Photonic-based multi-wavelength sensor for object identification.

A Photonic-based multi-wavelength sensor capable of discriminating objects is proposed and demonstrated for intruder detection and identification. The sensor uses a laser combination module for input wavelength signal multiplexing and beam overlapping, a custom-made curved optical cavity for multi-beam spot generation through internal beam reflection and transmission and a high-speed imager for scattered reflectance spectral measurements. Experimental results show that five different wavelengths, namely 473 nm, 532 nm, 635 nm, 670 nm and 785 nm, are necessary for discriminating various intruding objects of interest through spectral reflectance and slope measurements. Objects selected for experiments were brick, cement sheet, cotton, leather and roof tile.

Integrated 10 Gb/s AWG-based correlator for multi-wavelength optical header recognition.

In this paper we experimentally demonstrate a novel optical correlator employing dual integrated Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) in conjunction with variable delay lines. The variable delay lines provide wavelength-dependent time delays and generate a wavelength profile that matches arbitrary bit patterns, whereas the AWGs are used to demultiplex and multiplex the wavelength components of the multi-wavelength header bit pattern. The recognition of 4-bit optical patterns at different wavelengths is experimentally demonstrated at 10 Gb/s by showing that the correlator produces an autocorrelation waveform of high peak whenever the input bit pattern matches the wavelengths profile, and a low-amplitude cross-correlation function otherwise.

Obstacle detection and spectral discrimination using multi-wavelength motionless wide angle laser scanning.

Static laser scanning over a wide angle is demonstrated by ranging to 20 laser beams generated by a novel cylindrical quasi-cavity waveguide, using laser triangulation. Baseline distances and outgoing angles unique to each laser beam are calculated by modelling the triangulation arrangement using a system of linear equations and plotting principal rays. The quasi-cavity waveguide, imaging lens and focal plane are also plotted. The system is calibrated by finding optimal values for uncertain instrumental parameters using constrained non-linear optimization. Distances calculated over 5m indoors result in accuracies above 93%. Discrete laser spectroscopy using 640nm and 785nm laser diodes is also demonstrated. Both injected laser beams follow the same optical path through the quasi-cavity waveguide, enabling spectral measurements to be made from the same point on an object for both wavelengths. The reflected red and infrared laser light is digitally recorded by a CCD imager and differences in reflected intensity enable discrimination between various natural objects. This provides more complete information about the perturbing object, including its 3D coordinates as well as limited identification of its surface material.

Cylindrical quasi-cavity waveguide for static wide angle pattern projection.

Beam deflection methods such as rotary mirrors and motorized turning optical heads suffer from a variety of electro-mechanical related problems which affect laser scanning performance. These include wobble, jitter, wear, windage and synchronization issues. A novel optical structure consisting of two concentric and cylindrical interfaces with unique optical coating properties for the static projection of a laser spot array over a wide angle is demonstrated. The resulting ray trajectory through the waveguide is modeled using linear equations. Spot size growth is modeled using previously defined ray transfer matrices for tilted optical elements. The model is validated by comparison with experimental spot size measurements for 20 transmitted beams. This novel form of spot projection can be used as the projection unit in optical sensing devices which range to multiple laser footprints.

High-speed (2.5 Gbps) reconfigurable inter-chip optical interconnects using opto-VLSI processors.

Reconfigurablele optical interconnects enable flexible and high-performance communication in multi-chip architectures to be arbitrarily adapted, leading to efficient parallel signal processing. The use of Opto-VLSI processors as beam steerers and multicasters for reconfigurable inter-chip optical interconnection is discussed. We demonstrate, as proof-of-concept, 2.5 Gbps reconfigurable optical interconnects between an 850nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) array and a photodiode (PD) array integrated onto a PCB by driving two Opto-VLSI processors with steering and multicasting digital phase holograms. The architecture is experimentally demonstrated through three scenarios showing its flexibility to perform single, multicasting, and parallel reconfigurable optical interconnects. To our knowledge, this is the first reported high-speed reconfigurable N-to-N optical interconnects architecture, which will have a significant impact on the flexibility and efficiency of large shared-memory multiprocessor machines.

Non-contact laser spectroscopy for plant discrimination in terrestrial crop spraying.

The early development of a novel micro-photonic based sensing architecture for use in selective herbicide spraying systems performing noncontact spectral reflectance measurements of plants and soil in real time has been described. A combination module allows three laser diodes of different wavelengths to sequentially emit identically polarized light beams through a common aperture, along one optical path. Each exiting beam enters an optical structure which generates up to 14 parallel laser beams. A pair of combination modules and optical structures generates 28 beams over a 420mm span which illuminates the plants from above. The intensity of the reflected light from each spot is detected by a high speed line scan image sensor. Plant discrimination is based on analyzing the Gaussian profile of reflected laser light at distinguishing wavelengths. Two slopes in the spectral response curves from 635nm to 670nm and 670nm to 785nm are used to discriminate different plants. Furthermore, by using a finely spaced and collimated laser beam array, instead of an un-collimated light source, detection of narrow leaved plants with a width greater than 20mm is achievable.