Subsea connector with data collection and communication system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9820017-B2
Application number	US-201414453504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2014
Priority date	Aug 6, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A subsea data collection and communication system is installed at a subsea interconnect point or subsea connector used for communication between subsea electrical, optical or hybrid electro-optical cables. The data collection and communication system is configured to collect system performance data such as voltage, current, optical pressure and the like from signals carried by the wires or fibers in cables connected to the connector unit, and may also collect data on environmental conditions from sensors installed in or on the connector unit, such as temperature, pressure, or sea water salinity sensors, and the like. The collected data is transmitted to a remote monitoring station or local hub for further processing to detect potential faults or performance degradation either at periodic intervals or on demand, using bi-directional Ethernet, CANBUS, a carrier frequency system over the cable power lines, optical signal over optical fiber, or wireless communication links over short distances.

First claim

We claim:

1. A subsea connector, comprising:
a single or multi-part connector housing having a first cable inlet port configured for selected connection to the end of a first, subsea cable and a second port configured for connection to a second cable;
first signal carrying media extending from the first cable inlet port into the connector housing for communication with second signal carrying media in the second cable via the second port;
a data collection and communication system located in the connector housing and configured to collect and store one or more predetermined performance parameters of the signals carried by said first and second signal carrying media, the system having a first input/output port communicating with at least some of the signal carrying media extending from the first cable inlet port, a second input/output port communicating with at least some of the signal carrying media in the second cable, and a microprocessor connected to said first and second input/output ports, the microprocessor comprising a data collection module configured for detecting and collecting predetermined parameters of the signals, a data storage module configured for storing said predetermined performance parameters, and a data communication module configured for communicating said stored performance parameters to a monitoring station; and
a transponder externally mounted on said connector housing, the data communication module having a third input/output port communicatively connected to said transponder and configured for wireless communication with a local monitoring device in the vicinity of said connector housing for receiving commands from said local monitoring device and sending collected system performance parameters to said local monitoring device.

2. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein the data communication module is communicatively connected to at least one of said cable input/output ports for communicating stored performance parameters to said monitoring station via signal carrying media of said first or second cable.

3. The subsea connector claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor for monitoring a selected environmental parameter inside or outside the connector housing, the sensor having an output in communication with said data collection and communication system.

4. The subsea connector of claim 3 , comprising a plurality of sensors associated with said connector housing for monitoring different external or internal environmental parameters, the sensors having outputs and the data collection and communication system further comprising an environmental data collection module communicating with said sensor outputs and providing collected sensor output data to said data storage module, said data communication module being further configured to communicate stored environmental data to said monitoring station.

5. The subsea connector of claim 4 , wherein said sensors comprise at least a subsea temperature sensor and a subsea pressure sensor.

6. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein said at least one or more predetermined performance parameters comprises a plurality of performance parameters selected from the group consisting of voltage, current and optical pressure.

7. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein said connector housing comprises at least a first housing portion containing a subsea mateable receptacle or plug unit for releasable connection to a mating plug or receptacle unit at the end of the first subsea cable, and a termination shell connected between said first housing portion and said second port, and the data collection and communication module is mounted in said termination shell.

8. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein said connector housing comprises a first housing portion containing a subsea mateable receptacle or plug unit for releasable connection to a mating plug or receptacle unit at the end of the first subsea cable via said first input, a termination shell connected to said first housing portion, and an additional external shell connected between the termination shell and the second cable, and the data collection and communication module is mounted in said external shell.

9. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein said connector housing has at least a first connector housing and a second connector housing between said first and second cables, the second connector housing includes said second port and a third port configured for connection to an external data and communication system, said data collection and communication module is mounted in said second connector housing, performance parameter data carrying media extend from said data communication module to said third port, and said second signal carrying media extend from said second input/output port of said data collection and communication module to said second port of the second connector housing.

10. The subsea connector of claim 9 , wherein said third port comprises a dry mate or wet mate connector.

11. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein said signal carrying media comprise both data signal and power carrying media.

12. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein the first signal carrying media comprise one or more electrical conductors, and the second signal carrying media comprise one or more electrical conductors.

13. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein the first signal carrying media comprise one or more optical fibers, the second signal carrying media comprises one or more optical fibers, and the data collection and communication system is configured to pass the signals between said first and second input/output ports using a controller area network (CAN) bus protocol.

14. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein the data collection and communication system is configured to pass the signals between the first and second input/output ports using at least one of Modbus protocol, RS-232 standard, and RS-485 standard.

15. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein the first signal carrying media comprise one or more electrical conductors, at least some of the second signal carrying media comprise optical fibers, and the data collection and communication system further comprises a converter module configured to convert optical signals traveling on the optical fibers to/from electrical signals traveling on the electrical conductors.

16. The subsea connector of claim 1 , wherein the data collection and communication system is further configured to perform at least one function of switching, repeating, formatting, and multiplexing of data signals.

Assignees

• Teledyne Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Hunter John B
• Xi Huijiang
• Greene Michael C

Classifications

• E21B33/038

  Connectors used on well heads, e.g. for connecting blow-out preventer and riser · CPC title

• G02B6/508

  Fixation devices in ducts for drawing cables · CPC title

• G02B6/3817

  containing optical and electrical conductors (cables including electrical and optical conductors H01B11/22; G02B6/3816 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• G02B6/4292

  the light guide being disconnectable from the opto-electronic element, e.g. mutually self aligning arrangements · CPC title