High speed underwater data transmission method

• US 8,295,708 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Bandyopadhyay, Promode R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderpuye, Kenneth N
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOLDEKIDAN, HIBRET ASNAKE
• Application Number:
  US13/161,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20110243564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 398/104, 398/105, 398/153, 398/156, 398/130, 398/131, 398/202, 398/118
• US Class Current: 398/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/70 Photonic quantum communication
• 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

Abstract

An underwater data transmission system including arrays of nano-meter scaled photon emitters and sensors on an outer surface of an underwater platform. For the emitters, a laser is pulsed to correlate with data packets, providing a beam of photons at a prescribed frequency. Nano-scaled collecting lenses channel the incoming photons to photo-receptors located at a focal plane for the frequency at the base of each lens. A coating on the lenses absorbs photons at the frequency that are not aligned with the longitudinal axes of the lenses or tubes. Nano-wires connect the photo-receptors to a light intensity integrator. The integrator integrates the intensity over a surface area. The output of the integrator is fed to a signal processor to track and process the arriving digital packets.

Claims

1. A method for determining a direction of a signal source arriving at an array of photo-receptors, comprising the steps of:

activating a portion of the array of photo-receptors wherein the portion is a plurality of contiguous photo-receptors;

determining, in relation to a time period, an intensity of photons collected by the portion in a direction aligned with the photo-receptors and corresponding to pulses of photons from the signal source at a predetermined frequency;

sequentially activating overlapping portions of the array of photo-receptors and determining intensities;

providing a light intensity integrator;

integrating the intensities with the integrator over the array to determine the overlapping portions of peaking intensities; and

performing subsequent to said integrating step, a limited activation sequence about the overlapping portions of peak intensities to refine the determination of the direction of the signal source.

2. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising the steps of:

coordinating results for the peak intensities from a plurality of arrays; and

reorienting the plurality of arrays to enhance the peak intensities based on the coordinated results.