The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 15, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 21, 1999
Charles G. Askins, Upper Marlboro, MD (US);
Martin A. Putnam, Cheshire, CT (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
An aspect of the present invention is an optical spectrometer for detecting a spectral signature of a input optical signal, including: (a) a collimating lens having an optical axis and focal plane, for collimating the input optical signal; (b) an input optical system, for directing the input optical signal to the collimating lens; (c) a diffraction grating, for scattering the collimated input optical signal, positioned in the path of collimated light from the collimating lens, oriented to reflect a majority of the scattered light through the collimating lens; and (d) a detector, in a focal plane of the collimating lens. Another aspect of the invention is a fiber-based sensing system using the optical spectrometer of the invention. Such a system will include (a) an optical fiber having an array of fiber Bragg gratings, where each of the gratings is reflective at a selected wavelength; (b) a light source, for radiating light at each of the selected wavelengths, optically coupled to the optical fiber; and (c) the optical spectrometer of the invention, optically coupled to the optical fiber, for detecting a spectral signature of reflected light from the fiber Bragg gratings. Typically, the spectrometer output will be fed to a data capturing system, and subsequently to a data analysis system, which may combined in a single computer system for control, data capture.