High-bandwidth underwater data communication system

• US 10,171,181 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2016
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magseis FF, LLC
• Original Assignee: Fairfield Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Hopewell, William, Lacovara, Philip, Morris, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacob, Oommen
• Application Number:
  US15/081,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20160211923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3084 in receivers or transmitters for electromagnetic waves other than radiowaves, e.g. lightwaves H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2575 Radio-over-fibre, e.g. radio frequency signal modulated onto an optical carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/50 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/564 Power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/80 Optical aspects relating to the use of optical transmission for specific applications, not provided for in groups H04B10/03 - H04B10/70, e.g. optical power feeding or optical transmission through water
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/02 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the earth or a large mass of water thereon, e.g. earth telegraphy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2697 in combination with other modulation techniques

Abstract

An apparatus is described which uses directly modulated InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) or InGaN lasers as the transmitters for an underwater data-communication device. The receiver uses automatic gain control to facilitate performance of the apparatus over a wide-range of distances and water turbidities.

Claims

1. A system to perform seismic exploration in an aqueous medium, comprising:

a detector to provide an indication to a wake-up system to turn on one or more of a storage and control system, a sensor, or an optical transmitter;

the wake-up system, in response to the indication from the detector, operational to;

identify an optical communication link established via the optical transmitter through the aqueous medium;

determine a quality control parameter of the optical communication link; and

validate, based on the quality control parameter the optical communication link established via the optical transmitter through the aqueous medium; and

the storage and control system operational to cause the optical transmitter to transmit, via the optical communication link validated by the wake-up system, data indicative of a parameter sensed by the sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the detector comprising a photodetector to detect light and provide the indication to the wake-up system responsive to detection of the light.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the detector comprising a motion detector to detect motion and provide the indication to the wake-up system responsive to detection of the motion.

4. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the detector comprising an acoustic detector to detect sound and provide the indication to the wake-up system responsive to detection of the sound.

5. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the detector comprising at least one of a motion detector, a magnetic detector or a proximity detector.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the wake-up system operational to communicate, responsive to the indication, with the storage and control system to provide power from a power source to an extraction system to extract the data, and provide power to the optical transmitter to transmit the data.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the wake-up system operational to turn on, responsive to the indication, at least one of the sensor, the storage and control system, or the optical transmitter.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the wake-up system operational to validate the optical communication link using a handshaking protocol.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the wake-up system configured to;

evaluate a bit error of the optical communication link; and

validate, responsive to evaluation of the bit error, the optical communication link.

10. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the wake-up system configured to;

establish the optical communication link with a remote device;

transmit a first optical signal having a first data rate to the remote device;

evaluate a bit error of the first optical signal; and

provide an indication to adjust an automatic gain control responsive to evaluation of the bit error.

11. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the wake-up system configured to;

evaluate a bit error of the optical communication link; and

increase, responsive to evaluation of the bit error, a data rate of the optical communication link.

12. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the sensor comprising a 3-axis sensor configured to identify a change in the orientation and provide data indicative of the change to the storage and control system.

13. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the power source configured to convert at least one of light energy, wave energy, or acoustic energy to electricity to power at least one of the detector, the wake-up system, the storage and control system, the optical transmitter, or the sensor.

14. The system of claim 1, comprising:

an ocean bottom seismometer (“

OBS”

) unit, wherein the OBS unit includes the detector, the wake-up system, the sensor, the storage and control system, and the optical transmitter.

15. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the optical transmitter operational to convert the data from a first format into a second format configured for transmission via at least one of an optical signal, a radio frequency signal, or an electrical signal via a cable.

16. A method of performing seismic exploration in an aqueous medium, comprising:

providing, by a detector, an indication to a wake-up system to turn on one or more of a storage and control system, a sensor, or an optical transmitter;

identifying, by the wake-up system responsive to the indication from the detector, an optical communication link established via the optical transmitter through the aqueous medium;

determining, by the wake-up system responsive to identifying the optical communication link, a quality control parameter of the optical communication link; and

validating, by the wake-up system based on the quality control parameter, the optical communication link established via the optical transmitter through the aqueous medium; and

communicating, by the storage and control system, with the optical transmitter to transmit, via the optical communication link validated by the wake-up system, data indicative of a parameter sensed by the sensor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the detector comprises a photodetector, comprising:

detecting, by the photodetector, light; and

providing, by the photodetector, the indication to the wake-up system responsive to detecting the light.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising:

validating, by the wake-up system, the optical communication link using a handshaking protocol.

19. The method of claim 16, comprising:

evaluating, by the wake-up system, a bit error of the optical communication link; and

validating, by the wake-up system responsive to the evaluating the bit error, the optical communication link.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising:

providing an ocean bottom seismometer (“

OBS”

) unit comprising the detector, the wake-up system, the sensor, the storage and control system, and the optical transmitter.