Free-space star-coupled optical data bus

• US 5,726,786 A
• Filed: 11/21/1995
• Issued: 03/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aerospace Corporation
• Inventors: Heflinger, Donald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NEGASH, KINFE MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/561,343
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 359/152, 359/172, 359/178, 359/143, 359/120, 359/121, 359/168, 359/169-170, 359/515, 359/528, 359/839, 385/46
• US Class Current: 398/128
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/428 Power distribution and management
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers

Abstract

A free-space passively star-coupled optical data bus uses uniform uncollimated transmission light communicating data among a plurality of transmitter and receiver paired transceiver nodes of respective communication subsystems for communicating data from one transmitting node simultaneously to each of all of the remaining receiving nodes, the data bus being defined by a transmission volume having peripheral optical ports for optically interfacing the transceivers nodes to the free-space communication transmission medium having a distribution means to distribute the light and provide a variety of data bus configurations each supported by protocol addressing and optical modulation for connectorless communications for improved reliability and reduced costs especially well-suited for conference room, office, and spacecraft applications.

Claims

1. An optical data bus for free-space communication of data by optical transmission and reception of light, said bus comprising:

a volume of free-space for communication of said light therein,

a plurality of transceiver means disposed about said volume and having at least an associated transmitter means and receiver means for respectively transmitting and receiving said light, and

an optical distributing means for uniformly distributing said light from one of said transceiver means simultaneously through said free-space to the remaining ones of said transceiver means, said light is distributed by said optical distributing means as electromagnetic spectrum waves transmitted from said one of said transceiver means to said remaining ones of said transceivers means,

said optical distributing means comprises an integrating chamber for receiving said light transmitted by one of said plurality of transceiver means and for re-emitting said transmitted light to every other remaining one of said plurality of transceiver means.