Multi-channel waveguide optical sensor
US4906837A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 26, 1988 |
| Grant date | Mar 6, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 26, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01D5/34723
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical sensor for monitoring the motion and/or position of a moving element. One preferred embodiment of the optical sensor (50) includes a soda lime silicate glass substrate (52) in which a plurality of transmit waveguide channels (54), (56), and (58) are formed by an ion diffusion process. The waveguide conveys light pulses to a plurality of read ports (60), (62), and (64) through which the pulses are emitted to illuminate reflective areas formed on the surface of an adjacent moving element (59). Pulses of light reflected back from the reflective areas re-enter the read ports, propagating in the opposite direction through combination transmit/receive portions of the optical waveguide channels (72), (74), and (76), combining in a common receive waveguide channel (78). The reflected pulses are conveyed through a receive optical fiber (80) to a fiber-optic receiver (170), where they are converted to electrical pulses, which are decoded to provide an indication of the speed and/or position of the moving element.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.