M-ARY frequency presence modulation communication system and method

• US 10,050,715 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOOZ Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation
• Original Assignee: BOOZ Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation
• Inventors: Blanks, Keith A., Aspiotis, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US15/845,379
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: 398118-131
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4466 Avalanche
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/021 using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or particular reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0224 using polarising or depolarising elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0229 using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators or spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/027 Control of working procedures of a spectrometer; Failure detection; Bandwidth calculation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/18 using diffraction elements, e.g. grating gratings per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2/006 All-optical wavelength conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/10 Controlling the intensity, frequency, phase, polarisation or direction of the emitted radiation, e.g. switching, gating, modulating or demodulating
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/5563 Digital frequency modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/572 Wavelength control

Abstract

An optical communication system includes a data transmitter. The data transmitter includes at least one optical emission device to output light energy as an optical beam having an operating bandwidth; a beam dividing device arranged to divide the operating bandwidth of the optical beam into bandwidth portions of plural communication bands; an array of graphene switches to: spectrally segregate a bandwidth portion of at least one communication band into plural channels by adjusting at least one graphene switch, and modulate the bandwidth portion to selectively produce an optical output signal with wavelengths that correspond to one or more of the channels, wherein a presence and absence of energy within channels of the communication band will constitute an information packet for data communication. The system includes a focusing grating to receive and focus a first set of wavelengths of the optical output signal reflected by the array of graphene switches.

Claims

1. An optical communication system, comprising:

a data transmitter including;

at least one optical emission device configured to output light energy as an optical beam having an operating bandwidth;

a beam dividing device arranged to receive and divide the operating bandwidth of the optical beam into bandwidth portions of plural communication bands;

an array of graphene switches configured to;

spectrally segregate a bandwidth portion of at least one communication band into plural channels by adjusting at least one graphene switch in the array, and

modulate the bandwidth portion to selectively produce an optical output signal with wavelengths that correspond to one or more of the channels, wherein a presence and absence of energy within channels of the communication band will constitute an information packet for data communication; and

a focusing grating configured to receive and focus a first set of wavelengths of the optical output signal reflected by the array of graphene switches, wherein the first set of wavelengths is outputted to a telescope for transmission.

2. The optical communication system of claim 1, comprising:

a detector configured to receive a second set of wavelengths from the array of graphene switches and convert the second set of wavelengths into electrical current, wherein the second set of wavelengths received by the detector is not transmitted by the telescope and is used for data verification.

3. The optical communication system of claim 1, comprising:

a pin diode array configured to receive a second set of wavelengths from the array of graphene switches and convert the second set of wavelengths into electrical current, wherein the second set of wavelengths received by the pin diode array is not transmitted by the telescope and is used for data verification.

4. The optical communication system of claim 1, comprising:

at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode configured to receive a second set of wavelengths from the array of graphene switches and convert the second set of wavelengths into electrical current, wherein the second set of wavelengths received by the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode is not transmitted by the telescope and is used for data verification.

5. The optical communication system of claim 4, wherein the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode is an array of Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes.

6. The optical communication system of claim 1, comprising:

a frequency presence modulation unit that includes the array of graphene switches and the focusing grating.

7. The optical communication system of claim 4, comprising:

a frequency presence modulation unit that includes the array of graphene switches, the focusing grating, and the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode.

8. The optical communication system of claim 7, comprising:

a controller for providing a control signal to the frequency presence modulation unit to spectrally segregate the bandwidth portion of the at least one communication band into the plural channels,

wherein the telescope transmits the optical output signal.

9. The optical communication system of claim 7, wherein the frequency presence modulation unit comprises:

plural beam adjustment components that adjust the orientation of an input beam from the beam dividing device, and output an adjusted beam;

a grating that receives the adjusted beam from the plural beam adjustment components, disperses the spectral content of the adjusted beam, and redirects the dispersed spectral content; and

a focusing mirror that receives the dispersed spectral content from the grating and focuses the dispersed spectral content onto the array of graphene switches.

10. A transceiver comprising the data transmitter of claim 1 and a data receiver.

11. An optical communication system, comprising:

a data transmitter including;

at least one optical emission device configured to output light energy as an optical beam having an operating bandwidth;

a beam dividing device arranged to receive and divide the operating bandwidth of the optical beam into bandwidth portions of plural communication bands; and

an array of graphene switches configured to;

spectrally segregate a bandwidth portion of at least one communication band into plural channels, and

modulate the bandwidth portion to selectively produce an optical output signal with wavelengths that correspond to one or more of the channels, wherein a presence and absence of energy within channels of the communication band will constitute an information packet for data communication;

a focusing grating configured to receive and focus a first set of wavelengths of the optical output signal reflected by the array of graphene switches, wherein the first set of wavelengths is outputted to a telescope for transmission; and

at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode configured to receive a second set of wavelengths from the array of graphene switches and convert the second set of wavelengths into electrical current, wherein the second set of wavelengths received by the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode is not transmitted by the telescope and is used for data verification.

12. The optical communication system of claim 11, wherein the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode is an array of Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes.

13. The optical communication system of claim 11, comprising:

a frequency presence modulation unit that includes the array of graphene switches, the focusing grating, and the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode.

14. A transceiver comprising the data transmitter of claim 11 and a data receiver.

15. A method for optical communication, the method comprising:

outputting, by at least one optical emission device, light energy as an optical beam having an operating bandwidth on to a beam dividing device;

dividing, by the beam dividing device, the operating bandwidth of the optical beam into bandwidth portions of plural communication bands;

spectrally segregating, an array of graphene switches, a bandwidth portion of at least one communication band into plural channels by adjusting at least one graphene switch in the array of graphene switches;

modulating, by the array of graphene switches, the bandwidth portion to selectively produce an optical output signal with wavelengths that correspond to one or more of the channels, wherein a presence and absence of energy within channels of the communication band will constitute an information packet for data communication;

receiving, on a focusing grating, a first set of wavelengths of the optical output signal reflected by the array of graphene switches and focusing the first set of wavelengths by the focusing grating; and

outputting the first set of wavelengths to a telescope for transmission.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

transmitting, by the telescope, the optical output signal to a data receiver.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising:

receiving, on a detector, a second set of wavelengths from the array of graphene switches and converting the second set of wavelengths into electrical current, wherein the second set of wavelengths received by the detector is not transmitted by the telescope and is used for data verification.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising:

receiving, on a pin diode array, a second set of wavelengths from the array of graphene switches and converting the second set of wavelengths into electrical current, wherein the second set of wavelengths received by the pin diode array is not transmitted by the telescope and is used for data verification.

19. The method of claim 15, comprising:

receiving, on at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode, a second set of wavelengths from the array of graphene switches and converting the second set of wavelengths into electrical current, wherein the second set of wavelengths received by the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode is not transmitted by the telescope and is used for data verification.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode is an array of Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes.

21. The method of claim 19, comprising:

controlling the array of graphene switches and the at least one Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode with a controller.

22. The method of claim 15, comprising:

adjusting, by plural beam adjustment components, the orientation of an input beam from the beam dividing device, and outputting an adjusted beam;

receiving, on a grating, the adjusted beam from the plural beam adjustment components;

dispersing, by the grating, the spectral content of the adjusted beam, and redirecting the dispersed spectral content;

receiving, on a focusing mirror, the dispersed spectral content from the grating and focusing the dispersed spectral content onto the array of graphene switches.