Method and apparatus for tracking in an optical communications system

A method, comprising:

• receiving with an optical detector an optical communications beam directed from optics;
• substantially reducing a direct current (DC) component of an output of the optical detector;
• amplifying the output of the optical detector with a variable gain amplifier in response to a gain control signal and with the DC offset substantially reduced with an amplifier;
• converting the output of the amplifier to a first single polarity signal;
• generating the gain control signal in response to the first single polarity signal;
• and
• controlling aligned reception of the optical communications beam by the optics in response at least in part to the first polarity signal.

An optical system, comprising:

• a plurality of tracking channel circuits optically coupled to optics to receive an optical communications beam, each of the plurality of tracking channel circuits including direct current (DC) offset reduction circuitry to reduce a DC offset in an intermediate signal generated in response to the optical communications beam, and each of the plurality of tracking channel circuits generating a respective output;
• wherein each one of the plurality of tracking channel circuits further comprises:
• an optical detector optically coupled to receive the optical communications beam;
• an amplifier coupled to an output of the optical detector through the DC offset reduction circuitry;
• and a signal polarity conversion circuit coupled to an output of the amplifier, the signal polarity conversion circuit coupled to generate the respective output signal;
• a gain control circuit coupled to receive each respective output from the plurality of tracking channels, the gain control circuit coupled to generate a gain control signal coupled to be received by the amplifier of each one of the plurality of tracking circuits, wherein the amplifier of each one of the plurality of tracking circuits comprises a variable gain amplifier;
• and
• an alignment circuit coupled to receive each respective output from the plurality of tracking channel circuits, the alignment circuit coupled to facilitate aligned reception of the optical communications beam by the optics in response to the respective outputs from the plurality of tracking channel circuits.