Aoptix Technologies, Inc.

Sa Photonics, Inc.

Aoptics, Inc.

Collinear Networks, Inc.

Aoptix, LLC

J. Elon Graves

Malcolm J. Northcott

Collinear Net, LLC

J Elon Graves

Malcolm J Northcott

Siegfried Fleischer

Greg G Mitchell

William C Dickson

J Christopher Shelton

Dave Pechner

Andy McClaren

Srinivas Sivaprakasam

Santanu Basu

Chandrasekhar Pusarla

Joseph Shiran

Howard Dando

Dan Potter

David Alan Pechner

Paolo Zambon

Yu Chun Chang

Andrew Olson

Jeffrey W Douglass

Jeffrey Tuttle

Andrew Mcclaren

A detector configuration for use in a free space optical (FSO) node for transmitting and/or receiving optical signals has a plurality of sensors for detecting received optical signals. The plurality of sensors is configured along a common optical path and are used for separate functions. According, the detectors may be optimized for the respective function.

Free space optical (FSO) system

A detector configuration for use in a free space optical (FSO) node for transmitting and/or receiving optical signals has a plurality of sensors for detecting received optical signals. The system may be configured to modify or alter the light at the plurality of sensor to optimize different system functions.

A fast tracking module for use in free space optical communications includes a primary motion stage supporting receive optics, where the primary motion stage is configured to move the receive optic relative to an optical path.

Fast tracking free space optical module

A low cost, high reliability system for correcting aberrations in optical signals is disclosed. A foreoptic assembly, such as a telescope, receives an incoming optical signal and directs it to an active optical element, such as a fast steering mirror. The incoming optical signal is diffracted by a diffractive optical element to shape the image that is formed at a wavefront sensor, such as a quad-cell. The wavefront sensor measures a tip-tilt aberration of the incoming optical signal and the active optical element is adjusted to correct the measured aberration. An outgoing optical signal can be transmitted along substantially the same optical path as the incoming optical signal, but in the opposite direction. Thus, the aberration measured from the incoming optical signal can be automatically accounted for in the outgoing optical signal.

Simple low cost tip-tilt wavefront sensor having extended dynamic range

A stabilized ultra-high bandwidth capacity transceiver system that combines an E-band (71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz) millimeter wave RF transceiver with an eye-safe adaptive optics Free Space Optical (FSO) transceiver as a combined apparatus for simultaneous point-to-point commercial communications. The apparatus has a high degree of assured carrier availability under stressing environmental conditions. The apparatus establishes and maintains pointing and stabilization of mmW RF and FSO optical beams between adjacent line of sight apparatuses. The apparatus can rapidly acquire and reacquire the FSO optical carrier link in the event the optical carrier link is impaired due to adverse weather.

Integrated commercial communications network using radio frequency and free space optical data communication

An optical circulator couples optical fibers of dissimilar modes. In one embodiment, an optical circulator couples a single mode first fiber to a multimode second fiber, which is used as an optical input to a telescope. The multimode fiber does not significantly degrade the mode structure of the light form the single mode fiber. In the reverse direction, light received by the telescope is coupled into the multimode second fiber, which the circulator couples to a multimode third fiber.

Free-space optical transceiver using multimode fiber to couple single mode input optical signal

An optical system includes an active focus element that maintains an image in focus over a range of object distances. The active focus element and aperture stop are positioned such that the image scale and the image spatial resolution are also invariant (or at least have a reduced sensitivity) with respect to object distance.

Scale-invariant, resolution-invariant iris imaging using reflection from the eye

A rapid iris acquisition, tracking, and imaging system can be used at longer standoff distances and over larger capture volumes, without the active cooperation of subjects. Eye reflections from the subjects' eyes are used to steer a high resolution camera to the eyes in order to capture images of the irises. A circular deformable minor driven by one or more annular forces can be used to focus the camera. A circular mirror substrate is mounted by its circumference onto a minor mount and driven by an annular drive element that contacts the minor substrate along a ring. If the annular drive element has a certain diameter relative to the circumference of the mirror substrate, the mirror substrate will be deformed in the shape of a sphere.

Iris imaging system using circular deformable mirror mounted by its circumference

The present invention provides a rapid, high quality iris imaging system. In one embodiment, on-axis illumination is used. A single steering mechanism steers both the camera and the illumination, without parallax issues. The illumination beam can be combined along the camera's optical axis before or after the fine steering and focus correction mechanism. In a pre-correction configuration, the iris illumination spot can be reduced in size to be only slightly larger than the iris. In both the pre and post-correction configuration, the eye safety limits will be most critical at the subject, which allows for maximization of the illumination flux.

On-axis illumination for iris imaging

An iris imaging system used for biometric identification provides a combined iris imager and wavefront sensor. The detector array allows for independent readout of different regions, such that a wavefront sensor region can be read out fast while allowing signal to integrate on the iris imaging region. Alternatively, the entire array may be used for wavefront sensing during an acquisition phase, and then at least a portion of the array may be switched to be used for iris imaging during a subsequent imaging phase. An optical periscope optionally allows various optics to be inserted in front of the combined iris imager and wavefront sensor. In another embodiment, the glint image of an on-axis or near on-axis illumination source is picked off at the image plane and directed to the wavefront sensor optics, while allowing all of the light from the iris field to pass through to the iris imaging camera.

Combined iris imager and wavefront sensor

A rapid iris acquisition, tracking, and imaging system can be used at longer standoff distances and over larger capture volumes, without the active cooperation of subjects. Light illuminates the subjects' eyes and a high resolution camera captures images of the irises. The images of the irises are processed by a post processing module to improve their quality. In one approach, the point spread function of the image capture subsystem is estimated using glint reflections from the eye, and the estimated point spread function is used in deconvolution to increase the resolution of the iris images. The post processed iris images have sufficient resolution to be used for biometric identification.

Post processing of iris images to increase image quality

An approach for aligning an adaptive optics module and a data port in a free space optical communications terminal. A wavefront sensor in the adaptive optics system is aligned to a reference port. The data port is also aligned to the reference port. In this way, alignment of the wavefront sensor and the data port is achieved.

Data port alignment of free space optical communications terminal with adaptive optics

A rapid iris acquisition, tracking, and imaging system can be used at longer standoff distances and over larger capture volumes, without the active cooperation of subjects. The captured iris images can be used for biometric identification. Light illuminates the subjects' eyes. Eye reflection from the eyes is used to steer a high resolution camera to the eyes in order to capture images of the irises.

Growing community of inventors

Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

J Elon Graves