Active Optical Rotary Coupler Signal Compensation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical rotary couplers, particularly those used in rotating data sources like video cameras, suffer from signal degradation due to misalignment and dispersion effects, which passive couplers attempt to mitigate through mechanical tolerance control and electrical signal conversion, but these methods are limited in effectiveness and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
An active optical rotary coupler system that includes a rotatable optical joint assembly with a local optical transceiver to compensate for signal loss and imperfections, using a combination of stationary and rotatable ferrules and an alignment sleeve to maintain axial alignment, enabling rotation beyond 360° and improving signal quality through active signal processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If passive couplers use mechanical tolerance control to reduce signal degradation, then manufacturing precision must be tightly controlled, but this increases manufacturing complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive mechanical tolerance control with an active optical signal processing system. The local optical transceiver actively compensates for signal degradation through signal processing rather than relying on precise mechanical alignment, substituting mechanical precision requirements with electronic/optical compensation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the optical system by introducing active signal processing capabilities. The local optical transceiver dynamically adjusts and compensates for signal parameters (amplitude, phase, timing) to maintain signal quality without requiring tight mechanical dimensional control.
2Reliability
If optical signals are converted to electrical signals for transmission across the rotary junction, then signal transmission is facilitated, but signal degradation still occurs and the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a local optical transceiver as an intermediary device at the rotary junction. This transceiver acts as a mediator that receives optical signals, processes them locally to compensate for degradation, and prepares them for transmission, thereby improving signal transmission while managing system complexity through localized processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the optical signal transmission system into distinct functional sections: the rotary coupler section and the local optical transceiver section. This segmentation allows the transceiver to independently process and compensate for signal degradation without requiring the entire system to be redesigned, managing complexity through modular functional division.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rotary coupler allows rotation beyond 360 degrees, then flexibility is improved, but maintaining axial alignment becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical alignment maintenance with active optical signal processing. The local optical transceiver compensates for misalignment effects through signal processing, allowing the rotary coupler to rotate freely without requiring precise mechanical alignment maintenance throughout the rotation range.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic signal processing capabilities that adapt to changing alignment conditions during rotation. The local optical transceiver dynamically adjusts signal parameters to compensate for alignment variations that occur during rotation, enabling flexible rotation while maintaining signal quality.
Data Source
AI summary
Optical signals are transmitted across a rotary junction using an active optical rotary coupler. A rotary optical joint assembly includes a rotatable optical coupler and an optical signal processing system. The rotatable optical coupler aligns two optical fibers for optical communication across a rotary optical junction. The optical signal processing system includes a local optical transceiver that receives the signals and compensates for at least a portion of signal loss or other signal imperfections incurred from transmitting the signal across the rotary optical junction. The local optical transceiver also processes the signals for longer distance transmission.