Design and implementation of an off-axis rotary optical communication system

The performance of collimator with large beam spot and large aperture is analyzed in the rotary communication system, and an off-axis rotary optical communication system is designed to perform the function that the optical signal transmits between two rotating cylindrical parts in a long distance. In the system, collimators are set on the two rotating cylindrical parts and their optic axes are adjusted to be parallel to ensure the reliable transmission during the whole rotating process. By combining equipments, such as optical transceiver, optical splitter, data acquisition card and computer etc., the function of real-time monitoring can be achieved. The experiment results show that the optical signal in high transmission rate of 1.25 Gbit/s can be sent and received stably by the system while the distance between two rotating cylindrical parts is less than 500 mm, and the rotation speed is less than 120 r/min.