Underwater Video Signal Transmission via Laser Beam

Abstract

Wireless data transmission below the sea has been facing many challenges, and so many solutions have been proposed and implemented. Using wireless optical communication technologies to transmit video signals via laser beam underwater is the aim of our work. In this project, a laser communication system is being designed to transmit video signals from a waterproof camera mounted on an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), to a monitor on the surface. Accordingly, two circuits have been designed and built, one is to encode the video signal, and transmit it via the laser beam from the ROV, another is to receive the light waves using a silicon photo detector, and decode the signal back to its original form to display a live feed from the camera underwater. The system has been tested and adjusted to obtain the most efficient results, aiming to reduce the losses due to the different underwater disturbances including water impurities, the flow of the water, etc. This project presents significant advancement in the underwater explorations and studies, which benefits many universities and big companies such as ARAMCO, as well as adds to the field of optical communication and the uses of laser for underwater communication purposes.