Optical communications systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12519497-B2
Application number	US-202318151970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2023
Priority date	Jan 10, 2022
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

Abstract

A method communicates data with a platform. A platform receives modulated coherent optical signals modulated using radio frequency signals encoding sensor data and generates an input current in response to receiving the modulated coherent optical signals at a receiver system in the platform. The platform recovers the radio frequency signals from the input current in a manner that adjusts for changes in the modulated coherent optical signals caused by variations in received optical intensity occurring during propagation of the modulated coherent optical signals. The platform outputs the radio frequency signals encoding the data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An optical communications system comprising:
a platform; and a receiver system connected to the platform, wherein the receiver system comprises: an optical receiver that receives modulated coherent optical signals modulated using radio frequency signals encoding data and generates an input current in response to receiving the modulated coherent optical signals; and an adaptive receiver connected to the optical receiver, wherein the adaptive receiver recovers the radio frequency signals encoding the data from the input current in a manner that adjusts for changes in the modulated coherent optical signals caused by a variation in optical intensity occurring of the modulated coherent optical signals during propagation of the modulated coherent optical signals, and outputs the radio frequency signals encoding the data.

2 . The optical communications system of claim 1 further comprising:
a transmitter system connected to the platform, wherein the transmitter system encodes the data into the radio frequency signals, modulates a coherent optical signal using the radio frequency signals encoding the data to form the modulated coherent optical signals, and transmits the modulated coherent optical signals.

3 . The optical communications system of claim 1 , wherein the platform is a first platform further comprising:
a second platform; and a transmitter system connected to the second platform, wherein the transmitter system encodes the data in the radio frequency signals in a coherent light, modulates the coherent light to form modulated coherent light signals, and transmits the modulated coherent light signals to the first platform.

4 . The optical communications system of claim 2 , wherein the transmitter system comprises:
a radio frequency modulator that encodes the data in the radio frequency signals; a coherent light generator that generates a coherent light; an optical modulator that modulates the coherent light using the radio frequency signals encoding the data to form the modulated coherent optical signals; and a transmitter telescope that transmits the modulated coherent optical signals.

5 . The optical communications system of claim 1 , wherein the adaptive receiver comprises:
a current buffer that receives the input current from the optical receiver; a voltage-controlled inverter that receives a buffered current from the current buffer and outputs a variable gain voltage; a variable gain circuit that receives the variable gain voltage from the voltage-controlled inverter and outputs a differential voltage; a differential voltage amplifier that receives the differential voltage from the variable gain circuit and outputs an amplified differential voltage; and a differential buffer that receives the amplified differential voltage from the differential voltage amplifier and outputs recovered radio frequency signals.

6 . The optical communications system of claim 5 , wherein the adaptive receiver further comprises:
an average current control loop that feeds back from the voltage-controlled inverter to the current buffer; and an automatic gain control loop that feeds back from the differential voltage amplifier to the voltage-controlled inverter and the variable gain circuit.

7 . The optical communications system of claim 5 , wherein the adaptive receiver further comprises:
an offset cancellation loop that feeds back from the differential voltage amplifier to the variable gain circuit.

8 . The optical communications system of claim 3 , wherein the first platform is a space platform and the second platform is a terrestrial platform.

9 . The optical communications system of claim 3 , wherein the first platform is a terrestrial platform and the second platform is a space platform.

10 . The optical communications system of claim 3 , wherein the first platform and the second platform provide a point to point communications link.

11 . The optical communications system of claim 10 , wherein the point to point communications link is between buildings.

12 . The optical communications system of claim 1 , wherein radio frequency signals are for a set of communications links.

13 . The optical communications system of claim 1 , wherein the platform is a mobile platform, a stationary platform, a land-based structure, an aquatic-based structure, a space-based structure, an aircraft, a commercial aircraft, a rotorcraft, a tilt-rotor aircraft, a tilt wing aircraft, a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, an electrical vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, a personal air vehicle, a surface ship, a tank, a personnel carrier, a train, a spacecraft, a space station, a satellite, a submarine, an automobile, a power plant, a bridge, a dam, a house, a manufacturing facility, a building, a utility pole, and a transmission tower.

14 . A method for communicating data with a platform, the method comprising:
receiving, by the platform, modulated coherent optical signals using radio frequency signals encoding sensor data; generating, by the platform, an input current using the modulated coherent optical signals modulated using radio frequency signals encoding the data in response to receiving the modulated coherent optical signals at a receiver system in the platform; recovering, by the platform, the radio frequency signals from the input current in a manner that adjusts for changes in the modulated coherent optical signals caused by variations in received optical intensity occurring during propagation of the modulated coherent optical signals; and outputting, by the platform, the radio frequency signals encoding the data.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the platform is a first platform and further comprising:
encoding, by a second platform, the data into the radio frequency signals; modulating, by the second platform, a coherent optical signal using the radio frequency signals encoding the data to form the modulated coherent optical signals; and transmitting, by the second platform, the modulated coherent optical signals to the second platform.

16 . A vehicle communications system comprising:
a vehicle; a receiver system connected to the vehicle, wherein the receiver system comprises: an optical receiver that receives modulated coherent optical signals modulated using radio frequency signals encoding data and generate an input current using the modulated coherent optical signals modulated using radio frequency signals encoding the data in response to receiving the modulated coherent optical signals at a receiver system in the vehicle; and an adaptive receiver connected to the optical receiver, wherein the adaptive receiver recovers the radio frequency signals from the input current in a manner that adjusts for changes in the modulated coherent optical signals caused by variation in received optical intensity occurring during propagation of the modulated coherent optical signals, and outputs the radio frequency signals encoding the data.

17 . The vehicle communications system of claim 16 further comprising:
a transmitter system connected to the vehicle, wherein the transmitter system encodes the data into the radio frequency signals, modulates a coherent optical signal using the radio frequency signals encoding the data to form the modulated coherent optical signals, and transmits the modulated coherent optical signals.

18 . The vehicle communications system of claim 17 , wherein the transmitter system comprises:
a radio frequency modulator that encodes the data in the radio frequ

Assignees

• Boeing Co
• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Aghlmand Fatemeh
• Emami Azita
• Hunt Jeffrey H

Classifications

• H04B10/616

  Details of the electronic signal processing in coherent optical receivers · CPC title

• H04B10/27

  Arrangements for networking · CPC title

• H04B10/6165

  Estimation of the phase of the received optical signal, phase error estimation or phase error correction · CPC title

• H04B10/6164

  Estimation or correction of the frequency offset between the received optical signal and the optical local oscillator · CPC title

• H04B1/18

  Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line (coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H) · CPC title