High Bandwidth On-The-Move

ABSTRACT: IJK Controls is proposing to develop high bandwidth on-the-move system using proven optical antennas and radio antennas combined with novel approaches to pointing, acquisition and tracking. Recent successful demonstrations of free space optical communication (FSOC) in the FOENEX program showed that 10 Gbps between airborne nodes with reasonable size, weight and power is achievable. IJK Controls proposes to bring this technology to the sky in a way that is robust, reliable and affordable. Doing so requires a holistic examination of the systems engineering problem, particularly with regard to pointing, acquisition and tracking (PAT). Innovative approaches to PAT, and combining PAT for FSO and RF, will lead to a new controls approach that realizes the long promised benefits of FSOC. BENEFIT: The FSOC and combined FSOC and RF technology developed under this effort allows for a fiber class network in the sky to be deployed. This may be used for temporary or emergency augmentation of existing backhaul networks or for applications such as surveillance or oil exploration that often involve very high data rates.