High-index contrast waveguide optical gyroscope having segmented paths

• US 8,031,343 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Carothers, Daniel N., Odhner, Jefferson E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Tarifur
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cook, Jonathon
• Application Number:
  US12/525,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20100328673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 356460-466
• US Class Current: 356/461
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/72 with counter-rotating light beams in a passive ring, e.g. fibre laser gyrometers

Abstract

A waveguide optical gyroscope is disclosed. The waveguide optical gyroscope includes a laser, two detectors, a set of couplers and a set of waveguides. The laser generates a light beam. A first waveguide guides the light beam to travel in a first direction, and a second waveguide guides the light beam to travel in a second direction. The first and second waveguides are coupled to several ring waveguides via the couplers. The first detector detects the arrival of the light beam traveling from the first waveguide, and the second detector detects the arrival of the light beam traveling from the second waveguide.

Claims

1. An optical gyroscope comprising:

a laser for generating a light beam;

a plurality of couplers;

a first waveguide, connected to said laser, for guiding said light beam to travel in a first direction;

a second waveguide, connected to said laser, for guiding said light beam to travel in a second direction;

a first and second ring waveguides coupled to said first and second waveguides, respectively, via two of said plurality of couplers, wherein said first and second ring waveguides are directly optically coupled to each other via another two of said plurality of couplers;

a first detector, connected to said first ring waveguide, for detecting the arrival of said light beam from said first waveguide; and

a second detector, connected to said second ring waveguide, for detecting the arrival of said light beam from said second waveguide.

2. The optical gyroscope of claim 1, wherein an initial phase difference between said light beam in said first waveguide and said light beam in said second waveguide is 90 degrees.

3. The optical gyroscope of claim 1, wherein said two couplers optically couples said first and second waveguides to segments of said first and second ring waveguides, respectively.

4. The optical gyroscope of claim 3, wherein said two couplers are 15%-90% couplers.

5. The optical gyroscope of claim 1, wherein said another two couplers optically couples segments of said first and second ring waveguides.

6. The optical gyroscope of claim 5, wherein said another two couplers are 90% couplers.

7. The optical gyroscope of claim 1, wherein said first direction is different from said second direction.

8. The optical gyroscope of claim 1, wherein said couplers control coupling coefficient and phases of said light beam.