Patent · US Expired

Variable optical filter and optical transmission system using same, and method of controlling variable optical filter

US6978064B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
2References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 12, 2003
Grant dateDec 20, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 12, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/29355
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention has an object of providing a variable optical filter that can move its periodic filter characteristic over a wide range in parallel to an optical frequency axis direction. To this end, the variable optical filter of the present invention comprises: first and second filter sections connected in series via an optical path, and a control section for controlling the periodic filter characteristic of each of the first and second filter sections. The control section, when the filter characteristic of one of the first and second filter sections is required to move in parallel to the optical frequency axis direction to exceed a variable range, relatively controls the filter characteristic of each of the first and second filter sections such that the switching is performed from one filter section to the other filter section, provided that the filter characteristic of the overall variable optical filters becomes constant.

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