Method of communication link acquisition using search pattern
地域：
CA
CA Mountain View
摘要
Aspects of the disclosure provide for a method of forming a communication link between two communication devices using a primary search pattern and a secondary search pattern. A misalignment between a first optical system of a first communication device and a second optical system of a second communication device is detected. The first optical system is rotated according to the primary search pattern, and the second optical system according to the secondary search pattern. At the second communication device, a set of frames is captured. Then, it is determined whether a beacon beam transmitted from the first communication device is detected in the one or more of the captured frames. When it is determined that the beacon beam is detected, the communication link is formed between the first communication device and the second communication device.
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The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/570,517, filed Sep. 13, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/164,066, filed Oct. 18, 2018, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,461,855, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/486,617, filed on Apr. 13, 2017, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,135,527, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/438,164 filed Dec. 22, 2016, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Communication terminals may transmit and receive optical signals through free space optical links. In order to accomplish this, such terminals generally use acquisition and tracking systems to establish the optical link by pointing optical beams towards one another. For instance, a transmitting terminal may use a beacon laser to illuminate a receiving terminal, while the receiving terminal may use a position sensor to locate the transmitting terminal and to monitor the beacon laser. Steering mechanisms may maneuver the terminals to point toward each other and to track the pointing once acquisition is established. A high degree of pointing accuracy may be required to ensure that the optical signal will be correctly received.
權(quán)利要求
The invention claimed is:1. A method for acquiring or reacquiring a link between a first optical system of a first communication device and a second optical system of a second communication device, the method comprising:rotating, by one or more processors, the second optical system according to a series of positions ordered in increasing distance from a starting position; capturing, by the one or more processors, a set of frames at the second communication device; determining, by the one or more processors, whether a beacon beam transmitted from the first communication device is detected in one or more of the captured frames at the second communication device by:determining a level of confidence that the beacon beam is detected, determining that the beacon beam is detected when the level of confidence meets or exceeds a threshold level of confidence, and determining that the beacon beam is not detected when the level of confidence is less than the threshold level of confidence; and forming, by the one or more processors, a communication link between the first communication device and the second communication device when the beacon beam is detected. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the level of confidence is a percentage that reflects a likelihood that the beacon beam is detected by the second optical system in a given position of the series of positions. 3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more of the captured frames are captured when the second optical system is in a particular position in the series of positions; andwherein the forming of the communication link includes maintaining the second optical system at the particular position and stopping the rotating. 4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more of the captured frames are captured when the second optical system is in a first position in the series of positions; andwherein, when the beacon beam is not detected, the rotating moves the second optical system to a second position in the series of positions. 5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising designating, by the one or more processors, the first communication device as a primary device associated with a primary search pattern and the second communication device as a secondary device associated with a secondary search pattern. 6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:swapping, by the one or more processors, the designations of the first communication device and the second communication device when the beacon beam is not detected after the primary search pattern and the secondary search pattern are both completed; and rotating, by the one or more processors, the first optical system according to the secondary search pattern and the second optical system according to the primary search pattern. 7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:designating, by the one or more processors, the first communication device and the second communication device both as secondary devices when the beacon beam is not detected after the primary search pattern and the secondary search pattern are both completed; and rotating, by the one or more processors, the first optical system and the second optical system according to the secondary search pattern. 8. A system comprising:a first optical system; and one or more processors in communication with the first optical system, the one or more processors being configured to:rotate the first optical system according to a series of positions ordered in increasing distance from a starting position; capture a set of frames from a particular position in the series of positions; determine whether a beacon beam transmitted from a second optical system is detected in one or more of the captured frames based on a level of confidence that the beacon beam is detected, wherein:the beacon beam is detected when the level of confidence meets or exceeds a threshold level of confidence, and the beacon beam is not detected when the level of confidence is less than the threshold level of confidence; and form a communication link between the first optical system and the second optical system when the beacon beam is detected. 9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the level of confidence is a percentage that reflects a likelihood that the beacon beam is detected by the second optical system in a given position of the series of positions. 10. The system of claim 8 , wherein, when the beacon beam is detected, the one or more processors are configured to maintain the first optical system at the particular position and stop rotating the first optical system. 11. The system of claim 8 , wherein, when the beacon beam is not detected, the one or more processors are configured to rotate the first optical system to a next position in the series of positions after the particular position. 12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to designate a first communication device that houses the second optical system as a primary device associated with a primary search pattern and a second communication device that houses the first optical system as a secondary device associated with a secondary search pattern. 13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:swap the designations of the first communication device and the second communication device when the beacon beam is not detected after the primary search pattern and the secondary search pattern are both completed; and rotate the first optical system according to the secondary search pattern and the second optical system according to the primary search pattern. 14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:designate the first communication device and the second communication device both as secondary devices when the beacon beam is not detected after the primary search pattern and the secondary search pattern are both completed; and rotate the first optical system and the second optical system according to the secondary search pattern. 15. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method for acquiring or reacquiring a link between a first optical system of a first communication device and a second optical system of a second communication device, the method comprising:rotating the second optical system according to a series of positions ordered in increasing distance from a starting position; capturing a set of frames at the second communication device; determining whether a beacon beam transmitted from the first communication device is detected in one or more of the captured frames at the second communication device by:determining a level of confidence that the beacon beam is detected, determining that the beacon beam is detected when the level of confidence meets or exceeds a threshold level of confidence, and determining that the beacon beam is not detected when the level of confidence is less than the threshold level of confidence; and forming a communication link between the first communication device and the second communication device when the beacon beam is detected. 16. The medium of claim 15 , wherein the level of confidence is a percentage that reflects a likelihood that the beacon beam is detected by the second optical system in a given position of the series of positions. 17. The medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more of the captured frames are captured when the second optical system is in a particular position in the series of positions; andwherein the forming of the communication link includes maintaining the second optical system at the particular position and stopping the rotating. 18. The medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more of the captured frames are captured when the second optical system is in a first position in the series of positions; andwherein, when the beacon beam is not detected, the rotating moves the second optical system to a second position in the series of positions. 19. The medium of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises designating the first communication device as a primary device associated with a primary search pattern and the second communication device as a secondary device associated with a secondary search pattern. 20. The medium of claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises:swapping the designations of the first communication device and the second communication device when the beacon beam is not detected after the primary search pattern and the secondary search pattern are both completed; and rotating the first optical system according to the secondary search pattern and the second optical system according to the primary search pattern.
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