receives the optical communication signal using the optical data bus. If the first subscription signal is present on the optical wavelength bus, injection of the optical communication signal onto the optical data bus is postponed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Roshmere, Inc.
    Inventor: Ping-Piu Kuo
  • Patent number: 9918147
    Abstract: A transmission apparatus includes: a plurality of first devices; and a second device configured to output a data signal shared by the plurality of first devices and respective first clock signals to each of the plurality of first devices, and to control the plurality of first devices individually based on the respective first clock signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Shota Shinohara
  • Patent number: 9918150
    Abstract: An optical line terminal (OLT) that configures a passive optical network (PON) system in cooperation with an optical network unit (ONU). The OLT has a controller to control a link state with the ONU. The controller generates, in one case, a control signal specifying a first low power consumption mode in which the ONU operates in the low power consumption mode in an upstream direction, and generates, in another case, the control signal specifying a second low power consumption mode in which the ONU operates in the low power consumption mode in both upstream and downstream directions. Further, the generated control signal is transmitted to the ONU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiro Tsuji
  • Patent number: 9910218
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical module and an optical network system. A first chip is arranged on a lower cover plate, an upper cladding, which is close to a first PD, of the first chip is covered by a first upper cover plate; a first dividing groove divides the first chip into two parts, and a WDM and a light blocking material are arranged inside the first dividing groove, so as to block stray light transmitted inside the upper cladding, a sandwich layer, a lower cladding, and a base of the first chip; and a light blocking material is arranged on a side of the first upper cover plate facing the first LD, so as to block stray light transmitted on a surface of the first chip, thereby blocking the stray light that enters the first PD, and significantly reducing crosstalk of the optical module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shu Li, Cong Chen, Sulin Yang
  • Patent number: 9906297
    Abstract: A method and system for implementing visible light communication, a sending apparatus and a receiving apparatus are disclosed. The method includes: after performing constellation modulation on data to be sent, a sending end mapping a modulated signal to a corresponding luminescent light source and transmitting the data to be sent through an optical signal; a receiving end converting a received optical signal into an electrical signal, and determining a constellation modulation signal according to a luminescent light source corresponding to the received signal, and demodulating the constellation modulation signal to obtain received data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: ZTE Corporation
    Inventor: Yang Guo
  • Patent number: 9900092
    Abstract: A coded light component is modulated into emitted light on one of multiple channels each having a different modulation frequency. Modulation in the light causes a receiving camera to experience an apparent temporal frequency due to sequential capture of multiple frames and an apparent spatial frequency due to sequential exposure of spatial portions within each frame. Each channel can be detected by a detection module of the camera based on a respective combination of values of the apparent temporal and spatial frequency corresponding to the respective modulation frequency. The detection module has a respective response on each channel that varies as a function of the apparent temporal frequency. The channel for modulating the coded light component is selected from amongst a predetermined set having a property that the response of the detection module on each channel will have a minimum substantially at the apparent temporal frequency of each other channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: PHILIPS LIGHTING HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Frederik Jan De Bruijn, Stephanus Joseph Johannes Nijssen
  • Patent number: 9891425
    Abstract: An optical filter device may include an optical waveguide having an input and an output, and a plurality of first optical resonators optically coupled to the optical waveguide along a length thereof between the input and the output. The optical filter device may further include at least one second optical resonator optically coupled to the plurality of first optical resonators opposite the optical waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: HARRIS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Arthur C. Paolella, Erin K. Sharma, Charles F. Middleton, Evan L. Atwood, Stephen Rego
  • Patent number: 9887774
    Abstract: A transmission characteristics monitoring device monitors transmission characteristics of an optical transmission path between nodes. The device detects an average power of the frequency modulated optical signal and a slope of the transmission characteristics; generates a slope function that represents a slope of the transmission characteristics between first and second frequencies; generates a corrected power value by adding an integral of the slope function to a first power measurement value detected at the first frequency; calculates the transmission characteristics at the second frequency based on a second power measurement value detected at the second frequency when the difference between the second power measurement value and the corrected power value is smaller than a specified threshold; and calculates the transmission characteristics at the second frequency based on the corrected power value when the difference is greater than the specified threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Guoxiu Huang, Yasuhiko Aoki, Shoichiro Oda, Setsuo Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9887776
    Abstract: Provided are a light dimming method for alleviating inter-frame flicker and dimming device. The light dimming method includes that: an average luminance value Avgdata when a sender sends physical frames is calculated; whether inter-frame flicker is generated when the sender sends data or not is judged according to a ratio of Avgdata to an average luminance value Avglight in an illumination state; and if the inter-frame flicker is generated when the sender sends the data, the sender inserts a dimming frame in an idle pattern, wherein the dimming frame is used for compensating for a luminance difference between Avgdata and Avglight. A value of a duty cycle of the physical frame sent to regulate the luminance of the light source in the idle pattern of the sender is within a certain range, and is not required to be accurately equal to a duty cycle of a line coding method adopted for a physical layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: ZTE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ning Lv, Zhou Zhi, Zhong Yu
  • Patent number: 9882671
    Abstract: An optical signal transmitted by another terminal device that was used for compensation could be received by a device that is not the intended destination of said optical signal, resulting in the problem that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed for the information in said optical signal. This optical reception device is characterized by the provision of the following: a receiving means via which wavelength-multiplexed signal light is inputted; and a transmitting means that, in accordance with an identifier in an optical signal of a prescribed wavelength in the inputted wavelength-multiplexed signal light, forwards said optical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Tatsuhiro Nakada
  • Patent number: 9876567
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments described herein include a bi-directional Free Space Optical (FSO) communication unit that may be used in a multi-node FSO communication system. The bi-directional FSO unit may include a co-boresighted optical unit such that received and transmitted beams are coincident through a common aperture. Embodiments described herein may be used to correct or accommodate the alignment errors of the received and transmitted beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: SA Photonics, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Dickson, Andrew K. McClaren, Greg G. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 9871615
    Abstract: Component signal values are derived from component signals and fed to at least one fixed equalizer which generates equalizer output signals. The signals are fed to phase error detectors generating phase error signals. The phase error signals are combined with further phase error signals derived by further error detectors receiving signal values from further equalizers and/or the component signal values directly from sample units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Xieon Networks S.a.r.l.
    Inventors: Alessandro Bianciotto, Bernhard Spinnler, Antonio Napoli, Christina Hebebrand
  • Patent number: 9871590
    Abstract: An optical transceiver that installs an optical modulator with the Mach-Zehnder type and made of primarily semiconductor materials, and an Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) is disclosed. The EDFA and the MZ modulator, in addition to a wavelength tunable laser diode, an intelligent coherent receiver, and a polarization maintaining splitter, are installed within a compact case following the standard of CFP2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Matsui
  • Patent number: 9866316
    Abstract: Novel tools and techniques that can be used to detect network impairment, including but not limited to impairment of optical fiber networks. In an aspect, such tools and techniques can be deployed at relatively low cost, allowing pervasive deployment throughout a network. In another aspect, such tools and techniques can take advantage of a “dying gasp,” in which a network element detects a sudden drop in received optical (or electrical) power, resolution, etc. at short time scales and sends a notification across the network before the connection is completely compromised. In yet another aspect, some tools can include a supervisory function to analyze aspects of the dying gasp with the goal to determine network segments associated with an impairment and an estimate of the location of an impairment within the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC
    Inventors: Mike Fargano, Michael D. Sprenger
  • Patent number: 9866346
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, structures and methods providing fully reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexing (ROADM) that provide redundancy protection against any two (2) simultaneous wavelength selective switch (WSS) failures with only four 2×1 WSS structures for both Eastbound and Westbound traffic, while not requiring bidirectional operation of the WSS structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Philip Nan Ji, Ting Wang, Ryuji Aida