DIRECTIONAL DRILLING COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS, APPARATUS AND METHODS

• US 20140266771A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merlin Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Merlin Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Chau, Albert W., Lam, Loc Viet, Phillips, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,227,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/854.6
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/024 of devices in the borehole determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/12 Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/046 horizontal drilling drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003

Abstract

A transmitter is carried proximate to an inground tool for sensing a plurality of operational parameters relating to the inground tool. The transmitter customizes a data signal to characterize one or more of the operational parameters for transmission from the inground tool based on the operational status of the inground tool. A receiver receives the data signal and recovers the operational parameters. Advanced data protocols are described. Pitch averaging and enhancement of dynamic pitch range for accelerometer readings are described based on monitoring mechanical shock and vibration of the inground tool.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in conjunction with a system for performing an inground operation in which a drill string extends from a drill rig to an inground tool such that extension and retraction of the drill string generally produces corresponding movements of the inground tool during the inground operation, said apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to be carried proximate to the inground tool for sensing a plurality of operational parameters relating to the inground tool and for customizing a data signal to characterize one or more of the operational parameters for transmission from the inground tool based on an operational status of the inground tool; and

a receiver for positioning at an aboveground location for receiving the data signal and for recovering the operational parameters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is configured to determine the operational status of the inground tool based on detecting at least one of movement and rotation of the inground tool.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter and the receiver are configured to cooperatively utilize a plurality of communication protocols for transmitting and receiving the data signal, respectively, and the transmitter is configured for changing the communication protocol responsive to detecting a change in the operational status of the inground tool.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the transmitter is configured to detect the change in the operational status at least as (i) changing from a stationary state to a dynamic state and (ii) changing from a dynamic state to a stationary state.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the plurality of communication protocols includes a static pitch resolution protocol and a dynamic pitch resolution protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the static pitch resolution protocol is higher in resolution than the dynamic pitch resolution protocol.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein at least one of the dynamic pitch resolution protocol and the static pitch resolution protocol comprises representing a pitch orientation of the transmitter based on a resolution that decreases in one or more steps responsive to an increasing magnitude of the pitch orientation.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the static pitch resolution protocol characterizes the pitch orientation based on a fixed number of bits that defines a fixed number of bit values and said steps define at least two pitch ranges with said bit values assigned to the pitch ranges to establish the resolution for each pitch range.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the transmitter is configured to detect a stationary state thereof and, responsive thereto, switch to a fixed length packet to characterize the one or more operational parameters and, thereafter, repeatedly transmit the fixed length packet during the stationary state for reception by the receiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the transmitter is further configured to include at least one of a roll orientation, a pitch orientation, a battery status and a temperature of the transmitter as the characterized operational parameters in the fixed packet length.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the receiver is configured to ensemble average a plurality of receptions of the fixed length packet to recover the characterized operational parameters.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the operational parameters include a roll orientation of the transmitter and the transmitter is configured to transmit said data signal using a packet structure including a plurality of different types of packets to characterize a plurality of the operational parameters at least including a roll orientation packet that specifies the roll orientation responsive to detecting that the inground tool is rotating and to suspend transmission of the roll orientation packet from the packet structure responsive to detecting that the inground tool is not rotating.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of said operational parameters is a pitch orientation of the inground tool and said transmitter is configured to transmit the data signal using a packet protocol including a low resolution pitch packet responsive to detecting a dynamic state of the inground tool and a high resolution pitch packet responsive to detecting a static state of the inground tool.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said data signal is configured based on a packet protocol for transferring a series of packets from the transmitter to the receiver to characterize the one or more operational parameters such that each packet includes at least two sync bits to serve in decoding each packet at the receiver while the sync bits simultaneously serve as a data bit in conjunction with other bits to characterize one or more of the operational parameters.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the operational parameter is a roll orientation of the inground tool.

16. A transmitter for use in conjunction with a receiver as part of a system for performing an inground operation in which a drill string extends from a drill rig to an inground tool which supports the transmitter such that extension and retraction of the drill string generally produces corresponding movements of the inground tool during the inground operation, said transmitter comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing one or more operational parameters relating to an operational status of the inground tool; and

a processor configured for customizing a data signal for transmission from the transmitter based on the operational status of the inground tool.

17. A receiver for use in conjunction with a transmitter as part of a system for performing an inground operation in which a drill string extends from a drill rig to an inground tool which supports a transmitter such that extension and retraction of the drill string generally produces corresponding movements of the inground tool during the inground operation, said receiver comprising:

an arrangement for receiving a data signal that is transmitted by the transmitter and which data signal characterizes one or more operational parameters relating to an operational status of the inground tool such that the data signal is customized based on the operational status; and

a processor is configured for decoding the customized data signal to recover the one or more operational parameters.

18. A transmitter for use in conjunction with a system for performing an inground operation in which a drill string extends from a drill rig to an inground tool such that extension and/or rotation of the drill string provides for moving the inground tool along an inground path while subjecting the inground tool to mechanical shock and vibration, said transmitter comprising:

an accelerometer for sensing a pitch orientation of the inground tool in each of a high resolution range and a low resolution range subject to the mechanical shock and vibration to produce a series of pitch readings; and

a processor that is configured for monitoring the series of pitch readings and, responsive thereto, for selecting one of the high resolution range and the low resolution range for characterizing the pitch orientation and for averaging the series of pitch readings in the selected one of the high resolution range and the low resolution range to generate an average pitch reading for transmission from the transmitter.

19. The transmitter of claim 18 wherein said accelerometer arrangement includes a high g force, low resolution accelerometer for generating the series of pitch readings in the high resolution range and a low g force, high resolution accelerometer for generating the series of pitch readings in the low resolution range.

20. The transmitter of claim 18 wherein the accelerometer arrangement includes a programmable accelerometer for providing the high-resolution range and the low resolution range responsive to said processor.

21. The transmitter of claim 18 wherein said processor is configured for switching between the high resolution range and the low resolution range based on a g force threshold.

22. A transmitter for use in conjunction with a system for performing an inground operation in which a drill string extends from a drill rig to an inground tool such that extension and/or rotation of the drill string provides for moving the inground tool along an inground path while subjecting the inground tool to mechanical shock and vibration, said transmitter comprising:

an accelerometer for sensing a pitch orientation of the inground tool to produce a series of pitch readings; and

a processor that is configured for averaging the series of pitch readings to generate an average pitch reading for transmission from the transmitter.

23. The transmitter of claim 22 further configured for continuously filtering the series of pitch readings to reduce variation in the average pitch reading responsive to the mechanical shock and vibration.

24. The transmitter of claim 23 wherein said processor is configured to discard pitch changes in said series of pitch readings that are indicative of a rate of change in the pitch orientation that is greater than a predetermined value.

25. A transmitter for use in conjunction with a receiver as part of a system for performing an inground operation in which a drill string extends from a drill rig to an inground tool which supports the transmitter such that extension and retraction of the drill string generally produces corresponding movements of the inground tool during the inground operation, said transmitter comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing one or more operational parameters relating to the inground tool; and

a processor configured for transmitting data relating to the one or more operational parameters in a standard mode and in an alternative mode, such that the alternative mode characterizes at least a particular one of the operational parameters using a number of bits that is less than the number of bits that the particular parameter is characterized by in the standard mode with the alternative mode representing the particular parameter at a lower resolution than the standard mode.

26. The transmitter of claim 25 wherein the particular operational parameter is a roll orientation of the inground tool and said transmitter is configured to transmit the data signal using a packet protocol including a higher resolution roll packet in said standard mode and a lower resolution roll packet in the alternative mode.

27. The transmitter of claim 26 wherein the standard mode represents 24 roll positions while the alternative mode represents 8 roll positions.

28. The transmitter of claim 25 wherein the particular parameter is a pitch orientation having a magnitude and in at least one of the standard mode and the alternative mode, responsive to the magnitude of the pitch orientation increasing, a resolution of the pitch orientation decreases in one or more steps.

29. The transmitter of claim 25 wherein the particular operational parameter is a roll orientation of the transmitter and the transmitter is configured to transmit said data signal using a packet structure including a plurality of different types of packets to characterize a plurality of the operational parameters at least including a roll orientation packet that specifies the roll orientation in said standard mode and to suspend transmission of the roll orientation packet in the alternative mode.

30. The transmitter of claim 25 wherein the particular operational parameter is a pitch orientation of the inground tool and said transmitter is configured to transmit the data signal using a packet protocol including a higher resolution pitch packet in said standard mode and a lower resolution pitch packet in the alternative mode.

31. A transmitter for use in conjunction with a receiver as part of a system for performing an inground operation in which a drill string extends from a drill rig to an inground tool which supports the transmitter such that extension and retraction of the drill string generally produces corresponding movements of the inground tool during the in ground operation, said transmitter comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing one or more operational parameters relating to the inground tool; and

a processor configured for transmission of a data signal from the transmitter using a plurality of packet communication protocols including a particular protocol that, responsive to detecting a stationary state of the transmitter, utilizes a fixed data frame to characterize the one or more operational parameters and repeatedly transmits the fixed data frame.

32. The transmitter of claim 31 configured to include at least one of a roll orientation, a pitch orientation, a battery status and a temperature of the transmitter in the fixed data frame.