University of Rhode Island

Nautilus Defense LLC

Brennan T Phillips

James B Owens, Jr

Systems and methods for tethering a fiber optic cable to an apparatus such as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The cable is a bare or tight-buffered optical fiber surrounded by a braided sheath, and is constructed so that loads experienced by the cable are not transferred from the sheath to the optical fiber. This construction enables the cable to have good tensile strength but be sufficiently lightweight so that a commercial fishing reel or any similarly scaled lightweight/portable winch system can be used, instead of large specialized deployment equipment. A tube is inserted between the sheath and the optical fiber a certain distance from the end of the cable, and then the cable and tube are inserted into a housing which attaches to the apparatus and potted using an epoxy resin.

Fiber optic reel system

A deep-sea imaging and control system with an extremely compact remote camera head unit which can operate to depths of at least 5500 m (about 8500 psi). The unit has a photopolymer shell for a pressure housing that can be 3D-printed, at least partially filled with high performance epoxy used as a potting compound. A pressure resistant optically transparent material such as a flat polished borosilicate glass disc serves as the optical viewport and protects the unpotted lens assembly from pressure and water intrusion. The control computer can be separate from the camera, is partially or completely potted in epoxy, and can be accessible through a Wi-Fi connection.

Growing community of inventors

Wakefield, RI, United States of America

Brennan T Phillips