A Low-Cost, Man-Portable Free-Space Optics Communication Device for Ethernet Applications

Abstract

The requirements of modern war have imposed the need for a low-cost, small-size, high-speed, large bandwidth, deployable Free-Space Optics (FSO) system that could be used to provide connectivity between major command centers and their subordinate units. Commercially available FSO systems are bulky and expensive. A preliminary low-cost FSO system was designed, based on commercial off the shelf (COTS) components, and tested over a 5 ft. distance in a previous thesis done by Janaka P. Perera. The goal of this thesis is to improve the design and to extend the working range of the FSO. By improving beam collimation, adding precise mechanical movement and using assisting tools and techniques, the FSO network link was successfully established and tested over larger distances using 100 Mbps. The maximum distance that could be achieved, with the on-hand optics and a 1mW transceiver, was 40m. Further calculations showed that the FSO link could be established over a 340m distance by using a 3mW transmitter and a 1-inch focuser in the receiver side.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA443423

Entities

People

  • Mohammad H. Alrasheedi

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Coding
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Communication Channels
  • Communication Systems
  • Computer Networks
  • Data Links
  • Fiber Optics
  • Frequency Bands
  • Laser Beams
  • Laser Diodes
  • Lasers
  • Light Sources
  • Local Area Networks
  • Radio Waves
  • Refractive Index
  • Transmitters

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Fiber Sensing and Electromagnetic Propagation.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites