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US 2020/0266902 A1Published application
Systems and methods for underwater illumination, survey, and wireless optical communications
AssigneeKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology
InventorsBoon S. OOI, Bilal JANJUA, Chao SHEN, Hassan M. OUBEI, Tien Khee NG
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure describe an underwater optical communication and illumination system employing laser diodes directly encoded with data, including spectrally efficient orthogonal frequency division multiplex quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM-OFDM) data. A broadband light source may be utilized to provide both illumination to an underwater field of interest and underwater optical communication from the field of interest to a remote location.
Claims20
A method of providing an underwater illumination source and data communication system, the method comprising:
- generating a signal to drive multiple laser diodes in a transmitter module to provide a white light illumination field of sufficient intensity and duration to illuminate an underwater field of interest during an underwater activity, with said laser diodes being contained in a waterproof housing along with a control circuit and focusing optics, and said multiple laser diodes serving as a white light source to illuminate an underwater structure for an underwater vision application;
- and
- utilizing the multiple laser diodes, control circuit and focusing optics in an optical communications systems to also convey information away from the underwater field of interest while simultaneously continuing to illuminate the underwater field of interest with white light, said utilizing including:
- with said focusing optics, optically directing at least some of the light from said multiple laser diodes away from the waterproof housing and toward a remote underwater location;
- at said remote underwater location, receiving said at least some of the optically-directed light and further processing received light into an information signal to yield an optically-delivered data stream during said underwater activity;
- and
- at a receiver module contained within the water-proof housing, receiving light from the remote underwater location to conduct duplex communication using a plurality of photodetectors within the receiver module.
4 more elements
An underwater light system comprising:
- a waterproof housing;
- a transmitter module contained in the housing and receiving a data stream and controlling a laser diode light source to provide an optical signal and to provide illumination to serve as a white light source for an underwater vision application at the same time, with said underwater vision application remotely viewing an underwater structure;
- a transmitter lens within the housing for focusing and directing the optical signal toward a remote underwater location;
- a first receiver module at the remote location for receiving and processing the optical signal to yield the data stream while said light source simultaneously illuminates the underwater structure to conduct remote underwater vision proximate to the light source;
- and
- a second receiver module within the waterproof housing containing a plurality of photodetectors receiving light from the remote underwater location to conduct communication with the remote underwater location.
3 more elements
An underwater light system comprising:
- a transmitter contained in a waterproof housing and receiving a data stream and controlling a laser diode light source to provide an optical signal;
- a lens within the waterproof housing for focusing and directing the optical signal toward a remote underwater location;
- a first receiver at the remote location for receiving and processing the optical signal to yield the data stream while said laser diode light source simultaneously illuminates a field of interest with white light of sufficient intensity and duration to conduct remote underwater observation proximate to the light source using a remote underwater vision device;
- and
- a second receiver within the waterproof housing containing a plurality of photodetectors receiving light from the remote underwater location to conduct communication with the remote underwater location.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.