Beam Scanning and Capture of Micro Laser Communication Terminal Based on MEMS Micromirrors

Abstract

With the development of space laser communication and the planned deployment of satellite Internet constellations, there is a growing demand for microminiature laser communication terminals. To meet the requirements of size, weight and power (SWaP), miniaturized terminals require smaller drive components to complete on-orbit scanning and capture, which must be fast and efficient to enable satellite laser communication networks. These miniaturized laser communication terminals are highly susceptible to the impact of the initial pointing accuracy of the laser beam and microvibrations of the satellite platform. Therefore, this paper proposes a laser scanning-capture model based on a Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS) micromirror that can provide a fast, large-scale scanning analysis. A scanning overlap factor is introduced to improve the capture probability under the influence of microvibrations. Finally, experimental analysis was carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model, which can establish a theoretical basis for future ultra-long-distance microspace laser communication.

Integrated modeling and analysis of the microvibration effects on the line-of-sight stability for the space laser communication terminal

“…[1][2][3][4] However, as the communication distance increases, higher requirements are placed on the pointing accuracy of the communication terminal to ensure the communication quality and transmission speed of the laser communication link. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The line-of-sight (LOS) stability is an important indicator for evaluating the pointing accuracy of space payloads. At present, the research on LOS stability is mainly focused on the jitter prediction and optical-mechanical structure optimization of space telescopes and space cameras.…”