Motorola Corporation

Douglas Roy Tomren

Norbert Kleiner

Davis H Hartman

Keith Vaclav Warble

Keith Andrew Olds

Randy Lee Turcotte

Rodrigo Ibanez-Meier

Richard Lawrence Astrom

A laser crosslink apparatus includes an optical device (, FIG.), a beam splitter (), an acquisition channel and a tracking and communication channel. The acquisition channel includes a high density optical fiber bundle and an acquisition channel device (). The optical device () receives laser light from a wide field of view, and the beam splitter () splits the light into the two channels. The high density optical fiber bundle () has one end () in a focal plane of the optical device, and another end () coupled to the acquisition channel device (). The acquisition channel device () includes an optical receiver array (, FIG.). The location of spot footprints on the optical receiver array determines the direction from which the laser light is received within the wide field of view. The optical fiber bundle allows the optical receiver array to be located away from the optical device, near the receiving/tracking system, where it can be more easily shielded from the harmful effects of space.

Laser crosslink methods and apparatus

An optical interconnect system ( ) includes an array of optical sources ( ), a high-density fiber bundle ( ), and an array of optical receivers ( ). The density of the fiber bundle is such that each optical source ( ) couples light to multiple fibers within the bundle. The fiber bundle has a consistent cross section along its length so that the footprint of fibers ( FIG. ) illuminated by a spot ( ) from an optical source illuminates a similar footprint ( FIG. ) over the optical receivers ( ). The optical receiver array has a density of optical receivers such that the footprint of fibers corresponding to a single optical source illuminates at least one optical receiver. A method ( FIG. ) for creating optical source/receiver pairs excites each optical source in turn and detects energy at the optical receiver array.

Optical interconnect method and apparatus

A method and apparatus predicts a ground-to-satellite terminal's (16) percentage of successful communication linkage time to at least one satellite of a communication system in response to a terminal blockage profile (410), as created from the location of an antenna of the terminal, and a satellite blockage profile (412). The prediction may also be based upon a weather model data base (358) corresponding to the area where the terminal is located.

Method and apparatus for predicting service availability for a

Growing community of inventors

Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America

Douglas Roy Tomren