High Efficiency Directional Stabilization of Lasers
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorSteven F. Griffin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laser directional stabilization system corrects pointing errors in a laser used to transmit data in free space optical links. The system includes a nutator that nutates a laser beam over the face of an optical fiber at a receiver. Light entering the fiber is used as a sensor to achieve for stabilization. The laser beam is nutated at a single, relatively high frequency using resonant amplifiers driving linear actuators. Knowledge of the nutation command and the time varying intensity of light received at the center of the fiber permits generation an error that is used in a feedback loop to reduce laser pointing error.
Claims20
A laser beam nutator, comprising:
- a gimbal;
- a frame mounted on the gimbal;
- a mirror mounted on the frame and configured to reflect a laser beam incident thereon;
- and
- a shaft coupled with the frame and configured to adjust the gimbal.
A laser directional stabilization system, comprising:
- a nutator including a mirror configured to reflect and nutate a laser beam incident thereon, and a plurality of linear actuators configured to steer the mirror and nutate the laser beam;
- and
- a nutator drive configured to drive the linear actuators and nutate the laser beam at substantially a single frequency.
A method of stabilizing a pointing direction of a laser transmitting data in an optical communication system, comprising:
- receiving a laser beam on a face of an optical fiber;
- nutating the laser beam over the face of the optical fiber;
- sensing a magnitude of light from the laser beam passing through the center of a face of the optical fiber;
- and,
- adjusting the pointing direction of the laser beam based on the sensed magnitude of light.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.