Patent · US Expired

Optical connection device of a planar type

US5235661A · kind A · utility

3Cited by
7References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 27, 1991
Grant dateAug 10, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 27, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/2848
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In an optical connection device for use in responding to an incident light beam to produce a plurality of output light beams, the incident light beam is incident onto a planar substrate on which a plurality of optical islands which have refraction coefficients different from the planar substrate. The incident light beam travels as an internal light beam within the planar substrate with reflections repeated in the planar substrate and is emitted as output light beams through the optical islands when the internal light beam arrives at the optical islands. Thus, the incident light beam is distributed through the optical islands outside of the planar substrate. If each of optical nodes is located in vicinity of the optical islands and generates the input light beam and receives each of the output light beams, bidirectional communication can be carried out through the planar substrate and the optical islands among the optical nodes.

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