Seismic telemetry system with steerable antennas

• US 20050259514A1
• Filed: 07/27/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: INOVA Limited
• Original Assignee: Input/Output Incorporated
• Inventors: Iseli, James, Afkami, Kambiz, Wu, Xiabong
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/79
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/223 Radioseismic systems

Abstract

A system for remotely controlling, acquiring and monitoring the acquisition of seismic data. The system includes remote equipment for collecting seismic data and for transmitting and receiving communication signals to and from a remote location. The system also includes local equipment for transmitting and receiving communication signals to and from the remote location. In this manner, the collection of seismic data at remote locations can be controlled and monitored locally.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A seismic data acquisition apparatus comprising:

a) a base station;

b) a first antenna coupled to the base station;

c) a seismic sensor deployed at a seismic sensor location remote from the base station;

d) a second antenna coupled to the seismic sensor providing wireless communication with the base station, the base station receiving a sensor signal from the seismic sensor location,

wherein at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna comprises a steerable antenna steerable toward the other of the seismic sensor location and the base station without manually aiming or positioning the steerable antenna.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the steerable antenna scans a sector and is used to determine a direction of the other of the seismic sensor location and the base station.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations and the second antenna comprises a plurality of second antennas, each of the plurality of second antennas being located at a respective seismic sensor location, the first antenna including the steerable antenna, the steerable antenna being steerable to communicate with each of the plurality of seismic sensor locations.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations and the second antenna comprises a plurality of second antennas, each of the plurality of second antennas being located at a respective seismic sensor location, each of the plurality of second antennas including a respective steerable antenna, each steerable antenna being steerable to communicate with the base station.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations and the base station comprising a plurality of base stations.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the steerable antenna scans a substantially 360°

sector around the base station for a received signal strength to determine a direction of the each of the plurality of seismic sensor locations.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first antenna comprises an active antenna array.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first antenna comprises an active beamformer.

35. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second antenna comprises an active antenna array.

36. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second antenna comprises an active beamformer.

37. The apparatus of claim 27 further comprising:

i) a recorder; and

ii) a recorder interface in communication with the recorder and the base station, the recorder interface receiving the sensor signal from the base station and transmitting the sensor signal to the recorder for recording the sensor signal.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the base station comprises a wireless communication link coupling the base station to the recorder interface.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the wireless communication link comprises a pair of directional antennas.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the base station comprises a wireline communication link coupling the base station to the recorder interface.

41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations, the second antenna comprises a plurality of second antennas each of the plurality of second antennas being located at a respective seismic sensor location, the base station comprises a plurality of base stations, the first antenna comprises a plurality of first antennas each of the plurality of first antennas being coupled to a respective base station, wherein each base station in the plurality of base station is adapted to receive sensor signals from one or all of the plurality of seismic sensor locations.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the wireless communication includes one or more of (1) time division, (2) frequency division, (3) code division, (4) space division, and(5) polarization division.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the plurality of first antennas and the plurality of second antennas operate to form a plurality of communication links, each communication link utilizing a different wireless communication method.

44. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the wireless communication comprises one of i) a combination of time and frequency division and ii) a combination of time and code division.

45. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the wireless communication comprises a frequency range for wireless transmission, the frequency range being within one of i) a 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz band and ii) the VHF band.

46. A method of wirelessly coupling a seismic seismic sensor location to a base station remotely located from the seismic sensor location, the method comprising:

a) coupling a first antenna to the base station;

b) coupling a second antenna to a seismic sensor, the seismic sensor being located at the seismic sensor location, wherein at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna comprises a steerable antenna;

d) steering the steerable antenna toward the other of the seismic sensor location and the base station; and

e) wirelessly communicating between the seismic sensor location and the base station without manually aiming or positioning the steerable antenna.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising determining a direction of the other of the seismic sensor location and the base station at least in part by scanning a sector using the steerable antenna.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations and the second antenna comprises a plurality of second antennas, each of the plurality of second antennas being located at a respective seismic sensor location, the first antenna including the steerable antenna, the method further comprising steering the steerable antenna to communicate with each of the plurality of seismic sensor locations.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations and the second antenna comprises a plurality of second antennas, each of the plurality of second antennas being located at a respective seismic sensor location, each of the plurality of second antennas including a respective steerable antenna, the method further comprising steering each steerable antenna to communicate with the base station.

50. The method of claim 48 further comprising scanning a substantially 360°

sector around the base station using the steerable antenna to receive a signal strength for determining a direction of the each of the plurality of seismic sensor locations.

51. The method of claim 46 further comprising:

i) coupling the base station to a recorder interface;

ii) coupling the recorder interface to a recorder; and

iii) receiving at the recorder interface a sensor signal from the base station and transmitting the sensor signal to the recorder for recording the sensor signal.

52. The method of claim 51 further comprising sending the sensor signal from the base station to the recorder interface wirelessly over a wireless communication link.

53. The method of claim 46, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations, the second antenna comprises a plurality of second antennas each of the plurality of second antennas being located at a respective seismic sensor location, the base station comprises a plurality of base stations, the first antenna comprises a plurality of first antennas each of the plurality of first antennas being coupled to a respective base station, the method further comprising:

receiving at each base station in the plurality of base station a sensor signal from one or more of the plurality of seismic sensor locations.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the wireless communication includes one or more of (1) time division, (2) frequency division, (3) code division, (4) space division, and(5) polarization division.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the plurality of first antennas and the plurality of second antennas operate to form a plurality of communication links, the method further comprising using a different wireless communication method for each of the plurality of communication links.

56. The method of claim 46, wherein the wireless communication comprises one of i) a combination of time and frequency division and ii) a combination of time and code division.

57. The method of claim 46, wherein the wireless communication comprises a frequency range for wireless transmission, the frequency range being within one of i) a 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz band and ii) the VHF band.

58. The method of claim 46, wherein the seismic sensor location comprises a plurality of seismic sensor locations and the second antenna comprises a plurality of second antennas, each of the plurality of second antennas being located at a respective seismic sensor location, the method further comprising wirelessly communicating between the base station and each of the seismic sensor locations in a different time slot.