Modular underwater robots quickly adapt to today's most dangerous underwater missions

Latest update time：2021-03-25

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Innovation in underwater exploration

Underwater exploration is not only time-consuming and expensive, but it is also often dangerous—and life-threatening. But that is changing quickly with advances in robotic underwater vehicles (ROV) technology. VideoRay is a leader in underwater ROVs, with a differentiated product line that can quickly adapt to today’s most demanding underwater missions. Their advanced systems and proprietary modular design approach allow them to quickly configure and deploy ROVs for custom missions. From mine countermeasures and underwater search and rescue to port security surveillance, VideoRay’s ROVs are helping to achieve results faster and safer.

Design flexibility and high density requirements

VideoRay's modular design approach provides unprecedented flexibility for rapidly designing ROVs to meet customized mission requirements. Providing optimal performance for each mission requires an adaptable modular power system to meet the different payloads and other requirements of each different ROV.

The VideoRay ROV is designed to perform a variety of challenging missions with size, weight and deployment speed constraints, with differentiated features that support powerful thrust, longer tethers, higher-resolution video and interchangeable modular systems. In addition, to ensure greater maneuverability at greater depths, each new configuration requires high-density power and high-efficiency conversion to adapt to mission requirements.

Why Vicor?


Power density up to 2,400W/in³	high efficiency	Low noise topology

Modular Power for Modular ROVs

VideoRay’s flexible ROV design can be powered in three ways: short tether, long tether, or tetherless from onboard batteries, even if the onboard electronics remain the same. To accommodate this modular approach, VideoRay took advantage of a modular power network enabled by Vicor’s high-density, high-efficiency power modules. Vicor DCM DC-DC converters provide 48V from either the 400V of the long tether or the 72V of the short tether, while PRM regulators provide 48V to the same onboard electrical system. High-efficiency fixed-ratio BCMs are used in VideoRay’s Pro 4 main controller unit to convert the 48V to the voltages required by the electronics and payload.

Universal BCM Modules Can also be used in topside systems to generate tie-line voltage. The BCMs utilize Vicor's proprietary sine amplitude converter topology to scale input voltages from 48V to 800V with various K factors to accommodate a wide range of applications. High voltage BCMs not only achieve 98% peak efficiency and 2,400W/in³ power density, but can also be easily paralleled into high power arrays, so outputs can be connected in series to achieve higher output voltages.

Power supply network

For longer tether lines, the 400V output from the rectifier can be provided directly to the tether line. On the ROV, the tether line voltage is isolated and regulated to 48V by a DCM DC-DC converter . The design uses DCMs with different inputs depending on the tether line voltage. The regulated 48V directly powers the thrusters, while two 95% efficient BCM DC-DC transformers provide 24V and 12V outputs for other onboard electronics.

When the ROV is powered by 2 redundant 48V batteries, a set of PRM regulators regulates the 48V output of each battery and then combines the outputs. In all three cases, the onboard control electrical system is the same, only the 48V supply network changes to suit the power source.

For short tether lines, the ship's AC power can be rectified and converted to 72V tether line voltage.