High-Precision PAT Control Software -- 2

I am building a free-space optical communications platform and need a complete pointing, acquisition, and tracking software package that can consistently maintain sub-degree alignment between my optical terminal and a remote node.

Core expectations
• Pointing accuracy: better than 0.5° under nominal environmental conditions; 100% uptime once locked.
• Communications interface: native Ethernet/IP for command, telemetry, and reporting status.
• Platform: x86/Linux preferred; however, I can compile on other POSIX systems if the code is portable.

Your solution should include:
1. Real-time control loop that accepts attitude sensor data (e.g., IMU, encoders) and drives two-axis galvanometers and a MEMs array.
2. Acquisition logic capable of coarse scan, fine scan, and lock-on stages, with tunable parameters.
3. Tracking algorithms that compensate for vibration, wind-shake, and slow thermal drift.
4. Diagnostic console or web GUI so I can monitor link margin, beam wander, and error budgets.
5. Clean API documentation so I can later expand the interface.
6. Build scripts, unit tests, and a simple hardware-in-the-loop demo harness.

Acceptance will be based on:
• Closed-loop pointing error ≤0.5° RMS during a 10-minute simulation.
• No frame drops or control stalls at 120 Hz update rate.
• Pass/fail reports from the supplied unit tests and live demo video.

If you have prior experience with optical terminals, adaptive optics, or similar high-precision motion systems, let me know—those insights will be invaluable as we tighten the loop later in the project. Show More