Status display for seismometer-group recorder operations

• US 4,010,442 A
• Filed: 04/25/1975
• Issued: 03/01/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amoco Corporation (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: Standard Oil Company (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Broding, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moskowitz, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US05/572,493
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 340/15.5 TS, 340/15.5 DP, 340/151, 340/224, 340/408, 346/3, 343/6.8
• US Class Current: 367/80
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/223 Radioseismic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 13/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices covered by groups G01V1/00 – G01V11/00

Abstract

Seismometer group recorders amplify and make reproducible recordings of one or more seismometers employed in geophysical prospecting. There is no recording of the various groups at the controller instrument truck, as is common in the prior art. The operator needs assurance prior to collecting data through such recorders that the selectively activated group recorders (always considerably less than the total number placed in the field) are ready for the recording. This disclosure describes means for accomplishing such a status display which identifies those group recorders which have been turned on by the radio transmission system or equivalent, verifying that as to each recorder there is available recording medium, proper switching on of the power source, etc.

Claims

1. In apparatus for seismic geophysical surveying comprising means for generating seismic waves in the earth at one source location within a survey area that includes a plurality of spaced source locations, a plurality of transducer means distributed over said area for receiving said seismic waves after travel through the earth from each of said source locations to each of a plurality of receiving locations spaced from each other within said area, a plurality of recorder units each being connected to the output of at least one of said receiving transducer means and adapted to reproducibly record the output from those transducer means connected to it, all of said units being in a standby status to receive only communications until energized by connection to a supply of electrical power to record a trace, each said unit being positioned in said area near the receiving location occupied by said connected receiving-transducer means, each of said recorder units including means responsive to one of a set of coded signals transmitted over a communications link from a control point, to connect said recorder unit to a supply of electrical power, means for recording a fist sequence of signals representing record-identification and recording parameter data, and means for recording a second sequence of signals representing wave-amplitudes characterizing the seismic waves arriving at said connected receiving-transducer means, said apparatus including also means at said control point for transmitting at a frequency f₁, a set of coded signals to energize only those of said recorder units forming a recording array having a desired relationship to said one source location, to record the plurality of traces forming one multitrace seismic record, the improvement comprising

automatic means in each of said units interconnected with the recording system thereof for producing a status signal only where

a. at least one of said transducer means is operatively connected to said unit,

b. a cartridge containing a reproducible recording medium is inserted into said unit,

c. said medium is not exhausted, and

d. said supply of electric power has at least a predetermined voltage,

a transmitter in each of said units transmitting at a frequency f₂ differing from f₁,

automatic means in each of said units responsive to said status signal for energizing said transmitter to form a communications path to said control point and to transmit over said path a status ready signal,

receiving means at said control point responsive to said path to receive each said status ready signal from each said unit energized, and

automatic means at said control point connected to said control-point receiving means and responsive separately to each transmitted status ready signal to produce a separate visual indication of each of said status ready signals received,

a. said means to produce said separate visual indication including a plurality of indicator lights mounted on a panel at said control point in a pattern at least approximately similar to the location pattern of a plurality of said units, and

b. said status ready signal responsive means including (1) a separate circuit for each indicator light activated upon transmission of only one of said coded signals, but said circuit being energized to turn on the corresponding indicator light only upon reception during transmission of the next coded signal of a status ready signal from one of said units, and (2) latch means in said circuit for prolonging the energizing of said light for at least the majority of time in which said unit is recording,

whereby at said control point, one may ascertain at a glance and in advance of recording said outputs from said transducers either that all units in a predetermined pattern (less than the total number of said units) are in status ready condition, or, in the alternative, the pattern position of any of said units that are not ready.