Patent ID: 7171126
Filing Date: 2007-01-30
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A method for facilitating airborne free space optical communications between an airborne host platform and a link platform, each platform having an optical head which transmits and receives data via modulated infrared laser beams, wherein the host comprises at least an optical head having a fine, coarse, and ultrafine steering element configured in a cascaded three-tier steering element architecture, the method comprising; obtaining a priori of pointing information from a network to identify a location of the link platform; transmitting a beam directed to the link platform; adjusting the coarse steering element to point the beam to the link platform within a first specified range of measured units; locating a beacon of the link platform; dynamically focusing the beam to collapse the divergence of the transmitted beam down to a second specified range of measured units less than the first to facilitate tracking; and tightening a field of regard for each successive tier within the cascaded three-tier steering element architecture to allow for finer steering resolution.