SBIR Phase I: SMART Repeaters: Sensor-Enabled Submarine Fiber Optic Repeaters for Multi-Scale and Multi-Use Monitoring and Observing

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将推进拟议的SMART(传感器监控和可靠电信)原型，该原型设计为一流的压力、温度和地震传感器系统，将被整合到新的全球海底光缆网络中。由于智能技术的客户群包括商业海底电缆供应商、政府监测机构、科学财团和机构以及互联网内容提供商，因此预期的商业影响是重大的。SMART的开发和部署将通过一种全新的长期海底传感器网络部署方法，加强对地球海洋、海底和地下的科学理解。因此，SMART将提供必要的新数据，以减少灾害风险和改善对全球气候的理解，从而减少社会和环境对这些长期和短期威胁的脆弱性。该项目的智力价值是开发第一个集成的智能原型系统。这一创新的实时深海监测技术将促进海啸预警(Tew)、地震预警(EEW)、全球气候监测和电信恢复能力的根本改善。其创新之处在于将传感器紧密集成到用于提升光纤信号的放大器(中继器)中。商用现成(COTS)组件将用于系统的几乎所有物理元素。传感器组件包括三轴加速度计、绝对压力计和温度传感器，集成了具有适当动态范围和精度的数据采集电路、通用通信模块、适用于光纤电缆长度长达120公里的接口、支持数据路径所需的软件和固件、隔离电源和精确计时。智能中继器设计是模块化的，允许不同的传感器，适应不同的中继器外壳，或用作独立单元。需要解决的技术障碍包括硬件开发和集成、软件开发、数据采集和处理、电源管理、通信带宽以及提供精确的时间和频率参考。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will advance the proposed SMART (Sensor Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications) prototype, designed as a best-in-class pressure, temperature, and seismic sensor system to be incorporated into new global submarine fiber optic cable networks. The expected commercial impacts are significant, as the customer base for SMART technology includes commercial submarine cable suppliers, government monitoring agencies, scientific consortia and agencies, and internet content providers. The development and deployment of SMART will enhance scientific understanding of Earth’s oceans, seafloor, and subsurface via a fundamentally new approach to long-term subsea sensor network deployments. SMART will therefore provide essential new data to reduce disaster risk and improve global climate understanding, thereby reducing societal and environmental vulnerabilities to these long- and short-term threats.The intellectual merit of this project is to develop the first integrated SMART prototype system. This innovative real-time deep ocean monitoring technology will catalyze fundamental improvements in Tsunami Early Warning (TEW), Earthquake Early Warning (EEW), global climate monitoring and telecommunications resiliency. The innovation is to tightly integrate sensors into the amplifiers (“repeaters”) used to boost signals in the optical fibers. Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components will be utilized for nearly all physical elements of the system. The sensor assembly includes a 3-axis accelerometer, absolute pressure gauge, and temperature sensor, integrated with data acquisition circuits with suitable dynamic range and precision, a common communications module, an interface suitable for fiber optic cable spans up to 120 km in length, software and firmware necessary to support the data path, an isolated power source, and precision timing. The SMART repeater design is modular, allowing different sensors, adaptation to different repeater housings, or use as a standalone unit. Technical hurdles to be addressed include hardware development and integration, software development, data acquisition and processing, power management, communications bandwidth, and delivery of precision time and frequency references.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.