Communication system and method of sensor-based optical alignment between optical nodes

A communication system, comprising:

• a first optical node at a first location in a defined indoor area;
• and
• a second optical node at a second location in the defined indoor area,
• wherein each of the first optical node and the second optical node comprises one or more first type of sensors,
• and wherein the first optical node is configured to:
• establish a radio frequency (RF) supervisory link with the second optical node;
• perform a first optical alignment with the second optical node based on sensor measurements from the one or more first type of sensors, wherein the sensor measurements at each of the first optical node and the second optical node are exchanged between the first optical node and the second optical node over the established RF supervisory link for the first optical alignment;
• perform a second optical alignment with the second optical node by directing a beacon infrared (IR) laser beam from the first optical node to the second optical node;
• and
• establish a free-space optical link as a laser backhaul with the second optical node by directing a first free-space laser beam carrying data signal in a non-visible light spectrum to the second optical node based on the first optical alignment and the second optical alignment,
• wherein the directing of the beacon IR laser beam from the first optical node to the second optical node and the directing of the first free-space laser beam carrying the data signal in the non-visible light spectrum is performed alternatively and iteratively until an optical receiver signal strength indicator at second optical node is maximized.

A communication method, comprising:

• establishing, by a first optical node at a first location in defined indoor area, a radio frequency (RF) supervisory link with a second optical node at a second location at the defined indoor area;
• exchanging sensor measurements between the first optical node and the second optical node over the established RF supervisory link, wherein each of the first optical node and the second optical node comprises one or more first type of sensors for the sensor measurements at each of the first optical node and the second optical node;
• performing, by the first optical node, a first optical alignment with the second optical node based on the exchanged sensor measurements;
• performing, by the first optical node, a second optical alignment with the second optical node by directing a beacon infrared (IR) laser beam from the first optical node to the second optical node;
• and
• establishing, by the first optical node, a free-space optical link as a laser backhaul with the second optical node by directing a first free-space laser beam carrying data signal in a non-visible light spectrum to the second optical node based on the first optical alignment and the second optical alignment.