Analysis and design of a multi-transceiver optical cylinder antenna for mobile free space optical communication

Due to the notable influence of atmospheric effects and the objects relative motion, acquisition, pointing and tracking (APT) are the key technologies to establish the communication link in free space optical communication (FSO). In this paper, an all-direction, cylinder-shaped optical antenna is proposed, and the theory and method of beam control are mainly studied. On condition that the communication terminals move randomly and the antenna self-rotates in constant or variable velocity, numerical simulations are carried out. In detail, some significant parameters in practice are analyzed, like the communication time, actual bandwidth and interrupted time, and compared with theoretical results. The consequence shows that the beam control method is feasible, and this optical antenna can meet the demands of fast mobile FSO in a certain range of height.

► A novel, all-direction optical smart antenna is designed.
► The corresponding method of beam control is mainly studied.
► Numerical simulations are carried out.
► The antenna model and control method can improve the efficiency of APT in mobile FSO.