Optical Communication Assembly for Omnidirectional UUV Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned underwater vehicles face challenges with mobility restrictions due to physical cables and unreliable wireless communication, particularly in underwater environments where structural obstructions can block signals, leading to inadequate communication coverage.
Innovation Solution
An optical communication assembly with multiple modules positioned to transmit and receive signals in different directions, synchronized via a bus cable and control module, ensuring simultaneous data transmission and reception without temporal divergence, providing omnidirectional coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a physical cable is used for communication, then communication reliability is improved, but mobility of the unmanned underwater vehicle deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cable-based communication system with an optical wireless communication system using optical transmitters and receivers. This substitution eliminates the physical cable constraint while maintaining communication functionality through light-based signal transmission in the underwater environment.
2Ease of operation
If wireless communication is used, then mobility is improved, but communication reliability deteriorates due to signal blocking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the communication system into multiple spatially distributed optical transmitters positioned at different locations on the vehicle. This segmentation allows signals to be transmitted from multiple directions simultaneously, increasing the probability that at least one transmitter maintains line-of-sight with the receiver despite vehicle movement or obstructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from single-directional communication to omnidirectional communication by positioning transmitters in three-dimensional space around the vehicle. This spatial distribution across multiple dimensions ensures coverage in all directions, eliminating blind spots and improving reliability against signal blocking.
3Ease of operation
If wireless communication is used, then mobility is improved, but communication reliability deteriorates due to directional transmission issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple optical transmitters into a unified communication system where all transmitters operate simultaneously with synchronized clocking. This merging of multiple transmission sources creates a redundant omnidirectional signal field, ensuring that the receiver can reliably detect signals regardless of the vehicle's orientation or position changes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances communication reliability by ensuring synchronized transmission and reception of optical signals in various directions, overcoming mobility restrictions and structural obstructions, allowing for efficient data transfer in underwater environments.
Implementation Method 1
the optical transmitter of each module transmits said same data synchronously, in the form of an optical signal
Data Source
AI summary
An optical communication assembly includes a plurality of optical communication modules, each module having at least one optical receiver which can receive optical signals, and at least one optical transmitter which selectively transmits an optical signal. Each module initiates the transmission of data in response to the module receiving a transmit command, and receives the same clock signal which clocks when the module transmits the data, so that the optical transmission of the plurality of modules is synchronised A control module selectively provides a data signal along a bus cable, so each of the optical communication modules receives the same data. The transmit command is simultaneously received by each of the optical communication modules. The clock signal is provided to the optical communication modules (3) so that the optical transmitter of each module (3) transmits the same data, in the form of an optical signal, at the same time.