An optical system

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical system (10) comprising an energy input terminal (11) receiving optical energy from an optical energy source, a converter (12) configured to convert an analog electrical signal into a digital electrical signal, and at least one optical circuit (13) arranged electrically in series between said energy input terminal (11) and said converter (12). The distinguishing feature of the invention is that said optical circuit (13) comprises at least one optical receiver (131) including at least one electrode configured to convert the optical energy received from the energy input terminal (11) into an analog electrical signal; at least one resonance circuit (132) including a coil, a capacitor, and a resistor connected in parallel to one another and configured to process the electrical signal received from said optical receiver (131); and at least one amplifier (133) configured to amplify the processed electrical signal received from said resonance circuit (132).

Description

[0001] AN OPTICAL SYSTEM

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to an optical system comprising an energy input terminal receiving optical energy from an optical energy source, a converter configured to convert an analog electrical signal into a digital electrical signal, and at least one optical circuit electrically connected in series between said energy input terminal and said converter.

[0004] PRIOR ART

[0005] Optical detectors are sensors or detectors that typically detect light or other electromagnetic waves and convert them into electrical signals. The primary function of optical detectors is to transform the captured optical signals into processable electrical signals. Optical detectors may be of diverse types, such as photodiodes, phototransistors, photomultiplier tubes, CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) sensors, and CMOS sensors. Such devices are utilized in various applications ranging from imaging systems to optical communication systems, from sensor systems to medical devices.

[0006] One type of optical detector is the quadrant photodiode optical detector. Quadrant photodiode detectors comprise four separate photodiodes that convert incident light into electrical signals. These photodiodes are positioned on the surface of the device in four distinct regions (quadrants). Each quadrant generates an electrical current depending on the amount of incident light. When light falls on one or more of these regions, each region produces different amounts of electron current. These currents are analyzed to determine the intensity and position of the light. Quadrant photodiode detectors are particularly used in laser position tracking systems, precision alignment applications, and optical monitoring systems. For example, a quadrant photodiode detector can be used to precisely determine where a laser beam falls, thereby providing an ideal solution for applications requiring high accuracy.

[0007] However, such detectors generally detect a single light source and operate over a wide frequency range. This may result in performance reduction in applications requiring high sensitivity at specific frequencies. Because of wideband operation, constant gain at certain frequencies cannot be achieved. This situation may lead to gain loss when the signal is directed directly to the amplifier, and particularly in frequency-sensitive applications, performance degradation may occur. For instance, a conventional quadrant photodiode detector used in a laser tracking system processes incoming light signals at different frequencies with the same gain, resulting in sensitivity losses in some signals. Furthermore, since these detectors cannot directly filter frequencies, additional software-based or hardwarebased filters are required. Such additional filtering increases the complexity of the system and raises costs.

[0008] As a result, all the above-mentioned issues have made it necessary to introduce an innovation in the relevant technical field.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention relates to an optical system that eliminates the disadvantages mentioned above and provides new advantages to the relevant technical field.

[0011] An objective of the invention is to provide an optical system capable of converting optical energy into electrical energy with high precision, ensuring maximum gain at specific frequencies, and eliminating additional filtering requirements.

[0012] To achieve all the above-mentioned objectives, as well as those that will become apparent from the following detailed description, the present invention is an optical system comprising an energy input terminal receiving optical energy from an optical energy source, a converter configured to convert an analog electrical signal into a digital electrical signal, and at least one optical circuit electrically connected in series between said energy input terminal and said converter. Accordingly, said optical circuit comprises at least one optical receiver including at least one electrode configured to convert the optical energy received from the energy input terminal into an analog electrical signal, at least one resonance circuit comprising a coil, a capacitor, and a resistor connected in parallel with one another and configured to process the electrical signal received from said optical receiver, and at least one amplifier configured to amplify the processed electrical signal received from said resonance circuit.

[0013] A possible embodiment of the invention is characterized in that it comprises four optical circuits arranged in parallel between the energy input terminal and the converter.

[0014] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0015] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of an optical system.

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following detailed description is provided solely for the purpose of a better understanding of the invention and should not be considered as having any limiting effect.

[0018] The invention relates to an optical system (10) configured for converting optical energy received from an optical energy source into electrical energy and for processing said energy with maximum gain at specific frequencies. The optical energy source described herein may be a light source, a laser source, or the like.

[0019] As illustrated in Figure 1 , the optical system (10) comprises an energy input terminal (11 ) receiving optical energy from the optical energy source. The optical system (10) further comprises a converter (12) configured to convert an analog electrical signal into a digital electrical signal. In one embodiment of the invention, the converter (12) is an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter). The converter (12) is arranged to provide low latency. As shown in Figure 1 , the optical system (10) further comprises at least one optical circuit (13) electrically connected in series between said energy input terminal (11 ) and said converter (12). Said optical circuit (13) comprises at least one optical receiver (131 ) including at least one electrode configured to convert the optical energy received from the energy input terminal (11 ) into an analog electrical signal. Said optical receiver (131 ) comprises a semiconductor surface for receiving optical energy. The semiconductor surface may, for example, be a silicon-based photodiode array. The optical receiver (131 ) converts the optical energy incident on the semiconductor surface into electrical energy. The optical receiver (131 ) enables the measurement of the intensity and position of the light with high accuracy.

[0020] As illustrated in Figure 1 , the optical circuit (13) further comprises at least one resonance circuit (132) including a coil, a capacitor, and a resistor connected in parallel to one another, configured to process the electrical signal received from the optical receiver (131 ). Said resonance circuit (132) is formed by arranging passive circuit elements in parallel connection. The passive elements included in the resonance circuit (132), along with their configuration, enable adjustment according to the frequency of the electrical signal and provide maximum gain within a specific frequency range. Thus, the optical system (10) is frequency-sensitive and capable of amplifying signals at specific frequencies. This eliminates the need for additional filtering circuits, which are frequently required in conventional optical systems (10). For example, if a laser tracking system operates at a specific frequency (e.g., 10 kHz), the resonance circuit (132) may be tuned to this frequency. Such tuning is achieved by appropriately selecting the values of the coil, capacitor, and resistor. The resonance circuit (132) amplifies signals at this frequency while suppressing unwanted noise at other frequencies. This allows the optical system (10) to detect signals at a particular frequency with high accuracy, thereby reducing the need for software-based or hardware-based filtering.

[0021] The optical circuit (13) further comprises at least one amplifier (133) configured to amplify the processed electrical signal received from the resonance circuit (132). Said amplifier (133), through a transistor-based structure, increases the amplitude of the signal, thereby generating a stronger electrical signal. The amplified signal has a larger electrical amplitude, allowing it to be more clearly processed by the converter (12). The amplifier (133) also reduces noise in the signal, providing a cleaner and more accurate output. This enhances the performance of the optical system (10), particularly in applications requiring high precision.

[0022] In one embodiment of the invention, the optical system (10) is utilized for a quadrant photodiode optical detector. In this case, the optical circuit (13) between the energy input terminal (11) and the converter (12) comprises four optical circuits (13) connected in parallel. As is well known in the art, quadrant photodiode detectors include four optical receivers (131 ). Accordingly, there are four optical circuits (13) to process the electrical signals obtained from the four optical receivers (131 ). For amplifying the electrical signals received from the four optical circuits (13), there are four amplifiers (133). The analog electrical signals from the amplifiers (133) are converted into digital electrical signals in the converter (12). In this optical receiver (131 ), which is divided into four regions, the incident light on each region generates different electrical currents, thereby helping to determine the position and intensity of the light. For instance, when a laser beam strikes the four regions at different angles, different amounts of current are generated in each region. These currents are processed to determine the exact position and intensity of the beam. Thus, the position of the laser beam can be tracked with extremely high accuracy.

[0023] According to an exemplary operating scenario of the invention, in a research laboratory, the optical system (10) comprising a quadrant photodiode optical detector is employed for micro-scale alignment operations. The optical system (10) initially receives optical energy from a laser source through the energy input terminal (11). Said optical energy is then processed through the four separate optical circuits (13) included in the optical system (10). Each optical circuit (13) converts the optical energy received from the energy input terminal (11 ) into an analog electrical signal through the optical receivers (131 ) included in the optical system (10). At this stage, the optical receivers (131) detect the optical energy with high accuracy and convert it into electrical energy on a semiconductor surface. The optical circuits (13) then transmit this electrical signal to a resonance circuit (132) connected in parallel. The resonance circuit (132) comprises a coil, a capacitor, and a resistor. These components work together to amplify the electrical signal within a specific frequency range. The resonance circuit (132) is tuned according to the frequency of the signal to provide maximum gain at the desired frequency while suppressing unwanted noise at other frequencies. This enables the system to detect only signals at a specific frequency with high accuracy, eliminating the need for additional filtering. The processed electrical signal passing through the resonance circuit (132) is transmitted to the amplifier (133). The amplifier (133) increases the amplitude of this signal, generating a stronger and cleaner electrical signal. Finally, this amplified signal is transmitted to the converter (12). The converter (12) converts the analog electrical signal into a digital electrical signal and enables its transmission to a monitoring system. In this way, sensitivity is improved in laboratory results, and data output with enhanced accuracy is obtained.

[0024] The scope of protection of the invention is defined in the claims appended hereto, and shall in no way be considered limited to the examples provided in this detailed description. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent arrangements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0025] REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWING

[0026] 10 Optical System

[0027] 11 Energy Input Terminal 12 Converter

[0028] 13 Optical Circuit

[0029] 131 Optical Receiver

[0030] 132 Resonance Circuit

[0031] 133 Amplifier

Claims

CLAIMS1. An optical system (10) comprising an energy input terminal (11 ) receiving optical energy from an optical energy source, a converter (12) configured to convert an analog electrical signal into a digital electrical signal, and at least one optical circuit (13) arranged electrically in series between said energy input terminal (11 ) and said converter (12), wherein said optical circuit (13) comprises at least one optical receiver (131 ) including at least one electrode configured to convert the optical energy received from the energy input terminal (11) into an analog electrical signal; at least one resonance circuit (132) including a coil, a capacitor, and a resistor connected in parallel to one another and configured to process the electrical signal received from said optical receiver (131 ); and at least one amplifier (133) configured to amplify the processed electrical signal received from said resonance circuit (132).

2. The optical system (10) according to claim 1 , wherein it comprises four optical circuits (13) connected in parallel between the energy input terminal (11 ) and the converter (12).

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