Switch (i.e., Switching From One Terminal To Another, Not Modulation) Patents (Class 385/16)
  • Patent number: 11353772
    Abstract: A photonic device structure includes: an electro-optical structure including a layer of optical material sandwiched by a pair of electrodes, wherein the layer of optical material is arranged to undergo an electro-optic activity when subjected to a voltage bias across the pair of electrodes; and a cladding layer adjacent to the electro-optical structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: City University of Hong Kong
    Inventors: Kin Seng Chiang, Jingdong Luo
  • Patent number: 11336373
    Abstract: A co-prime transceiver attains higher fill factor, improved side-lobe rejection, and higher lateral resolution per given number of pixels. The co-prime transceiver includes in part, a transmitter array having a multitude of transmitting elements and a receiver array having a multitude of receiving elements. The distance between each pair of adjacent transmitting elements is a first integer multiple of the whole or fraction of the wavelength of the optical. The distance between each pair of adjacent receiving elements is a second integer multiple of the whole or fraction of the wavelength of the optical signal. The first and second integers are co-prime numbers with respect to one another. The transceiver is fully realizable in a standard planar photonics platform in which the spacing between the elements provides sufficient room for optical routing to inner elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Aroutin Khachaturian, Seyed Ali Hajimiri, Behrooz Abiri, Seyed Mohammadreza Fatemi
  • Patent number: 11335781
    Abstract: Heterostructures that include a bilayer composed of epitaxial layers of vanadium dioxide having different rutile-to-monoclinic phase transition temperatures are provided. Also provided are electrical switches that incorporate the heterostructures. The bilayers are characterized in that they undergo a single-step, collective, metal-insulator transition at an electronic transition temperature. At temperatures below the electronic transition temperature, the layer of vanadium dioxide having the higher rutile-to-monoclinic phase transition temperature has an insulating monoclinic crystalline phase, which is converted to a metallic monoclinic crystalline phase at temperatures above the electronic transition temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Chang-Beom Eom, Daesu Lee
  • Patent number: 11316591
    Abstract: A frequency offset processing method, apparatus, and a storage medium, where the method includes: determining a frequency offset of a preset channel in a wavelength selective switch (WSS); determining a correspondence between a frequency offset and a wavelength or a correspondence between a frequency offset and a pixel position based on the frequency offset of the preset channel; and determining a frequency offset of a traffic channel according to the determined correspondence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wei Jia, Chao Pan, Han Zhao, Ning Deng
  • Patent number: 11296811
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a first input port, a first switch, and a second switch. The first switch and the second input port are in optical communication with the first input port. The apparatus also includes a second input port, a third switch, and a fourth switch. The third switch and the fourth switch are in optical communication with the second input port. Each switch is switchable between a first state to pass optical signals and a second state to block optical signals. The apparatus also includes a first combiner in optical communication with the first input port via the first switch and the second input port via the third switch. The apparatus also includes a second combiner in optical communication with the first input port via the second switch and the second input port via the fourth switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Kevan Peter Jones
  • Patent number: 11287585
    Abstract: Provided is a connector assembly for optically connecting one or more optical fibers and an array of vertical coupling elements of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC). In various embodiments, the connector assembly is constructed to independently optically scale some feature sizes, such as, for example, the transverse mode size, the array size, the array geometry, and/or various incidence angles, the optical scaling being performed, e.g., from a fiber end face plane to a connector-mating plane and further to a PIC coupling plane. In some embodiments, the connector assembly may support a polarization (de)multiplexing functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Nubis Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Johannes Winzer
  • Patent number: 11262502
    Abstract: A receiving apparatus and method for determining transmission characteristics of an optical waveguide in which the receiving apparatus includes a waveguide interface for receiving a mixed light beam having a plurality of modes from a multi-mode optical waveguide and for receiving a blended shifted light beam from the multimode optical waveguide, wherein the mixed light beam has an associated phase for each mode of the plurality of modes, and wherein the mixed shifted light beam has an associated shifted phase for each mode of the plurality of modes; and one or more processors for determining mode information for the intermixed light beam and shifted mode information for the intermixed shifted light beam using a trained neural network and for determining, for each mode of the plurality of modes, the respective associated phase using the intermixed shifted light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Technische Universitat Dresden
    Inventors: Stefan Rothe, Qian Zhang, Nektarios Koukourakis, Robert Kuschmierz, Jurgen Czarske
  • Patent number: 11249266
    Abstract: Embodiments herein describe an intelligent optical cable that includes an optical assembly disposed between two pluggable connectors. In one embodiment, the optical assembly in the intelligent optical cable are coupled to the pluggable connectors via respective ribbons, where first ends of the ribbons are connected to the optical assembly while second ends of the ribbons are connected to respective pluggable connectors. In one embodiment, the optical assembly includes a photonic chip which performs an optical function on the optical signals propagating in the optical cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Mazzini, Alberto Cervasio
  • Patent number: 11243361
    Abstract: In some examples, a mechanical transfer ferrule based optical switch may include an optical fiber tube unit connectable to an end of an optical fiber. The optical fiber tube unit may include a lens to transmit light through the optical fiber. An optical fiber tube unit positioning assembly may include an optical fiber tube unit support detachably connectable to the optical fiber tube unit, and an optical fiber tube unit guide to operatively position the optical fiber tube unit support relative to a multi-fiber connector. The optical fiber tube unit guide may align the optical fiber tube unit and the lens to a specified lens of the multi-fiber connector, and connect the optical fiber to a specified optical fiber channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: VIAVI SOLUTIONS FRANCE SAS
    Inventors: Olivier Masselin, Alexandre Cebollada
  • Patent number: 11243437
    Abstract: A privacy display comprises a polarised output spatial light modulator, reflective polariser, plural polar control retarders and a polariser. A birefringent surface relief diffuser structure is arranged to transmit light from the display with high transparency and provide diffuse reflection of ambient light to head-on display users. In a privacy mode of operation, on-axis light from the spatial light modulator is directed without loss and with low diffusion, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance and increased diffusion. Further, overall display reflectivity is reduced for on-axis reflections of ambient light, while reflectivity is increased for off-axis light. The visibility of the display to off-axis snoopers is reduced by means of luminance reduction, increased frontal reflectivity and diffusion of ambient light. In a public mode of operation, the liquid crystal retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance and reflectivity are unmodified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: RealD Spark, LLC
    Inventors: Michael G. Robinson, Robert A. Ramsey, Graham J. Woodgate
  • Patent number: 11237254
    Abstract: A device for scanning measurement of a distance to an object has a light source, which generates an optical output signal having a time-varying frequency. The device includes multiple optical processing units, which are connected optically in parallel to the light source. Each processing unit has an optical distribution matrix including multiple optical switches that distribute optical output signals selectively onto different optical waveguides. Optical output signals are outcoupled into the free space via free space couplers and optical output signals reflected on the object are coupled as optical measurement signals into the waveguides. A detector detects a superposition of the optical measurement signal and the optical output signal generated by the light source. A circulator directs optical output signals supplied by the light source to the distribution matrix and optical measurement signals coming from the distribution matrix to the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Scantinel Photonics GmbH
    Inventor: Vladimir Davydenko
  • Patent number: 11215816
    Abstract: A beam control apparatus consists of an electromagnetic field control component, which has a spherical cavity encircled by a transparent spherical shell, and a beam directing component, which is spherical in shape and located in the spherical cavity. The two components can rotate relative to each other. A clearance between the two components could be filled with lubricant. The beam directing component has a magnetic moment or an electric dipole moment. A controller controls a magnetic field or an electric field in the spherical cavity of the electromagnetic field control component to exert a torque on the beam directing component to control a direction of the beam directing component, thereby controlling a direction of an emergent beam. The present invention is a new terminal technology for free space optical communications, laser scanning, unmanned driving, laser beam driving and location identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Inventor: Weike Xu
  • Patent number: 11194096
    Abstract: A polarization converter based on taking a high-order TE mode as a transition mode comprises a ridge waveguide (1) and a slab waveguide (2) that are arranged in double layers and varying in width, and a strip waveguide (4) which is varying in width. The ridge waveguide (1) is disposed on the upper end face of the slab waveguide (2), and is aligned with two ends of the slab waveguide (2). The right end of the ridge waveguide (1) and the slab waveguide (2) are connected with the strip waveguide (4) with the varying width. A TM0 mode enters from the left ends of the ridge waveguide and the slab waveguide, and is converted into a TE0 mode for output. On the contrary, the TE0 mode enters from the right end of the strip waveguide and is converted into the TM0 mode for output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: WUHAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
    Inventors: Daigao Chen, Xi Xiao, Lei Wang, Ying Qiu, Miaofeng Li, Lei Liu, Qi Yang, Shaohua Yu
  • Patent number: 11194224
    Abstract: Low power and/or low footprint optical communication technologies that support short to medium range exoatmospheric communications and provide bidirectional communication with nearly spherical coverage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Wavefront Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas W. Stone
  • Patent number: 11187945
    Abstract: A display comprises a polarised output spatial light modulator, switchable liquid crystal retarder, absorbing polariser and touch panel electrodes. The electrodes of the switchable liquid crystal retarder shield the touch panel electrodes from the electrical noise of the spatial light modulator addressing. The touch panel control and sensing may be synchronised with the driving signal of the switchable liquid crystal retarder. The touch panel may be operated independently of the timing of the data addressing of the spatial light modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: RealD Spark, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Harrold, Graham J. Woodgate
  • Patent number: 11177627
    Abstract: A discrete wavelength tunable laser capable of switching between a plurality of lasing channels of different wavelengths, the tunable laser comprising: a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA); a wavelength demultiplexer (Demux), having a Demux input which receives the output from the SOA, and a plurality of Demux outputs, each Demux output defining a different spatial path for a respective lasing channel; each of the respective lasing channels being within the bandwidth of the SOA; a reflector located within each spatial path for reflecting light of the respective lasing channel; and a lasing suppression mechanism located within each lasing channel; wherein one or more desired lasing channels are selected by application of the lasing suppression mechanism in each spatial path other than the one or more spatial paths corresponding to the one or more desired lasing channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignees: Rockley Photonics Limited, University of Southampton
    Inventors: Aaron Zilkie, David John Thomson, Frederic Yannick Gardes
  • Patent number: 11178472
    Abstract: A PON system comprising multiple PONs, each having a respective intelligent splitter monitor (ISM). In addition to having a passive optical splitter therein, an ISM also has several remotely powered active components configured to monitor the presence of uplink light signals on the ports of the splitter and communicate with the central office using out-of-band optical signals. These ISM functionalities enable the network operator, e.g., to automatically map PON connectivity, pairing each port on the splitter with a distinct optical network unit. The PON system further comprises an optical module connected to the multiple PONs through an optical switch in a manner that supports shared access to said module by the corresponding multiple ISMs. In an example embodiment, the optical module comprises an optical transceiver capable of communicating with the ISM transceivers and one or more lasers configured to provide high-intensity light for remotely charging the ISM batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks OY
    Inventors: Patrick Iannone, Michael Straub, Thomas Pfeiffer, Joerg Hehmann
  • Patent number: 11164893
    Abstract: In radio-frequency (RF) devices integrated on semiconductor-on-insulator (e.g., silicon-based) substrates, RF losses may be reduced by increasing the resistivity of the semiconductor device layer in the vicinity of (e.g., underneath and/or in whole or in part surrounding) the metallization structures of the RF device, such as, e.g., transmission lines, contacts, or bonding pads. Increased resistivity can be achieved, e.g., by ion-implantation, or by patterning the device layer to create disconnected semiconductor islands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: John Sonkoly, Erik Johan Norberg
  • Patent number: 11165529
    Abstract: An optical wavelength multiplex transmission system includes a redundant configuration composed of an active system and a standby system between a first terminal station apparatus and a second terminal station apparatus. The first terminal station apparatus includes a light source configured to output dummy light, a coupler configured to insert the dummy light into the standby system, and a control unit configured to vary the dummy light. The second terminal station apparatus includes a coupler configured to extract the dummy light from the standby system and a detector configured to detect the extracted dummy light. The optical wavelength multiplex transmission system can identify a route of the standby system between the first terminal station apparatus and the second terminal station apparatus according to a result of the detection by the detector and check whether the standby system is normal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11163206
    Abstract: An active optical modulator receives a radio frequency signal and provides an intensity modulated optical signal. The optical modulator is formed on a substrate having a doped region. An interferometer is formed on the substrate having a first path and a second path. A low noise amplifier receives the radio frequency signal and provides an electrical field to the paths. A signal laser provides an optical signal to the interferometer which is modulated and interfered to produce an intensity modulated optical signal. A pump laser provides an optical gain signal to the interferometer where it adds gain to the optical signal in the interferometer by interaction with the doped region of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Inventors: Tariq Manzur, Yifei Li
  • Patent number: 11159231
    Abstract: Data center interconnections, which encompass WSCs as well as traditional data centers, have become both a bottleneck and a cost/power issue for cloud computing providers, cloud service providers and the users of the cloud generally. Fiber optic technologies already play critical roles in data center operations and will increasingly in the future. The goal is to move data as fast as possible with the lowest latency with the lowest cost and the smallest space consumption on the server blade and throughout the network. Accordingly, it would be beneficial for new fiber optic interconnection architectures to address the traditional hierarchal time-division multiplexed (TDM) routing and interconnection and provide reduced latency, increased flexibility, lower cost, lower power consumption, and provide interconnections exploiting N×M×D Gbps photonic interconnects wherein N channels are provided each carrying M wavelength division signals at D Gbps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Aeponyx Inc.
    Inventors: Francois Menard, Martin Berard
  • Patent number: 11156773
    Abstract: A handle-integrated composite wafer assembly includes a handle wafer attached to a device wafer. The device wafer includes a device layer formed on a buried oxide layer. The device layer includes an optical resonator structure. The handle wafer includes a base layer and a layer of anti-reflective material disposed on a top side of the base layer. The base layer has a cavity extending into the base layer from the top side of the base layer. The cavity has at least one side surface and a bottom surface. The layer of anti-reflective material is substantially conformally disposed within the cavity on the at least one side surface and bottom surface of the cavity. The handle wafer is attached to the device wafer with the layer of anti-reflective material affixed to the buried oxide layer, and with the cavity substantially aligned with the optical resonator structure in the device layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Ayar Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Haiwei Lu, Chen Li, John Fini, Chong Zhang, Roy Edward Meade
  • Patent number: 11146782
    Abstract: Light from an array of laser light sources are spread to cover the modulating face of a DMD or other modulator. The spread may be performed, for example, by a varying curvature array of lenslets, each laser light directed at one of the lenslets. Light from neighboring and/or nearby light sources overlap at a modulator. The lasers are energized at different energy/brightness levels causing the light illuminating the modulator to itself be modulated (locally dimmed). The modulator then further modulates the locally dimmed lights to produce a desired image. A projector according to the invention may utilize, for example, a single modulator sequentially illuminated or separate primary color modulators simultaneously illuminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Martin J. Richards
  • Patent number: 11137317
    Abstract: An optical time domain reflectometer for determining properties of an optical transmission fiber, the optical time domain reflectometer comprising an electro-absorption modulator comprising a waveguide and two electrodes, wherein the waveguide is arranged between the electrodes, a light source configured for emitting sampling light into the waveguide, wherein the waveguide is connected or to be connected between the fiber and the light source, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the light source and a modulation voltage between the electrodes. The electro-absorption modulator is capable of assuming an absorption state, wherein the electro-absorption modulator is further configured for receiving reflected light pulses resulting from the reflection of the pulses of sampling light in the fiber, wherein the absorption of reflected light pulses in the electro-absorption modulator results in the creation of a photocurrent between the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: XIEON NETWORKS S.a.r.l.
    Inventor: Andreas Fricke
  • Patent number: 11125941
    Abstract: One example system comprises a substrate and a waveguide disposed on the substrate to define an optical path on the substrate. The waveguide is configured to guide, inside the waveguide and along the optical path, a light signal toward an edge of the waveguide. The edge defines an optical interface between the waveguide and a fluidic optical medium adjacent to the edge of the waveguide. The system also includes an optical fluid and a fluid actuator configured to adjust a physical state of the optical fluid based on a control signal. The adjustment of the physical state of the optical fluid causes an adjustment of the fluidic optical medium adjacent to the edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: James Dunphy, David Hutchison
  • Patent number: 11121796
    Abstract: An optical add-drop device includes optical circuits. Each of the optical circuits includes first to third sub optical circuits. Each sub optical circuit includes an input coupler, output coupler, and a phase shifter. In each of the optical circuit, two ports of the output coupler in the first sub optical circuit are respectively coupled to the input coupler in the second sub optical circuit and the input coupler in the third sub optical circuit. The output coupler in the second sub optical circuit in each of the optical circuits is coupled to a drop port or the input coupler in the first sub optical circuit in the adjacent optical circuit. The input coupler in the third sub optical circuit in each of the optical circuits is coupled to an add port or the output coupler in the third sub optical circuit in the adjacent optical circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignees: FUJITSU LIMITED, PHOTONICS ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Akiyama
  • Patent number: 11105963
    Abstract: Optical systems may have tunable lenses with focal lengths that are adjusted by control circuitry. A display may produce image light that is received by a tunable lens. The display may be transparent so that light from objects can pass through the display and be received by the tunable lens. The tunable lens may include a birefringent lens element and a polarization rotator and may receive light that has been linearly polarized by passing through a linear polarizer. The polarization rotator may be operable in a first state in which the polarization of light passing through the polarization rotator is not rotated and a second state in which the polarization of light passing through the polarization rotator is rotated by 90°. The birefringent lens element may be formed from a cured liquid crystal polymer or other polymer and may have a liquid crystal additive to enhance birefringence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yuan Chen, Bennett S. Wilburn, Cheng Chen, Michael Slootsky, Shuang Wang, Zhibing Ge
  • Patent number: 11099324
    Abstract: In the optical waveguide device including an unnecessary-light waveguide for guiding unnecessary light emitted from a main waveguide, an emission waveguide connected to the unnecessary-light waveguide to emit the unnecessary light propagating through the unnecessary-light waveguide to the outside of the substrate is formed; an effective refractive index of the emission waveguide is set to be higher than an effective refractive index of the unnecessary-light waveguide; in a connection portion between the unnecessary-light waveguide and the emission waveguide, a centerline of the emission waveguide is inclined in a direction away from the main waveguide with respect to a centerline of the unnecessary-light waveguide; furthermore, in the connection portion, a position of the centerline of the emission waveguide is disposed to be shifted to a position further away from the main waveguide with respect to a position of the centerline of the unnecessary-light waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO OSAKA CEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Kataoka, Norikazu Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 11054599
    Abstract: Submarine cable branching units with fiber pair switching configured to allow any number of trunk cable fiber pairs to access the optical spectrum any number of branch cable fiber pairs. Access to a particular branch terminal is not limited to predefined subset of the trunk fiber pairs. This approach allows fewer branch cable fiber pairs to be equipped in each branching unit, reducing system cost, simplifies system planning and provides flexible routing of overall trunk cable capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: SUBCOM, LLC
    Inventors: Lara Denise Garrett, Haifeng Li, Thomas Marino, Jr., Georg Heinrich Mohs, Massimo Manna
  • Patent number: 11057114
    Abstract: Optical transceivers comprising optical loopback circuits are described. The optical transceiver may comprise a housing, which may host a transmitter, a receiver and the optical loopback circuit. The optical loopback circuit may be configured to route at least a portion of a modulated optical signal from the transmitter to the receiver. The optical loopback circuit may comprise tap couplers and/or optical switches. The optical transceiver may be switched between a normal mode and a calibration mode. The optical transceiver may maintain the same fiber connections even when the optical transceiver is switched from one mode to another. The transmitter, the receiver and the optical loopback circuit may be disposed on a common substrate, or on separate substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr
  • Patent number: 11042025
    Abstract: Embodiments of an optical data communication apparatus using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror arrays is described herein. The apparatus may include a router configured to operate as a relay to exchange optical data signals between optical switches of the apparatus. The optical switches may be configured to switch between reflection directions to reflect the optical signals over different optical connections between the optical switches and different receiving ports of the router. The reflection directions may be switched in accordance with predetermined mappings between the receiving ports of the router and destinations of the optical signals. The router includes a MEMS micro-mirror array configured to reflect received optical signals to the destinations. A processing element of the optical data switching circuitry may generate a plurality of optical data signals and may send the optical data signals to an optical switch of the optical data switching circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Gerald P. Uyeno, Sean D. Keller, Benn H. Gleason
  • Patent number: 11029566
    Abstract: A privacy display comprises a polarised output spatial light modulator, reflective polariser, plural polar control retarders and a polariser. A birefringent surface relief diffuser structure is arranged to transmit light from the display with high transparency and provide diffuse reflection of ambient light to head-on display users. In a privacy mode of operation, on-axis light from the spatial light modulator is directed without loss and with low diffusion, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance and increased diffusion. Further, overall display reflectivity is reduced for on-axis reflections of ambient light, while reflectivity is increased for off-axis light. The visibility of the display to off-axis snoopers is reduced by means of luminance reduction, increased frontal reflectivity and diffusion of ambient light. In a public mode of operation, the liquid crystal retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance and reflectivity are unmodified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: RealD Spark, LLC
    Inventors: Michael G. Robinson, Robert A. Ramsey, Graham J. Woodgate
  • Patent number: 11022856
    Abstract: A display device includes a scanned projector for projecting a beam of light, and a diffraction grating for dispersing the light at a plurality of angles into a waveguide, wherein at least a portion of the diffraction grating includes a nanovoided polymer. Manipulation of the nanovoid topology, such as through capacitive actuation, can be used to reversibly control the effective refractive index of the nanovoided polymer and hence the grating efficiency. The switchable grating can be used to control the amount of diffraction of an incident beam of light through the grating thereby decreasing optical loss. Various other methods, systems, apparatuses, and materials are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew John Ouderkirk, Wanli Chi, Kenneth Diest, Renate Eva Klementine Landig, Tanya Malhotra, Austin Lane, Christopher Yuan Ting Liao, Katherine Marie Smyth, Jack Lindsay
  • Patent number: 11018772
    Abstract: Various apparatuses, circuits, systems, and methods for optical communication are disclosed. In some implementations, an apparatus includes multiple lasers that input an electronic signal. Each laser encodes and outputs a respective optical data signal based on the electronic signal. Each laser has a different configuration of one or more first optical parameters. A first selection circuit selects the respective optical data signal from one of the lasers. Multiple optical components configure second optical parameters of an input optical data signal. A second selection circuit inputs the selected optical data signal from the first selection circuit and provides the selected optical data signal to one of the optical components. A third selection circuit selects the optical data signal output from the one optical component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: XILINX, INC.
    Inventors: Austin H. Lesea, Stephen M. Trimberger
  • Patent number: 11002957
    Abstract: An optical device that provides a broadened circular scanning pattern. The device includes a reflector system dimensioned to form a coupled oscillator with two modes of oscillation for circular tilt motion, a first mode oscillation in a first resonance frequency and a second mode of oscillation in a second resonance frequency that is different from the first resonance frequency. A signal processing element is configured to control the actuation signals to maintain a first amplitude in the first mode of oscillation, and a second amplitude in the second mode of oscillation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jouni Erkkilä, Tero Sillanpää, Matti Liukku, Anssi Blomqvist
  • Patent number: 10996541
    Abstract: A display includes a plurality of elongated waveguides positioned adjacent to each other and extending along a first direction, a plurality of elongated upper electrodes positioned adjacent to each other on a first side of the waveguides and extending along the first direction, and a plurality of elongated lower electrodes positioned adjacent to each other on a second side of the waveguides opposite the first side and extending along a second direction transverse to the first direction. At least one of the waveguides comprises nonlinear materials having a third order susceptibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean P. Rodrigues, Ercan M. Dede
  • Patent number: 10935817
    Abstract: An optical device according to the embodiment of the inventive concept includes a waveguide path including a light generation region, a wavelength variable region, and a light modulation region, a first light waveguide layer provided in the light generation region to generate light, a second light waveguide layer provided in the wavelength variable region and connected to the first light waveguide layer, a ring-shaped third light waveguide layer provided in the light modulation region and connected to the second light waveguide layer, and first and second light modulation electrodes spaced apart from each other with the light modulation region therebetween. Here, the first light modulation electrode, the third light waveguide layer, and the second light modulation electrode vertically overlap each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Oh Kee Kwon, Kisoo Kim, Su Hwan Oh, Chul-Wook Lee
  • Patent number: 10935737
    Abstract: An optical waveguide includes a lower clad having an upper flat surface and a lower flat surface, a core positioned on the upper flat surface of the lower clad and includes a linear-shaped configuration and two end portions in the longitudinal direction of the linear-shaped configuration, and an upper clad positioned on the upper flat surface of the lower clad in the state of covering the upper flat surface and the core. Further, the core includes the convex configurations protruding in the planer direction from the linear-shaped configuration. The upper clad includes the opening for exposing the convex configurations in a plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akifumi Sagara
  • Patent number: 10923626
    Abstract: LEDs and methods of forming LEDs with various structural configurations to mitigate non-radiative recombination at the LED sidewalls are described. The various configurations described include combinations of LED sidewall surface diffusion with pillar structure, modulated doping profiles to form an n-p superlattice along the LED sidewalls, and selectively etched cladding layers to create entry points for shallow doping or regrowth layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Inventors: David P. Bour, Dmitry S. Sizov, Daniel A. Haeger, Xiaobin Xin
  • Patent number: 10922650
    Abstract: Techniques for intelligently predicting bundles of replacement parts. A plurality of maintenance events for a plurality of replacement parts are determined based on historical data related to the plurality of replacement parts. Each maintenance event of the plurality of maintenance events corresponds with one or more of the replacement parts. A plurality of clusters of replacement parts are generated based on the plurality of maintenance events. A plurality of bundles of replacement parts are predicted based on the clusters. Each bundle includes a plurality of replacement parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Zhennong Wang, Yun Shi
  • Patent number: 10887010
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a distributed antenna system comprises: at least one master unit; at least one remote antenna unit communicatively coupled via a switch to the master unit by a primary cable and a secondary cable both coupled to the switch, the remote antenna unit comprising a compensating link check module that outputs a control signal to the switch, wherein the switch selects between the primary and secondary cable in response to the control signal; wherein the compensating link check module controls the switch to momentarily select the secondary cable to perform a link check during which the remote unit measures a quality metric of a downlink signal received via the secondary cable; and upon initiation of the link check, the compensating link check module adjusts an attenuation of the downlink signal received on the secondary cable by loading calibration settings for the secondary cable into a compensation attenuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Andrew Wireless Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Jaroslav Hoffmann, Peter Starek
  • Patent number: 10871612
    Abstract: A universal interferometer (100) for coupling modes of electromagnetic radiation according to a transformation has N inputs and N outputs for inputting and outputting N modes of electromagnetic radiation into and from the interferometer. Waveguides (101, 102, 103, 104, 105) pass through the interferometer to connect the N inputs to the N outputs and to carry the N modes of electromagnetic radiation. The waveguides provide crossing points between pairs of waveguides and a reconfigurable beam splitter (107) implements a reconfigurable reflectivity and a reconfigurable phase shift at each crossing point. The waveguides and crossing points are arranged such that each of the N modes of electromagnetic radiation is capable of coupling with each of the other modes of electromagnetic radiation at respective reconfigurable beam splitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: OXFORD UNIVERSITY INNOVATION LIMITED
    Inventors: William Clements, Peter Humphreys, Benjamin Metcalf, Steven Kolthammer, Ian Walmsley
  • Patent number: 10873409
    Abstract: A wavelength selective optical switching arrangement (23) comprises a set of input ports (61), a set of output ports (65); a switching matrix; and a plurality of de-multiplexers each comprising an aggregate port (62) and a plurality of tributary ports (64), each aggregate port being connected to an input port and each tributary port being connected to the switching matrix (57), the switching matrix being coupled between the tributary ports and the output ports. The wavelength selective optical switching arrangement is configured to receive at an input port a group of optical signals, each optical signal being transmitted on a different wavelength and being assigned to one of a plurality of destination nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Francesco Testa, Alberto Bianchi, Filippo Ponzini
  • Patent number: 10866361
    Abstract: A method of making a grating in a waveguide includes forming a waveguide material over a substrate, the waveguide material having a thickness less than or equal to about 100 nanometers (nm). The method further includes forming a photoresist over the waveguide material and patterning the photoresist. The method further includes forming a first set of openings in the waveguide material through the patterned substrate and filling the first set of openings with a metal material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jui Hsieh Lai, Ying-Hao Kuo
  • Patent number: 10851962
    Abstract: A backlit three-dimensional lamp for a vehicle includes an indicia rendering disposed on a transparent lenticular sheet, an outer lens positioned in front of the transparent lenticular sheet, and a light source positioned behind the transparent lenticular sheet. The light source provides backlighting of the indicia rendering such that the lenticular sheet projects a forward image that hovers beyond the outer lens. A vehicle light assembly includes a light source adapted to produce a substantially homogeneous light, a rendering of indicia located adjacent the light source and facing away from the light source such that the rendering of indicia is backlit by the light source, and an array of light-modifying elements aligned with the light source to at least partially cover the rendering of indicia for creating a projection of the rendering of indicia outside the vehicle light assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Flex-N-Gate Advanced Product Development, LLC
    Inventors: Todd Nykerk, Les Sullivan
  • Patent number: 10845546
    Abstract: Systems for providing an optical rotary joint are provided. In some embodiments, a system comprises: a lens-less optical rotary joint, comprising: a guide ferrule; a rotatable ferrule; a rotatable optical fiber, the rotatable optical fiber passing through the rotatable ferrule and the guide ferrule, the rotatable optical fiber being secured within the rotatable ferrule, and the rotatable optical fiber being freely rotatable within the guide ferrule; and a coupler to secure the guide ferrule and receive a static ferrule including a static optical fiber such that a face of the static optical fiber is proximate a face of the rotatable optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation
    Inventors: Guillermo J. Tearney, Zhonglie Piao
  • Patent number: 10841548
    Abstract: An oscillating mirror element includes a mirror portion, a drive portion that drives the mirror portion, a strain sensor capable of detecting an amount of displacement of the mirror portion, and a base including a mirror beam portion provided with the mirror portion, a sensor beam portion provided with the strain sensor, and a body portion that supports the mirror beam portion and the sensor beam portion and is provided with the drive portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignees: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD., NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Fuminori Tanaka, Takeshi Inoda, Ken Nishioka, Jun Akedo
  • Patent number: 10816326
    Abstract: A polarization maintaining fiber array includes a substrate, a cover, and at least two polarization maintaining optical fibers. The substrate includes at least two main grooves, a first additional groove, and a second additional groove, wherein the main grooves are positioned between the first additional groove and the second additional groove. The fiber array includes at least two polarization maintaining optical fibers positioned in the at least two main grooves, a first dummy fiber positioned in the first additional groove, and a second dummy fiber positioned in the second additional groove. The cover is positioned such that it contacts the polarization maintaining optical fibers, the first dummy fiber, and the second dummy fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Alliance Fiber Optic Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Chia-Hang Chang, Ximao Feng, Wen-Lung Kuang, Andy Fenglei Zhou
  • Patent number: 10807859
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an MEMS actuator with a substrate, at least one post attached to the substrate and a deflectable actuator body that is connected to the at least one post via at least one spring, wherein, during electrostatic, electromagnetic or magnetic force application, the actuator body takes a second position starting from a first position by a tilt-free translational movement, wherein the first position and the second position are different, and wherein in a top view of the MEMS actuator the actuator body is arranged outside an area spanned by the at least one post.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Peter Duerr, Detlef Kunze, Andreas Neudert, Martin Friedrichs
  • Patent number: 10812049
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for reducing insertion loss and/or swapping transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) frequencies in an electrical balance duplexer (EBD) used in a transceiver device for frequency division duplexing (FDD) applications are provided. Feed-forward receiver path from the antenna to a low noise amplifier (LNA) and a feed-forward path from the antenna to a power amplifier (PA) of the EBD may be used for reducing insertion loss of the RX and TX signals. In some embodiments, switches may be used to selectively alter operational modes for varied levels of isolation and/or swapping of TX and RX frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Joonhoi Hur, Rastislav Vazny, Ronald W. Dimpflmaier