The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 21, 2026
Filed:
Sep. 18, 2023
U.s. Army Devcom, Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD (US);
Weimin Zhou, Rockville, MD (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A single-axis optical free-space communication device is described. The optical communication device may interact with entities that include or utilize elements such as retroreflectors. The optical communication device may be utilized for applications such as positioning, navigation, and/or timing (PNT), two-way communication, and/or other appropriate applications. The communication device may generate an optical output via a laser transmitter, optical fiber, and collimation lens. The optical communication device may receive optical inputs via the collimation lens, a photodetector, and receiver electronics. The optical communication device may utilize a single communication axis for transmission and reception by running an optical fiber transmission output through the center of an annular photodetector that receives reflected responses from the retroreflectors.