Contraves Space Ag

Christoph Peter Serbe

Bernhard Wandernoth

The device for the homodyne reception of optical phase-keyed signals comprises a heterodyne receiver ( ), a data discriminator ( ), a frequency acquisition circuit ( ) and a local oscillator laser ( ). In addition, the device has a window discriminator circuit consisting of a window comparator ( ) and a feedback unit ( ), whose output is connected with the input of a reversing switch ( ). The window comparator ( ) has been inserted between the output of the heterodyne receiver ( ) and the one input of the feedback unit ( ), whose other input is supplied with the output signal (Si) of the discriminator ( ). The output of the frequency acquisition circuit ( ) is connected with the other connector of the reversing switch ( ), whose output signals supplied to the control input of the local oscillator laser ( ). The window comparator ( ) has two or more thresholds. The feedback unit ( ) can have a control input for a quadrature channel (Sq). Use of the window comparator ( ) permits the determination of the phase of the optical carrier signal, and therefore the phase regulation of the local oscillator laser ( ).

Device for the homodyne reception of optically phase-keyed signals

The invention relates to a method and a device for distance measuring between two stations (A1, B1) connected by a communication channel. The method is based on a command structure, wherein the satellite (A1, B1), by means of which a distance is to be determined, sends a range request (3) via an inter-satellite communication channel to the other satellite (A1or B1), which thereupon acknowledges this range request (3) with an answer (4). The distance is determined from the corresponding measurement of the cycle time. The range request (3) and the corresponding answer (4) are transmitted in a multiplexed communication channel.

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Huettlingen, Switzerland

Christoph Peter Serbe