Patent ID: 11906785
Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 23:
24. An imaging-based beam receiving system comprising:
a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) coupler array comprising:
a coupler array in a coupler plane including a plurality of couplers arranged in two or more rows and two or more columns, wherein each of the plurality of couplers is configured to provide free-space coupling of light between the coupler plane and one or more directions outside of the coupler plane;
a pixel switch network to selectively couple light into or out of a selected subset of the plurality of couplers from any of two opposite directions in the coupler plane, wherein the pixel switch network comprises:
two or more pixel-network waveguides disposed along the two or more columns of the coupler array; and
a plurality of pixel-network switches, wherein each of the plurality of pixel-network switches is configured to selectively couple light between one of the plurality of couplers and one of the two or more pixel-network waveguides; and

one or more feed networks, comprising:
two or more feed-line waveguides; and
one or more feed-network switches to selectively couple light between the two or more feed-line waveguides and the plurality of pixel-network waveguides, wherein light is routable between selected couplers of the plurality of couplers and selected feed-line waveguides of the one or more feed networks along selected paths by controlling the pixel-network switches and the feed-network switches along the selected paths, wherein at least two of the two or more feed-line waveguides couple to one or more of the pixel-network waveguides from the opposite directions via the one or more feed networks;

a lens positioned with the PIC coupler array at a focal plane, wherein the lens is configured to direct light to the light from the PIC coupler array, wherein the lens maps light from selected input angles incident on the lens to selected locations of the PIC coupler array;
one or more light detectors;
a receiver switch network including one or more receiver switches configured to selectively route light from the one or more feed networks to one or more light detectors; and
a controller coupled to the pixel-switch network and the receiver switch network, wherein the controller is configured to:
receive one or more address states, wherein each of the one or more address states includes a selected light detector from the one or more light detectors and a selected coupler from the plurality of couplers;
select a path for each of the one or more address states; and
control, with one or more drive signals, the pixel-network switches, the feed-network switches, and the receiver switches along the paths for each of the one or more address states to direct light along the paths for each of the one or more address states for detection by the one or more light detectors.