High dynamic receiver for free space optics application

• US 7,269,360 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Paoli, Giovanni, Verbana, Gianfranco
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCAL, LESLIE C
• Application Number:
  US10/695,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20040086283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 398/118, 398/128, 398/129, 398212-213, 250/208.2, 250/214.AG, 250/214.B, 250/214.C, 250/214.AL, 250/208.5
• US Class Current: 398/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1121 One-way transmission

Abstract

A receiver for an optics telecommunication system, the receiver comprises a first receiving device and means for focusing a received light beam carrying a signal towards such first receiving device. The receiver is characterized in that it further comprises at least a second receiving device and a beam splitter for splitting the focused light beam partially towards the first receiving device and partially towards the at least second receiving device. Tipically, the first receiver device is an APD diode while the second receiver device is a PIN diode. The telecommunication system is a Free Space Optics telecommunication system. A method is also described. The invention results in a high dynamic receiver. The dynamic of the invention receiver could be up to the sum of the dynamics of receivers provided with single receiving device (APD or PIN).

Claims

1. A receiver for receiving a light beam carrying a signal in a free space optics telecommunication system, the receiver comprising:

a first receiving device having a first saturation level and a first sensitivity;

a second receiving device having a second saturation level and a second sensitivity;

means for focusing said received light beam;

a beam splitter for splitting the focused light beam into a first portion towards the first receiving device and into a second portion towards the second receiving device; and

a switch for switching between the first receiving device and the second receiving device according to a level of said signal.

2. The receiver according to claim 1, characterized in that the beam splitter provides an asymmetric ratio in order to send different portions of the received signal power to the first and to the at least second receiving device.

3. The receiver according to claim 2, characterized in that the largest portion of the received signal is provided to the first receiving device.

4. The receiver according to claim 3, characterized in that the portion of the received signal which is provided to the first receiving device is between 85-98%, of the whole received power.

5. The receiver according to claim 3, wherein the portion of the received signal which is provided to the first receiving device is approximately 90% of the whole received power.

6. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein said second saturation level is higher than said first saturation level.

7. The receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a hitless switch block in turn comprising a switch logic block responsive to input power information from the first and the at least second receiving devices and to phase information from a phase comparator, the switch logic block driving said switch selecting a signal between the signal from the first receiving device and the signal from the at least second receiving device.

8. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein said first sensitivity is higher than said second sensitivity.

9. The receiver according to claim 1, characterized in that the first receiver device comprises an APD diode.

10. The receiver according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least second receiver device comprises a PIN diode.

11. A method for providing high dynamic range in a receiver, the receiver comprising receiver for receiving a light beam carrying a signal in a free space optics telecommunication system, the receiver comprising a first receiving device having a first saturation level and a first sensitivity, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a second receiving device having a second saturation level and a second sensitivity;

focusing said received light beam;

splitting the focused light beam into a first portion towards the first receiving device and into a second portion towards the second receiving device; and

switching between the first receiving device and the second receiving device according to a level of said signal.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the step of beam splitting comprises providing the largest portion of the received signal to the first receiving device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the portion of the received signal which is provided to the first receiving device is between 85-98%, of the whole received power.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the portion of the received signal which is provided to the first receiving device is approximately 90% of the whole received power.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the step of beam splitting comprises the step of beam splitting according to an asymmetric ratio in order to send different portions of the received signal power to the first and to the at least second receiving device.

16. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the first receiver device comprises an APD diode and at least one second receiver device comprises a PiN diode.

17. The receiver according to claim 11, wherein said second saturation level is higher than said first saturation level.

18. The receiver according to claim 11, wherein said first sensitivity is higher than said second sensitivity.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein said switching step comprises selecting a signal between the signal from the first receiving device and the signal from the at least one second receiving device according to phase information from a phase comparator and according to signal received power information.