POWER AND COMMUNICATION INTERFACE FOR SENSORS USING A SINGLE TETHERED FIBER
First Claim
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1. A sensing system comprising:
- a first plane having one or more layers with conductive traces formed on at least one layer;
a semiconductor device included in the first plane, the semiconductor device including a plurality of photodiodes and a laser grown monolithically;
a power source included in the first plane, the power source in communication with the semiconductor device; and
an optical fiber tethered with the first plane, wherein the plurality of photodiodes generate a current in response to incident light from the optical fiber.
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Abstract
A sensing system tethered to an optical fiber for delivering optical power. A sensing system has a semiconductor device that includes photodiodes and a laser. The optical signal delivered through the optical fiber generates a current in the photodiodes that can be used to at least recharge the sensing system'"'"'s power supply or bias the laser. The optical signal can be modulated to deliver data to the sensing system. The laser can be modulated to transmit data from the sensing system over the optical fiber. Because the power source can be recharged, the sensing system can also transmit and receive using an RF module.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A sensing system comprising:
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a first plane having one or more layers with conductive traces formed on at least one layer;
a semiconductor device included in the first plane, the semiconductor device including a plurality of photodiodes and a laser grown monolithically;
a power source included in the first plane, the power source in communication with the semiconductor device; and
an optical fiber tethered with the first plane, wherein the plurality of photodiodes generate a current in response to incident light from the optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for delivering power to a sensing system, the method comprising:
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receiving an optical signal over an optical fiber tethered to at least a first plane of the sensing system;
converting the optical signal to a current using a plurality of photodiodes; and
charging a power source of the sensing system with the current generated by the plurality of photodiodes. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A sensing system comprising:
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a semiconductor device mounted in a first plane, wherein the semiconductor device includes;
a plurality of photodiodes;
optics; and
a laser;
an optical fiber tethered to at least the first plane, wherein the optical fiber is coupled with both the plurality of photodiodes and the laser through the optics such that a modulated optical signal received through the optical fiber is incident on the plurality of photodiodes and light emitted by the laser is launched into the optical fiber, wherein the plurality of photodiodes generate a current in response to the optical signal; and
a power source that can be recharged using the current generated by the plurality of photodiodes. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification