WHOI Receives Issued Patent for Advanced Time Synchronization and Range Estimation in Underwater Systems

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has received a patent for an improved method for enabling precise range estimation and time synchronization for underwater systems (US Patent No. 12,058,635). This new capability can significantly improve the performance of submerged systems, including underwater sensors used for earthquake monitoring and autonomous underwater vehicles.

Retrieving high-quality data from the seafloor is crucial for understanding earthquakes, but current systems face challenges. While fiber-optic cables use real-time seismic stations and provide excellent data, they are expensive to install and maintain. In addition, new technologies like faster underwater data transmission and better autonomous underwater vehicles are making deploying systems for long-term monitoring with regular data access easier. The challenge has been making communication reliable and affordable for these systems. Many current underwater systems struggle to provide precise time synchronization and accurate distance measurements due to delays in optical communication.

The patented technology overcomes these challenges by integrating a custom, low-level solution that ensures accurate time synchronization while minimally impacting the optical data transfer capabilities. It provides precise time updates and allows for accurate measurements of distance between moving underwater vehicles or between vehicles and underwater objects like seismometers. This breakthrough enhances the ability to monitor critical underwater activities, such as earthquake-induced rock stress changes, which can provide early indicators of seismic rupture. 

This technology is available for licensing and partnership opportunities; contact the Office for Technology Transfer to learn more: techtransfer@whoi.edu.