摘要:
A microelectromechanical photonic switching array comprises a plurality of first waveguides and a plurality of second waveguides. Insulative cladding is situated between the first and second waveguides. Each of the first waveguides is positioned with predetermined first waveguide portions on one side of at least one opening, and each of the second waveguides is positioned with predetermined second waveguide portions substantially parallel to respective ones of the predetermined first waveguide portions on an opposing side of said opening. A selected one of the predetermined second waveguide portions is capable of being moved closer and coupling light to a respective one of the predetermined first waveguide portions in response to either an electrostatic or piezoelectric signal. Alternatively, the first and second waveguides are co-planar and light is coupled from a predetermined first waveguide to a predetermined second waveguide by using a movable waveguide coupler.
摘要:
An ultrasound/vibration detector array includes an electrically pumped vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array. The cavity length of each laser or pixel of the array is modulated by the acoustic field at the point where the acoustic field contacts the pixels. The resulting laser output is frequency modulated by the acoustic field. This modulation is converted to amplitude modulation at the detector head and then either detected with a charge-coupled-device (CCD) array with the information being electrically communicated to the signal processing assembly or sent directly by optical fiber to the signal processing assembly for processing. This ultrasound/vibration detector array provides high frequency bandwidth detection, fine spatial resolution, and minimal electric cabling.
摘要:
A method of transmitting the output signal from each pixel of an array of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL's) operatively positioned in an acoustic detector which minimizes the size of interconnects to the different pixels, which uses optical fibers to transport the output signal from each VCSEL pixel to the signal processing assembly. The VCSEL array is fabricated onto an acoustic matching layer which is designed to allow maximum acoustic coupling into the transducer assembly. An acoustic damping layer is employed after the array in order to extinguish the acoustic energy in order to avoid reflections within the transducer. Alternatively, an acoustic reflecting layer can be employed depending on the sensitivity and bandwidth requirements of the application. The frequency modulation of the laser output caused by the acoustic disturbance is then converted into amplitude modulation in a Fabry-Perot cavity array attached to the damping layer. This cavity could also employ a spatial light modulator array or some other tuning element array which would allow feedback to correct for any laser fluctuations at frequencies lower than the acoustic frequency. Finally, an array of fiber optic couplers would couple the amplitude modulated signal to a signal processing assembly.
摘要:
A current limiting device for protecting electrical circuits has a case and a pair of separable electrodes disposed within the case. Each electrode has a plurality of openings with an ablative member abutting the openings at an outer surface of the electrode. A spring is disposed between each ablative member and the case for urging the electrodes together. When the electrical current exceeds a predetermined setpoint the electrodes separate and an arc is created between the electrodes. The arc heats the ablative member causing expulsion of gasses which further increase the gap resistance and cool the arc to thereby quenching the arc. In a second embodiment of the current limiting device, one of the electrodes is a fixed electrode. The ablative member is disposed about a surface of the moveable electrode with a plurality of legs passing through a plurality of openings of the moveable electrode and in contact with an inner surface of the fixed electrode. A plurality of ablative member springs urges the ablative member against the fixed electrode and a plurality of electrode springs urge the movable electrode against the fixed electrode. In the second embodiment the efficiency of the expulsion of gasses is increased because the legs of the ablative member are positioned within the arc.
摘要:
A color tunable light source (10) includes multiple light emitting components (32, 34, 36), such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) or laser diodes (LDs) with different emission wavelengths, and multiple phosphors (24) with different excitation and emission wavelengths. The emission wavelengths of the different light emitting components are chosen to match the excitation wavelengths of the different phosphors. The light emitting components are powered by an electrical circuit (42, 44, 46), which allows separate control of the optical power output of the different wavelength LEDs/LDs. The light from the light emitting components is arranged to impinge on the combination of phosphors such that the phosphors are excited and emit light at their characteristic wavelengths. By separately adjusting the power to each LED/LD, the amount of light emitted by each phosphor, and hence, through color mixing, the color of the light emitted, is varied.
摘要:
A fault current interrupter is provided by the parallel combination of a polymer current limiter and a voltage dependent resistor connected across a pair of separable contacts to permit the interruption of current without the occurrence of arcing between the contacts when the contacts first become separated. The polymer current limiter is selected to have a relatively low resistance at quiescent operating currents and a substantially higher resistance at short circuit overcurrents. This allows the current to transfer away from the contacts through the polymer current limiter until the voltage across the voltage dependent resistor causes the voltage dependent resistor to become conductive and thereby transfer the current away from the polymer current limiter.
摘要:
Large, light-weight organic devices and methods of preparing large, light-weight organic devices. Specifically, flexible and rigid light-weight plastics are implemented. The flexible plastic may be disposed from a reel. A metal grid is fabricated on the flexible plastic to provide current conduction over the large area. A transparent oxide layer is provided over the metal grid to form the bottom electrode of the organic device. A light emitting or light gathering organic layer is disposed on the transparent oxide layer. A second electrode is disposed over the organic layer. Electrodes are coupled to the metal grid and the second electrode to provide electrical current to or from the organic layer. Depending on the type of materials used for the organic layer, the organic device may comprise an area light device or a photovoltaic device.
摘要:
A light source (10) includes a light emitting component (32), such as a UV/blue light emitting diode or laser diode, a layer (46) of a light scattering material (42), and a layer (48) of a phosphor material (44). The phosphor material converts a portion of the light emitted by the light emitting component to light of a longer wavelength, such as yellow light. The scattering material scatters the light emitted by the light emitting component and/or the light converted by the phosphor to improve the overall uniformity of the angular distribution of the light. When combined, the converted and scattered light has a more uniform angular distribution, that is, it maintains the approximately the same color as the viewing angle is changed.
摘要:
A current limiting device utilizing an electrically conductive composite material and an inhomogeneous distribution of resistance structure is disclosed. The inhomogeneous distribution is typically chosen so that at least one selected thin layer of the current limiting device has much higher resistance than the rest of the current limiting device. In the actual device, pressure is typically exerted on the composite material in a direction normal to the selected thin layer. During a short-circuit, it is believed that adiabatic resistive heating of this selected thin layer is followed by rapid thermal expansion which leads to either a partial or complete physical separation of the current limiting device at the selected thin layer which produces a higher over-all device resistance to electric current flow. Thus the current limiting device limits the flow of current through the short-circuited current path. When the short-circuit is cleared, the current limiting device regains its low resistance state allowing electrical current to flow normally. The current limiting of the present invention is reusable for many such short circuit conditions.
摘要:
Methods for ultrasonic/vibration detection include using a sensor consisting of a microchip laser or an array of microchip lasers constructed to oscillate at two different laser frequencies corresponding to two orthogonal polarizations is disclosed. The frequency difference between these two different frequencies is chosen to be within the bandwidth of an electrical (as opposed to optical) signal processing system. When the microchip laser or microchip laser array is placed in an acoustic field, its cavity length is modulated which causes a frequency modulation of the frequency difference between the two modes. When the two laser output polarizations are mixed using a polarization scrambling device such as a polarizer at about 45 degrees to the polarization axes and then detected with a photodiode, one for each microchip laser, the resulting electrical signal contains the FM modulated beat frequency between the two polarization modes. This is then demodulated using an electrical signal processing system.