US 12,442,962 B2
Optical multiplexer
Atsushi Fukui, Osaka (JP); Kazumasa Takata, Osaka (JP); and Yosuke Araki, Osaka (JP)
Assigned to PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD., Osaka (JP)
Filed by Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd., Osaka (JP)
Filed on Aug. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/458,185.
Application 18/458,185 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2022/008124, filed on Feb. 28, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-043475 (JP), filed on Mar. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0400613 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 5/18 (2006.01); H04J 14/02 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 5/1866 (2013.01) [H04J 14/0307 (2023.08)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical multiplexer that multiplexes a plurality of laser beams having different wavelengths and emits a multiplexed laser light, the optical multiplexer comprising:
a plurality of light sources that emit a plurality of laser beams having different wavelengths;
a collimator that collimates the plurality of laser beams emitted from the plurality of light sources; and
a diffraction grating that diffracts the plurality of laser beams collimated by the collimator and emits the plurality of laser beams along a same optical path, the diffraction grating being of a transmission-type,
wherein the plurality of light sources are linearly arranged on an incident side focal plane of the collimator,
a grating surface of the diffraction grating is disposed on an emission side focal plane of the collimator,
a direction along which the plurality of light sources are arranged and a direction along which grooves of the diffraction grating extend are orthogonal to each other, and
a distance D between two adjacent light sources among the plurality of light sources is set to satisfy D=f×(λ1−λ2)/p, where λ1, λ2 (λ1>λ2) are respectively wavelengths of laser beams emitted from the two adjacent light sources, f is a focal length of the collimator, and p is a pitch of the diffraction grating.