Method and transmitter/receiver for transferring signals through a medium in pipes and hoses

• US 5,546,359 A
• Filed: 03/15/1995
• Issued: 08/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Finn Aarseth
• Original Assignee: AKER Engineering As
• Inventors: Aarseth, Finn
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel T.
• Application Number:
  US08/404,316
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 367/134, 367/81, 367/82, 367/83, 367/84
• US Class Current: 367/134
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/18 through the well fluid , e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a transmitter/receiver for transferring signals through a medium in pipes or hoses, whereby at a transmitter side pressure pulses are generated of various frequencies or in various frequency ranges, and for the purpose of providing a technology which eliminates error sources, it is proposed according to the invention that the pressure pulses be generated at the transmitter side as an organised and defined bit pattern in order thereby to achieve one or two-way alphanumeric communication.

Claims

1. A method for transferring signals through a medium in a system comprising pipes, hoses and drilling holes, including the steps of generating signals comprising complex frequency modulated pressure pulses at a transmitter side, wherein said pressure pulses are mainly fully defined sinusoidal pressure changes that symbolize an organized and defined bit-pattern, and decompiling the signals at a receiver side in order thereby to achieve alphanumeric communication.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the complex frequency modlulated pressure pulses are created by combining signal frequencies into groups of two or several frequencies in simultaneous transmission.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pressure pulses are generated as frequency modulated pressure pulses by using two or more frequency components in a Fourier-series in a time and frequency phase modulation so that the sum of available codes/symbols is increased exponentially with the number of complex combinations used, thereby providing an increased communication rate expressed in bit/s.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the signals generated at the transmitter side are single frequency modulated sinusoidal pressure signals which are put together into a complex signal as an element in a Fourier-series which entails substantially equal damping as if each element of the complex signal were to have been the subject of separate transmission, further wherein said damping is at optimal signal compression for ensuing decomposing for utilization of programmed information content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the signals are transferred through said system having various main functions and containing bound volumes of different sizes comprising liquid, gas or mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the system comprises a signal pipe bus comprising filled pipes, hoses and drilling holes with associated volume(s) used in transferring the signals.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the system comprises a process pipe bus, where randomly functioning filled pipes, hoses and drilling holes with associated volume(s) are used in transferring the signals.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the system comprises a pipe bus, where filled pipes in said system belonging to a power supply are used in transferring the signals.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing pressure profiles or signal amplitudes, depending on the damping or amplifying properties of the system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises implemented relevantly dimensioned accumulators related to the resonance and pressure reflections of the pipe system.

11. A system for transferring signals through a medium in a system comprising pipes, hoses and drilling holes comprising a transmitter including a generator for generating signals comprising pressure pulses generated as mainly fully defined sinusoidal pressure changes of various frequencies or in various frequency ranges, said transmitter (11) further comprising a compiler (2) which converts a bit pattern into frequency codes, wherein said signal generator (3) generates corresponding pressure profiles in associated pipes/hoses/drilling holes in order to provide alphanumeric communication.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a receiver comprising a pressure sensor, an amplifier, a filter (23) which ,allows through a predefined frequency band and pressure amplitudes and a frequency analyzer (24) which identifies time sequenced frequency elements, wherein said receiver comprises a distinct and/or a common address.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the receiver (12) further comprises an inspection means (25) for checking the frequency analysis performed in the frequency analyzer (24), as well as a decompilator (26) which decompiles the pressure frequency modulated message into a bit pattern comprising an alphanumeric message.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the receiver and the transmitter constitute part of a two-way system (semi duplex) where the transmitter and the receiver are combined in one unit and positioned at either end of the pipe/hose/drilling hole.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein a multitude of transmitters/receivers are placed along or inside a system comprising a pipe or a hose or a drilling hole or in a pipe system with associated volume(s), and further comprising a transmitter for directing the communication.