X Development LLC

Google Inc.

Robert Steinkraus

Klaus Ulander

Howard Tran

Aspects of the disclosure provide for a method of transmitting state information using free-space optical communication. The method includes using one or more processors of a first communication device to collect state information of the first communication device. A supervisor signal that carries the state information is transmitted from the first communication device along with a beacon beam in a first solid angle. The supervisor signal is a frequency different from the one or more frequencies of the beacon beam. When a communication link is established between the first communication device and a second communication device, a plurality of data packets is transmitted from the first communication device to the second communication device in a second solid angle smaller than the first solid angle. A subset of the plurality of data packets that do not carry client data carries the state information of the first communication device.

Method for transmitting an FSOC supervisor channel

The method includes receiving axis signals from a multi-axis position sensing detector, generating a reference signal by summing the axis signals, determining a mirror position of a mirror directing the optical beam based on the beam position error of each axis of the multi-axis position sensing detector, and actuating the mirror to move to the mirror position. Each axis signal is indicative of a beam position of an optical beam incident on the multi-axis position sensing detector, each axis signal corresponding to an axis of the multi-axis position sensing detector. For each axis of the multi-axis position sensing detector, the method includes converting a phase of an axis to have a 90 degree phase difference from a signal of the axis, generating an axis-phasor signal by summing the axis signals, and comparing the axis-phasor signal and the reference signal to determine a phase difference.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Robert Steinkraus