Microwave adaptive transversal filter employing variable photonic delay lines
First Claim
1. A transversal filter utilizing an array of independently and continuously variable photonic delay line elements comprising:
- (a) light beam generation means for producing a coherent light beam;
(b) beamsplitter means for separating said coherent light beam into a reference beam and a signal beam;
(c) frequency shifting means for frequency shifting the frequency of said signal beam with respect to the frequency of said reference beam to produce a frequency shifted signal;
(d) combining means for combining the frequency shifted signal with the reference signal to produce an output signal;
(e) replication means for producing a replicated output signal of the output signal produced by the combining means;
(f) a first mirror means comprising a segmented mirror device having an array of individually controllable segmented mirror elements, each mirror element defining a terminal portion of an integrated optical delay line element;
(g) means for directing replicated output signals of the replication means upon associated segmented mirror elements of the segmented mirror device;
(h) summing means for summing the reflected signals from the segmented mirror elements with the replicated output signals of the replication means; and
(i) mirror element control means for selectively varying the wavefront tilt of beamlets reflected by the individual segmented mirror elements, thereby to enable the transversal filter to be reconfigured as rapidly as the wavefront tilts can be varied.
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Accused Products
Abstract
By applying a spatial frequency dependent phase compensation in an optical heterodyning system, a variable rf delay line can be synthesized. The system is able to generate continuously variable phased microwave signals over a prescribed frequency band. A primary application of these variable delay lines is in the area of phased array antenna systems. Because the phototonic delay line synthesizes true time delay, it can be used as part of wide bandwidth system to achieve 100% fractional bandwidth without beam squint. The system lends itself to an optically integrated implementation using a 2-D deformable mirror device to achieve very high packing density which is very useful for an adaptive transversal filter.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A transversal filter utilizing an array of independently and continuously variable photonic delay line elements comprising:
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(a) light beam generation means for producing a coherent light beam; (b) beamsplitter means for separating said coherent light beam into a reference beam and a signal beam; (c) frequency shifting means for frequency shifting the frequency of said signal beam with respect to the frequency of said reference beam to produce a frequency shifted signal; (d) combining means for combining the frequency shifted signal with the reference signal to produce an output signal; (e) replication means for producing a replicated output signal of the output signal produced by the combining means; (f) a first mirror means comprising a segmented mirror device having an array of individually controllable segmented mirror elements, each mirror element defining a terminal portion of an integrated optical delay line element; (g) means for directing replicated output signals of the replication means upon associated segmented mirror elements of the segmented mirror device; (h) summing means for summing the reflected signals from the segmented mirror elements with the replicated output signals of the replication means; and (i) mirror element control means for selectively varying the wavefront tilt of beamlets reflected by the individual segmented mirror elements, thereby to enable the transversal filter to be reconfigured as rapidly as the wavefront tilts can be varied. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification