SYSTEM AND METHOD TO GENERATE THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAPPING OF A TUBULAR COMPONENT LAYOUT

• US 20140191904A1
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Illerhaus, Roland
• Granted Patent: US 9,869,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/464
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/006 Accessories for drilling pipes, e.g. cleaners wear protectors E21B17/10; handling drilling pipes E21B19/00; thread protectors B65D59/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/02 Swivel joints in hose-lines
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0257 Hybrid positioning by coordinating position lines of different shape G01S5/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00

Abstract

A system and method to generate a three-dimensional mapping of an arrangement of tubular components are described. The tubular components include one or more straight pipes and one or more bent segments connected at interfaces. The system includes a plurality of electronically readable identifiers, each electronically readable identifier being disposed in proximity to one of the interfaces of two of the tubular components and each side of the interface comprising at least one RFID chip. The system also includes a reader to receive a signal from each of the plurality of electronically readable identifiers in turn and a processor to process a position of the reader and each of the signals to generate the three-dimensional mapping.

Claims

1. A system to generate a three-dimensional mapping of an arrangement of tubular components, the tubular components comprising one or more straight pipes and one or more bent segments connected at interfaces, the system comprising:

a plurality of electronically readable identifiers, each electronically readable identifier being disposed in proximity to one of the interfaces of two of the tubular components and each side of the interface comprising at least one electronically readable identifier;

a reader configured to receive a signal from each of the plurality of electronically readable identifiers in turn; and

a processor configured to process a position of the reader and each of the signals to generate the three-dimensional mapping.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronically readable identifiers are active radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that transmit the signal intermittently.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronically readable identifiers are passive radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that transmit the signal in response to a signal from the reader.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronically readable identifiers are bar codes that convey identification information in the signal read by the reader.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning system to determine a position of the reader as it moves along the arrangement of tubular components.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the positioning system comprises an accelerometer and triangulation antennas.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the processor determines a position of each electronically readable identifier as a relative position from the reader.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor outputs the three-dimensional mapping to an algorithm configured to identify hard connections at the interfaces.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor outputs the three-dimensional mapping for display to a user.

10. A method of generating a three-dimensional mapping of an arrangement of tubular components, the tubular components comprising one or more straight pipes and one or more bent segments connected at interfaces, the method comprising:

disposing a plurality of electronically readable identifiers, each electronically readable identifier being disposed in proximity to one of the interfaces of two of the tubular components and each side of the interface comprising at least one electronically readable identifier;

moving a reader along the arrangement of tubular components, the reader configured to receive a signal from each of the plurality of electronically readable identifiers in turn; and

processing a position of the reader and each of the signals to generate the three-dimensional mapping.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the disposing the plurality of electronically readable identifiers includes disposing active radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that transmit the signal intermittently.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the disposing the plurality of electronically readable identifiers includes disposing passive radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that transmit the signal in response to a signal from the reader.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the disposing the plurality of electronically readable identifiers includes disposing bar codes that convey identification information in the signal read by the reader.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining a position of the reader during the moving using a positioning system.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the using the positioning system includes disposing an accelerometer at the reader and positioning triangulation antennas at known locations.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising outputting the three-dimensional mapping to an algorithm configured to identify hard connections at the interfaces.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising displaying the three-dimensional mapping.