Title :
Active pointing for terrestrial free space optics
Author :
Mecherle, G.Stephen
Abstract :
Fixed-pointed free space optics (FSO) systems must use beamwidths that are broadened sufficiently to account for building motion, wind loading, and other pointing instabilities. System design tradeoffs for an active pointing system for terrestrial free space optics include: gimbaled transceiver vs. gimbaled mirror vs. fast steering mirror (FSM); separate tracking beacon vs. track on communication beam; and quadrant vs. array tracker. Some general tradeoffs are discussed, and the specific approach selected for fSONA´s newly developed commercial actively pointed FSO product is described. The system uses a single FSM to steer both transmit and receive beams, and which has the potential for 20 dB or more additional link margin relative to fixed pointed solutions. The system uses totally frictionless mechanical technology, has nearly 100 Hz bandwidth, ±0.25° field-of-regard, and uses fSONA standard transceiver technology (52 Mbps to 1.25 Gbps).
Keywords :
mirrors; optical links; optical receivers; optical tracking; optical transmitters; transceivers; 100 Hz; 52 Mbit/s to 1.25 Gbit/s; active pointing; additional link margin; array tracker; beamwidths; building motion; commercial actively pointed FSO product; communication beam track; fSONA standard transceiver technology; fast-steering mirror; fixed pointed solutions; fixed-pointed free space optics; gimbal; gimbaled mirror; gimbaled transceiver; optical tracker; pointing instabilities; quadrant tracker; receive beams; separate tracking beacon; terrestrial free space optics; totally frictionless mechanical technology; tradeoffs; transmit beams; wind loading; Actuators; Apertures; Mirrors; Optical arrays; Optical receivers; Optical scattering; Optical transmitters; Semiconductor laser arrays; Testing; Transceivers;
Conference_Titel :
Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, 2002. LEOS 2002. The 15th Annual Meeting of the IEEE
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7500-9
DOI :
10.1109/LEOS.2002.1159375