Lucent Technologies Inc.

Bell Telephone Laboratories

At&t Bell Laboratories

At+t Corp.

Terabeam Corporation

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

Other

American Telephone and Telegraph, Co.

Triquint Technology Holding Co.

At&t Company and At&t Bell Laboratories

Herman M Presby

Dietrich Marcuse

John Anthony Tyson

Chellappan Narayanan

Ivan P Kaminow

Robert George Ahrens

David John DiGiovanni

Corrado Pietro Dragone

Charles H Henry

Gerald Nykolak

John A Bell

Paul F Szajowski

Benjamin Irvin Greene

Detlef Christoph Gloge

Gerald Edward Tourgee

Joseph Anthony Abate

Allan James Bruce

Yinon Degani

James Stocker Webb

Christi Kay Madsen

Clinton R Giles

Robert Scott Windeler

Yuan P Li

Robert M Atkins

Gadi Lenz

Jay R Simpson

James J Auborn

Noach Amitay

Nicholas Eichhorn Bratt

Ronald Edward Scotti

Craig D Poole

David W Rush

Raymond Edward Jaeger

Mark Lewis Plett

Michael James LuValle

George Ludwig Fischer

Alfonso B Piccirilli

Benjamin S Wallace

James J Jaques

Stuart A Kramer

Stuart Ferrier

Christopher A Edwards

Victor Michael Aquaro

A golf swing training club comprising: (a) a shaft; (b) a golf head attached to a first, lower end of the shaft; and (c) a handgrip attached to a second, upper end of the shaft; wherein a standard longitudinal shaft bending angle (&#x3b2;) of the shaft is within a range of 45&#xb0; to 90&#xb0;; and wherein a mechanical beam portion of the golf swing training club is characterized by a standard extensive shear modulus of at most 15&#xb0;.

Golf swing training club

A method of optical communication having improved security is described. The data content of an initially provided data signal is apportioned among two or more distinct optical wavelength channels. A transmitted signal spans these two or more channels. A respective portion of the data content of the transmitted signal is allocated to each of the optical wavelength channels. In certain embodiments of the invention, each such portion comprises data placed in the pertinent wavelength channel during assigned time windows.

System and method for secure multiple wavelength communication on optical fibers

A free space optical tap and multi/demultiplexer unit includes at least one optical unit that can tap off an optical signal from and/or add an input optical signal to a received FSO signal. The optical unit propagates the resulting optical signal, via free space, to a next optical unit of the system. The optical unit can include a holographic grating to diffract a portion of the received FSO signal to an optical detector and/or diffract an input optical signal to form part of a free space optical output signal. In addition, the FSO signal can include component signals of different wavelengths, with each optical unit of the system being wavelength specific to a different one of the wavelengths of the FSO signal.

Free space optical tap and multi/demultiplexer

A method and apparatus are disclosed for coupling a multimode laser to a multimode fiber using a multimode tapered structure. The disclosed multimode tapered structure accepts an optical beam having a highly elliptical beam shape and converts the optical beam for acceptance by the circular multimode optical fiber. According to one aspect of the invention, the multimode tapered structure has a tapered form having an elliptical cross section at one end to match the rectangular laser aperture, and a circular cross section at the other end to match the fiber core. The disclosed multimode tapered structure is tapered from a smaller dimension at the input end that matches the dimension of the multimode light source to a larger dimension at the output end that matches the circular core of the multimode fiber. Depending on the selection of the numerical aperture and the length of the multimode tapered structure, coupling efficiencies up to 98 percent may be achieved with the present invention.

Method and apparatus for coupling a multimode laser to a multimode fiber

Disclosed is the use of a polymer material in an optical waveguide structure. The polymer material may be used in either the cladding or the core material of an optical waveguide. The use of polymer material as such is advantageous in that the index of refraction of polymer material varies significantly with changing temperature. The polymer material is subjected to a heating mechanism and/or a cooling mechanism to manipulate the index of refraction as desired.

Waveguide structure using polymer material and method

A method and apparatus for improving the transmission of a free-space optical communications signals through windows having surface imperfections. A void-filling material is applied to one or both surfaces of the window to fill any non-flat surface voids on those surfaces in areas through which an optical communications signal passes. In one embodiment, one or two substantially perfect optically translucent plates are mounted to the imperfect surface(s) of the window so as to capture the void-filling material between an inside surface of each optically translucent plate and the imperfect surfaces of the window. The void-filling material is selected to have an index of refraction that substantially matches an index of refraction for the window at an optical wavelength corresponding to the free-space optical communication signal. As a result, the adverse effects that would normally be caused to free-space optical communication signals that are passed through windows having surface imperfections are substantially eliminated.

Transmission of free-space optical communication signals through windows

An optical fiber assembly includes an optical fiber and ferrule. The ferrule's face is partitioned into several regions. Optical elements can be formed on the regions to diffract light incident on the ferrule. Alternatively, the ferrule's face may have several reflective facets. Light incident on the end of the optical fiber propagates to a communications detector. Light incident on the ferrule's face is redirected to tracking detectors, each arranged to receive the redirected light from a preselected region of the ferrule. The output signals of the tracking detectors are used to adjust the alignment between the incident light and the assembly. Alternatively, tracking fibers or a quadrant cell may be used to directly receive light that would otherwise be incident on the ferrule's face.

Free space optical system with multiple function detectors

An optical device for performing at least one Boolean logic operation. The optical device has at least a first and second input signal and at least one output signal. The optical device includes at least one interferometer for receiving the at least a first and second input signals. The device also has at least one optical amplifier for creating a phase difference between the first and second inputs to generate the output signal to perform at least one Boolean logic operation.

Optical boolean logic devices for data encryption

An optical tracking system for use in an optical receiver of an optical communication system includes a first focus unit, a tracker, and an optical fiber having an angled tip. The first focus unit receives an optical signal to be tracked and focuses it on the angled tip of the fiber. The fiber is connected to a communications detector of the optical communication system. In addition, the angled tip of the fiber reflects a portion of the focused optical signal to the tracker. The tracker processes the reflected portion of the optical signal to correct for any misalignment between the optical signal and the optical receiver.

Optical tracking system with reflective fiber

A method and apparatus are disclosed for aligning and maintaining the alignment of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit in an optical wireless communication system. The receiving unit includes an optical bundle positioned at the focal point of an objective optic element. The optical bundle is comprised of an array of optical fibers, arranged surrounding the receiving fiber. The receiving unit also includes a number of detectors that measure the optical signal strength on a corresponding fiber in the optical bundle. The array of fibers is used to detect the location of the received signal relative to the receiving optical fiber and to provide feedback to adjust the orientation of the optical bundle to optimize the received signal strength. When misalignment occurs between the received signal and the receiving fiber, some of the incident received signal will be captured by one or more of the outer optical fibers. The amplitude of each of the generated signals are then compared to each other, thereby giving a direction in which to drive the optical bundle back into alignment with the received signal. The present invention provides automatic tracking using the information-carrying optical signal, without the need for a separate laser.

Method and apparatus for automatic tracking of an optical signal in a wireless optical communication system

A free space optical communication system is disclosed whereby a transmit telescope and a receive telescope are aligned such that the point of maximum power of the received light beam is incident upon the optical fiber located at a specific point on the focal plane of the receive telescope. Such incidence is achieved by causing the transmitted beam to diverge by moving the transmit optical fiber to a point in front of the focal plane of the transmit telescope until at least a portion of the beam is incident upon the receive optical fiber. The transmit telescope and/or the receive telescope (or, alternatively, only the respective optical fibers of those telescopes) are then moved such that the point of maximum received power for that degree of divergence is incident upon the receive optical fiber. The transmit optical fiber, in response to received power measurements at the receive telescope, then incrementally moves back toward the focal plane of the transmit telescope thereby reducing the degree of divergence and achieving a greater signal per unit area at the receive telescope. As the divergence is reduced, the position of the either the transmit telescope and/or the receive telescope (or, respectively, the optical fibers) is incrementally adjusted to maximize the received power of the received signal which is incident upon the receive optical fiber for each degree of divergence. By monitoring received signal power this iterative process continues until the transmit and receive telescopes are aligned such that the transmitted beam is focused so as to maximize the received power that is incident upon the receive optical fiber.

Method and apparatus for aligning telescopes within a free-space optical communication system

A free space optical communication system is disclosed whereby the received power at the receive optical fiber is reduced by adjusting the transmitted light beam and/or the receive optical fiber with respect to each other when a specified power threshold is exceeded. This reduction in received power is achieved by either increasing the cross section of the transmitted beam relative to the receive telescope or, alternatively, moving the receive optical fiber and thereby enlarge the cross section of the received beam incident upon the receive optical fiber.

Method and apparatus for controlling received power levels within a free space optical communication system

Applicants have discovered an apparatus and method effective for use in rendering an optical fiber resistant to losses caused by high-radiation environments such as in outerspace. The apparatus comprises an optical fiber, a housing surrounding the optical fiber defining an enclosed space between the exterior surface of the fiber and the housing, and a concentration of deuterium or hydrogen gases disposed within the enclosed space.

Optical fiber apparatus for high-radiation environments

A laser beam is used to ablate the outer cladding of an extended portion of an optical fiber. The laser beam is focused at a tangential point on the outer cladding. The laser can be rotated around the optical fiber while the optical fiber is held stationary. Alternatively the optical fiber can be rotated while the focal point of the laser beam is kept at a constant position.

Method of making an optical fiber

A low-rate data transmission system and method are disclosed that use the Faraday effect to modulate the polarization state of light traveling in an optical fiber. The resulting change in polarization is used to communicate information over the fiber. The low-rate data transmission system includes a low-rate signal source producing current in a wire coil wrapped around an optical fiber. Information is conveyed in accordance with the present invention by the selectively introducing a polarization change into the light carried by the fiber. Generally, the source light at the input of the optical fiber can be randomly polarized and information is conveyed in accordance with the present invention by the presence or absence of a predefined polarization introduced into the light. The longitudinal magnetic field produced by a current in the coil rotates the plane of polarization of the light, in accordance with the well-known Faraday effect. When the current in the coil is modulated by the signal source, the resulting change in polarization communicates information over the fiber.

Method and apparatus for modulating an optical signal using polarization

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Highland Park, NJ, United States of America

Herman M Presby