US 12,081,264 B1
Beacons for optical location and tracking
Greg G. Mitchell, Elk Grove, CA (US); David A. Pechner, Los Gatos, CA (US); Andrew K. McClaren, Santa Cruz, CA (US); and Francis Gustav Muennemann, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Assigned to SA PHOTONICS, INC., Los Gatos, CA (US)
Filed by SA Photonics, Inc., Los Gatos, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/885,970.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/232,592, filed on Aug. 12, 2021.
Int. Cl. H04B 10/11 (2013.01); H04B 10/40 (2013.01); H04B 10/50 (2013.01); H04B 10/60 (2013.01)
CPC H04B 10/11 (2013.01) [H04B 10/40 (2013.01); H04B 10/50 (2013.01); H04B 10/60 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a free space optical (FSO) transmitter terminal configured to emit multiple, orthogonally encoded, optical beacons having a known pattern of spatial overlap; and
an FSO receiver terminal comprising:
an optical sensor configured to sense the overlapping optical beacons and produce an output signal indicative of an optical power of the overlapping optical beacons; and
a computing system including a processor configured to execute instructions causing the processor to:
separate the output signal into components based upon the orthogonal encoding of the optical beacons;
evaluate strengths of the components; and
determine a position of the FSO receiver terminal relative to the FSO transmitter terminal based on the strengths of the components and the known pattern of spatial overlap.