UNDERWATER POWER SAVING MECHANISM FOR USE IN AN COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20160007293A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Csignum Limited
• Original Assignee: Wfs Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: HYLAND, Brendan Peter, MACLEAN, Grant
• Granted Patent: US 10,945,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An underwater communications network comprising a plurality of communication nodes operable to wirelessly communicate with at least one other node in the network, each node having a transceiver and an observation mechanism wherein the observation mechanism is operable to monitor signals received by the transceiver and upon reception of a first predetermined tone the observation mechanism outputs a signal operable to adjust the node from a passive operation mode to an active operation mode. Each node can be a discreet underwater device.

Claims

1. An underwater communications network comprising a plurality of communication nodes operable to wirelessly communicate with at least one other node in the network, each node having a transceiver and an observation mechanism wherein the observation mechanism is operable to monitor signals received by the transceiver and upon reception of a first predetermined tone the observation mechanism outputs a signal operable to adjust the node from a passive operation mode to an active operation mode.

2. An underwater communications network of claim 1 further comprising a network control unit having a wireless transceiver, the control unit operable to communicate with each node in the network.

3. An underwater communications network of claim 2 wherein the network control unit further comprises a token signal output unit operable to transmit a token signal to another node within the network.

4. An underwater communications network of claim 2 wherein the token signal is a second predetermined tone.

5. An underwater communications network of claim 4 wherein the second predetermined tone may be a different predetermined tone from the first predetermined tone.

6. An underwater communications network of claim 4 wherein each node observation mechanism is operable to monitor signals received by the transceiver and upon reception of a second predetermined tone, the observation mechanism outputs a signal operable to adjust the node from a passive mode to an active operation mode.

7. An underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein the first predetermined tone indicates adjustment from passive mode to active reception mode.

8. An underwater communications network of claim 4 wherein the second predetermined tone indicates adjustment from passive mode to active transmission mode.

9. An underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein each node is further provided with a tone output mechanism operable to output a predetermined tone upon entering an active transmission mode.

10. An underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein data transmission is operable to occur whilst in active mode.

11. An underwater communications network of claim 10 wherein the data is transmitted as an electromagnetic and/or magneto-inductive signal.

12. An underwater communications network of claim 10 wherein the data transmission is bi-directional.

13. An underwater communications network of claim 1 wherein each node includes a local battery.

14. An underwater device comprising a transceiver and an observation mechanism wherein the transceiver is operable to receive signals from a remote device, the observation mechanism is operable to monitor signals received by the transceiver and upon reception of a first predetermined tone, the observation mechanism outputs a signal operable to adjust the underwater device from a passive reception mode to an active mode.

15. An underwater communications system comprising a first underwater unit comprising a first transceiver and an observation mechanism and a second remote unit comprising a second transceiver wherein the second remote unit is operable to transmit a predetermined tone to the first underwater unit which is operable to be received by the first transceiver whereupon the observation mechanism is operable to monitor signals received by the first transceiver and upon reception of the first predetermined tone, the observation mechanism outputs a signal operable to adjust the first underwater unit from a passive reception mode to an active mode operable to communicate a data signal with the second remote unit.