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:
Oct. 30, 2001
Filed:
Aug. 27, 1999
A. Tino Alavie, Richmond Hill, CA;
Ming Gang Xu, Don Mills, CA;
JDS Uniphase Corporation, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
The method and apparatus forming the present invention allows for rapid analysis of the optical spectrum and its content by controlling the spectral position of a channel select element and using a ratiometric wavelength and power determination technique to accurately analyze the transmitted or elected portion of the optical spectrum. The channel select element can be either a transmissive or reflective device which can be tuned by way of a control signal. The system can be operated in either scan and post process mode or in a continuous feedback mode where the position of the channel select element is determined by the ratiometric wavelength determination system and used to control the wavelength position of the channel select element. The ratiometric wavelength and power determination system, in its typical form, is based on dividing the spectrally encoded optical signal into two parts. One part of this signal passes through an optical filter with continuously increasing or decreasing transmission as a function of wavelength while the other part is unperturbed. The two parts and subsequently detected by optical to electrical detectors where the electrical signal is proportional to the optical signal. Dividing the two signals reveals a unique number which is a power independent representation of the input wavelength. The present invention advantageously provides a method and device to measure simultaneously several carriers and not just one. Furthermore, in the present invention, a power measurement is obtained by using the unfiltered part of the optical signal.