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US 8,556,538 B2Granted
Deployable optical fiber cartridge
AssigneeBluefin Robotics Corporation
InventorsGraham Hawkes, Jonathan Epstein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spool has a cylinder, a first flange coupled to a first end of the cylinder and a second flange coupled to a second end of the cylinder. A compressible material surrounds the cylinder and an optical fiber is wrapped around the compressible material. When tension is applied to the optical fiber the compressible material can be deformed to reduce the tension on the optical fiber. When submerged underwater the water pressure will not compress the compressible material.
Claims11
A method of using an optical fiber in an underwater application comprising:
- providing a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) having a spool of optical fiber, the spool having a cylindrical section, an open cell foam surrounding the cylindrical section and the optical fiber wrapped around the open cell foam at a first tension level, a first end of the optical fiber coupled to a controller;
- connecting a second end of the optical fiber to an optical signal transmitter;
- submerging the ROV into a body of water;
- filling cells of the open cell foam with water;
- pressurizing the spool of optical fiber and maintaining the optical fiber wrapped around the compressible material at the first tension level at a depth in the body of water of more than 100 feet;
- and
- transmitting optical signals through the optical fiber on the spool as the ROV moves through the body of water.
4 more elements
An apparatus for use in underwater application comprising:
- a remote operated vehicle (ROV) having a spool with:
- a cylindrical section having a plurality of water flow holes that extend through a cylindrical wall, a first flange coupled to one end of the cylindrical section, a second flange coupled to a second end of the cylindrical section and a compressible cylinder surrounding the cylindrical section, the compressible cylinder is made of an open cell foam material which is filled with ambient water, an optical fiber wrapped around the compressible cylinder, the ROV having a feeder mechanism for pulling the optical fiber from the spool and a receiver coupled to a first end of the optical fiber;
- a transmitter coupled to a second end of the optical fiber for transmitting control signals to the ROV.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.