Point to Point Mobile Optical Communications Link

This project follows the work in developing and implementing an optical communication channel between two points, in an x-y co-ordinate scanning lock acquisition mode using controlled pan/tilt positioning units. To facilitate the data transfer the transmitter is required to locate the receiver as its position is unknown.

The transmitter scans the area in a set pattern to locate the receiver, when it locates the receiver, it is said to have ‘Locked On’. It is at this point that data is transmitted to the receiver which then acknowledges that it has received the data. The purpose of this project was to research and develop a demonstrator and prove the concept. The target application of the work is data transfer between two small mobile robots within a wider context of covert communications between autonomous vehicles. In these scenarios the likely data transfer will be co-ordinate data. More....