Fiber Optic Booster Connector

• US 20060188202A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Deans, Gregor
• Granted Patent: US 7,186,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/294 in a multiwavelength system, e.g. gain equalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/806 Arrangements for feeding power

Abstract

An apparatus includes a housing, a first connection interface and an optical amplifier. The housing receives a fiber optic line and an electrical line. The first connection interface is located at least partially inside the housing and is exposed outside of the housing to couple the fiber optic line and the electrical line to a second connection interface. The optical amplifier is located inside the housing and is coupled to the fiber optic line. The optical amplifier receives power from the electrical line.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing to receive a fiber optic line and an electrical line;

a first connection interface located at least partially inside the housing and exposed outside of the housing to couple the fiber optic line and the electrical line to a second connection interface; and

an optical amplifier located inside the housing and coupled to the fiber optic line, the optical amplifier to receive power from the electrical line.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a device to communicate power from the electrical line to the optical amplifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the device comprises an inductive coupler.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the device comprises a ferromagnetic core.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic line and the electrical line are located in a cable.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first connection interface is adapted to mate with the second connection interface to optically couple the fiber optic line to another fiber optic line and electrically couple the electrical line to another electrical line.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said another electrical line and said another fiber optic line are located in a cable that is connected to the second connection interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic line communicates a signal to a device that is part of at least one of a well and a subsea infrastructure.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a first cable comprising a first fiber optic line and a second electrical line;

a second cable comprising a second fiber optic line and a second electrical line;

a first connector attached to the first cable; and

a second connecter attached to the second cable to mate with the first connector to optically couple the first fiber optic line to the second fiber optic line and electrically couple the first electrical line to the second electrical line, the second connector comprising an optical amplifier adapted to boost a signal received from the second fiber optic line and receive power from the second electrical line.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein second connector further comprises:

a device to communicate power from the electrical line to the optical amplifier.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the device comprises an inductive coupler.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the device comprises a ferromagnetic core.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first fiber optic line is coupled to an output terminal of the optical amplifier.

14. A system, comprising:

cables, each cable comprising fiber optic lines and electrical lines; and

at least one connector to connect the cables together,

wherein at least one of the connectors houses an optical amplifier powered by at least one of the electrical lines.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

an inductive coupler to communicate power from said at least one of the electrical lines to the optical amplifier.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the inductive coupler is located inside said at least one of the connectors.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the cables establish communication between a tree of a subsea well and a surface platform.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the cables establish communication with completion equipment.

19. A method, comprising:

running a fiber optic line and an electrical line in the well inside a cable; and

communicating power from the electrical line to an optical amplifier.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communicating comprises:

inductively coupling the electrical line to the optical amplifier.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the inductive coupling comprises:

winding the electrical line around a magnetic core.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the communicating comprises:

transferring the power between the electrical line to the optical amplifier inside a connector for the cable.

23. A method, comprising:

running a fiber optic line and an electrical line to a subsea structure inside a cable; and

communicating power from the electrical line to an optical amplifier.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the communicating comprises:

inductively coupling the electrical line to the optical amplifier.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the inductive coupling comprises:

winding the electrical line around a magnetic core.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the communicating comprises:

transferring the power between the electrical line to the optical amplifier inside a connector for the cable.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

a first connector to form a releasable connection with a mating second connector to couple first and second fiber optic line segments together; and

an optical amplifier located inside the first connector and optically coupled to the first and second fiber optic line segments when the first connector forms the connection with the second connector.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

an inductive coupler to communicate power from an electrical line to the optical amplifier.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the fiber optic line and the electrical line are located in a cable shared in common.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the first connector couples the electrical line to another electrical line when the first connector forms the connection with the second connector.