Patents Examined by Leslie C Pascal
  • Patent number: 11063672
    Abstract: An optical device having a self-repair component capable of curing a defective component(s) is disclosed. To improve reliability as well as manufacturing yield, a photonic integrated circuit (“PIC”) for as a multi-channel optical line terminal (“OLT”) contains spare lasers or standby lasers configured to replace a failed laser(s). In one aspect, PIC includes a set of fixed-wavelength lasers (“FWLs”), a tunable-wavelength auxiliary laser (“TWAL”), a photonic detector, and a tuner. FWLs, for example, generate optical wavelengths representing optical signals. TWAL generates an optical signal with a spectrum of wavelengths based on a setting generated by the tuner. The photonic detector detects a defective wavelength. The tuner adjusts output wavelength of TWAL in response to the defective wavelength. Alternatively, PIC includes a working laser array, standby laser array, and spare laser array capable of providing two-layer laser defective protections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Calix, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert Levesque, Nirmal S. Virdee
  • Patent number: 11051684
    Abstract: An endoscope light source device includes: a plurality of solid-state light sources; a plurality of collimating lenses that respectively collimate light beams emitted from the plurality of solid-state light sources into substantially parallel light beams; a multiplexing optical member that multiplexes the light beams that have been collimated into substantially parallel light beams by the plurality of collimating lenses; at least one diaphragm disposed between at least one of the plurality of solid-state light sources and a corresponding at least one of the plurality of collimating lenses; and a focusing lens that focuses multiplexed light beams from the plurality of solid-state light sources and causes the light beams to enter an end surface of a light guide of an endoscope, wherein the at least one diaphragm blocks more peripheral light as an optical path length from each of the plurality of solid-state light sources to the focusing lens becomes smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuto Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 11045069
    Abstract: A flexible waveguide includes an inner dielectric, and a flexible external conductor disposed in a position covering an outer periphery of the dielectric, the flexible waveguide conducting a radio wave in a frequency band equal to or longer than a millimeter wave or a submillimeter wave near 60 GHz or more. The external conductor includes a metal layer, the metal layer has a shape displacement structure, a shape of an inner periphery side section of which faces the inner dielectric and is cyclic in the waveguide longitudinal direction, the shape displacement structure being a cyclic structure satisfying ?mr<?ch, where ?mr represents a center wavelength of a main reflection band due to the cyclic structure and ?ch represents a cutoff wavelength in a high-order mode of the waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keigo Ito, Tadashi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11039256
    Abstract: An implanted microphone is provided that allows for isolating an acoustic response of the microphone from vibration induced acceleration responses of the microphone. The present invention measures the relative motion between a microphone diaphragm, which is responsive to pressure variations in overlying media caused by acoustic forces and acceleration forces, and a cancellation element that is compliantly mounted within a housing of the microphone, which moves primarily in response to acceleration forces. When the microphone and cancelation element move substantially in unison to acceleration forces, relative movement between these elements corresponds to the acoustic response of the microphone diaphragm. This relative movement may be directly measured using various optical measuring systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Cochlear Limited
    Inventor: James R. Easter
  • Patent number: 11028688
    Abstract: To optimize the efficiency and reliability of downhole data transmissions, an optical splash communication system may be utilized. A downhole tool may include an optical splash communication system that comprises multiple electrical elements where the electrical elements communicate with each other by transmitting and receiving via free space an optical splash signal through an inner space of the downhole tool. The electrical elements may comprise or be coupled to a light source and a detector. Multiple optical splash communication systems may be deployed in multiple downhole tools such that each downhole tool may communicate with another downhole tool via an opening, for example, a transparent sealed window, between the downhole tools. The opening is sufficient to permit transmissions to occur even when the downhole tools are rotated independently of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Giron, Wolfgang Hartmut Nitsche, John Laureto Maida
  • Patent number: 10989883
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a connector arrangement having a first connector part and a second connector part, the second connector part being in the form of a receiving connector part having a receiver, and the receiver being connected to a first sensing device for sensing the signal received by the receiver. The connector arrangement is characterized in that the first connector part is in the form of a transmitting connector part that has a transmitter for the contactless transmission of a signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: TRUMPF Schweiz AG
    Inventor: Thomas Huerlimann
  • Patent number: 10992386
    Abstract: A method for implementing a variable optical splitter and a variable optical splitter are provided. The method includes that: the variable optical splitter is divided into one or more virtual optical splitting units according to wavelengths/wavebands of optical signals, wherein the virtual optical splitting units and the wavelengths/wavebands are in a one-to-one correspondence, and moreover, the wavelengths/wavebands and splitting ratios are also in a one-to-one correspondence; and optical guiding or optical splitting is performed on the incident optical signals through the virtual optical splitting units. By adopting the technical solutions provided by the present disclosure, the technical problems that there is yet no optical splitter with a variable splitting ratio in the related technology and the like are solved, and controllability of the splitting ratios of the optical splitter is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: ZTE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jidong Xu, Zhiming Fu, Mingsheng Li, Zhuang Ma
  • Patent number: 10985859
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a first reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) to receive a first optical signal and a second ROADM to receive a second optical signal. The apparatus also includes a reconfigurable optical switch that includes a first switch, switchable between a first state and a second state, to transmit the first optical signal at the first state and block the first optical signal at the second state. The reconfigurable optical switch also includes a second switch, switchable between the first state and the second state, to transmit the second optical signal at the first state and block the second optical signal at the second state. The reconfigurable optical switch also includes an output port to transmit an output signal that is a sum of possible optical signals transmitted through the first switch and the second switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevan Peter Jones
  • Patent number: 10972189
    Abstract: Multiple bit values can be encoded on a single photon in a quantum key distribution (QKD) system using a plurality of sidebands of an optical carrier frequency. Computational and conjugate bases can be defined, and photons decoded based on a selected state from either basis. If n sidebands are available, as many as log2n bits can be encoded on a single photon. Errors in detected bit values due to selection of an incorrect basis state or other errors can be at least partially corrected by bit distillation to identity bit strings for which a transmitter and a receiver record the same values, without insecure transmission of these values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Triad National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Jane E. Nordholt, Richard J. Hughes, Raymond T. Newell, Charles G. Peterson, Rolando D. Somma
  • Patent number: 10969552
    Abstract: Disclosed is an adapter, which includes a housing, a bushing and a sleeve, wherein the housing is provided with a plurality of receiving cavities for receiving the bushings, the bushing includes a support part and a hollow column on the support part, the bushing is mounted in the receiving cavity, a part of the sleeve is mounted within the hollow column of the bushing and another part is mounted within the receiving cavity. In the adapter of the present disclosure, a plurality of bushings/core clips can be mounted in one housing/outer frame, the adapter is integrated with multiple bushings, adapting multiple jumpers, which can effectively improve space utilization and reduce the cost of use; and no welding is required, which can effectively reduce the rejection rate in the production process and improve production efficiency, meanwhile, reduce the assembly processes and labor cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: SHENZHEN FIBERICAN OPTICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yaole Li
  • Patent number: 10948657
    Abstract: A bichromatic grating coupler comprises a two-dimensional diffraction grating structure, including a first sub-grating having a first periodic structure and a second sub-grating having a second periodic structure. The first and second sub-gratings are superimposed with respect to each other in the diffraction grating structure. A first optical port is coupled to the diffraction grating structure along a first direction, and a second optical port is coupled to the diffraction grating structure along a second direction. The first optical port is configured to direct a first light beam having a first wavelength to the diffraction grating structure, such that the first light beam is diffracted in a first direction by the first sub-grating. The second optical port is configured to direct a second light beam having a second wavelength to the diffraction grating structure, such that the second light beam is diffracted in a second direction by the second sub-grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Wade Puckett, Chad Hoyt, Chad Fertig
  • Patent number: 10938486
    Abstract: An optical bus for multi-core processing providing optical data transfer between cores through a single planar waveguide employing a variable-thickness, light-propagation layer having a progressively changing effective refractive index in accordance with lateral position within the light-propagation layer such that light emission from a single light emitter in communication with one core is focused on each of multiple photodetectors in communication with its respective processer core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: YEDA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Ulf Leonhardt
  • Patent number: 10938500
    Abstract: A method for dual polarisation optical transmission is disclosed. The method comprises splitting a continuous wave light source into first and second sub-channels, optically modulating each sub-channel with a data signal, and superimposing a first pilot tone onto the first optically modulated sub-channel and a second pilot tone, different from the first pilot tone, onto the second optically modulated sub-channel. The method further comprises polarisation multiplexing the first and second sub-channels to form a polarisation multiplexed signal, in which the first and second sub-channels have orthogonal states of polarisation, and transmitting the polarisation multiplexed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
    Inventors: Fabio Cavaliere, Gianluca Meloni, Francesco Fresi, Vito Sorianello
  • Patent number: 10928318
    Abstract: Sticking of core layer is suppressed, and deterioration of sensitivity of a sensor is prevented. An optical waveguide (10) includes a substrate (15), a core layer (11), a support, and a protrusion (18). The core layer (11) can transmit light. The support connects at least a portion of the substrate (15) and a portion of the core layer (11) together. The support supports the core layer (11). The protrusion (18) is arranged at a position different from a position of the support in a space between the substrate (15) and the core layer (11). The protrusion (18) has a maximum height at a position deviated from a central position cp of the core layer (11) in a width direction. The protrusion (18) protrudes toward the core layer (11) from the substrate (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsushi Yagi, Takaaki Furuya, Toshiro Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 10931369
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a memory and a processor operatively coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to receive, from a forward error correction (FEC) decoder of an optical transponder, a first plurality of pre-FEC bit error rate (BER) values at a plurality of times to identify a degradation over a first transmission path. The processor is configured to determine, based on the first plurality of pre-FEC BER values, a signal pattern. The processor is configured to adjust, based on the signal pattern, a set of parameters including a first threshold and a second threshold. The processor is configured to send, in response to a second pre-FEC BER value exceeding the second threshold and being below the first threshold, a signal to trigger traffic rerouting to a second transmission path to reduce traffic loss due to the degradation over the first transmission path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Remo Maccaglia, Gert Grammel
  • Patent number: 10908366
    Abstract: Aspects and techniques of the present disclosure relate to an alignment device that includes a groove-type alignment structure with a support region for receiving an optical fiber inserted along a fiber insertion axis. The optical fiber has a first side and a second, opposite side. The groove-type alignment structure engages the first side of the optical fiber. The alignment device includes a stabilization structure that engages the first side of the optical fiber and a first angled transition surface that engages the second, opposite side of the optical fiber. The present disclosure also relates to an alignment system that includes a first housing piece; a second housing piece adapted to mate with the first housing piece; and a flat structure positioned between the first and second housing pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: CommScope Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Steven C. Zimmel, Michael James Ott, Danny Willy August Verheyden, Michael Aaron Kadar-Kallen, Gary William Adams, Robert Charles Flaig, Gregory J. Schaible
  • Patent number: 10903937
    Abstract: An optical module processes first FEC (Forward Error Correction) encoded data produced by a first FEC encoder. The optical module has a second FEC encoder for further coding a subset of the first FEC encoded data to produce second FEC encoded data. The optical module also has an optical modulator for modulating, based on a combination of the second FEC encoded data and a remaining portion of the first FEC encoded data that is not further coded, an optical signal for transmission over an optical channel. The second FEC encoder is an encoder for an FEC code that has a bit-level trellis representation with a number of states in any section of the bit-level trellis representation being less than or equal to 64 states. In this manner, the second FEC encoder has relatively low complexity (e.g. relatively low transistor count) that can reduce power consumption for the optical module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: INPHI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Benjamin P. Smith, Arash Farhoodfar
  • Patent number: 10897314
    Abstract: In order to suppress any reduction in the reception performance of an optical transceiver, the optical transceiver includes a light source, an optical splitter that splits the output of the light source into a first split light and a second split light, an optical modulation unit that modulates the first split light, a coherent receiver that causes the inputted received light to interfere with the second split light, and a first control unit that controls the split ratio of the optical splitter on the basis of the reception characteristic of the received light received by the coherent receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuta Goebuchi
  • Patent number: 10892826
    Abstract: A multi-satellite system includes a first satellite and a second satellite configured to be separated in a predetermined distance between the satellites after being launched into space, and a tether including an optical fiber having first and second ends, wherein the first end is connected to the first satellite and the second end is connected to the second satellite, wherein a length of the tether is greater than the predetermined distance. In this case, the first satellite includes an optical transceiver connected to the first end of the optical fiber to provide a communications link to the second satellite, a spool containing partial winding of the tether, and a free space optical transceiver to provide a first communications link to a first distant satellite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Kieran Parsons, Avishai Weiss, Philip Orlik, Stefano Di Cairano
  • Patent number: 10890713
    Abstract: A light emitting group is provided. The light emitting group includes at least two optical cables are adjacent to each other, wherein each optical cable respectively comprises a conductive material and a light guide material, wherein the light guide material covers the conductive material, and a plurality of encapsulated light emitting elements, wherein each optical cable corresponds to at least one encapsulated light emitting element, and the encapsulated light emitting elements are positioned at a terminal of each optical cable, wherein a minimum side of the encapsulated light emitting element is longer than a thickness of the light guide material, and a connecting line is connected with two centers of the two optical cables from a cross-sectional direction, and at least one encapsulated light emitting element overlaps with a perpendicular bisector in the connecting line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Lumieye Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yao-Cheng Li, Yu-Chieh Chen