Acoustic position measurement system for well bore formation
First Claim
1. An acoustic position measurement system comprising:
- an acoustic transmitter operable to transmit a sound wave into an underground well bore in a target formation, the sound wave configured to reflect from a boundary formation proximate the target formation;
an acoustic receiver operable to receive a reflected sound wave, the reflected sound wave comprising a reflection of the sound wave from the boundary formation;
an electronics portion electrically coupled to the acoustic receiver, the electronics portion operable to;
process the reflected sound wave; and
produce, based upon a characteristic of the reflected sound wave, data output indicative of a position of the acoustic position measurement system in the target formation; and
a plurality of acoustic receivers operable to receive a plurality of reflected sound waves, wherein the plurality of acoustic receivers are coupled to the electronics portion, and wherein the electronics portion is further operable to;
shift the phase of the primary sinusoidal component of at least one of the reflected sound waves to bring the primary sinusoidal component of each reflected sound wave into alignment with respect to the primary sinusoidal component of the other reflected sound waves; and
produce the data output based on the reflected sound waves.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An acoustic position measurement system and method includes an acoustic transmitter operable to transmit a sound wave into an underground well bore in a target formation. The sound wave is configured to reflect from a boundary formation proximate the target formation. The system includes an acoustic receiver operable to receive a reflected sound wave. The reflected sound wave comprises a reflection of the sound wave from the boundary formation. The system also includes an electronics portion electrically coupled to the acoustic receiver. The electronics portion is operable to process the reflected sound wave and produce, based upon a characteristic of the reflected sound wave, data output indicative of a position of the acoustic position measurement system in the target formation.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An acoustic position measurement system comprising:
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an acoustic transmitter operable to transmit a sound wave into an underground well bore in a target formation, the sound wave configured to reflect from a boundary formation proximate the target formation; an acoustic receiver operable to receive a reflected sound wave, the reflected sound wave comprising a reflection of the sound wave from the boundary formation; an electronics portion electrically coupled to the acoustic receiver, the electronics portion operable to; process the reflected sound wave; and produce, based upon a characteristic of the reflected sound wave, data output indicative of a position of the acoustic position measurement system in the target formation; and a plurality of acoustic receivers operable to receive a plurality of reflected sound waves, wherein the plurality of acoustic receivers are coupled to the electronics portion, and wherein the electronics portion is further operable to; shift the phase of the primary sinusoidal component of at least one of the reflected sound waves to bring the primary sinusoidal component of each reflected sound wave into alignment with respect to the primary sinusoidal component of the other reflected sound waves; and produce the data output based on the reflected sound waves. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for determining a desired position for a drilling member using an acoustic position measurement system, comprising:
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transmitting a sound wave into an underground well bore in a target formation using an acoustic transmitter, wherein the sound wave reflects from a boundary formation proximate the target formation; receiving a reflected sound wave from within the well bore using an acoustic receiver, wherein the reflected sound wave comprises a reflection of the sound wave from the boundary formation; processing the reflected sound wave using an electronics portion coupled to the acoustic receiver; producing data output based upon a characteristic of the reflected sound wave using the electronics portion, the data output indicative of a position of the acoustic position measurement system in the target formation; receiving a plurality of reflected sound waves using a plurality of acoustic receivers; shifting the phase of the primary sinusoidal component of at least one of the reflected sound waves using the electronics portion to bring the primary sinusoidal component of each reflected sound wave into alignment with respect to the primary sinusoidal component of the other reflected sound waves; and producing the data output based upon the reflected sound waves using the electronics portion. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification