Lawrence J Lembo

6515784, Feb 4, 2003

Apr 24, 2001

09/840858

Bruce A. Ferguson - Redondo Beach CA
Richard A. Fields - Redondo Beach CA
Mark Kintis - Manhattan Beach CA
Elizabeth T. Kunkee - Manhattan Beach CA
Lawrence J. Lembo - Torrance CA
Stephen R. Perkins - Harbor City CA
David L. Rollins - Woodinville WA
Eric L. Upton - Bellevue WA

TRW Inc. - Redondo Beach CA

G02F 103

359244, 3593491, 250214 DC

An optical inverting system employs a first optical structure having an index of refraction that varies with the intensity of an incident beam and a second optical structure having a constant index of refraction, and forming an interface therebetween. An optical pulse stream is combined with a laser beam and the combined beam is applied to the first optical structure, impinging the interface at a predetermined angle of incidence. If the angle of incidence is less than a critical angle, the beam is refracted into the second optical structure. If the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle, the beam is completely reflected at the interface. Thus the output of the second optical structure is an inversion, and the output of the first optical structure is a level shifted replica, of the optical digital pulse stream.

6529674, Mar 4, 2003

Nov 29, 2001

09/998545

Richard A. Fields - Redondo Beach CA
Bruce A. Ferguson - Redondo Beach CA
Mark Kintis - Manhattan Beach CA
Elizabeth T. Kunkee - Manhattan Beach CA
Lawrence J. Lembo - Torrance CA
Stephen R. Perkins - Harbor City CA
David L. Rollins - Hawthorne CA
Eric L. Upton - Redondo Beach CA

TRW Inc. - Redondo Beach CA

G02B 600

385140

An optical device for use with an optical input beam comprising an optical thresholding device positioned along an optical path defined by the propagation direction of the optical input beam. If the combined intensity of the optical input beam and a control beam exceeds a threshold level, the optical beam passes through the thresholding device. Preferably, the optical thresholding device is a saturable absorber. When the device is configured as an optical comparator, the intensity of the optical input beam exceeds the threshold level and the thresholding device saturates and turns transparent so that the control beam passes through the thresholding device as an optical indicator beam. When the device is configured as an optical signal attenuator and the intensity of the optical input signal is negligible compared to that of the control beam, the combined intensity of the beams does not saturate the thresholding device.

20020037148, Mar 28, 2002

Nov 30, 2001

09/999556

Richard Fields - Redondo Beach CA, US
Bruce Ferguson - Redondo Beach CA, US
Mark Kintis - Manhattan Beach CA, US
Elizabeth Kunkee - Manhattan Beach CA, US
Lawrence Lembo - Torrance CA, US
Stephen Perkins - Harbor City CA, US
David Rollins - Hawthorne CA, US
Eric Upton - Redondo Beach CA, US

TRW Inc.

G02B006/26

385/140000

An optical device for use with an optical input beam comprises and optical thresholding device having a predetermined threshold level, and is positioned along an optical path defined by the propagation direction of the optical input beam. A source generates a control beam through the optical thresholding device, wherein if the combined intensity of the optical input beam and the control beam is large enough to exceed the threshold level of the thresholding device, the optical beam passes through he thresholding device. The thresholding device attenuates the optical beam as it passes therethrough. In a preferred embodiment, the optical thresholding device is a saturable absorber. When the device is configured as an optical comparator, the intensity of the optical input beam is large enough to exceed the threshold level of the thresholding device, the thresholding device saturates and turns transparent so that the control beam passes through the thresholding device as an optical indicator beam and the optical input beam passes through the thresholding device. When configured as an optical signal attenuator and the intensity of the optical input signal is negligible compared to that of the control beam the combined intensity of the optical input signal and the control beam do not saturate the thresholding device.

62692003, Jul 31, 2001

Dec 14, 1998

9/211457

Michael G. Wickham - Rancho Palos Verdes CA
John C. Brock - Redondo Beach CA
Philip H. Wisseman - Hermosa Beach CA
Lawrence J. Lembo - Torrance CA

TRW Inc. - Redondo Beach CA

G02B 628

385 15

A channelizer for signals for optically channelizing RF signals modulated onto an optical carrier by optically separating the RF signals and mapping the RF signals by way of an optically dispersive element, such as a diffraction grating. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, two stages of optical filters elements are provided in series to perform sequential channelization. Bragg reflection gratings are used for coarse filtering into predetermined bands while Fabry-Perot filters tuned to specific sub-bands of the Bragg reflection gratings are used for channelization. In alternate embodiments of the invention, a silica planar waveguide and a optical splitting device, such as a Talbot splitter, are used.

63273993, Dec 4, 2001

Nov 22, 1999

9/444977

Richard A. Fields - Redondo Beach CA
Bruce A. Ferguson - Redondo Beach CA
Mark Kintis - Manhattan Beach CA
Elizabeth T. Kunkee - Manhattan Beach CA
Lawrence J. Lembo - Torrance CA
Stephen R. Perkins - Harbor City CA
David L. Rollins - Hawthorne CA
Eric L. Upton - Redondo Beach CA

TRW Inc. - Redondo Beach CA

G02B 626

385 19

An optical device for use with an optical input beam comprises and optical thresholding device having a predetermined threshold level, and is positioned along an optical path defined by the propagation direction of the optical input beam. A source generates a control beam through the optical thresholding device, wherein if the combined intensity of the optical input beam and the control beam is large enough to exceed the threshold level of the thresholding device, the optical beam passes through he thresholding device. The thresholding device attenuates the optical beam as it passes therethrough. In a preferred embodiment, the optical thresholding device is a saturable absorber. When the device is configured as an optical comparator, the intensity of the optical input beam is large enough to exceed the threshold level of the thresholding device, the thresholding device saturates and turns transparent so that the control beam passes through the thresholding device as an optical indicator beam and the optical input beam passes through the thresholding device. When configured as an optical signal attenuator and the intensity of the optical input signal is negligible compared to that of the control beam the combined intensity of the optical input signal and the control beam do not saturate the thresholding device.

58702164, Feb 9, 1999

Apr 9, 1997

8/826957

John C. Brock - Redondo Beach CA
Lawrence J. Lembo - Torrance CA
David L. Rollins - Hawthorne CA

TRW Inc. - Redondo Beach CA

H04B 1000

359172

A splitterless optical broadcast switch (110) for routing a plurality of optical carrier signals. The splitterless optical broadcast switch (110) includes an optical source (112) for generating a plurality of unmodulated optical carrier signals. A first stage routing module (114) routes the plurality of unmodulated optical carrier signals. A modulating module (116) receives a plurality of RF input signals and modulates each of the RF input signals onto any number of the unmodulated optical carrier signals to generate a plurality of modulated optical carrier signals. A second stage routing module (118) routes the plurality of modulated optical carrier signals complimentary to the first stage routing module (114). An output module (120) receives the plurality of modulated optical carrier signals such that the optical output from the optical source (112) is paired to a complimentary optical input of the output module (120).

55835163, Dec 10, 1996

Jan 24, 1994

8/185744

Lawrence J. Lembo - Torrance CA

TRW Inc. - Redondo Beach CA

H01Q 322

342375

A wavelength-selectable optical signal processor for creating a predetermined optical delay pattern in a signal. The system includes a succession of optical delay pathways each receiving a portion of a modulated optical beam having a predetermined wavelength. The distance each beam traverses through each delay pathway varies as a function of the predetermined wavelength of the optical beam. As a result, the distance of the optical path for any of the predetermined wavelengths creates a predetermined delay pattern across the succession of optical delay pathways. In signal processing applications the delayed optical beam can be recombined in the time domain to construct a superposition of time delayed signals yielding an agile signal processor implemented using a wavelength-reconfigurable transversal filter design. In a phased-array antenna, the present invention results in a time delay network which establishes a one-to-one correspondence between antenna beam direction and optical carrier wavelength. This permits an antenna to change beam direction simply by changing the wavelength of the optical carrier.

6121907, Sep 19, 2000

Aug 11, 1998

9/133038

Richard A. Fields - Redondo Beach CA
David L. Rollins - Hawthorne CA
Stephen R. Perkins - Redondo Beach CA
Eric L. Upton - Redondo Beach CA
Elizabeth T. Kunkee - Manhattan Beach CA
Lawrence J. Lembo - Torrance CA
Juan C. Carillo - Torrance CA
Mark Kintis - Manhattan Beach CA

TRW Inc. - Redondo Beach CA

H03M 100

341137

An optical analog-to-digital converter (10) which fully operates in the optical domain and utilizes an upward-folding successive approximation approach for conversion. The converter (10) includes a plurality of optical stages (14, 16, 18) where each stage (14, 16, 18) generates a digital bit. Each stage (14, 16, 18) includes an optical threshold switch (30, 56, 78) that sets the bit high when the switch (30, 56, 78) is closed. When a sample amplitude of the analog signal is compared to a threshold value and found to exceed the threshold value, the bit is set to "high" and the sample is passed directly onto the next stage (14, 16, 18). If the sample amplitude is found to be less than the threshold value, the bit is set to "low" and an intensity equal to the maximum signal intensity minus the threshold intensity is added to the sample amplitude. Each successive stage (14, 16, 18) compares the normalized signal sample to thresholds growing closer and closer to the maximum signal intensity. Multiple bits can be obtained by cascading stages.