Continuously adjustable high-precision wide-range optical delay system
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of optical devices, in particular to a continuously adjustable high-precision wide-range optical delay system.
Background
In recent years, optical fiber transmission has been widely used and rapidly developed in the field of communications. Research and applications of various optical fiber devices have also emerged. Fiber Delay Lines (FDLs) as novel signal processing devices have been developed from an initial simple section of optical Fiber to an independent device with multiple complex structures at the present stage, become one of key devices in optical information processing technology, and have multiple signal processing functions, such as participating in acquisition and transmission of measurement signals in an optical Fiber sensing and optical measurement system, realizing coding and caching of signals in an optical Fiber communication system, realizing precise phase distribution and control of microwave signals in an optically controlled phased array antenna system, and realizing related noise removal of radar echo signals. Compared with the traditional delay line (such as a cable delay line, a quartz delay line and the like), the optical fiber delay line has the characteristics of high working frequency, large bandwidth, low loss, simple structure, easy realization of multi-bit delay, strong anti-electromagnetic interference capability, good confidentiality, light weight, high cost performance and the like, and has wide application prospect.
However, since different delay times are required under different conditions, the delay device is required to be capable of adjusting the delay time. However, the conventional variable optical delay line is composed of a plurality of optical fibers or optical waveguides, each optical path has a different length, and the optical signal can pass through the optical fibers or waveguides having different lengths by selecting the cascaded optical switch, so as to obtain different delay times, but the conventional optical delay line has several disadvantages:
1. the increment adjustable delay line has a larger delay range, but is discontinuously adjustable;
2. the continuously adjustable delay line has high adjustment precision, but the delay range is usually small, usually below hundreds of ps;
3. the delay line has large connection loss and low precision.
The above disadvantages also greatly limit the range of applications for optical delay lines. Therefore, how to realize an optical delay line with large dynamic range, continuous variability, low loss and high precision has a strong demand in the fields of optical communication, optical sensing, optical processing and the like.
Chinese patent CN103746745A discloses a wide-range optical delay device, as shown in fig. 1, which is formed by connecting a step-type optical path multiplying device 110 and a continuous optical path scanning device 120 through a transmission fiber 130; wherein the step-type optical path multiplying device 110 is composed of n different optical paths a0, a1 … … an with fixed lengths, the optical paths of the optical paths are respectively L0, L1 … …, Ln, L0 is 0, n is 0, 1, 2, … …, the step-type optical path multiplying device 110 is provided with an optical switch, under the control of the optical switch 111, the switching of the fixed optical paths L0, L1 … …, Ln of the different optical paths is realized in sequence by single or cascade use, although the continuous expansion of any optical path can be realized, the continuous expansion belongs to step-by-step expansion during the optical path expansion because the optical path expansion is realized by only using two 1 × n optical switches for segment selection, the optical fiber length is used for changing the optical delay, the following delaying device 120 is used for compensating the error of the segment delay, and can not realize stepless continuous adjustment because the optical delay time is realized by increasing the optical path, while the single optical delay component is only used for singly increasing and decreasing the optical path, stepless incremental optical path cannot be realized, so that only piecewise delay can be realized.
Disclosure of Invention
The technical problem to be solved by the invention is as follows: the continuous adjustable high-precision wide-range optical delay system is provided, continuous adjustment of any optical path and seamless connection of the optical path are realized, and therefore a larger scanning range and higher delay precision are obtained.
In order to solve the problems, the invention adopts the technical scheme that: a continuously adjustable high-precision wide-range optical delay system comprises a controller, an optical path multiplying device, an optical path switching component and an adjustable optical fiber delay instrument; wherein, the light path switching component, the adjustable light extension time line and the light path multiplying device are all controlled by the controller; the number of the adjustable optical fiber delay meters is at least two; the optical path multiplying device consists of n different delay optical paths with fixed lengths, the optical paths of the delay optical paths are respectively multiplied by L1, L2 … … and Ln, L1, L2 … … and Ln in sequence, and in addition, the optical paths of L1 and the adjustable delayer are equal to or smaller than the optical path of the adjustable delayer;
the optical path multiplying device is provided with an optical switch, the optical switch sequentially realizes the switching of the optical paths L1, L2 … … and Ln under the control of the controller, and the controller also controls the optical path switching component to switch the appointed adjustable optical fiber delay instrument into the system optical path and switch the non-appointed adjustable optical fiber delay instrument out of the system optical path along with the switching of the optical paths L1, L2 … … and Ln, and the delay amount of the switched adjustable optical fiber delay instrument needs to be reset to zero before the switched adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is switched into the system next time.
Further, the optical lengths L1, L2 … …, Ln can be multiplied by 2 times.
Specifically, the number of the adjustable optical fiber delay meters can be two, namely a first adjustable optical fiber delay meter and a second adjustable optical fiber delay meter; the optical path switching component comprises 2 1 × 2 optical switches, namely a1 × 2 optical switch and a 2 × 1 optical switch; the input end of the 1 × 2 optical switch is connected with the input end of the light source, the first output end of the 1 × 2 optical switch is connected with the input end of the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument, the second output end of the 1 × 2 optical switch is connected with the input end of the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument, the output end of the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is connected with the first input end of the 2 × 1 optical switch, the output end of the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is connected with the second input end of the 2 × 1 optical switch, and the output end of the 2 × 1 optical switch is connected with the input end of the optical path multiplying device.
The invention has the following beneficial effects:
(1) the delay range is wide: the optical path multiplying device is combined with a plurality of adjustable optical fiber delay instruments, so that continuous expansion of any optical path is realized; in addition, each adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is switched into the optical path of the system in turn, and the delay amount of the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is reset to zero before the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is switched into the system next time, so that the delay adjustment before the switching can be immediately connected after the switching of the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument, and the continuity of the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is better than that of CN 103746745A;
(2) high scanning precision and small insertion loss: the device realizes seamless connection of the optical path, and meets the continuous scanning function under the same precision by means of the high precision of the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional optical delay system;
fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an overall structure of a continuously adjustable high-precision wide-range optical retardation system according to an embodiment.
Detailed Description
The invention discloses a continuously adjustable high-precision wide-range optical delay system, which combines an optical path multiplying device with a plurality of adjustable optical fiber delay instruments. The optical path multiplying device mainly comprises different delay optical paths with fixed lengths, so that the step adjustment of the optical delay device is ensured; the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is based on a variable optical path delay mechanism, high-precision optical path delay and continuous optical path adjustment are realized in a certain optical path range, the advantages of the optical path delay instrument and the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument are combined, and the optical path multiplying device and the adjustable optical fiber delay instrument are controlled and switched during system operation, so that the delay device with large range and any optical path and capable of being continuously adjusted is realized, the requirement on seamless connection of the optical path is met, the adjustable range is larger, the delay precision is higher, the insertion loss is smaller, the delay range can reach tens of nanoseconds to hundreds of milliseconds, and the precision reaches the femtosecond level.
The invention is further illustrated by the following examples and figures.
As shown in fig. 2, the embodiment provides a continuously adjustable high-precision wide-range optical delay system, which includes a controller, an optical path multiplying device, an optical path switching component, and an adjustable fiber delay instrument; wherein, as shown by the dotted line in the figure, the light path switching component, the adjustable light extension time line and the light path multiplying device are all controlled by the controller;
in an embodiment, the optical path multiplying device is composed of n different delay optical paths with fixed lengths, the optical paths of the delay optical paths are respectively L1, L2 … … and Ln, wherein n is greater than or equal to 2, L1, L2 … … and Ln are sequentially multiplied (for example, 2 times of amplification), and the optical paths of L1 and the adjustable retarder are equal to or less than the optical path of the adjustable retarder. The number of the adjustable optical fiber delay instruments is two, the two adjustable optical fiber delay instruments are respectively a first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument and a second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument, and the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument and the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument can be the adjustable optical fiber delay instruments described in Chinese patent CN 201910637378.5; the optical path switching component comprises 2 optical switches, namely a1 × 2 optical switch and a 2 × 1 optical switch; the input end of the 1 × 2 optical switch is connected with the input end of the light source, the first output end of the 1 × 2 optical switch is connected with the input end of the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument, the second output end of the 1 × 2 optical switch is connected with the input end of the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument, the output end of the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is connected with the first input end of the 2 × 1 optical switch, the output end of the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is connected with the second input end of the 2 × 1 optical switch, and the output end of the 2 × 1 optical switch is connected with the input end of the optical path multiplying device.
The optical path multiplying device is provided with an optical switch, the optical switch sequentially realizes the switching of the optical paths L1, L2 … … and Ln under the control of the controller, and the controller also controls the optical path switching component to switch the appointed adjustable optical fiber delay instrument into the system optical path and switch the non-appointed adjustable optical fiber delay instrument out of the system optical path along with the switching of the optical paths L1, L2 … … and Ln, and the delay amount of the switched adjustable optical fiber delay instrument needs to be reset to zero before the switched adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is switched into the system next time.
The principle of implementing continuous adjustability of any optical path and seamless connection of the optical path is as follows:
initially, the controller makes the delay amount of the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument and the delay amount of the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument zero, the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is connected to the system, the optical path multiplying device is switched to the optical path L1, after the light source signal is received by the light source input end, the light source signal can respectively reach the light source output end after passing through the optical path L1 of the 1 × 2 optical switch, the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument, the 2 × 1 optical switch and the optical path multiplying device, and at this time, the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument can be adjusted according to needs so as to realize optical delay; when the maximum delay range of the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is adjusted, the controller switches the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument out of a system optical path by controlling a1 × 2 optical switch and 2 × 1 light, immediately switches a second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument into the system optical path, simultaneously switches an optical path multiplying device to an optical path L2, and then can adjust the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument according to needs so as to realize optical delay, wherein after the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument switches out of the system optical path, the delay amount is required to be reset to zero before the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument switches into the system optical path next time so as to link the optical delay adjustment of the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument before switching in; when the maximum delay range of the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is adjusted, the controller switches the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument out of a system optical path by controlling a1 × 2 optical switch and 2 × 1 light, immediately switches the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument into the system optical path, simultaneously switches an optical path multiplying device to an optical path L3, then can adjust the first adjustable optical fiber delay instrument according to needs so as to realize optical delay, and the delay amount of the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is still required to be zero before the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is switched into the system optical path next time after the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is switched out of the system optical path so as to be connected with the optical delay adjustment … … before the second adjustable optical fiber delay instrument is switched in and out of the system alternately, and the optical paths L1, L2 … … and Ln are sequentially switched in the optical path multiplying device so as to realize stepless increment of the optical path, finally, the continuous stepless delay function button is realized.