Light emitter with redundant light sources

Abstract

An optical link includes an optical transmitter having redundant or backup light sources for transmitting optical signals through an optical fiber of the optical link. The optical transmitter uses a first light source to generate an optical signal and transmit the optical signal to an optical receiver via the optical fiber. In response to detecting a faulty operation of the first light source, the optical transmitter stops using the first light source to transmit optical signals to the optical receiver and switches to a second or backup light source to transmit optical signals to the optical receiver via the same optical fiber. In this way, the optical transmitter can continue to reliably transmit optical signals to the optical receiver through the same optical fiber even in the presence of a faulty light source.

Description

[0001] Stephen Nelson

[0002] Chris Kokort

[0003] Cross-reference to related applications

[0004] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 781,692, filed April 1, 2025, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0005] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to optical communication and optical transmitters for optical communication. Background Technology

[0006] Optical communication networks include optical transmitters that generate and transmit optical signals via corresponding optical fibers. Specifically, such optical transmitters may include light sources, such as LEDs or laser diodes, that generate optical signals injected into the corresponding optical fibers of the optical communication network. However, for various reasons, the light source of an optical transmitter may cease operation or become insufficiently operational to reliably transmit data via its corresponding optical fiber. In this case, data transmission through the corresponding optical fiber may stop until a technician can manually replace the faulty component.

[0007] By comparing such methods with some aspects of this disclosure, the further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional methods will become apparent to those skilled in the art, as illustrated in the remainder of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings. Summary of the Invention

[0008] A light transmitter having multiple light sources is shown in at least one of the accompanying drawings and / or described in conjunction with at least one of the accompanying drawings, and is set forth more fully in the claims. Such a light transmitter can transmit optical signals to an optical receiver via an optical fiber using a first light source. In response to a failure of the first light source, the light transmitter can switch operation to a second light source and continue to reliably transmit optical signals to the optical receiver using the same optical fiber, even in the presence of a failed light source.

[0009] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of this disclosure, as well as the details of the illustrated embodiments, will be more fully understood from the following description and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The various features and advantages of this disclosure can be more readily understood by referring to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals denote the same structural elements.

[0011] Figure 1AOptical links, including optical emitters with redundant or backup light sources, are described according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0012] Figure 1B An additional optical link, including an optical emitter with redundant or backup light sources, is described according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 2 Depicting Figure 1A and / or Figure 1B Details of one embodiment of the light emitter.

[0014] Figure 3 Depicting Figure 1A and / or Figure 1B Details of another embodiment of the light emitter.

[0015] Figure 4 Depicting Figure 1A and / or Figure 1B Example light source standby switching process for optical links. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to an optical link in which the optical transmitter includes redundant or backup light sources for transmitting optical signals through the optical fiber of the optical link. For example, the optical transmitter may use a first light source to generate an optical signal and transmit the optical signal to an optical receiver via the optical fiber. In response to a detected failure of the first light source, the optical transmitter may cease transmitting the optical signal to the optical receiver using the first light source and may switch to a second or backup light source to transmit the optical signal to the optical receiver via the same optical fiber. In this way, even in the presence of a failed light source, the optical transmitter can continue to reliably transmit the optical signal to the optical receiver via the same optical fiber.

[0017] The accompanying drawings illustrate general construction methods. To avoid unnecessarily obscuring this disclosure, descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted. Furthermore, elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to others to aid in understanding the examples discussed in this disclosure. The same reference numerals in different drawings denote the same elements.

[0018] The term "and / or" refers to any one or more items in a list connected by "and / or". As an example, "x and / or y" refers to any one element in the three element sets {(x), (y), (x, y)}. In other words, "x and / or y" means "one or both of x and y". As another example, "x, y and / or z" refers to any one element in the seven element sets {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. In other words, "x, y and / or z" means "one or both of x, y and z".

[0019] The terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and / or “containing” are “open-ended” terms and indicate the presence of the stated feature but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features.

[0020] The terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. Thus, for example, the first element discussed in this disclosure may be referred to as the second element without departing from the teachings of this disclosure.

[0021] Unless otherwise stated, the term "coupled" can be used to describe two elements that are in direct contact with each other or to describe two elements that are indirectly connected by one or more other elements. For example, if element A is coupled to element B, then element A can be in direct contact with element B or indirectly connected to element B by an intermediate element C. Similarly, the terms "on top of" or "on" can be used to describe two elements that are in direct contact with each other or to describe two elements that are indirectly connected by one or more other elements.

[0022] Furthermore, any numerical range described herein is intended to include all subranges contained therein. For example, the range “1 to 10” is intended to include any and all subranges between and including the stated minimum value of 1 and the stated maximum value of 10, that is, all subranges that begin with a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and end with a maximum value equal to or less than 10, and all subranges in between, such as 1 to 6.3, or 5.5 to 10, or 2.7 to 6.1.

[0023] Now for reference Figure 1A The figure illustrates an optical link 1A according to various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the optical link 1A may include an optical transmitter 100A, an optical fiber 200, and an optical receiver 300A. The optical fiber 200 may couple the optical transmitter 100A to the optical receiver 300A to allow the optical transmitter 100A to transmit optical signals to the optical receiver 300A.

[0024] The light emitter 100A may include a control circuit 110, a semiconductor light-emitting device 120, an optical element 130, and a light sensor 140. The semiconductor light-emitting device 120 may include a light source 124A-124N for generating an optical signal that is transmitted to the light receiver 300A via the optical fiber 200.

[0025] Typically, light sources 124A-124N can provide light source parsing or light source redundancy for optical transmitter 100A. Specifically, optical transmitter 100A can drive optical fiber 200 via one of the selected light sources 124A-124N, and can switch to a different light source 124A-124N in response to the detection of a potential problem with the currently selected light source 124A-124N. In this way, even in the presence of one or more degraded, failed, and / or otherwise malfunctioning light sources among the light sources 124A-124N, optical transmitter 100A can continue to transmit optical signals to optical receiver 300A via optical fiber 200.

[0026] For this purpose, the control circuit 110 of the optical transmitter 100A may include a driver 112, a switch 114, and a controller 116. The driver 112 may receive electrical data signals and provide the switch 114 with electrical drive signals suitable for driving the light sources 124A-124N. Specifically, the electrical drive signals may cause the selected light source 124A-124N to generate optical signals representing the electrical data signals. For this purpose, the driver 112 may amplify, balance, regulate, and / or otherwise generate the electrical drive signals to provide the switch 114 with an electrical drive signal suitable for driving one of the selected light sources 124A-124N.

[0027] The controller 116 can generate one or more control signals that cause the switch 114 to direct an electrical drive signal to one of the selected light sources 124A-124N. Specifically, the controller 116 can receive one or more status signals representing one or more operating characteristics of the currently selected light source 124A-124N. As long as the selected light source 124A-124N continues to operate within tolerance, the controller 116 can continue to generate control signals that cause the switch 114 to direct an electrical drive signal to the selected light source 124A-124N of the semiconductor light-emitting device 120. However, in response to detecting a fault operation of the selected light source 124A-124N, the controller 116 can generate one or more control signals that cause the switch 114 to direct an electrical drive signal to a different light source 124A-124N.

[0028] Optical element 130 can receive optical signals from selected light sources 124A-124N. Optical element 130 can further inject the received optical signals into optical fiber 200 coupled to optical port 131 of optical element 130. Optical element 130 can also guide the split portion of the optical signal to optical sensor 140.

[0029] Optical sensor 140 receives the tap portion of the optical signal and provides an electrical status signal to controller 116 indicating the optical power and / or other operating characteristics of the monitored optical signal. Based on this electrical status signal, controller 116 can assess whether the currently selected light source 124A-124N has failed and / or otherwise fails to meet specifications. Furthermore, based on this assessment, controller 116 can selectively switch to a different one of the light sources 124A-124N. In this way, even if one or more of the light sources 124A-124N cease to operate and / or cease to operate reliably, optical transmitter 100A can continue to provide a suitable optical signal to optical fiber 200.

[0030] In various embodiments, the semiconductor light-emitting device 120 may be implemented using solid-state light-emitting devices, such as light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes, vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes, edge-emitting laser diodes, and / or other solid-state light-emitting devices. In such embodiments, the semiconductor light-emitting device 120 may include a semiconductor substrate 122 shared by each of the light sources 124A-124N (see, for example...). Figure 2 and Figure 3 Furthermore, such light sources 124A-124N can emit light directly from the front or cavity side of the semiconductor substrate 122 into the air. Alternatively, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, light emitted by light source 124A-124N can pass through semiconductor substrate 122 from the front or cavity side and exit from the back side of semiconductor substrate 122.

[0031] In some embodiments, the light sensor 140 may be integrated into the same semiconductor substrate 122 as the light sources 124A-124N. In other embodiments, the light sensor 140 may be implemented as a separate component. In some embodiments, the light emitter 100A may include a separate light sensor 140 for each light source 124A-124N, thereby providing a one-to-one relationship between the light sensor 140 and the light source 124A-124N. However, during typical operation, the controller 116 may cause only a single selected light source 124A-124N in the semiconductor light-emitting device 120 to emit a beam of light at a given time. In such embodiments, a single light sensor 140 may be sufficient to monitor the operating state of the currently selected light source 124A-124N.

[0032] Now for reference Figure 1B This illustrates optical link 1B according to various aspects of this disclosure. Similar to... Figure 1A Optical link 1A and optical link 1B may include an optical transmitter 100B, an optical fiber 200, and an optical receiver 300B. Typically, Figure 1B The optical transmitter 100B and optical receiver 300B can be similar to Figure 1A This is achieved using an optical transmitter 100A and an optical receiver 300A. However, Figure 1A The light emitter 100A includes one or more light sensors 140 that monitor the operation of selected light sources 124A-124N. However, Figure 1B The 100B optical transmitter may lack such an optical sensor. Instead, Figure 1B The optical receiver 300B can provide the optical transmitter 100B with status information for the currently selected light source 124A-124N. Specifically, Figure 1B The optical receiver 300B may include an optical sensor that monitors the optical power and / or other characteristics of the optical signal received via the optical fiber 200. The optical receiver 300B may then provide these monitored characteristics to the optical transmitter 100B.

[0033] Specifically, in some embodiments, the optical receiver 300B may provide such characteristics via the same optical fiber 200 that receives optical signals from the optical transmitter 100B. In such embodiments, the optical signal 300B may provide status via an in-band or out-of-band status channel of the optical fiber 200. In other embodiments, the optical receiver 300B may provide such characteristics via a separate optical fiber between the optical receiver 300B and the optical transmitter 100B and / or via a separate electrical communication link between the optical receiver 300B and the optical transmitter 100B. In still other embodiments, the optical receiver 300B may simply detect power signal quality, signal loss, and / or data error rate, and based on such detected characteristics, may send a request to the optical transmitter 100B to use a different light source 124A-124N for subsequent transmission. Again, the optical receiver 300B may issue such a request via an in-band optical signal, an out-of-band optical signal, or an electrical signal.

[0034] Now go to Figure 2 The implementation details of a first embodiment of the light emitters 100A and 100B are described. Specifically, Figure 2 An embodiment is depicted, comprising a plurality of light sources 124A, 124B, which are offset to either side of one or more first lenses 132 of optical element 130. Furthermore, Figure 2Each light source 124A, 124B is depicted emitting a corresponding light beam, enabling the transmission of its respective optical path. However, during operation, the control circuit 110 typically selects a single light source 124A, 124B to emit a light beam. Therefore, typically only a single light beam is emitted at a given time.

[0035] also, Figure 2 Two light sources 124A and 124B are depicted, and each light source 124A and 124B is depicted with two associated electrodes 125A1, 125A2, 125B1, and 125B2. However, in other embodiments, light emitters 100A and 100B may include different numbers of light sources and / or different numbers of electrodes associated with each light source.

[0036] As depicted, one or more first lenses 132 may be integrated into the back side of the same semiconductor substrate 122 (e.g., gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium nitride, etc.) used to implement light sources 124A, 124B. In such embodiments, one or more first lenses 132 may be implemented as integrated refractive lenses, integrated diffractive lenses, angular lenses, and / or planar lenses on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 122. One or more first lenses 132 may collimate the respective beams from any of the light sources 124A, 124B selected to provide an optical signal and guide the collimated beams to one or more second lenses 134. Furthermore, one or more first lenses 132 may use angular surfaces, off-center centers, or diffraction patterns to angle the collimated beams toward the center of the core 210 of the optical fiber 200.

[0037] Optical element 130 may also include one or more second lenses 134. The one or more second lenses 134 may further focus, angle, or otherwise guide the light beam into the core 210 of optical fiber 200. In various embodiments, the one or more second lenses 134 may be implemented using a second lens block 136 (e.g., a glass block) separate from the semiconductor substrate 122 used to provide the light sources 124A, 124B and one or more first lenses 132.

[0038] In various embodiments, an anti-reflective coating may be applied to one or more surfaces of the first lens 132 and / or the second lens 134. Such an anti-reflective coating helps optical signals or beams propagate through interfaces located between media with different refractive indices.

[0039] Furthermore, in various embodiments, one or more of the first lenses 132 and / or one or more of the second lenses 134 may enable beam pattern adjustment to enhance fiber coupling characteristics and / or prevent back-reflected light from interfering with the operation of the selected light sources 124A, 124B.

[0040] As shown in the figure, the optical fiber 200 may include a fiber core 210 surrounded by an optical fiber cladding 220. In various embodiments, the end of the optical fiber 200 may be directly coupled to the surface of the second lens block 136 or the optical port 131 to receive optical signals or beams provided by selected light sources 124A, 124B.

[0041] Now for reference Figure 3 The implementation details of a second embodiment of the light emitters 100A and 100B are described. Specifically, Figure 3 An embodiment is depicted, comprising a plurality of light sources 124A, 124B, which are offset to either side of one or more first lenses 132 of optical element 130. Furthermore, Figure 3 Each light source 124A, 124B is depicted emitting a corresponding light beam, enabling the transmission of the corresponding optical path. However, during operation, the control circuit 110 typically selects a single light source 124A, 124B to emit a light beam. Therefore, typically only a single light beam is emitted at a given time.

[0042] also, Figure 3 Two light sources 124A and 124B are depicted, and each light source 124A and 124B is depicted with two associated electrodes 125A1, 125A2, 125B1, and 125B2. However, in other embodiments, light emitters 100A and 100B may include different numbers of light sources and / or different numbers of electrodes associated with each light source.

[0043] As depicted, one or more first lenses 132 may be provided by a separate first lens block 133 (e.g., a glass block). Specifically, the first lens block 133 may include one or more refractive lenses, one or more diffractive lenses, one or more angular lenses, and / or one or more planar lenses. One or more first lenses 132 of the first lens block 133 may collimate a light beam from any of the light sources 124A, 124B selected to provide an optical signal, and focus the collimated beam directly into the core 210 of the optical fiber 200. Furthermore, one or more first lenses 132 may use angular surfaces, off-centering, or diffraction patterns to angle the collimated beam toward the center of the core 210. In some embodiments, the first lens block 133 may be directly attached to the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 122. In other embodiments, the first lens block 133 may be mechanically held away from the semiconductor substrate 122. In such embodiments, the first lens block 133 and its one or more first lenses 132 may receive optical signals from the selected light sources 124A, 124B via free space.

[0044] In various embodiments, an anti-reflective coating may be applied to one or more surfaces of the semiconductor substrate 122, the first lens 132, and / or the optical fiber 200. Such an anti-reflective coating can help optical signals or beams propagate through interfaces located between media with different refractive indices.

[0045] Furthermore, in various embodiments, one or more of the first lenses 132 may enable beam pattern adjustment to enhance fiber emission characteristics and / or prevent back-reflected light from interfering with the operation of the selected light sources 124A, 124B.

[0046] Now for reference Figure 4 It depicts Figure 1A , Figure 1B The backup switching process for optical links 1A and 1B is 400. At 410, controller 116 can select one of the light sources 124A-124N for transmission. To this end, controller 116 can generate one or more control signals and provide such control signals to switch 114. In response to such control signals, switch 114 can couple driver 112 to the selected light source 124A-124N.

[0047] At 420, driver 112 can receive electrical data signals and apply electrical drive signals to the electrodes of the selected light sources 124A-124N. More specifically, driver 112 can generate electrical drive signals representing the received electrical data signals and provide such electrical drive signals to switch 114, which in turn directs the electrical drive signals to the electrodes of the selected light sources 124A, 124N.

[0048] At 430, the selected light source 124A-124N can generate or emit an optical signal representing the electrical data signal received by the driver 112 according to the electrical drive signal. At 440, the optical element 130 can inject the emitted optical signal into the optical fiber 200 coupled to the optical port 131 of the optical transmitters 100A and 100B.

[0049] At 450, controller 116 can determine whether to select different light sources 124A-124N for transmission based on the received status signals. Specifically, controller 116 of optical transmitter 100A can receive such status signals from its optical sensor 140. Controller 116 of optical transmitter 100B can receive such status signals from an external source, such as optical receiver 300B to which optical signals are transmitted from optical transmitter 100B.

[0050] If controller 116 determines at 450 to switch to another light source 124A-124N, controller 116 may return to 410 to generate one or more control signals that cause switch 114 to couple driver 112 to the newly selected light source 124A-124N. Otherwise, controller may return to 450 to continue monitoring the status of the selected light source 124A-124N via received status signals.

[0051] This disclosure includes references to certain examples; however, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made and equivalents can be substituted without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, modifications can be made to the disclosed examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is intended to be limited to the disclosed examples, but rather to include all examples falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A light emitter, the light emitter comprising: Multiple light sources, each configured to generate a light signal in response to being selected; One or more optical elements, the one or more optical elements being configured to inject optical signals received from the plurality of light sources into an optical fiber coupled to an optical port of the one or more optical elements; and A controller configured to select one of the plurality of light sources, cause the selected light source to generate its corresponding optical signal, and provide the corresponding optical signal to the one or more optical elements for injection into the optical fiber.

2. The light emitter of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light sources is configured not to generate its corresponding light signal and not to provide its corresponding light signal to the one or more optical elements when not selected by the controller.

3. The light emitter of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to select a single light source from the plurality of light sources.

4. The light emitter of claim 1, wherein the controller selects different light sources from the plurality of light sources in response to a status signal indicating the operation of the selected light source.

5. The light emitter of claim 1, wherein the controller selects a different light source from the plurality of light sources in response to a state signal indicating that the selected light source is not operating according to specifications.

6. The light emitter according to claim 1, wherein the light emitter comprises: A driver configured to generate an electrical drive signal; and A switch configured to direct the electrical drive signal to a selected light source among the plurality of light sources.

7. The light emitter according to claim 1, wherein the light emitter comprises a semiconductor light-emitting device, the semiconductor light-emitting device comprising a semiconductor substrate shared by each of the plurality of light sources.

8. The light emitter of claim 7, wherein each light source emits its light signal from the front side of the semiconductor substrate.

9. The light emitter of claim 8, wherein the light signal of each light source passes through the semiconductor substrate and exits from the back side of the semiconductor substrate.

10. The light emitter of claim 9, wherein the one or more optical elements comprise one or more lenses integrated in the back side of the semiconductor substrate.

11. The light emitter of claim 9, wherein the one or more optical elements include a sloping surface along the back side of the semiconductor substrate.

12. The light emitter of claim 1, wherein the one or more optical elements comprise a lens block configured to receive optical signals from the plurality of light sources and direct the received optical signals toward the optical port.

13. An optical link, the optical link comprising: Light emitter; Optical receiver; and An optical fiber, coupled between the optical transmitter and the optical receiver; The light transmitter is configured to transmit an optical signal to the light receiver via the optical fiber using a light source selected from a plurality of light sources; The optical receiver is configured to monitor the optical signal received from the optical transmitter and to provide the optical transmitter with a status signal indicating the operating characteristics of a selected light source for transmitting the optical signal; and The light transmitter is configured to select different light sources from the plurality of light sources based on the status signal for transmitting subsequent light signals to the receiver via the optical fiber.

14. The optical link of claim 13, wherein the optical receiver is configured to provide the status signal to the optical transmitter via the optical fiber.

15. The optical link of claim 13, wherein the optical receiver is configured to provide the status signal to the optical transmitter via a second optical fiber.

16. The optical link of claim 13, wherein the optical receiver is configured to provide the status signal to the optical transmitter via an electrical signal.

17. The optical link according to claim 13, wherein: The light emitter includes a semiconductor light-emitting device; and The semiconductor light-emitting device includes a semiconductor substrate shared by each of the plurality of light sources.

18. The optical link of claim 17, wherein each light source emits its optical signal from the front side of the semiconductor substrate.

19. The optical link of claim 18, wherein the optical signal of each light source passes through the semiconductor substrate and exits from the back side of the semiconductor substrate.

20. The optical link of claim 19, wherein the optical link includes one or more lenses integrated in the back side of the semiconductor substrate.

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