HIGH-BANDWIDTH UNDERWATER DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20160211923A1
• Filed: 03/25/2016
• Published: 07/21/2016
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 a transmitter;

the wake-up system operational to validate, responsive to the indication, an optical communication link established via the transmitter through the aqueous medium; and

the storage and control system operational to cause the 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 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 transmitter.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the wake-up system operational to validate the optical communication link using at least one of a quality control parameter or 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 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 transmitter.

15. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the 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 a transmitter;

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

communicating, by the storage and control system, with the 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 quality control parameter.

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 transmitter.