Laser communication system and methods
US6285476A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 25, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 4, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 25, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B10/40
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A laser communication system for full duplex wideband data transmission includes first and second terminals having dichroic wavelength-multiplexed optical systems wherein transmitted and received light are multiplexed along a path through the same aperture. The optical systems each preferably comprise a cassegrain receiver having primary and secondary mirrors for directing both transmitted and received laser light. Modulated laser light is generated by a high-power laser diode which is actively cooled by a thermoelectric cooler. A window in the housing, through which the modulated laser light travels, includes a transparent resistive coating to which electrical current is applied to control the temperature of the window. The aspheric primary mirror has a highly reflective surface, preferably a single-point diamond-turned mirror surface, formed on an aluminum substrate as a single piece.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.