Shutters for infra red communication at moderate bandwidths
US7950812B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 10, 2007 |
| Grant date | May 31, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 11, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/74
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A modulating corner-cube retroreflector for remote communications is disclosed. The modulating corner-cube retroreflector includes a solid retroreflector with a front surface and three mutually perpendicular surfaces: a first surface, a second surface and a third surface. A first thin membrane is disposed relative to at least one of the three mutually perpendicular surfaces and covers at least a portion of the surface. A modulator is included that is adapted to cause the thin membrane to vibrate. The corner-cube retroreflector is configured to receive an incident beam of light from a source along a first path and is configured to return a reflected beam of light back towards the source along a second path that is substantially parallel to the first path. The first thin membrane is configured to substantially frustrate total internal reflection of the incident beam of light when the first thin membrane is moved relative to at least one surface of the retroreflector.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.