Acoustic communication and control for seismic sensors

• US 7,957,222 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Soares, Richard Pereira Jr., Prado, Edward R., Guyette, Andrew W., Souders, Keith A., Haque, Jamal
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/868,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20090092002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 367/76, 340/870.07
• US Class Current: 367/76
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/22 Transmitting seismic signals to recording or processing apparatus

Abstract

A method for wireless communication in a seismic sensor network is disclosed. The method comprises providing a first acoustic device having at least one seismic sensor with communication and control data to communicate over an acoustic energy wave on a first communications channel. The first acoustic device generates the acoustic energy wave with a first wave intensity. The first acoustic device is configured to receive a reflection of the generated wave at a prescribed signal sensitivity level based on a network configuration. If the first wave intensity is below the prescribed signal sensitivity level, the first wave intensity of the acoustic energy wave is tuned to the prescribed signal sensitivity level to interpret the communication and control data provided by the first communications channel.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication in a seismic sensor network, the method comprising:

generating an acoustic energy wave with a first wave intensity at a first acoustic device, the first acoustic device including at least one seismic sensor comprising communication and control data to communicate over the acoustic energy wave on a first communications channel;

configuring the first acoustic device to receive a reflection of the generated acoustic energy wave at a prescribed signal sensitivity level based on a network configuration; and

if the first wave intensity is below the prescribed signal sensitivity level, tuning the first wave intensity of the acoustic energy wave to the prescribed signal sensitivity level to interpret the communication and control data provided by the first communications channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing an acoustic communications protocol to transfer the communication and control data between the first acoustic device and a central data unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the acoustic energy wave with the first wave intensity comprises transmitting the communications and control data over the acoustic energy wave at a first frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the first acoustic device comprises communicating substantially simultaneously between the first acoustic device and a plurality of additional acoustic devices each having at least one seismic sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the first acoustic device comprises communicating sequentially at a fixed frequency value between the first acoustic device and a plurality of additional acoustic devices each having at least one seismic sensor.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including executable instructions that cause one or more processors to:

generate an acoustic energy wave with a first wave intensity at a first acoustic device, the first acoustic device including at least one seismic sensor and communication and control data to communicate over the acoustic energy wave on a first communications channel;

configure the first acoustic device to receive a reflection of the generated acoustic energy wave at a prescribed signal sensitivity level based on a network configuration; and

if the first wave intensity is below the prescribed signal sensitivity level, tune the first wave intensity of the acoustic energy wave to the prescribed signal sensitivity level to interpret the communication and control data provided by the first communications channel.

7. A method for providing acoustic communications with a seismic sensor network, the method comprising:

configuring at least a first acoustic device and a second acoustic device, each including at least one seismic sensor, as a first sensor pair; and

operating the first sensor pair in a communication monitoring process, the process comprising;

generating an acoustic energy wave at the first acoustic device with a first wave intensity to transmit communications and control data using a first communications channel;

configuring the second acoustic device for a prescribed signal sensitivity level, the second acoustic device operable to receive the communications and control data on the first communications channel at the first wave intensity; and

based on an acoustic communications protocol, communicating the communications and control data on the first communications channel to at least a third acoustic device configured to interpret the acoustic energy wave at the first wave intensity.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating the acoustic energy wave at the second acoustic device with the first wave intensity.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein configuring the first and second acoustic devices as the first sensor pair comprises concealing the first sensor pair for at least one monitoring configuration.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein configuring the first and second acoustic devices as the first sensor pair comprises using the first wave intensity to provide a unique identifier for each of the acoustic devices in the seismic sensor network.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the acoustic energy wave comprises transmitting the communications and control data at a first frequency.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein communicating the communications data to at least the third acoustic device comprises communicating substantially simultaneously between each of the acoustic devices in the seismic sensor network at the prescribed signal sensitivity level.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein communicating the communications data to at least the third acoustic device comprises communicating using at least one form of serial communications between each of the acoustic devices in the seismic sensor network at the prescribed signal sensitivity level.

14. A seismic sensor network comprising:

a plurality of acoustic devices, each acoustic device of the plurality of acoustic devices comprising;

at least one seismic sensor; and

a processing unit in communication with the at least one seismic sensor, wherein the at least one seismic sensor is operable to generate and receive an acoustic energy wave with a first wave intensity; and

a central data unit operable to provide communication and control data for the plurality of acoustic devices to transmit using the at least one seismic sensors of the plurality of acoustic devices;

wherein each acoustic device of the plurality of acoustic devices is operable to;

configure each of the at least one seismic sensors to communicate on the acoustic energy wave over a first communications channel; and

tune the first wave intensity of the acoustic energy wave at each acoustic device of the plurality of acoustic devices to interpret the communication and control data provided by the first communications channel based on a prescribed signal sensitivity level.

15. The seismic sensor network of claim 14, wherein each acoustic device of the plurality of acoustic devices is further operable to receive a reflection of the generated wave at the prescribed signal sensitivity level in the concealed monitoring environment.

16. The seismic sensor network of claim 14, wherein the central data unit is configured to process the communication and control data provided by a data interface responsive to the first communications channel.

17. The seismic sensor network of claim 14, wherein the first communications channel is operable to allow substantially simultaneous communications between the plurality of acoustic devices in the seismic sensor network.

18. The seismic sensor network of claim 14, wherein the first communications channel is operable to allow serial communications between the plurality of acoustic devices in the seismic sensor network.

19. The seismic sensor network of claim 14, wherein the acoustic energy wave comprises a first seismic frequency operable to transmit the communications and control data over the first communications channel using an acoustic communications protocol.

20. The seismic sensor network of claim 14, wherein the acoustic energy wave comprises a unique identifier for each of the acoustic devices.