Other

Texas Instruments Corporation

Karl Kirk Northrup

Eric Gregory Oettinger

Mark David Hagen

Mark David Heminger

A method that does not rely on signal strength for detecting the presence of a broken optical wireless link. The method controls the packet transfer rate in a manner that minimizes both network overhead and computational requirements. Upon completion of the acquisition process, the control packet transfer rate is significantly reduced, since a high control packet transmission rate is only necessary during the acquisition process in order to expedite the acquisition process. The need for reacquisition is based, for example, on the number of consecutive missing packets, or the rate of missing versus received packets.

Method of reducing control packet transmission rate for an optical wireless link

Optical wireless links automatically align themselves using feedback information that is transmitted over the light beams being aligned. Each link performs an acquisition routine in which its light beam is swept through a pre-defined pattern while transmitting its beam alignment information. When a link receives beam alignment information from a remote link, it updates its transmission to include the alignment information received from the remote link. At some point during the acquisition routine, the remote link will receive its own alignment information 'echoed back' from the first link and will re-align its beam accordingly. At some point, each link will have received its own alignment information echoed back from the other link and will have aligned itself to that position. Data communication can begin at that point, or a more refined alignment step can then be performed. The alignment information can be based upon position, sample number, or time transmitted.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Karl Kirk Northrup