Beam forming system, optical signal transmitting method and related equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a beam forming system, an optical signal transmitting method and related equipment, the system comprises at least one group of processing units, and each processing unit comprises a beam splitting array, a filtering array and an adjusting unit; the beam splitting array is used for splitting transmitted signal light into N paths of split light beams; n is the number of antennas included in the antenna system; the filtering array is used for filtering the N paths of split light beams based on the filtering parameters corresponding to the N paths of split light beams to obtain N paths of gating light beams; and the adjusting unit is used for adjusting the N paths of gating light beams to obtain N paths of adjusting light beams, and each path of adjusting light beam is used for transmitting through a corresponding antenna. According to the embodiment of the invention, the transmitting signal light is divided into the split light beams corresponding to the antennas of the antenna system through the beam splitting array; a single-directional wave beam or a multi-directional wave beam is flexibly formed through the filtering array; the gain is improved by correspondingly controlling the light beam with the specific wavelength.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of signal processing technology, and in particular to a beamforming system, an optical signal transmission method, and related equipment. Background Technology

[0002] When communicating between optical communication terminals, beamforming is required. Beamforming enables tasks such as payload link selection, precise beam pointing and tracking, and improving gain and communication bandwidth.

[0003] In microwave phased arrays, by controlling the phase and amplitude of each antenna element in the array, electromagnetic waves are coherently superimposed in space, thereby forming a beam in a specific direction and achieving beamforming.

[0004] With the development of communication technology, laser communication has been used in a variety of applications. Because laser communication uses optical transmission technology, compared to microwave communication, it offers advantages such as higher link establishment agility, more flexible multi-beam configuration, greater flexibility in conformal design, and low-cost, mass-producible all-chip integration. It is particularly suitable for the needs of integrated terrestrial and space-ground communication, enabling highly reliable communication.

[0005] However, due to the differences in physical properties between lasers and microwaves, there are significant differences in phase control and amplitude control. Therefore, the aforementioned microwave beamforming methods are not applicable to lasers. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a beamforming system, an optical signal transmission method, and related equipment for beamforming laser communication.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a beamforming system, including at least one set of processing units, wherein the processing units include a beam splitter array, a filter array, and an adjustment unit;

[0008] The beam splitter array is used to split the transmitted signal light into N beams; N is the number of antennas included in the antenna system.

[0009] The filtering array is used to filter the N split beams respectively based on the filtering parameters corresponding to each of the N split beams to obtain N selected beams;

[0010] The adjustment unit is used to adjust the N-channel selected beams to obtain N-channel adjusted beams, each of which is used for transmission through a corresponding antenna.

[0011] In some optional implementations, the adjustment unit includes: a phase control array, a power control array, and a polarization control array;

[0012] The phase control array is used to perform phase control on the N selected beams based on the phase control parameters corresponding to each of the N selected beams, so as to obtain N phase-adjusted beams.

[0013] The power control array is used to perform power consistency processing on the N phase-adjusted beams to obtain N power-adjusted beams.

[0014] The polarization control array is used to adjust the polarization state of the N power-adjustable beams based on the polarization control parameters corresponding to each of the N power-adjustable beams, thereby obtaining the N-channel adjusted beams.

[0015] In some alternative implementations, a feedback control unit is also included for:

[0016] Based on the power of the received signal light, new phase control parameters corresponding to each of the N gated beams and new polarization control parameters corresponding to each of the N power-adjusted beams are determined.

[0017] The new phase control parameter is sent to the phase control array so that the phase control array adjusts the current phase control parameter to the new phase control parameter; and the new polarization control parameter is sent to the polarization control array so that the polarization control array adjusts the current polarization control parameter to the new polarization control parameter.

[0018] In some alternative implementations, the system further includes a scanning mirror, and the feedback control unit is further configured to:

[0019] When the power of the received signal light is less than the power threshold, the angle of the scanning mirror is adjusted.

[0020] In some optional implementations, when there are multiple sets of the processing units, the system further includes a polarization beam splitting unit and a polarization beam combining unit;

[0021] The polarization beam splitter unit is used for:

[0022] Separate the transmitted signal light with the first polarization state and the second polarization state sent by the communication processor;

[0023] Convert the emitted signal light in the second polarization state into the emitted signal light in the first polarization state;

[0024] The first polarization state of the transmitted signal light sent by the communication processor is transmitted to the first processing unit, and the converted first polarization state of the transmitted signal light is transmitted to the second processing unit.

[0025] The polarization beam combining unit is used for:

[0026] The N-channel adjustment beams output by the second processing unit are reverse-converted to obtain the N-channel adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit.

[0027] The N adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit are combined with the matching adjustment beam output by the first processing unit to obtain the combined N adjustment beams.

[0028] In some optional implementations, a delay unit is also included for:

[0029] Based on the delay parameters corresponding to each of the N adjustment beams, the N power adjustment beams are subjected to delay processing to obtain the delayed N adjustment beams.

[0030] In some alternative implementations, an amplification unit is also included for:

[0031] The power of each of the N adjustment beams is amplified.

[0032] The N-channel adjustment beams, after being amplified in power, are transmitted to their respective antennas, which then transmit the corresponding adjustment beams.

[0033] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a first method for transmitting optical signals, including:

[0034] The communication processor generates a transmitted signal light and transmits the transmitted signal light to the beamforming system described in any of the first aspects above.

[0035] The beamforming system is used to shape the beams, and the N adjusted beams obtained by the beamforming are transmitted to the corresponding antennas in the antenna system.

[0036] The corresponding adjustment beam is emitted through the antenna in the antenna system.

[0037] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, including a communication processor, a beamforming system as described in any of the first aspects above, and an antenna system.

[0038] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an optical communication terminal, including the communication device described in the third aspect above.

[0039] In this embodiment of the application, for laser emission, the transmitted signal light is split into beams corresponding to each antenna of the antenna system using a beam splitter array. A filter array filters each beam based on the filtering parameters corresponding to each beam, obtaining a selected beam that retains a specific wavelength, thus realizing an optical switch function and performing wavelength selection. This allows for the flexible formation of a single-directional beam (all beams have the same filtering parameters) or a multi-directional beam (at least some beams have different filtering parameters), increasing the flexibility and networking capability of the optical communication terminal and achieving high transient bandwidth based on dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM). Furthermore, an adjustment unit adjusts at least one piece of information for each selected beam, that is, controls the beam of a specific wavelength accordingly to improve gain, achieving continuous adjustability of the beam information output to the antenna, and completing the beamforming of the laser array. Attached Figure Description

[0040] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the first beamforming system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the adjustment unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a second beamforming system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a third beamforming system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the fourth beamforming system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0046] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the chain establishment process provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the fifth beamforming system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the sixth beamforming system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the seventh beamforming system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the eighth beamforming system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0051] Figure 11 A schematic flowchart illustrating an optical signal transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of an optical communication terminal provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0054] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0055] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0056] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can refer to a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or a connection within two devices. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above term in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0057] When communicating between optical communication terminals, beamforming is required. Beamforming enables tasks such as payload link selection, precise beam pointing and tracking, and improving gain and communication bandwidth.

[0058] In microwave phased arrays, by controlling the phase and amplitude of each antenna element in the array, electromagnetic waves are coherently superimposed in space, thereby forming a beam in a specific direction and achieving beamforming.

[0059] With the development of communication technology, laser communication has been used in various applications. Because laser communication uses optical transmission technology, it offers advantages over microwave communication, including higher link establishment agility, more flexible multi-beam configuration, greater flexibility in conformal design, and low-cost, mass-producible all-chip integration. It is particularly suitable for the needs of integrated terrestrial and space-ground communication, enabling highly reliable communication.

[0060] However, due to the differences in physical properties between lasers and microwaves, there are significant differences in phase control and amplitude control. Therefore, the aforementioned microwave beamforming methods are not applicable to lasers.

[0061] Therefore, embodiments of this application provide a beamforming system, an optical signal transmission method, and related equipment for beamforming laser communication.

[0062] The technical solution of this application and how it solves the above-mentioned technical problems will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments.

[0063] See Figure 1 As shown, this is the first beamforming system provided in this embodiment, including a processing unit. Figure 1 Taking one set of processing units as an example, in practice, multiple sets of processing units can be set up, and this embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0064] See Figure 1 As shown, each processing unit includes a beam splitter array, a filter array, and an adjustment unit. The array size of these devices corresponds to the array size of the antenna system. For example, if the antenna system contains a 6×6 antenna, then these devices need to process 36 beams.

[0065] A beam splitter array is used to split the transmitted signal light into N beams (beam 1 to beam N); N is the number of antennas included in the antenna system.

[0066] For example, after receiving a beam of transmitted signal light, the beam splitter array splits the transmitted signal light into equal-power beams to obtain the same N-way split beams.

[0067] This embodiment does not specifically limit the transmitted signal light, such as signal light in the C-band.

[0068] A filter array is used to filter N beams based on their respective filter parameters to obtain N selected beams.

[0069] See Figure 1As shown, the filter array obtains the first selected beam by filtering the first split beam; obtains the second selected beam by filtering the second split beam; ...; obtains the Nth selected beam by filtering the Nth split beam.

[0070] For example, a filter array is provided with filters corresponding to each antenna, and each filter is provided with corresponding filtering parameters. After a beam of light enters the corresponding filter, the beam of light is filtered to obtain a selected beam that retains a specific wavelength, thereby realizing the selection of a specific wavelength from multiple wavelengths.

[0071] In practice, some or all of the split beams can be set to the same filtering parameters, for example:

[0072] If the optical communication terminal where the above beamforming system is located needs to use a wavelength to communicate with other optical communication terminals, all beam splitters can be set to the same wavelength to form a single directional beam.

[0073] If the optical communication terminal where the above beamforming system is located needs to communicate with other optical communication terminals using multiple wavelengths, different filtering parameters need to be set for these split beams. In this way, after filtering, the selected beams corresponding to each of these multiple wavelengths can be obtained to form a multi-directional beam.

[0074] Taking the optical communication terminal where the beamforming system is located as an example, which needs to use four wavelengths to communicate with other optical communication terminals, the beam is split into 36 beams:

[0075] By filtering the first to ninth beams, a gating beam with the first wavelength (λ1) is obtained.

[0076] By filtering the 10th to 18th beams, a gating beam with the second wavelength (λ2) is obtained;

[0077] By filtering the 19th to 27th beam splitters, a gating beam with the 3rd wavelength (λ3) is obtained;

[0078] By filtering the 28th to 36th beam splitters, a gating beam with wavelength 4 (λ4) is obtained.

[0079] The adjustment unit is used to adjust the N selected beams to obtain N adjusted beams, each of which is used for transmission through the corresponding antenna.

[0080] See Figure 1 As shown, by adjusting the first gating beam, the first adjustment beam is obtained; by adjusting the second gating beam, the second adjustment beam is obtained; ...; by adjusting the Nth gating beam, the Nth adjustment beam is obtained.

[0081] In practice, after the filter array filters each beam separately, only the selected beams of specific wavelengths can be obtained. It is necessary to increase the gain in order to complete high-quality beamforming and then realize subsequent communication link establishment.

[0082] Based on this, this embodiment also includes an adjustment unit to perform at least one information adjustment on each selected beam, that is, to control the beam of a specific wavelength accordingly in order to improve the gain.

[0083] The information that needs to be adjusted can be set according to the actual application scenario, and this embodiment does not impose specific limitations on it.

[0084] In this embodiment of the application, for laser emission, the transmitted signal light is split into beams corresponding to each antenna of the antenna system using a beam splitter array. A filter array filters each beam based on the filtering parameters corresponding to each beam, obtaining a selected beam that retains a specific wavelength, thus realizing an optical switch function and performing wavelength selection. This allows for the flexible formation of a single-directional beam (all beams have the same filtering parameters) or a multi-directional beam (at least some beams have different filtering parameters), increasing the flexibility and networking capability of the optical communication terminal and achieving high transient bandwidth for DWDM. Furthermore, an adjustment unit adjusts at least one piece of information for each selected beam, that is, controls the beam at a specific wavelength to improve gain, achieving continuous adjustability of the beam information output to the antenna and completing the beamforming of the laser array.

[0085] See Figure 2 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the adjustment unit includes: a phase control array, a power control array, and a polarization control array;

[0086] A phase control array is used to perform phase control on N selected beams based on their respective phase control parameters, thereby obtaining N phase-adjusted beams.

[0087] See Figure 2 As shown, by performing phase control on the first selected beam, a first phase-adjusted beam is obtained; by performing phase control on the second selected beam, a second phase-adjusted beam is obtained; ...; by performing phase control on the Nth selected beam, a Nth phase-adjusted beam is obtained.

[0088] In practice, the phase control array controls the phase of each selected beam based on the phase control parameters, thereby obtaining the corresponding phase-adjusted beam and achieving precise, high-speed, and controllable phase control.

[0089] For example, the phase control array is equipped with optical waveguide phase shifters corresponding to each antenna. By adjusting the phase control parameters of each optical waveguide phase shifter, the corresponding gated beam can be precisely phase controlled.

[0090] A power control array is used to perform power consistency processing on N phase-adjusted beams to obtain N power-adjusted beams.

[0091] See Figure 2 As shown, by performing power consistency processing on the first phase adjustment beam, a first power adjustment beam is obtained; by performing power consistency processing on the second phase adjustment beam, a second power adjustment beam is obtained; ...; by performing power consistency processing on the Nth phase adjustment beam, a Nth power adjustment beam is obtained.

[0092] In practice, the power consistency of the N phase-adjusted beams is processed by a power control array to improve the power consistency of the antenna's emitted beams and increase the gain.

[0093] For example, the phase control array is equipped with attenuators corresponding to each antenna. The power of some phase adjustment beams is attenuated by the attenuators to obtain N power adjustment beams with consistent power.

[0094] A polarization control array is used to adjust the polarization state of N power-adjustable beams based on their respective polarization control parameters, thereby obtaining N adjusted beams.

[0095] See Figure 2 As shown, by adjusting the polarization state of the first power adjustment beam, a first adjustment beam is obtained; by adjusting the polarization state of the second power adjustment beam, a second adjustment beam is obtained; ...; by adjusting the polarization state of the Nth power adjustment beam, a Nth adjustment beam is obtained.

[0096] In practice, the polarization state of the power adjustment beam is adjusted by a polarization control array to obtain an adjusted beam with a precise polarization state.

[0097] For example, the polarization control array is equipped with a polarization controller corresponding to each antenna. By adjusting the polarization control parameters of the polarization controller, the polarization state of the corresponding power adjustment beam is adjusted to obtain the adjustment beam.

[0098] The above scheme achieves precise and continuous adjustment of the phase, power, and polarization of the beam output to the antenna by adjusting the phase, power, and polarization of each selected beam separately. This results in the beam output to the antenna having high-precision phase and power consistency as well as high-precision polarization, thereby improving gain.

[0099] For the corresponding beamforming system, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 Taking a beamforming system including a set of processing units as an example, in practice, multiple sets of processing units can be set up, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0100] participate Figure 4 As shown, in some optional implementations, the beamforming system further includes a feedback control unit for:

[0101] Based on the power of the received signal light, the phase control parameters corresponding to each of the N gated beams and the polarization control parameters corresponding to each of the N power-adjusted beams are determined.

[0102] In this embodiment, a feedback control unit is set up to monitor the power of the received signal light and use it as a feedback parameter for closed-loop feedback. This allows for the determination of more accurate phase control parameters and polarization control parameters, enabling the phase control array to achieve high-precision pointing control of the angle and the polarization control array to achieve high-precision polarization control.

[0103] Figure 4 Taking a beamforming system comprising a set of processing units as an example, in practice, the beamforming system may include multiple sets of processing units. When there are multiple sets of processing units, the feedback control unit can determine the phase control parameters and polarization control parameters corresponding to each processing unit respectively.

[0104] In some optional implementations, the feedback control unit described above is specifically used for:

[0105] Determine the new phase control parameters for each of the N gating beams; and the new polarization control parameters for each of the N power-adjustable beams;

[0106] The new phase control parameter is sent to the phase control array so that the phase control array adjusts the current phase control parameter to the new phase control parameter; and the new polarization control parameter is sent to the polarization control array so that the polarization control array adjusts the current polarization control parameter to the new polarization control parameter.

[0107] During implementation, the power of the received signal light is monitored through the feedback control unit. Since the power of the received signal light characterizes the link establishment quality, a low power of the received signal light will affect the link establishment quality.

[0108] Based on this, this embodiment iteratively adjusts the phase control and polarization control according to the power of the received signal light, so that the received light power converges to the maximum value, thereby improving the quality of the communication link and maintaining stability.

[0109] Since the filtering parameters of the filter array are wavelength-dependent, the power control array needs to uniformly attenuate the power of the beam. The adjustable parameters are phase control parameters and polarization control parameters.

[0110] By adjusting the current phase control parameters of each of the N gated beams, new phase control parameters are obtained for each of the N gated beams; by adjusting the current polarization control parameters of each of the N power-adjustable beams, new polarization control parameters are obtained for each of the N power-adjustable beams.

[0111] This embodiment does not limit the specific adjustment method of these two parameters by the feedback control unit, such as determining more suitable phase control parameters and polarization control parameters based on a stochastic parallel gradient algorithm.

[0112] In some optional implementations, when there are multiple processing units in the beamforming system, the system further includes a polarization beam splitting unit and a polarization beam combining unit.

[0113] Polarization beam splitter unit, used for:

[0114] Separate the transmitted signal light with the first polarization state and the second polarization state sent by the communication processor;

[0115] Convert the emitted signal light in the second polarization state into the emitted signal light in the first polarization state;

[0116] The transmitted signal light with the first polarization state sent by the communication processor is transmitted to the first processing unit, and the transmitted signal light with the converted first polarization state is transmitted to the second processing unit.

[0117] Polarization beam combiner unit, used for:

[0118] The N-path adjustment beams output by the second processing unit are reverse-converted to obtain the N-path adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit.

[0119] The N adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit are combined with the matching adjustment beam output by the first processing unit to obtain the combined N adjustment beams.

[0120] In practice, the processing unit may be limited by the chip's functionality and can only process beams of one polarization state.

[0121] Based on this, this embodiment also provides a polarization beam splitting unit for handling cases where polarization state is limited. This unit is used to separate the transmitted signal light with different polarization states and convert the transmitted signal light with the second polarization state that is not supported by the processing unit into the transmitted signal light with the first polarization state that is supported by the processing unit.

[0122] Transmitted signal light with different original polarization states (received from the communication processor) is processed by different processing units;

[0123] A polarization beam combining unit is also provided to combine the matching adjustment beams output by different processing units to obtain the combined adjustment beam.

[0124] See Figure 5 As shown, the communication processor generates transmitted signal light of four wavelengths λ1 to λ4 through modulation and demodulation, with a total optical power ≤200mW. The original polarization states of these four wavelengths of transmitted signal light are transverse electric mode (TE) and transverse magnetic mode (TM). TE mode refers to the electric field direction being perpendicular to the propagation direction, while TM mode refers to the magnetic field direction being perpendicular to the propagation direction.

[0125] The communication processor sends the generated transmitted signal light to the polarization beam splitter unit;

[0126] The polarization beam splitter directly sends the transmitted signal light, whose original polarization state is TE (original TE state), to the first processing unit.

[0127] After the transmitted signal light, whose original polarization state is TM, is converted into the first polarization state (TE state), it is sent to the second processing unit.

[0128] The first processing unit processes the data through relevant devices to obtain N adjusted beams (the original polarization state is the first polarization state), denoted as adjusted beam A1 to adjusted beam A2. N );

[0129] The second processing unit processes the data through relevant devices to obtain N adjusted beams (the original polarization state is the second polarization state), denoted as adjusted beam B1 to adjusted beam B2. N ;

[0130] The polarization beam combining unit reverse-converts the N-path adjustment beams output from the second processing unit to obtain the N-path adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit, denoted as adjustment beam C1 to adjustment beam C2. N ;

[0131] The N adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit are combined with one adjustment beam that matches the first polarization state output of the first processing unit, for example:

[0132] Combine adjustment beams A1 and C1 to obtain the first adjustment beam D1 after beam combining;

[0133] Combine adjustment beams A2 and C2 to obtain the combined second adjustment beam D2; ...

[0134] Adjust beam A N With adjustment beam C N Perform beam combining to obtain the Nth adjusted beam D after beam combining. N .

[0135] Figure 5 Taking the original polarization state as an example, which includes two polarization states (TE state and TM state), in practice, other polarization states can be used. When more polarization states are involved, more processing units need to be set up accordingly.

[0136] Of course, if the chip allows it (the chip can handle beams with multiple polarization states), polarization beam splitting and polarization beam combining can be omitted, and only one set of processing units can be set up accordingly.

[0137] In some alternative implementations, the beamforming system also includes a scanning mirror, a feedback control unit, and is further used for:

[0138] If the power of the signal light is less than the power threshold, the angle of the scanning mirror is adjusted.

[0139] During implementation, if the power of the signal light is less than the power threshold, it indicates poor link establishment quality and a deviation in the overall beam pointing. The beam pointing is adjusted by changing the angle of the scanning mirror.

[0140] See Figure 6 As shown, corresponding to the beamforming system described above, this embodiment provides a corresponding link establishment process, including the following steps:

[0141] Step S601: Set the parameters for each target device in the beamforming system.

[0142] The target devices here include the first device that does not require dynamic parameter adjustment. For example, setting the filtering parameters of each filter in the above-mentioned filter array, and the delay parameters of each large-range delay line in the above-mentioned delay unit, etc.

[0143] It also includes a second device that requires dynamic parameter adjustment. For example, setting the initial phase control parameters of each optical waveguide phase shifter in the phase control array, and the initial polarization control parameters of the polarization control array.

[0144] During implementation, the parameters of the second device need to be dynamically adjusted. Figure 6 (The adjustment process is not shown.) For specific adjustment methods, please refer to the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0145] Step S602: Set the scanning mirror angle.

[0146] During implementation, beam pointing is achieved by setting the angle of the scanning mirror.

[0147] Step S603: The transmitted signal light generated by the communication processor is shaped by the beamforming system to obtain N-path adjusted beams.

[0148] Step S604: Transmit the corresponding adjustment beam through the antenna to establish a spatial link.

[0149] Step S605: Receive the received signal light sent by other optical communication terminals through the antenna and transmit it to the feedback control unit of the beamforming system.

[0150] Step S606: Determine whether the power of the received signal light is less than the power threshold through the feedback control unit.

[0151] If the power of the received signal light is less than the power threshold, return to step S602 and adjust the scanning mirror angle through the feedback control unit to adjust the beam direction.

[0152] If the power of the received signal light is not less than the power threshold, proceed to the next step S607.

[0153] Step S607: Establish communication link.

[0154] If an error frame is generated during the communication link establishment process, return to step S604 and re-establish the spatial link.

[0155] Otherwise, normal communication can proceed, which is the process of sending and receiving signals.

[0156] In some alternative implementations, the beamforming system further includes a delay unit for:

[0157] Based on the delay parameters corresponding to each of the N adjustment beams, the N power adjustment beams are delayed to obtain the delayed N adjustment beams.

[0158] In practice, the timing of the antenna's beam transmission is adjusted by delaying the beam. This not only compensates for propagation delay differences caused by varying antenna positions but also allows for active adjustment of the beam direction through proactive delay. Delay processing reduces beam divergence and improves beam pointing consistency.

[0159] For example, the delay unit is provided with a large-range delay line corresponding to each antenna. The delay transmission of some of the adjustment beams is achieved through the large-range delay lines, so as to obtain the delayed N-path adjustment beams.

[0160] The delay parameter here can represent delayed transmission (including the duration of the delay) or no-delay transmission. Therefore, the delay processing corresponding to partially adjusted beams is a delayed transmission of a certain duration, while the delay processing corresponding to partially adjusted optical paths is direct transmission without delay.

[0161] For cases with only one set of processing units, see [reference needed]. Figure 7 As shown, in Figure 3 Based on this, a delay unit is connected after the adjustment unit:

[0162] By delaying the first adjustment beam, a delayed first adjustment beam is obtained; by delaying the second adjustment beam, a delayed second adjustment beam is obtained; ...; by delaying the Nth adjustment beam, a delayed Nth adjustment beam is obtained.

[0163] For cases with multiple processing units, please refer to... Figure 8 As shown, in Figure 5 Based on this, a delay unit is connected after the polarization beam combining unit.

[0164] By delaying the first adjustment beam D1 after beam combining, a delayed first adjustment beam is obtained; by delaying the second adjustment beam D2 after beam combining, a delayed second adjustment beam is obtained; ...; by delaying the Nth adjustment beam D... N A time delay is performed to obtain the Nth adjustment beam after the time delay.

[0165] In some alternative implementations, the beamforming system further includes an amplification unit for:

[0166] The power of each of the N adjustment beams is amplified.

[0167] The N-channel adjustment beams, after being amplified in power, are transmitted to their respective antennas, which then transmit the corresponding adjustment beams.

[0168] By amplifying the adjustment beam before transmitting it through the antenna, transmission compensation is achieved, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio and extending the transmission distance.

[0169] For cases with only one set of processing units, see [reference needed]. Figure 9 As shown, in Figure 7 Based on this, an amplification unit is connected after the delay unit (if there is no delay unit, the delay unit is connected after the adjustment unit):

[0170] By amplifying the first adjustment beam, an amplified first adjustment beam is obtained; by amplifying the second adjustment beam, an amplified second adjustment beam is obtained; ...; by amplifying the Nth adjustment beam, an amplified Nth adjustment beam is obtained.

[0171] For cases with multiple processing units, please refer to... Figure 10 As shown, in Figure 8Based on this, an amplification unit is connected after the delay unit (if there is no delay unit, the delay unit is connected after the polarization beam combining unit).

[0172] By amplifying the first adjustment beam, an amplified first adjustment beam is obtained; by amplifying the second adjustment beam, an amplified second adjustment beam is obtained; ...; by amplifying the Nth adjustment beam, an amplified Nth adjustment beam is obtained.

[0173] In this embodiment, some or all of the components in the beamforming system can be integrated on a single chip, which not only provides a feasible way to achieve lightweighting and miniaturization of optical communication terminals, but also reduces the manufacturing cost of the beamforming system, enables efficient mass production, and provides technical support for the widespread application of optical phased arrays in laser communication.

[0174] See Figure 11 As shown, based on the same technical concept, this application also provides an optical signal transmission method, including:

[0175] Step S1101: Generate a transmission signal light through a communication processor and transmit the transmission signal light to the beamforming system described above;

[0176] Step S1102: Beamforming is performed using the beamforming system, and the N adjusted beams obtained by beamforming are transmitted to the corresponding antennas in the antenna system.

[0177] Step S1103: Transmit the corresponding adjustment beam through the antenna in the antenna system.

[0178] Since the method uses the beamforming system in the embodiments of this application, the implementation of the method can be referred to the implementation of the beamforming system, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0179] See Figure 12 As shown, based on the same technical concept, this application embodiment also provides a communication device, including: a communication processor, the above-mentioned beamforming system, and an antenna system.

[0180] The aforementioned communication processor includes a transmitting optical module and a receiving optical module; wherein, the transmitting optical module is used to generate the aforementioned transmitted signal light and send the transmitted signal light to the beamforming system; the receiving optical module is used to receive the received signal light transmitted by the beamforming system;

[0181] The antenna system includes multiple antennas and corresponding transmit / receive (TR) components for each antenna. Each TR component controls the antenna to transmit a corresponding adjustment beam. The antenna can also receive the received signal light and transmit it to the beamforming system.

[0182] Since the communication device uses the beamforming system described in this application, the specific implementation of the beamforming system can be found in the above embodiments, and repeated details will not be repeated.

[0183] See Figure 13 As shown, based on the same technical concept, this application embodiment also provides an optical communication terminal, including: a power module and the above-mentioned communication device;

[0184] The aforementioned power supply module is used to provide power to devices (such as communication processors) in the optical communication terminal that require power.

[0185] In practice, the optical communication terminal may also include other devices, but this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0186] This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of the optical communication terminal; it can be any device capable of laser communication, such as optical communication terminals of satellites and ground stations, deep space probes, etc.

[0187] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.

[0188] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A beamforming system, characterized in that, It includes at least one set of processing units, wherein the processing units include a beam splitter array, a filter array, and an adjustment unit; The beam splitter array is used to split the emitted signal light into N beams; N is the number of antennas included in the antenna system; The filtering array is used to filter the N split beams respectively based on the filtering parameters corresponding to each of the N split beams to obtain N selected beams; The adjustment unit is used to adjust the N-channel selected beams to obtain N-channel adjusted beams, each of which is used for transmission through a corresponding antenna.

2. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment unit includes: a phase control array, a power control array, and a polarization control array; The phase control array is used to perform phase control on the N selected beams based on the phase control parameters corresponding to each of the N selected beams, so as to obtain N phase-adjusted beams. The power control array is used to perform power consistency processing on the N phase-adjusted beams to obtain N power-adjusted beams. The polarization control array is used to adjust the polarization state of the N power-adjustable beams based on the polarization control parameters corresponding to each of the N power-adjustable beams, thereby obtaining the N-channel adjusted beams.

3. The system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a feedback control unit, used for: Based on the power of the received signal light, new phase control parameters corresponding to each of the N gated beams and new polarization control parameters corresponding to each of the N power-adjusted beams are determined. The new phase control parameter is sent to the phase control array so that the phase control array adjusts the current phase control parameter to the new phase control parameter; and the new polarization control parameter is sent to the polarization control array so that the polarization control array adjusts the current polarization control parameter to the new polarization control parameter.

4. The system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The system also includes a scanning mirror, and the feedback control unit is further configured to: When the power of the received signal light is less than the power threshold, the angle of the scanning mirror is adjusted.

5. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When there are multiple processing units, the system further includes a polarization beam splitting unit and a polarization beam combining unit; The polarization beam splitter unit is used for: Separate the transmitted signal light with the first polarization state and the second polarization state sent by the communication processor; Convert the emitted signal light in the second polarization state into the emitted signal light in the first polarization state; The first polarization state of the transmitted signal light sent by the communication processor is transmitted to the first processing unit, and the converted first polarization state of the transmitted signal light is transmitted to the second processing unit. The polarization beam combining unit is used for: The N-channel adjustment beams output by the second processing unit are reverse-converted to obtain the N-channel adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit. The N adjustment beams corresponding to the second processing unit are combined with the matching adjustment beam output by the first processing unit to obtain the combined N adjustment beams.

6. The system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, It also includes a delay unit for: Based on the delay parameters corresponding to each of the N adjustment beams, the N power adjustment beams are subjected to delay processing to obtain the delayed N adjustment beams.

7. The system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, It also includes an amplification unit for: The power of each of the N adjustment beams is amplified. The N-channel adjustment beams, after being amplified in power, are transmitted to their respective antennas, which then transmit the corresponding adjustment beams.

8. A method for transmitting optical signals, characterized in that, include: The communication processor generates a transmitted signal light and transmits the transmitted signal light to the beamforming system as described in any one of claims 1 to 7; The beamforming system is used to shape the beams, and the N adjusted beams obtained by the beamforming are transmitted to the corresponding antennas in the antenna system. The corresponding adjustment beam is emitted through the antenna in the antenna system.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The communication processor, the beamforming system as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, and the antenna system.

10. An optical communication terminal, characterized in that, include: The communication device as described in claim 9.

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