Multi-function Beacon Modulates Switching Data in Optical Relay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical beacon signals in free space optical communication systems are unable to carry information such as signal switching and routing information, limiting their functionality in high-bandwidth networks, especially in space-based systems where Optical-Electrical-Optical conversion is undesirable due to complexity, size, and power considerations.
Innovation Solution
Modulating the beacon laser data stream to carry switching information without altering the average signal strength, using a beacon source and detector to provide a control channel for optical switches, allowing for the transmission and detection of switching commands within the network, enabling efficient routing and configuration of optical data paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a conventional optical beacon signal is used to align communication channels, then line-of-sight control is achieved, but the beacon cannot carry switching or routing information
Solution Approach 1:
The optical beacon signal is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it maintains line-of-sight alignment between optical nodes while also carrying switching and routing information. This is achieved by modulating the beacon signal with control data, allowing a single signal to serve both alignment and information transmission purposes, thereby eliminating the need for separate dedicated control channels.
2Loss of information
If Optical-Electrical-Optical conversion is implemented for high bandwidth data, then routing information can be extracted from data packets, but system complexity, size, weight, and power increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts routing and switching information from the high-bandwidth data stream and places it into the separate optical beacon channel. This allows the main data transmission to remain in the optical domain without O-E-O conversion, while the control information is handled through the modulated beacon signal, thereby reducing system complexity while still enabling routing functionality.
3Loss of information
If the beacon signal is modulated to carry switching information, then information transmission capability is improved, but signal strength stability may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The beacon signal uses periodic modulation techniques to embed switching information while maintaining a stable average power level. By using modulation schemes that preserve the overall signal envelope and average intensity, the system can transmit control data without significantly affecting the signal strength stability required for reliable optical alignment and detection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the efficient routing and configuration of optical data paths in free space optical communication networks, maintaining data integrity and reducing system complexity by allowing the separation of low-frequency line-of-sight control signals and high-bandwidth data streams, while allowing a single Network Operations Center to control the entire network in near-real-time.
Implementation Method 1
modulates the beacon laser data stream, which is already required to maintain pointing between every pair of nodes, to carry a moderately high bandwidth signal without changing the average signal strength
Implementation Method 2
uses a beacon laser source and a beacon detector to provide a control channel for passing switching commands
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4B
AI summary
A laser relay module in a free space optical communication network includes: a beacon source for generating an optical beacon signal for aligning a communication channel of a source optical node to a communication channel of a receiving optical node; a beacon inserter for encoding the optical beacon signal with switching information; a telescope for transmitting the encoded optical beacon signal to the receiving optical node; a beacon detector for detecting received switching information from the modulated optical beacon signal, wherein the receiving optical node uses the encoded optical beacon signal to align communication channel of the receiving optical node with communication channel of the source optical node; and a processor for using the detected switching information to change configuration of an optical switch matrix to direct received data to a next optical node in the free space optical communication network.