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:
Mar. 04, 2003
Filed:
Nov. 29, 2001
Richard A. Fields, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Bruce A. Ferguson, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Mark Kintis, Manhattan Beach, CA (US);
Elizabeth T. Kunkee, Manhattan Beach, CA (US);
Lawrence J. Lembo, Torrance, CA (US);
Stephen R. Perkins, Harbor City, CA (US);
David L. Rollins, Hawthorne, CA (US);
Eric L. Upton, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
TRW Inc., Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Abstract
An optical device for use with an optical input beam comprising an optical thresholding device positioned along an optical path defined by the propagation direction of the optical input beam. If the combined intensity of the optical input beam and a control beam exceeds a threshold level, the optical beam passes through the thresholding device. Preferably, the optical thresholding device is a saturable absorber. When the device is configured as an optical comparator, the intensity of the optical input beam exceeds the threshold level and the thresholding device saturates and turns transparent so that the control beam passes through the thresholding device as an optical indicator beam. When the device is configured as an optical signal attenuator and the intensity of the optical input signal is negligible compared to that of the control beam, the combined intensity of the beams does not saturate the thresholding device.