Power Delivery in Submarine Optical Communication Systems Using Power Feed Converters
AssigneeSubcom, LLC
InventorMaxim A. Bolshtyansky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A submarine optical communication system using one or more power feed converters for power delivery to repeaters. Power feed equipment located one or more a landmasses is coupled to a power conductor of an optical cable for powering repeaters coupled to cable. One or more power feed converter(s) are coupled to the power conductor for converting current from power feed equipment to a constant output current or voltage for powering other repeaters coupled to the cable. Embodiments are robust to shunts of the power conductor.
Claims20
A system for providing communications between communication devices located on different landmasses, comprising:
- a cable extending between a first landmass and a second landmass separated by a body of water, the cable comprising at least one data signal carrying line for carrying optical data signals between the first and second landmasses, the cable further comprising a power conductor having a first end on the first landmass and a second end on the second landmass;
- a plurality of repeaters coupled along the length of the cable between the first landmass and the second landmass for amplifying the optical data signals, each of the plurality of repeaters being electrically coupled to the power conductor;
- first power feed equipment located on the first landmass and electrically coupled to the first end of the power conductor;
- and
- at least one power feed converter electrically coupled to the power conductor, the power feed converter configured for receiving an input current from the first power feed equipment and providing a constant output current or voltage to the power conductor.
A system for providing communications between communication devices located on different landmasses, comprising:
- a cable extending between a first landmass and a second landmass separated by a body of water, the cable comprising at least one data signal carrying line for carrying optical data signals between the first and second landmasses, the cable further comprising a power conductor having a first end on the first landmass and a second end on the second landmass;
- a number M of repeaters coupled along the length of the cable between the first landmass and the second landmass for amplifying the optical data signals, each of the plurality of repeaters being electrically coupled to the power conductor;
- first power feed equipment located on the first landmass and electrically coupled to the first end of the power conductor;
- and
- second power feed equipment located on the second landmass and electrically coupled to the second end of the power conductor
- a first power feed converter electrically coupled to the power conductor with a second number N of the M repeaters coupled to power conductor between the first power feed equipment and the first power feed converter;
- a second power feed converter electrically coupled to the power conductor with a third number Y of the M repeaters coupled between the first power feed equipment and the second power feed converter,
- each of the first and second power feed converters being configured to operate in a conversion mode for converting an input current thereto to an associated constant output current or voltage coupled to the power conductor, and
- at least one of the first and second power feed converters being configured to operate in a bypass mode upon occurrence of a shunt of the power conductor whereby the at least one first power feed converter or the second power feed converters passes input current thereto through to the power conductor without converting the input current into the associated constant output voltage or current.
A method of powering a plurality of repeaters coupled to an underwater cable extending between a first land mass and a second landmass, the cable including at least one optical fiber for carrying optical signals between the first and second landmasses and a power conductor electrically coupled the repeaters, the method comprising:
- coupling first power feed equipment located on the first landmass to the power conductor;
- coupling a first power feed converter to the power conductor;
- establishing an input current from the first power feed equipment to power conductor to power a first number of the repeaters coupled to the power conductor between first power feed equipment and the first power feed converter;
- receiving the input current at the first power feed converter and converting the input current to a constant output voltage or current in the first power feed converter;
- and
- coupling the constant output voltage or current to the power conductor for powering a second number of the repeaters coupled to the power conductor between the first power feed converter and the second land mass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.