Optelecom-NKF Granted Patent for Fiber-Optic Encoder

Optelecom-NKF Inc. of Germantown, Md., a supplier of network video equipment including Internet protocol cameras and fiber-optic systems, yesterday announced it was granted a new patent on technology that will improve aircraft reliability and safety by making possible position-sensing transducers that are impervious to electromagnetic interference. Issued US Patent 7166833 by the US Patent and Trademark Office, Optelecom-NKF has been granted rights to technology that works by using just a few optical fibers to carry data from an aircraft actuator position sensor to a shielded enclosure containing light emitter, detector and signal-processing electronics. "Today, aircraft control systems function in extremely harsh environments and are subjected to high levels of electromagnetic interference and noise," said Ron Smith, chief researcher and director of the Optelecom-NKF Electro-Optic Systems Group. "Electromagnetic interference is a primary cause of control failures in systems using position encoders for control feedback. This patented technology can be used to improve the performance, reliability, and safety of all types of aircraft, manned and unmanned."

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Published: April 2007

Glossary

actuator: Mechanical device intended for the translation (rotational and linear) using high precision control from electronically operated circuits. See linear actuator; rotary actuator.
detector: 1. A device designed to convert the energy of incident radiation into another form for the determination of the presence of the radiation. The device may function by electrical, photographic or visual means. 2. A device that provides an electric output that is a useful measure of the radiation that is incident on the device.
optical fiber: Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light signals over long distances with minimal loss of signal quality. It serves as a medium for conveying information in the form of light pulses, typically in the realm of telecommunications, networking, and data transmission. The core of an optical fiber is the central region through which light travels. It is surrounded by a cladding layer that has a lower refractive index than...
photonics: The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...

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