US 10,122,457 B2Granted

Optical amplifier with closed loop control for scintillation compensation in free space optical communications

AssigneeX Development LLC

InventorsChiachi Wang, Christopher Joshua Shiro Ito

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Abstract

A method includes receiving a first optical signal at a first communication terminal from a second communication terminal through a free space optical link and determining a receiving power for the optical link based on the first optical signal. The method further includes adjusting an output amplification at the first communication terminal based on the receiving power for the optical link. The output amplification is adjusted to provide a second optical signal with a minimum transmission power for maintaining the optical link. The method transmits the second optical signal from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal through the optical link.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving, at a first communication terminal, a first optical signal from a second communication terminal through a free space optical link, the first optical signal comprising a laser diode signal from a laser diode of the second communication terminal through the free space optical link;
filtering, at the first communication terminal, the laser diode signal from the first optical signal;
determining, by control hardware of the first communication terminal, a received power of the laser diode signal that is filtered from the first optical signal;
determining, by the control hardware, a receiving power for the free space optical link based on the received power of the laser diode signal;
adjusting, by the control hardware, an output amplification at the first communication terminal based on the receiving power for the free space optical link, the output amplification adjusted to provide a second optical signal with a minimum transmission power for maintaining the free space optical link;
and
transmitting the second optical signal from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal through the free space optical link.

4 more elements

A high altitude platform comprising:

receiver optics configured to receive a first optical signal from another high altitude platform through a free space optical link, the first optical signal comprising a laser diode signal from a laser diode of the other high altitude platform through the free space optical link;
optical filter configured to filter the laser diode signal from the first optical signal;
transmitter optics configured to transmit a second optical signal to the other high altitude platform through the free space optical link;
and
control hardware in communication with the receiver optics and the transmitter optics, the control hardware configured to:
determine a received power of the laser diode signal that is filtered from the first optical signal;
determine a receiving power for the free space optical link based on the received power of the laser diode signal;
and
adjust an output amplification at the transmitter optics based on the receiving power for the free space optical link, the output amplification adjusted to provide the second optical signal with a minimum transmission power for maintaining the free space optical link.

6 more elements

A communication system comprising:

a first communication terminal comprising:
first receiver optics configured to receive a first optical signal comprising a first laser diode signal through a free space optical link;
optical filter configured to filter the first laser diode signal from the first optical signal;
first transmitter optics configured to transmit a second optical signal comprising a second laser diode signal through the free space optical link;
and
first control hardware in communication with the first receiver optics and the first transmitter optics, the control hardware configured to:
determine a received power of the first laser diode signal that is filtered from the first optical signal;
determine a receiving power for the free space optical link based on the received power of the first laser diode signal;
and
adjust an output amplification at the first transmitter optics based on the receiving power for the free space optical link, the output amplification adjusted to provide the second optical signal with a minimum transmission power for maintaining the free space optical link;
and
a second communication terminal comprising:
second receiver optics configured to receive the second optical signal from the first transmitter optics through the free space optical link;
second transmitter optics configured to transmit the first optical signal to the first receiver optics through the free space optical link;
and
second control hardware in communication with the first receiver optics and the first transmitter optics, the control hardware configured to:
determine a received power of the second laser diode signal;
determine a receiving power for the free space optical link based on the received power of the second laser diode signal;
and
adjust an output amplification at the second transmitter optics based on the receiving power for the free space optical link, the output amplification adjusted to provide a subsequent optical signal for transmission from the second transmitter optics with a minimum transmission power for maintaining the free space optical link.

17 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/629,208Filed 21 Jun 2017 · continuation
Priority: 5 Aug 2015
Published: US 2017/0041074 A15 Oct 2017
Granted: 6 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H04B 10/118
Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum: specially adapted for satellite communication
H04B 10/1125
Bidirectional transmission: using a single common optical path
H04B 10/1129
Line-of-sight transmission over an extended range: arrangements for outdoor wireless networking of information
H04B
Transmission

Family

Application14/818,706Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Aug 2015
US 2017/0288775 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Oct 2017
US 9,716,551 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0041074 A1Published application
US 10,122,457 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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