Seismic measuring system including GPS receivers

• US 7,526,386 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Novatel Incorporated (Hexagon AB)
• Original Assignee: Novatel Incorporated (Hexagon AB)
• Inventors: Fenton, Patrick C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nghiem; Michael P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Toan M
• Application Number:
  US11/502,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 702/14, 702/5, 702/16, 702/1, 702/2, 367/14, 367/38, 367/56, 367/77, 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.12, 342/357.15, 340/690
• US Class Current: 702/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/003 Seismic data acquisition in general, e.g. survey design G01V1/3808, G01V1/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/16 Receiving elements for seismic signals; Arrangements or adaptations of receiving elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/22 Transmitting seismic signals to recording or processing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/26 Reference-signal-transmitting devices, e.g. indicating moment of firing of shot
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/28 using induction coils

Abstract

A deformation monitoring system includes a data recording and control center, one or more base receivers with associated antennas that have a substantially unrestricted view of the sky and acquire and track satellite signals used for global positioning and slave receivers at various locations over the site being monitored, the slave receivers also acquiring and tracking the satellite signals. The system processes range information provided by the slave receivers over an extended period of time to determine the positions of the respective slave receivers. In this way, the precise positions of the respective slave receivers can be calculated, even if the slave receivers are able to observe and collect data from one or more satellites for only three or four relatively short time intervals at various sky positions during the extended period.

Claims

1. A deformation monitoring system including:

one or more base receivers for receiving global navigation satellite system signals that are used to determine global position and having associated antennas with substantial views of the sky, the one or more base receivers acquiring and tracking the satellite signals and providing range information;

a plurality of slave receivers for receiving the global navigation satellite system signals, the slave receivers being selectively located over the site being monitored, the slave receivers acquiring and tracking the satellite signals and providing range information; and

a data recording and control center for

collecting the range information over an extended period of time and batch processing the information to determine which respective range data are valid and calculate the positions of the respective slave receivers using the valid range data, and

analyzing the calculated positions to determine movement that indicates deformation.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein

the data recording and control center returns the calculated positions to the respective slave receivers, and

the respective slave receivers utilize the calculated positions to acquire and track the signals from one or more satellites.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein

the one or more base receivers provide tracking assistance information, and

the respective slave receivers utilize the tracking assistance information to acquire and track the signals from one or more satellites.

4. The system of claim 1 further including

one or more secondary measurement devices that provide measurement data to the data recording and control center, and

the data recording and control center processes the measurement data and determines movement using both the range information and the measurement data.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the slave receivers provide for the secondary measurement devices timing information that is tied to the timing of codes in the tracked satellite signals.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein

the data recording and control center returns the calculated positions to the respective slave receivers, and

the respective slave receivers utilize the calculated positions to acquire and track the signals from at least one satellite to produce the timing signals.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein

the one or more base receivers provide tracking assistance information, and

the respective slave receivers utilize the tracking assistance information to acquire and track the signals from at least one satellite to produce the timing signals.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein a slave receiver that has lost the satellite signals uses timing signals provided by a neighboring slave receiver that is tracking at least one satellite signal.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the data recording and control center utilizes range information accumulated over intervals in which there is continuity in carrier phase measurements.

10. The deformation monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the data recording and control center utilizes range information from respective slave receivers that are tracking at least one satellite.

11. A deformation monitoring system including:

one or more base receivers for receiving global navigation satellite system signals that are used to determine global position and having associated antennas with substantial views of the sky, the one or more base receivers acquiring and tracking the satellite signals and providing range information;

a plurality of slave receivers for receiving global navigation satellite system signals that are used to determine global position being selectively located over the site being monitored, the slave receivers acquiring and tracking satellite signals and providing range information associated with a given frequency; and

a data recording and control center for

collecting the range information over an extended period of time and batch processing the information to determine which respective range data are valid and calculate the positions of the respective slave receivers using the valid range data, and

analyzing the calculated positions to determine movement that indicates deformation.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein

the one or more base receivers provide tracking assistance information;

and

the respective slave receivers utilize the tracking assistance information to acquire and track the satellite signals.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein

the data recording and control center returns the calculated positions to the respective slave receivers, and

the respective slave receivers utilize the calculated positions to acquire and track satellite signals.

14. The system of claim 11 further including

one or more secondary measurement devices that provide measurement data to the data recording and control center, and

the data recording and control center processes the measurement data and determines movement using both the range information and the measurement data.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the slave receivers provide to the secondary measurement devices timing information that is tied to the timing of codes in the tracked satellite signals.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein a slave receiver that has lost the satellite signals uses timing signals provided by a neighboring slave receiver that is tracking at least one satellite signal.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the slave receivers that are tracking at least one satellite produce the timing signals.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein

the one or more base receivers provide tracking assistance information,

the data recording and control center returns the calculated positions to the respective slave receivers, and

the respective slave receivers utilize the calculated positions and the tracking assistance information to acquire and track signals from at least one satellite and produce the timing signals which are tied to the timing of the codes in the tracked satellite signal.