Patent ID: 7212706

Claim:
An optical antenna for interfacing a light beam with an optical aperture comprising: a light directing element having an optical axis fixedly mounted at a first location of said optical antenna, and being operative to focus said light beam incident thereon onto an optical waveguide coupled with said optical aperture; and an optical waveguide passing through a controllably orientable support structure that is mounted at a second location of said optical antenna, so that an end of said optical waveguide is coupled with said optical aperture, said controllably orientable support structure being anchored to a plurality of anchoring locations by respective actuator wires, through which currents are controllably supplied for adjusting lengths of said wires and thus the orientation of said controllably orientable structure relative to said optical axis of said light directing element, and thereby defining deflection of said optical waveguide relative to said optical axis of said light directing element, wherein first and second actuator wires are attached at first and second anchoring locations on said controllably orientable structure, said first and second anchoring locations lying in a first plane through which said optical axis passes, and wherein a first line from said first anchoring location to a point on said first plane through which said optical axis passes is orthogonal to a second line from said second anchoring location to said point on said first plane, and first and second actuator wires are further attached at third and fourth anchoring locations spaced apart from said controllably orientable structure, said third and fourth anchoring locations lying in a second plane through which said optical axis passes, and wherein a third line from said third anchoring location to a point on said third plane through which said optical axis passes is orthogonal to a fourth line from said fourth anchoring location to said point on said second plane, and further comprising a biasing element that imparts a biasing force against said controllably orientable support structure in a direction associated with deflection of said optical waveguide off the axis of said light directing element.