Fast Acquisition Laser Communications using a Minimum Average Distance Shift Process
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorNathan D. Hiller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method converges a laser beam. A sequence of shifts is identified from a simulation of sequences of shifts that move an average distance of test points from a center of a test quad cell sensor to reach a convergence on the test quad cell sensor, wherein the sequence of shifts moves the average distance of the test points to converge on the center with at least one of a lowest number of shifts or a lowest average number of shifts. A position of a mirror receiving the laser beam is changed using the sequence of shifts to shift the laser beam towards the convergence on a quad cell sensor.
Claims22
A method for converging a laser beam, the method comprising:
- identifying a sequence of shifts from a simulation of sequences of shifts that move an average distance of test points from a center of a test quad cell sensor to reach a convergence on the test quad cell sensor, wherein the sequence of shifts moves the average distance of the test points to converge on the center with at least one of a lowest number of shifts or a lowest average number of shifts;
- and
- changing a position of a mirror receiving the laser beam using the sequence of shifts to shift the laser beam towards the convergence on a quad cell sensor.
A communications terminal comprising:
- a quad cell sensor;
- a mirror that directs a laser beam received by the communications terminal to the quad cell sensor;
- and
- a communications controller configured to perform operations comprising:
- identifying a sequence of shifts from a simulation of sequences of shifts that move an average distance of test points from a center of a test quad cell sensor to reach a convergence on the test quad cell sensor, wherein the sequence of shifts moves the average distance of the test points to converge on the center with at least one of a lowest number of shifts or a lowest average number of shifts;
- and
- changing a position of the mirror receiving the laser beam using the sequence of shifts to shift the laser beam towards the convergence on the quad cell sensor.
A computer program product for converging a laser beam, the computer program product comprising:
- a set of one or more computer-readable storage media;
- program instructions stored on the set of one or more storage media to perform operations comprising:
- identifying a sequence of shifts from a simulation of sequences of shifts that move an average distance of test points from a center of a test quad cell sensor to reach a convergence on the test quad cell sensor, wherein the sequence of shifts moves the average distance of the test points to converge on the center with at least one of a lowest number of shifts or a lowest average number of shifts;
- and
- changing a position of a mirror receiving the laser beam using the sequence of shifts to shift the laser beam towards the convergence on a quad cell sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.