Abstract
Cabled seafloor observatories play an important role in ocean exploration for its long-term, real-time, and in-situ observation characteristics. In establishing a permanent, reliable, and robust seafloor observatory, a highly reliable cable switching and fault isolation method is essential. After reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of existing switching methods, we propose a novel active switching method for network configuration. Without additional communication path requirements, the switching method provides a way to communicate with a shore station through an existing power transmission path. A coded voltage signal with a distinct sequence is employed as the communication medium to transmit commands. The analysis of the maximum bit frequency of the voltage signals guarantees the accuracy of command recognition. A prototype based on the switching method is built and tested in a laboratory environment, which validated the functionality and reliability of the method.
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Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51409229, 41676089, and 51521064), the National High-Tech R&D Program (863) of China (No. 2012AA09A410), and the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. LQ14E070002)
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Zhang, Zf., Chen, Yh., Li, Dj. et al. Use of a coded voltage signal for cable switching and fault isolation in cabled seafloor observatories. Frontiers Inf Technol Electronic Eng 19, 1328–1339 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1631/FITEE.1601843
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/FITEE.1601843
Key words
- Cabled seafloor observatories
- Cable switching and fault isolation
- Coded voltage signal
- Maximum bit frequency