Optical system with reduced back reflection
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An optical coupler comprising:
- an optical element having a substantially flat side and a substantially convex side;
a detector spaced from the convex side of the optical element; and
an optical fiber positioned adjacent to the substantially flat side of the optical element wherein the substantially flat side of the optical element is oriented substantially perpendicular to an optical axis associated with the optical coupler and the optical element is adapted to direct light delivered by the optical fiber to the spaced detector such that light that is reflected by the detector does not substantially couple back into the optical fiber wherein the optical element is adapted to produce at least a partial annular shaped light pattern on the detector.
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Abstract
An optical system is adapted to produce reduced back reflection from a receiving detector back to a light source for increased system performance. The system may optically condition light signals from the light source for projection onto the detector. The conditioning may result in a light spot on the detector that has an annular intensity distribution or profile. The annular distribution may be attained in any number of ways including providing a slope discontinuity in the lens surface, providing an ax icon lens function, and/or providing a defocused light spot on the detector surface.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An optical coupler comprising:
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an optical element having a substantially flat side and a substantially convex side; a detector spaced from the convex side of the optical element; and an optical fiber positioned adjacent to the substantially flat side of the optical element wherein the substantially flat side of the optical element is oriented substantially perpendicular to an optical axis associated with the optical coupler and the optical element is adapted to direct light delivered by the optical fiber to the spaced detector such that light that is reflected by the detector does not substantially couple back into the optical fiber wherein the optical element is adapted to produce at least a partial annular shaped light pattern on the detector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An optical coupler comprising:
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an optical element having a substantially flat side and a substantially convex side; a detector spaced from the convex side of the optical element; and an optical fiber positioned adjacent to the substantially flat side of the optical element wherein the substantially flat side of the optical element is oriented substantially perpendicular to an optical axis associated with the optical coupler and the optical element is adapted to direct light delivered by the optical fiber to the space detector such that light that is reflected by the detector does not substantially couple back into the optical fiber wherein the optical element is adapted to produce an annular light pattern on the detector.
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7. An optical coupler comprising:
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an optical element having a substantially flat side and a substantially convex side; a detector spaced from the convex side of the optical element; and an optical fiber positioned adjacent to the substantially flat side of the optical element wherein the substantially flat side of the optical element is oriented perpendicular to an optical axis associated with the optical coupler and the optical element is adapted to direct light delivered by the optical fiber to the spaced detector such that light that is reflected by the detector does not substantially couple back into the optical fiber wherein the optical element includes a focal point and the detector is positioned relative to the optical element such that the light from the optical element is not defocused on the detector.
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8. A light transmission system comprising:
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a light source; a detector; and an optical element positioned between the light source and the detector; wherein the optical element is configured to direct more than half of the light that is transmitted from the light source onto the detector, and to direct less than half of the light that is reflected by the detector back to the light source, and wherein the optical element is configured to produce an annular light pattern on the detector wherein the lens has a substantially plano-convex shape. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An optical coupler comprising:
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an optical element having a substantially flat side and a substantially convex side; a detector spaced from the convex side of the optical element; and an optical fiber positioned adjacent to the substantially flat side of the optical element wherein the substantially flat side of the optical element is oriented perpendicular to an optical axis associated with the optical coupler and the optical element is adapted to direct light delivered by the optical fiber to the spaced detector such that light that is reflected by the detector does not substantially couple back into the optical fiber wherein the substantially convex side has a slope discontinuity that is located proximate the optical axis. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification