Spot detection accuracy analysis in turbulent channel for free space optical communication

Abstract

Increasingly importance has been taken seriously for high frame rate CMOS camera to optical communication acquisition pointing and tacking (APT) system, with its compact structure, easy to developed and adapted to beacon light spot detection in atmospheric channel. As spot position accuracy directly determines the performance of space optical communication, it is very important to design a high precision spot center algorithm. Usually spot location algorithm uses gravity algorithm, shape center capturing algorithm or self-adaption threshold algorithm. In experiments we analyzed the characteristics of the spots which transmitted through atmospheric turbulence and studied light transmission characteristics in turbulent channel. We carried out a beacon light detection experiments in a distance of 3.4km, collected the beacon spots on CMOS camera and signal light power. We calculated spot position with two different algorithm and compared the calculation accuracy between field dispersive spot and ideal Gaussian laser spot. Experiment research show that, gravity center algorithm should be more suitable for beacon beam spot which accuracy can be improved about 1.3 pixels for a Gaussian spot. But the shape center algorithm has higher precision. The reasons were analyzed which made an important preparation for subsequent testing.