Implementation of 105 m Dynamic Underwater Wireless Optical Communication in the Deep Sea

Abstract

With human exploration of the ocean and continuous innovation in deep-sea technology, deep-sea submersibles have also put forward a demand for high-speed underwater wireless optical communication. We have developed a high-speed long-distance optical communication system for deep-sea application environments, which can withstand a hydraulic pressure of full sea depth. The system uses LD as light source and adopts the On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation algorithm. We conducted dynamic ocean experiments by installing the two communication terminals on in-situ lander and deep-sea submersibles, respectively. When the divergence angle is 20°, the system designed in this letter achieved record transmission distance of 105 m at depths greater than 1000 m in the deep sea, and communication rate is 10 Mbps. When the system operates at a depth of 6000 m in the deep sea, an equivalent communication distance of 183 m can be calculated for 1° divergence angle.