Patents by Inventor Sven Voigt

Sven Voigt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9651380
    Abstract: The invention relates to an integrated optical coupler (1) comprising a substrate (3), at least two planar waveguides (4), which are arranged on or in the substrate (3) and consist of a material having a virtually isotropic refractive index (anisotropy of the refractive index of less than 10?6), and al least three monomode fibers (8, 9, 10) coupled to the planar waveguides (4). One of the monomode fibers (8) is a polarization-maintaining fiber. A fiber optic system according to the invention comprises an integrated optical coupler (1) according to the invention, a light source (21) that is suitable for generating light beams, and a first pigtail fiber (22), which is connected at one end to the light source (21) and at the other end to the polarization-maintaining fiber (8) of the integrated optical coupler (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Steffen Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 9417267
    Abstract: In an integrated optical circuit, light from a light source is polarized and coupled to a first and second strip waveguide. A waveguide coupling element couples the two optical signals from the two strip waveguides to different polarization modes of an optical fiber line. The optical fiber line is connected to a measuring head, which reflects the optical signal and in which a phase difference between the two optical partial signals is modulated in a magnetic field. In the waveguide coupling element, the reflected signal is split into two optical partial signals having the same polarization and the phase difference between the two partial signals is determined. A phase modulator device provides for closed-loop operation. Compared to fiber-optical concepts, the number of splices is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Litef GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Dorner, Sven Voigt, Christian Koos, Wolfgang Freude, Juerg Leuthold
  • Publication number: 20160153782
    Abstract: The invention relates to an integrated optical coupler (1) comprising a substrate (3), at least two planar waveguides (4), which are arranged on or in the substrate (3) and consist of a material having a virtually isotropic refractive index (anisotropy of the refractive index of less than 10?6), and al least three monomode fibres (8, 9, 10) coupled to the planar waveguides (4). One of the monomode fibres (8) is a polarisation-maintaining fibre. A fibre optic system according to the invention comprises an integrated optical coupler (1) according to the invention, a light source (21) that is suitable for generating light beams, and a first pigtail fibre (22), which is connected at one end to the light source (21) and at the other end to the polarisation-maintaining fibre (8) of the integrated optical coupler (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Steffen Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 9329412
    Abstract: A digital integrated optical modulator, in particular for a fiber optical signal transmission or measuring device, having two waveguide arms and electrodes that are arranged along both waveguide arms in or on an optical substrate, wherein the arrangements of the electrodes along the two waveguide arms are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Litef GmbH
    Inventor: Sven Voigt
  • Patent number: 8866058
    Abstract: An optical transceiver comprises a substrate having a temperature control device, a light source, a light-guiding fiber, a detector, optics for collimating the light from the light source, coupling optics for focusing the light beam into the light-guiding fiber, and a beamsplitter which sends one part of the collimated light beam into a wavelength stabilization unit and another part of the collimated light beam into the coupling optics. A wavelength stabilization unit detects and compensates for wavelength drift of the light source. The optical transceiver has a superluminescent diode for its light source and may, for example, be integrated in a fiber-optic gyro.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Sven Voigt
  • Publication number: 20130234698
    Abstract: In an integrated optical circuit, light from a light source is polarized and coupled to a first and second strip waveguide. A waveguide coupling element couples the two optical signals from the two strip waveguides to different polarization modes of an optical fiber line. The optical fiber line is connected to a measuring head, which reflects the optical signal and in which a phase difference between the two optical partial signals is modulated in a magnetic field. In the waveguide coupling element, the reflected signal is split into two optical partial signals having the same polarization and the phase difference between the two partial signals is determined. A phase modulator device provides for closed-loop operation. Compared to fiber-optical concepts, the number of splices is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Dorner, Sven Voigt, Christian Koos, Wofgang Freude, Juerg Leuthold
  • Publication number: 20130202244
    Abstract: A digital integrated optical modulator, in particular for a fiber optical signal transmission or measuring device, having two waveguide arms and electrodes that are arranged along both waveguide arms in or on an optical substrate, wherein the arrangements of the electrodes along the two waveguide arms are different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Inventor: Sven Voigt
  • Publication number: 20120199722
    Abstract: An optical transceiver comprises a substrate having a temperature control device, a light source, a light-guiding fiber, a detector, optics for collimating the light from the light source, coupling optics for focusing the light beam into the light-guiding fiber, and a beamsplitter which sends one part of the collimated light beam into a wavelength stabilization unit and another part of the collimated light beam into the coupling optics. A wavelength stabilization unit detects and compensates for wavelength drift of the light source. The optical transceiver has a superluminescent diode for its light source and may, for example, be integrated in a fiber-optic gyro.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Inventor: Sven Voigt
  • Patent number: 7961373
    Abstract: A digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic measurement device. A predetermined total number of electrodes of different lengths are arranged in parallel and on both sides of a light guidance path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are arranged in two or more triples along the light guidance path. In each case, two electrodes of successive length within a triple have the same length ratio with respect to one another. Such length ratio is chosen, in particular, to be ?=1.618. The electrode lengths of this triple are chosen such that the smallest step widths of the output value range of the phase modulator can be formed by subtraction between the values of at least two larger electrodes. This allows the resolution of the phase modulator to be increased from 9 bits to 11 bits without change in chip size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Spahlinger, Alfons Newzella, Sven Voigt
  • Patent number: 7469075
    Abstract: A method and arrangement of electrodes for increasing the resolution of a digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic signal transmission or measuring device. A predetermined total number m of electrodes of different lengths are arranged parallel and on both sides with respect to a light guiding path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are divided into two groups. A first group n of electrodes represents a coarse modulator with binary and more significant weighted electrodes of length ratio bn+0:bn=2, the longest electrode of which corresponds to the sum of lengths of all the remaining electrodes of the overall modulator. A second, smaller group of n0 non-binary and less significant weighted electrodes represents a fine modulator. The smallest output values are not formed by driving individual electrodes of the fine modulator, but rather by forming the difference, in each case, between two larger electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Guenter Spahlinger, Alfons Newzella
  • Patent number: 7283246
    Abstract: A method for regulating the operating frequency of a closed loop fiber optic gyroscope. The demodulated output signal of a detector, as actual signal, is applied to the input of a main controller and, via a gating filter, to a VCO that determines the system clock of the FOG. An additional modulation signal, as analog signal is fed to separate phase correction electrodes that are formed together with the electrodes of a digital phase modulator in an integrated optical chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Litef GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Guenter Spahlinger
  • Patent number: 7119324
    Abstract: A highly stable broadband light source includes a semiconductor light source having a specific emission spectrum, an optical filter having a specific bandpass filtering function and a predetermined bandwidth and a coupling element, to which the light emissions of the semiconductor light source and of the optical filter are fed. The light emission of the broadband light source occurs at the output of the coupling element. The spectrum of the light emission of the broadband light source is composed of the emission spectrum of the semiconductor light source and the bandpass filtering function of the optical filter. The wavelength of the optical filter is temperature-stabilized so that the spectrum of light emission of the broadband light source is essentially determined solely by the filtering function of the optical filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Sven Voigt
  • Publication number: 20060209306
    Abstract: A digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic measurement device. A predetermined total number of electrodes of different lengths are arranged in parallel and on both sides of a light guidance path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are arranged in two or more triples along the light guidance path. In each case, two electrodes of successive length within a triple have the same length ratio with respect to one another. Such length ratio is chosen, in particular, to be ?=1.618. The electrode lengths of this triple are chosen such that the smallest step widths of the output value range of the phase modulator can be formed by subtraction between the values of at least two larger electrodes. This allows the resolution of the phase modulator to be increased from 9 bits to 11 bits without change in chip size.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Inventors: Guenter Spahlinger, Alfons Newzella, Sven Voigt
  • Patent number: 7102757
    Abstract: A device for current measurement based on a fiber-optic in-line Sagnac interferometer includes a birefringence phase modulator for non-reciprocal phase modulation of two orthogonal polarization modes of a light beam passing through the interferometer. The phase modulator is a digital phase modulator that is directly digitally drivable to permit simplification of the corresponding signal processing or driving electronics unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Gunter Spahlinger, Sven Voigt
  • Publication number: 20060171633
    Abstract: A highly stable broadband light source includes a semiconductor light source having a specific emission spectrum, an optical filter having a specific bandpass filtering function and a predetermined bandwidth and a coupling element, to which the light emissions of the semiconductor light source and of the optical filter are fed. The light emission of the broadband light source occurs at the output of the coupling element. The spectrum of the light emission of the broadband light source is composed of the emission spectrum of the semiconductor light source and the bandpass filtering function of the optical filter. The wavelength of the optical filter is temperature-stabilized so that the spectrum of light emission of the broadband light source is essentially determined solely by the filtering function of the optical filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Publication date: August 3, 2006
    Inventor: Sven Voigt
  • Publication number: 20060164651
    Abstract: A method for regulating the operating frequency of a closed loop fiber optic gyroscope. The demodulated output signal of a detector, as actual signal, is applied to the input of a main controller and, via a gating filter, to a VCO that determines the system clock of the FOG. An additional modulation signal, as analog signal is fed to separate phase correction electrodes that are formed together with the electrodes of a digital phase modulator in an integrated optical chip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2003
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Guenter Spahlinger
  • Publication number: 20060147146
    Abstract: A method and arrangement of electrodes for increasing the resolution of a digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic signal transmission or measuring device. A predetermined total number m of electrodes of different lengths are arranged parallel and on both sides with respect to a light guiding path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are divided into two groups. A first group n of electrodes represents a coarse modulator with binary and more significant weighted electrodes of length ratio bn+0:bn=2, the longest electrode of which corresponds to the sum of lengths of all the remaining electrodes of the overall modulator. A second, smaller group of n0 non-binary and less significant weighted electrodes represents a fine modulator. The smallest output values are not formed by driving individual electrodes of the fine modulator, but rather by forming the difference, in each case, between two larger electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Publication date: July 6, 2006
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Guenter Spahlinger, Alfons Newzella
  • Publication number: 20040095581
    Abstract: A device for current measurement based on a fiber-optic in-line Sagnac interferometer includes a birefringence phase modulator for non-reciprocal phase modulation of two orthogonal polarization modes of a light beam passing through the interferometer. The phase modulator is a digital phase modulator that is directly digitally drivable to permit simplification of the corresponding signal processing or driving electronics unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Inventors: Gunter Spahlinger, Sven Voigt