Amplification apparatus, systems, and methods

• US 7,088,970 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Williams, Percival F
• Primary Examiner(s): Choe, Henry
• Application Number:
  US10/854,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 455/127.1, 455/127.2, 455/127.3, 455/127.4, 455/127.5, 455/91, 330/10, 330/251, 330/207.A, 330/60
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers

Abstract

In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may include receiving a received signal, such as a substantially sinusoidal signal, provided by a driven element, such as a magnetostrictive device, coupled to a non-atmospheric medium and an amplifier having substantially zero quiescent current in the absence of an input signal, wherein the amplifier is to receive a pulse modulated wave comprising an original signal substantially similar to the received signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus, including:

an amplifier having substantially zero quiescent current in the absence of an input signal to receive a pulse modulated wave comprising a representation of an original signal, the amplifier to drive a driven element to couple to a non-atmospheric medium to filter and propagate a received signal substantially similar to the original signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a single-polarity power supply to provide substantially all of the power required by the amplifier.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

two sets of complementary-conducting switching devices connected in a bridge circuit and coupled to the driven element.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each set comprises a substantially equal number of transistors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a transformer coupled to the driven element.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the amplifier is to provide an output signal to the driven element selectable between H-bridge operation and non-H-bridge operation.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the transformer is to couple a gate and a source of at least one of the switching devices.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver to receive a substantially sinusoidal signal provided by a magnetostrictive device coupled to a non-atmospheric medium and an amplifier having substantially zero quiescent current in the absence of an input signal, wherein the amplifier is to receive a pulse modulated wave comprising an original signal substantially similar to the substantially sinusoidal signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a phase-locked loop to receive the substantially sinusoidal signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a processor to determine a degree of inclination associated with a downhole tool and indicated by the substantially sinusoidal signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the substantially sinusoidal signal comprises a frequency of about 20 Hertz to about 20,000 Hertz.

12. A system, comprising:

an amplifier having substantially zero quiescent current in the absence of an input signal to receive a pulse modulated wave representing an original signal and to drive a driven element;

a receiver to receive a substantially sinusoidal signal, wherein the original signal is substantially similar to the substantially sinusoidal signal; and

a non-atmospheric medium to propagate the received signal from the driven element to the receiver.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the non-atmospheric medium comprises at least one of a mud motor and a drill string.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

the driven element comprising an inductor.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

the driven element including a magnetostrictive sensor.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the amplifier comprises:

a pseudo ground to enable selecting bridged and non-bridged operation.

17. A method, comprising:

converting an original signal into a pulse modulated wave representing the original signal;

receiving, at a driven component, an output signal provided by an amplifier having substantially zero quiescent current in the absence of an input signal and driven by the pulse modulate wave; and

receiving a resulting signal substantially similar to the original signal and propagated by the driven component by way of a non-atmospheric medium coupled to the driven component.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the original signal is selected from one of a sinusoidal signal, a triangular signal, and a sawtooth signal.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the driven component comprises an inductor.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving further includes:

receiving the output signal at a magnetostrictive device.

21. A method, including:

receiving a substantially sinusoidal signal provided by a magnetostrictive device coupled to a non-atmospheric medium and an amplifier having substantially zero quiescent current in the absence of an input signal, wherein the amplifier is to receive a pulse modulated wave comprising an original signal substantially similar to the substantially sinusoidal signal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the amplifier comprises one of a Class-D amplifier, a Class-E amplifier, and a Class-S amplifier.

23. The method of claim 21, further including:

propagating the substantially sinusoidal signal in the non-atmospheric medium comprising at least one of a mud motor and a drill string.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the substantially sinusoidal signal comprises a frequency of about 20 Hertz to about 20,000 Hertz.

25. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

receiving a substantially sinusoidal signal provided by a driven component coupled to a non-atmospheric medium and an amplifier having substantially zero quiescent current in the absence of an input signal, wherein the amplifier is to receive a pulse modulated wave comprising an original signal substantially similar to the substantially sinusoidal signal.

26. The article of claim 25, wherein the substantially sinusoidal signal comprises a frequency of about 20 Hertz to about 20,000 Hertz.

27. The article of claim 25, wherein the substantially sinusoidal signal is to indicate a degree of inclination associated with at least a portion of a drilling apparatus.

28. The article of claim 25, wherein the information, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

transmitting the substantially sinusoidal signal as a portion of an output signal of the amplifier.