Patent · US Expired

Frequency referencing system and method

US4839614A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
12References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 14, 1987
Grant dateJun 13, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 14, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S5/0687
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A system and method of referencing frequencies of radiation from a plurality of sources, for example lasers (1,2) includes filter element (11), such as a Fabry-Perot etalon, onto which the radiation is incident. The filter element has a replicated set of passbands spaced apart in frequency. Detection means (12, 13) detects radiation passing through the filter element (11) and provides corresponding output signals. Control means (16-18, 3, 4) is responsive to the output signals from the detection means (12, 13) to control the sources (1, 2) so that the radiation transmitted through the filter element (11) is maintained substantially constant. The bandwidths of the radiation are small compared with the corresponding passbands of the filter element. The invention is particularly applicable in a communications network in which a number of sets of remote sources of radiation are referenced to a central set of reference sources.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.