The present disclosure provides an improved method of parking a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirror in an array of MEMS mirrors to protect against single high voltage channel failures in a driver. Two separate voltages are applied to each MEMS mirror to move and park the mirror out of a camera sensor field of view in a servo system. For example, a first voltage may be applied in a positive X direction and a second voltage may be applied in a positive Y direction which will move the mirror in a diagonal direction. If one of the high voltage channels fail, the mirror will still be parked and outside of the camera sensor field of view. If a high voltage channel fails, the servo system can park a mirror affected by the failure in an opposite corner. Moreover, if 2-axis parking is not feasible, the mirror can use single-voltage parking.

A diagnostic voltage or current path can be used for each MEMS actuator control channel to detect and diagnose faults in the actuator control signal path. Multiple measurement points provide additional capabilities of isolating faults among multiple subassemblies or components in the control signal path. The diagnostic voltage or current path uses ADC(s) and multiplexers to monitor multiple control channels and/or multiple measurement points in each control channel. Digitized voltages, or currents in the case of magnetic actuators, read from the diagnostic ADC are compared to expected values to detect and isolate faults.

An opto-mechanical assembly includes a first thermal control element disposed on a region of a first section of an enclosure; a second thermal control element disposed on a region of a second section of the enclosure; and an optical element that includes a first portion and a second portion. The first thermal control element is configured to heat the first portion of the optical element and to cause the first portion of the optical element to be associated with a first temperature, and the second thermal control element is configured to heat the second portion of the optical element and to cause the second portion of the optical element to be associated with a second temperature. This causes a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature to satisfy a temperature difference threshold. Accordingly, this also causes a temperature gradient along an axis of the optical element to satisfy a temperature gradient threshold.

An electrostatic comb drive-based silicon-based MEMS optical switch and an N×N array. The optical switch is primarily constituted by two parts, namely two separated crossing waveguide mirrors and an electrostatic comb driver. The crossing waveguide mirrors are constituted by two crossing waveguides and four adiabatic tapered waveguides. The electrostatic comb driver comprises an electrostatic comb, an island spring structure, and a transmission rod. The electrostatic comb is a pair of comb teeth structures, a voltage is applied to fixed comb teeth therein, and the other parts remain grounded. Under the effect of an electrostatic force, movable comb teeth move towards the fixed comb teeth, a spring distends and pushes via the transmission rod the movable crossing waveguide mirror to move towards the fixed crossing waveguide mirror, and the separated crossing waveguide mirrors are recombined into a complete crossing waveguide.

A deformable mirror and capacitive array controller is capable of controlling a plurality of individual actuators by applying independent voltages from 0V to 240V to each actuator. The device utilizes a distributed microcontroller (MCU) architecture, including a main microcontroller and a plurality of slave microcontrollers to maximize actuator voltage refresh rate. One Slave MCU may be used for up to 384 actuators. For maximizing actuator refresh rate, each Slave MCU may be limited to 192 actuators. The final circuit stage includes a digital/analog converter, a voltage sample and hold and a high voltage amplifier, all packaged in a single integrated circuit. These integrated circuits are referred hereinafter as HV S&H (high voltage sample and hold). A flexible, stacked PCB assembly significantly reduces overall footprint and weight compared to conventional devices. The device's power consumption is nearly an order of magnitude less than that of a conventions adaptive optical system.

Disclosed herein are configurations for fiber optic endoscopes employing fixed distal optics and multicore optical fiber.

An apparatus for providing multicore fiber (OCF) optical switching is disclosed. The apparatus may include an input fiber to receive an optical signal from an optical source. The apparatus may also include an output fiber to receive the optical signal from the input fiber. The apparatus may further include an optical switch element to provide optical switching between the input fiber and the output fiber. In some examples, at least one of the input fiber and the output fiber may be a multicore fiber (MCF), and the optical switching may be performed between at least one core of the input fiber and the output fiber. In some examples, the optical switch element may provide optical switching using a multicore fiber (MCF) optical switching technique, such as a lens offset technique, a rotation-based technique, a tip-tilt technique, or an orientable optical element technique.

An optical module of a configuration that ensures use of commercially available electronic components and reduction of the number of current generation circuits and electric wirings. The optical module includes an electronic component mounted on a separate board from a light wave circuit board provided with an optical component such as an optical switch, and they are each electrically connected by wire bonding. For this reason, the optical module can use a commercially available electronic component. In addition, the module has a configuration in which heaters of optical switches, which do not simultaneously flow currents, are grouped and a current from one current generation circuit is supplied to any one of the heaters in the group by means of one electrical switch. For this reason, the optical module does not have to be prepared with the same number of electrical switches and current generation circuits as the number of heaters.

An opto-mechanical assembly includes a first thermal control element disposed on a region of a first section of an enclosure; a second thermal control element disposed on a region of a second section of the enclosure; and an optical element that includes a first portion and a second portion. The first thermal control element is configured to heat the first portion of the optical element and to cause the first portion of the optical element to be associated with a first temperature, and the second thermal control element is configured to heat the second portion of the optical element and to cause the second portion of the optical element to be associated with a second temperature. This causes a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature to satisfy a temperature difference threshold. Accordingly, this also causes a temperature gradient along an axis of the optical element to satisfy a temperature gradient threshold.

An optical module of a configuration that ensures use of commercially available electronic components and reduction of the number of current generation circuits and electric wirings. The optical module includes an electronic component mounted on a separate board from a light wave circuit board provided with an optical component such as an optical switch, and they are each electrically connected by wire bonding. For this reason, the optical module can use a commercially available electronic component. In addition, the module has a configuration in which heaters of optical switches, which do not simultaneously flow currents, are grouped and a current from one current generation circuit is supplied to any one of the heaters in the group by means of one electrical switch. For this reason, the optical module does not have to be prepared with the same number of electrical switches and current generation circuits as the number of heaters.