Investigation of FSO ground-to-train communications in a laboratory environment

Abstract

In this work, a free space optical (FSO) communication link for the ground-to-train system is experimentally demonstrated in the laboratory environment. The system can be used to provide high speed broadband services on fast moving trains. A line of sight (LOS) FSO communications link is presented and the measured Q-factor performance along the rail track for the prototype system is given. A downlink communication over a short link length is successfully demonstrated.