Curved Light Guide Structure for High-Speed Rotating Data Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial data transmission systems using electrical cables have limited service life and bandwidth due to wear and multipath propagation issues, restricting data rates to around 100 Mbit/s, while existing optical solutions based on classical beam optics achieve only 1 Mbit/s to 30 Mbit/s.
Innovation Solution
A curved light guide structure is designed to guide optical signals with end faces and pass regions, allowing axial direction propagation and beam shaping to achieve low interference and high transmission rates, using reflection elements to redirect and collimate signals, enabling data transmission between rotating objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If electrical cables with slip rings and contact brushes are used for data transmission, then data transmission is achieved, but service life is limited due to wear and data rates are restricted to around 100 Mbit/s
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical electrical contact system (slip rings and contact brushes) with an optical system using light guides. This substitution eliminates mechanical wear entirely, enabling unlimited service life while simultaneously achieving data rates exceeding 1 Gbit/s through optimized optical signal transmission paths.
2Duration of action of moving object
If optical waveguides with thin fibers are used for data transmission, then service life is extended, but data rates are limited to 1 Mbit/s to 30 Mbit/s due to chaotic light propagation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved light guide structures with specific curvature radii to control and order the propagation path of optical signals. This curvature-based design transforms the previously chaotic light propagation into structured, predictable paths, enabling high data rate transmission while maintaining the wear-free advantages of optical waveguides.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes multiple propagation dimensions within the light guide structure, including axial direction propagation and lateral coupling regions. By employing multi-dimensional signal paths with different propagation times, the system achieves high data rates through spatial diversity while maintaining long service life.
3Productivity
If electrical cables are used for data transmission between rotating objects, then data transmission is achieved, but multipath propagation occurs causing considerable differences in propagation time and limiting transmission bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The curved light guide structure with optimized radius of curvature creates controlled propagation paths that minimize multipath effects. The specific curvature design ensures that optical signals travel through structured paths with more uniform propagation times, thereby expanding transmission bandwidth while improving signal reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes geometric parameters of the light guide structure, including curvature radius, wall thickness, and pass region dimensions, to control light propagation characteristics. These parameter optimizations reduce propagation time differences across multiple paths, enhancing both bandwidth and signal consistency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables high data rates exceeding 1 Gbit/s with low-wear operation by establishing an ordered light propagation path, avoiding multipath propagation and ensuring continuous data transmission between rotating components.
Implementation Method 1
the first pass region is configured to direct the received optical signal to the first end face of the end faces, thereby performing focusing of the optical signal so that the optical signal redirected from the first end face is collimated
Implementation Method 2
a first pass region on the first main side that is formed to receive and let pass an optical signal within the spectral region, wherein the curved light guide structure is configured to guide the optical signal along an axial direction between the end faces
Data Source
AI summary
A curved light guide structure configured to guide a spectral region, includes: end faces disposed at two ends of the ring segment structure; a first main side extending between the end faces and a second main side opposite the first main side and extending between the end faces; at least a first pass region on the first main side, the first pass region being configured to receive and let pass an optical signal within the spectral region, the curved light guide structure being configured to guide the optical signal along an axial direction between the end faces; and at least a second pass region on the second main side that is configured to let pass and to emit at least part of the optical signal from the curved light guide structure.