An optical detector system provides beam positioning data to an optical tracking system to facilitate optical communications. The optical detector system comprises a plurality of optical photodetectors. For example, a two-by-two array may be used. Incoming light passes through one or more optical elements, such as a lens and a dispersive optical element. A first portion of the beam entering the optical elements is directed into a first spot having a first area on the array. A second portion of the beam entering the optical elements is dispersed to form a second spot having a second area on the array that is larger than the first area. This combination of first portion and second portion of the beam incident on the array provides unambiguous information in the output of the photodetectors that is indicative of a position of the incoming beam with respect to the array.

A control device includes: a control signal transmitter transmitting a signal to a controlled device; a control signal receiver receiving a signal from the controlled device; a control signal generator generating a control signal of 2 bytes or more in one transmission cycle, in which an address is assigned to each byte, is ON/OFF switchable, and includes a main signal address and a collation signal address; and a control signal controller that, when the main and collation signal addresses are the same address, turns the collation signal address ON when the main signal address is ON and turns the collation signal address OFF when the main signal address is OFF, and when the main and collation signal addresses are inverted, turns the collation signal address OFF when the main signal address is ON and turns the collation signal address ON when the main signal address is OFF.

A free space optical (FSO) communication node communicates via an FSO link with a remote FSO communication node that moves relative to the FSO node. The FSO node may be highly directional, and transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) beams of the FSO node may share optical paths (at least in part). Instead of directing a Tx beam along a point ahead angle relative to a Rx beam (which may result in undesirable Rx coupling losses), the Tx beam is directed based on the point ahead angle and a point ahead offset angle. The point ahead offset angle modifies the point ahead angle to reduce Rx coupling losses while keeping Tx pointing losses at least low enough to maintain the FSO link. In some cases, due to the point ahead offset angle, the Tx direction minimizes a sum of the Rx coupling losses and the Tx pointing losses.

A system includes a high energy laser (HEL) configured to transmit a HEL beam aimed at a first location on an airborne target. The system also includes a beacon illuminator laser (BIL) configured to transmit a BIL beam aimed at a second location on the target, wherein the second location is offset from the first location. The system also includes at least one fast steering mirror (FSM) configured to steer the BIL beam to be spatially and angularly offset from the HEL beam. The system also includes at least one Coudé path FSM configured to simultaneously receive both the HEL beam and the BIL beam and steer the HEL beam and the BIL beam to correct for atmospheric jitter of the HEL beam and the BIL beam while maintaining the offset of the BIL beam from the HEL beam.

The present disclosure provides a range-finding system capable of data communication. The range-finding system includes a rangefinder for acquiring ranging data, a magnetic ring unit having at least two communication channels, and a data processing and control unit. Each communication channel includes a magnetic ring. The magnetic ring unit transmits the ranging data as downlink data from the rangefinder to the data processing and control unit via one or more of the communication channels.

A laser communication system for an aircraft has optical head units, separate laser transmitting unit, laser receiving unit, optical fiber for each optical head unit, optical switching device for coupling an optical head unit and a separate laser transmitting unit, and a central control unit, the optical head units connected to the optical switching device through the optical fiber, the optical head units having an optical axis, parallel to which light is emitted or received, and an optical pointing mechanism for adjusting the respective optical axis. The separate laser transmitting unit has a laser. The control unit connects to the optical switching device, laser transmitting unit, laser receiving unit and optical head unit to control a laser based data communication through coupling an optical head unit, which is in a free line of sight to a target outside the aircraft, to the laser transmitting unit and to modulate operation of the laser transmitting unit for emitting a signal.

An invisible light communication system can communicate using infrared or ultraviolet light signals to provide more secure communications. The system includes a software definable and hardware configurable transmitter that uses an input, an encoder, an invisible light source, and an optic to transmit an invisible light signal. The system also includes a software definable and hardware configurable receiver that receives the invisible light signal using an optic, a detector, a detector, and an output. Applications for the invisible light communication system include fixed, deployable, vehicle, and wearable configurations for voice, video and data transmission and receipt in support of a variety of use cases: remote sensing; data exfiltration; remote control, ordnance detonation; tactical chat/messaging; point-to-point and point-to-multipoint audio communications; and full motion video.

An optical transmission/reception unit includes a carrier rotatable around an axis of rotation, an optical receiver arranged at the carrier on the axis of rotation so as to receive an optical reception signal from a first direction, an optical transmitter arranged at the carrier adjacent to the optical receiver so as to emit an optical transmission signal in a second direction, and a transmission/reception optic arranged at the carrier on the axis of rotation above the optical receiver, wherein the transmission/reception optic includes a reception optic and a transmission optic arranged in the reception optic, wherein the reception optic is configured to guide the optical reception signal striking the transmission/reception optic towards the optical receiver on the axis of rotation, and wherein the transmission optic is configured to displace onto the axis of rotation the optical transmission signal emitted by the optical transmitter.

In order to improve free space optical communications, an optical communication terminal includes a laser source, a photo detecting apparatus and an optical input/output assembly. These components are controlled by a control logic. In order to have the optical communication terminal to be self-compatible, the optical input/output assembly selectively routes the outgoing beam and incoming beam depending on their respective beam polarization. To this end, the optical input/output assembly may include a polarizing beam splitter together with a quarter-wave plate.

A magnetic ring and a magnetic-ring-based system are provided. The magnetic ring includes an inner magnetic ring including an inner coil and an outer magnetic ring corresponding to the inner magnetic ring and including an outer coil facing the inner coil along a circumference of the outer magnetic ring. The inner magnetic ring is connected with a stationary part in a range-finding system, and the outer magnetic ring is connected with a rotating part in the range-finding system. In response to a rotation of the rotating part with respect to the stationary part, the outer magnetic ring rotates with respect to the inner magnetic ring to generate a magnetic field between the inner coil and the outer coil to perform one of data transmission or power transmission in the range-finding system.