Low power fiberoptic relay for radio communications

Details Low power fiberoptic relay for radio communications Low power fiberoptic relay for radio communications

2001-01-15

2004-01-13

Font, Frank G. (Department: 2877)

Optical waveguides

With optical coupler

Input/output coupler

C385S004000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06678444

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to radio communications in general, and more particularly to ground-based relays for such communications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Radio communications provide the ability to transmit voice and/or data between two remote locations (or “stations”). These stations may be stationary or mobile. The stationary station(s) may be “freestanding”, or they may be tied into a larger communications network via a ground-based relay.
By way of example, in
FIG. 1
there is shown one such communications system, e.g., a cellular telephone system. More particularly, there is shown a mobile station
5
(e.g., an automobile) having a radio frequency (RF) transmitter
10
(e.g., a cellular telephone), and a stationary station
15
(e.g., a “cell tower”) having a RF receiver
20
(e.g., a cellular telephone receiver). Stationary station
15
is itself tied into a larger communications network
25
(e.g., the telephone system) by way of a ground-based relay
30
.
In some circumstances, stationary station
15
may be located in a readily accessible area, e.g., the top of a building. In other situations, stationary station
15
may be situated in a relatively remote and/or hostile environment, e.g., at the top of a mountain, etc. These locations can make it difficult to provide abundant power to stationary station
15
, RF receiver
20
and relay
30
. In this respect it should be appreciated that, depending on the nature of its operation, relay
30
frequently requires substantial amounts of power to operate. This can present serious challenges to system designers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a result, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved low power relay which minimizes the power required to relay radio communications between an RF receiver and a larger communications network.
And another object of the present invention is to provide an improved relay which can also be used to supply power from a larger communications network to an RF receiver, the relay, etc.
These and other objects of the present invention are addressed by the present invention which, in one preferred embodiment, comprises a light modulator comprising a first mirror comprising a quarter-wave mirror stack comprising high reflectivity p+ type InP/InGaAsP layers; a Franz-Keldysh layer adjacent the first mirror, the Franz-Keldysh layer comprising i-InGaAsP; a second mirror adjacent the Franz-Keldysh layer, the second mirror comprising a quarter-wave mirror stack comprising low reflectivity n+ top, p+ type InP/InGaAsP layers; and a base layer adjacent the second mirror, the base layer comprising n+ type InP material.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4790635 (1988-12-01), Apsley
patent: 4872744 (1989-10-01), Abeles et al.
patent: 4900134 (1990-02-01), Inoue et al.
patent: 5027178 (1991-06-01), Svilans
patent: 5237639 (1993-08-01), Kato et al.
patent: 5757832 (1998-05-01), Uchida
patent: 5889805 (1999-03-01), Botez et al.

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