Kaman unveils precision measurement portfolio for laser communications applications

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Kaman Precision Products in Middletown, Conn., announced its family of precision non-contact differential measuring systems for free-space optical communications, designed for fast steering mirror control in military, aerospace, and commercial applications.

The company’s differential inductance transducer and eddy current measurement systems are used in commercial and military imaging and communications satellites, interplanetary exploration vehicles, laser targeting systems, night vision platforms, and optics stabilization applications. The systems are designed to provide high-resolution position feedback for fast steering mirror control, enabling reflected laser beams to maintain precise alignment over distances spanning hundreds or thousands of kilometers.

Kaman’s free-space optical communications measurement portfolio includes the KD-5100+ high-reliability displacement measurement system, the DIT-5200L differential impedance transducer, and the KD-5600 digital differential measuring system.

The KD-5100+ is designed for laser communications satellites, ground stations, image stabilization systems, and directed energy applications for ground, shipboard, and airborne platforms. The compact system measures 2 by 2.12 by 0.75 inches and is intended to help engineers meet size, weight, power, and cost requirements in constrained aerospace and defense applications.

The company says the KD-5100+ is manufactured to Mil-PRF-38534 Class H standards and uses MIL-SPEC electronic components throughout the design to support high-reliability operation in demanding environments.

The KD-5600 digital differential measuring system combines custom sensors, signal processing, analog-to-digital conversion, and calibration technologies into a high-bandwidth precision measurement platform intended for applications requiring high linearity and fast digital communications. The system is designed to support rapid data transfer for precision positioning and beam stabilization functions.

Kaman also offers the DIT-5200L differential impedance transducer, a commercial-grade analog system designed for common-mode rejection and high-sensitivity measurement applications. The system is capable of subnanometer resolution with sensitivity up to 10 volts per mil, or 39 millivolts per micrometer, and linearity up to 0.1 percent full range.

The DIT-5200L is manufactured to IPC A-160 Class 3 standards and offers the option for commercial-off-the-shelf up-screening depending on program requirements. The system uses a 9-pin mini-D connector and includes reverse-voltage-protected input power connections.

The measuring systems support the growing adoption of free-space optical communications, which use laser-based data transmission instead of conventional radio-frequency links. Free-space optical systems are attracting increasing interest for military and aerospace applications because of their high bandwidth, low probability of intercept characteristics, and resistance to electromagnetic interference.

For more information, please visit https://www.kamansensors.com/.