Subsea power-over-fiber can bus converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979491-B2
Application number	US-201615273311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	Sep 22, 2016
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

Messages on controller area network (CAN) buses are communicated over subsea links to subsea devices that also require electrical power to function. These subsea devices may be disposed kilometers away from the signal source where electrical signal and power transmission is impractical. The present invention provides a subsea power-over-fiber CAN bus converter for converting CAN bus electrical input and electrical power input into optical signals for transmission over a fiber optic cable for conversion into CAN bus electrical output and electrical power output for use by a subsea sensor or other subsea device. The subsea power-over-fiber CAN bus converter of the present invention is may comprise a flying lead harness that has a first connector end, a second connector end, a first optical converter module, a second optical converter module, and a fiber optic cable disposed between the first and second optical converter modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A subsea power-over-fiber control area network (“CAN”) bus converter system comprising:
a first optical converter unit comprising a first signal module and a first power module, the first signal module comprising a first CAN bus and a first CAN bus signal optical transceiver, the first power module comprising a laser diode, wherein the first optical converter unit is disposed within a first atmospheric housing adapted to withstand high differential pressures;
a second optical converter unit comprising a second signal module and a second power module, the second signal module comprising a second CAN bus and a second CAN bus signal optical transceiver, the second power module comprising at least one photodetector, wherein the second optical converter unit is disposed within a second atmospheric housing adapted to withstand high differential pressures; and
a fiber optic cable comprising a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber, the first optical fiber connected at a first end to the first signal module through the first atmospheric housing by a first fiber penetrator and at a second end to the second signal module through the second atmospheric housing by a second fiber penetrator, the second optical fiber connected at a first end to the first power module through the first atmospheric housing by a third fiber penetrator and at a second end to the second power module through the second atmospheric housing by a fourth fiber penetrator.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first power module further comprises a set of high power laser diode drivers.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second power module further comprises a current to voltage converter circuit, a capacitor bank, and a sensor power unit.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a subsea control module and a sensor.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the subsea control module further comprises a power supply and a CAN bus module, the power supply adapted to provide power to the first power module of the first optical converter, the CAN bus module providing a first electrical CAN signal to the first signal module of the first optical converter.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the sensor further comprises at least one electrical instrument and a CAN bus module, the CAN bus module adapted to communicate by a second electrical CAN signal with the second signal module of the second optical converter, the at least one electrical instrument connected to and powered by the second power module of the second optical converter.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the second optical converter module is adapted to:
receive the first optical CAN signal;
convert the first optical CAN signal into the second electrical CAN signal; and
transmit the second electrical CAN signal to the sensor.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the first optical converter module is adapted to:
receive the first electrical CAN signal from the subsea control module;
convert the first electrical CAN signal into a first optical CAN signal; and
transmit the first optical CAN signal to the second optical converter module.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein the system is adapted to send and receive a set of CAN signals from the subsea control module to the sensor via the first optical converter module, the second optical converter module, and the fiber optic cable.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the laser diode of the first optical converter module is adapted to emit a laser light via the fiber optic cable that when received at the at least one photodetector in the second optical converter module is converted into an electrical current.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the electrical current is used to power a sensor without the use of an additional electrical power source.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the first fiber optic penetrator and the second fiber optic penetrator are adapted to enable an optical communications signal to pass through the first atmospheric housing; and
the third fiber optic penetrator and the fourth fiber optic penetrator are adapted to enable an optical communications signal to pass through the second atmospheric housing.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a flying lead, the flying lead harness comprising:
a first connector end adapted to connect to a subsea control module, a second connector end adapted to connect to a sensor, the first optical converter, the second optical converter, and the fiber optic cable;
wherein the first optical converter module, the fiber optic cable, and the second optical converter module are electronically disposed between the first and second connector ends; and
wherein the first connector end is in electrical communication with the first optical converter module and the second connector end is in electrical communication with the second optical converter module.

14. A subsea control area network (“CAN”) system adapted to provide CAN signal communication and electrical power from a subsea control module to a sensor over a fiber optic cable, the system comprising:
a flying lead harness comprising a first connector end, a second connector end, a first optical converter, a second optical converter, and the fiber optic cable, the flying lead harness further comprising wherein:
the first optical converter and the second optical converter each comprise an atmospheric housing adapted to withstand high differential pressures and provide an approximately one atmosphere interior pressure;
the first optical converter is connected to the second optical converter by the fiber optic cable;
the first optical converter, the second optical converter, and the fiber optic cable are disposed between the first connector end and the second connector end;
the first optical converter is in electrical communication with the first connector end;
the second optical converter is in electrical communication with the second connector end;
the first connector end is adapted to connect to the subsea control module; and
the second connector end is adapted to connect to the sensor;

the first optical converter is adapted to receive a first electrical CAN signal and electrical power over a first set of wires from the subsea control module;
the first optical converter is adapted to convert the first electrical CAN signal into a first optical CAN signal and the electrical power into an optical electrical power signal for transmission via the fiber optic cable to the second optical converter;
the second optical converter is adapted to receive the first optical CAN signal and the optical electrical power signal, and to convert the first optical CAN signal into a second electrical CAN signal and the optical electrical power signal into an electrical power output for transmission via a second set of wires to the sensor;
a first fiber optic penetrator and a second fiber optic penetrator adapted to enable the first optical CAN signal to pass through the atmospheric housing of the first optical converter; and
a third fiber optic penetrator and a fourth fiber optic penetrator adapted to enable the first optical CAN signal to pass through the atmospheric housing of the second optical converter.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising wherein:
the first optical converter comprises a signal module and a power module; and
the second optical converter comprises a signal module and a power module.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the power module of the first optical converter further comprises a set of high power laser diode drivers.

17. The system of

Assignees

• Teledyne Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Greene Michael
• Xi Huijiang

Classifications

• H04L12/40 Primary

  Bus networks · CPC title

• H04B10/503

  Laser transmitters · CPC title

• H04B10/806 Primary

  Arrangements for feeding power · CPC title

• H04L2012/40215

  Controller Area Network CAN · CPC title

• H04L2012/40286

  the transportation system being a waterborne vessel · CPC title