Wireless data acquisition network

• US 8,520,587 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sercel (Cggveritas)
• Original Assignee: Sercel (Cggveritas)
• Inventors: Menard, Jean-Paul, Hamon, Jacques, Sagot, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): VIANA DI PRISCO, GERMAN
• Application Number:
  US11/268,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20070025308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,849 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/003 Seismic data acquisition in general, e.g. survey design G01V1/3808, G01V1/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a device, a method and an apparatus for acquiring data, the device comprising a wireless network including a set of nodes (100), each node (100) including a sender (140) and a receiver (150) for sending and/or receiving and/or relaying data and/or commands, and a satellite positioning system (130), characterized in that each satellite positioning system (130) includes means for providing specific data used for time-stamping the data relative to a common time reference, organizing an access to the wireless network in a perfectly controlled manner, and routing data and/or commands within the network.

Claims

1. A seismic data acquisition device for oil exploration on ground comprising a wireless network including:

a set of nodes having each a first satellite positioning system for determining a first position of each node and at least one seismic sensor for acquiring seismic sensor data, the seismic sensors being disposed on or into the ground to capture echoes of waves emitted by seismic sources to construct a map of a subsurface of the ground,

a concentrator to centralize said seismic sensor data, the concentrator being distinct from the nodes and having a second satellite positioning system for determining a second position of the concentrator, the concentrator is configured to calculate, based on the first positions of the first satellite positioning systems of the nodes and on the second position of the second satellite positioning system of the concentrator, the distance of each node relative to the concentrator and the direction of each node relative to the concentrator,

wherein the first satellite positioning systems of the nodes and the second satellite positioning system of the concentrator bring a common time reference to the concentrator and to the nodes, and each node has means for time-stamping its seismic sensor data relative to the common time reference,

the concentrator is also configured to send wirelessly commands for nodes of the network and configured to receive wirelessly said seismic sensor data,

wherein each node has a sender and a receiver configured to receive wirelessly and pass wirelessly the commands to another node and configured to receive wirelessly said seismic sensor data from another node, send wirelessly and relay wirelessly said seismic sensor data to another node,

wherein the concentrator is configured to control, based on said calculated distance relative to the concentrator, on said calculated direction of each node relative to the concentrator and on said common time reference, the routing of the commands from the concentrator to a node of the network through at least one other node of the network in allocated time slots, and is configured to control, based on said calculated distance relative to the concentrator, on said calculated direction of each node relative to the concentrator and on said common time reference, the routing of seismic sensor data from a node of the network through at least one other node of the network to the concentrator in allocated time slots,

wherein the concentrator is configured to serve as a local geographic reference for the set of nodes,

wherein the concentrator is configured to allocate, based on said calculated distance relative to the concentrator, on said calculated direction of each node relative to the concentrator and on said common time reference, to each node;

said time slots during which the receiver of the node must receive the seismic sensor data originating from one or more other nodes of the network and the commands coming from the concentrator or one or more other nodes of the network,

said time slots during which the node is switched to a standby mode, in which the sender of the node does not send, in which the receiver of the node does not receive and in which a memory of the node stores the commands received wirelessly from the concentrator or one or more other nodes of the network and the seismic sensor data received wirelessly from one or more other nodes of the network,

said time slots during which the sender of the node must send the seismic sensor data and the commands to one or more other nodes of the network.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein each node is configured to time stamp the commands it has received relative to the common time reference.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein each satellite positioning system is configured to provide specific data used to organize in a controlled manner the allocation of a specific radiofrequency between a sender and a receiver, respectively located in separate nodes of the network.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the concentrator organizes, in a controlled way and on the basis of specific data provided by the satellite positioning system, the access to the wireless network, the routing within the network of the data and commands that it generates, the time-oriented sequencing of the operation of the sender and of the receiver with each of the nodes, and the allocation of a specific radiofrequency between a sender and a receiver respectively located in separate nodes of the network.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein each node includes at least one analog digital converter for converting the seismic data from said at least one seismic sensor and means associated with the analog-digital converter for linking time-stamping information with said seismic data.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein each node includes means for linking time-stamping information with the seismic sensor data of the sensor of said node, wherein the memory stores the time-stamping information with the seismic sensor data of said node.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein each node includes at least one analog digital converter for converting the seismic data from said at least one seismic sensor, the memory stores the specific data provided by the satellite positioning system, the data from said at least one analog-digital converter of a node, the data and/or commands from one or more other nodes of the network.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the concentrator controls the frequency emitted by a transmitting node and to notify a receiving node of said frequency.

9. A method of acquiring seismic data for oil exploration on ground within a wireless network, wherein the wireless network includes:

a set of nodes having each a first satellite positioning system for determining a first position of each node and at least one seismic sensor for acquiring seismic sensor data, the seismic sensors being disposed on or into the ground to capture echoes of waves emitted by seismic sources to construct a map of a subsurface of the ground,

a concentrator centralizing said seismic sensor data, the concentrator being distinct from the nodes and having a satellite positioning system for determining a second position of the concentrator, and the concentrator serving as a local geographic reference for the set of nodes, said method comprising steps of;

bringing by the first satellite positioning systems of the nodes and the second satellite positioning system of the concentrator a common time reference to the concentrator and to the nodes,

time-stamping in each node the seismic sensor data relative to the common time reference,

determining in the concentrator, based on the first positions of the first satellite positioning systems of the nodes and on the second position of the second satellite positioning system of the concentrator, the distance of each node relative to the concentrator and the direction of each node relative to the concentrator,

sending wirelessly commands for nodes of the network by the concentrator,

receiving wirelessly and passing wirelessly the commands from the concentrator or at least one node of the network to another node of the network, said node including a sender and a receiver to receive wirelessly and send wirelessly the commands to another node and to receive wirelessly said seismic sensor data from another node, send wirelessly and relay wirelessly said seismic sensor data to another node;

controlling by the concentrator, based on said determined distance relative to the concentrator, on the determined direction of each node distance relative to the concentrator and on said common time reference, the routing of the commands from the concentrator to a node of the network through at least one other node of the network in allocated time slots, controlling by the concentrator, based on said determined distance relative to the concentrator, on the determined direction of each node relative to the concentrator and on said common time reference, the routing of the seismic sensor data from a node of the network through at least one other node of the network to the concentrator in allocated time slots,

allocating by the concentrator, based on said determined distance relative to the concentrator, on the determined direction of each node relative to the concentrator and on said common time reference, to each node;

said time slots during which the receiver of the node must receive the seismic sensor data originating from one or more other nodes of the network and the commands coming from the concentrator or one or more other nodes of the network,

said time slots during which the node is switched to a standby mode, in which the sender of the node does not send, in which the receiver of the node does not receive and in which a memory of the node stores the commands received wirelessly from the concentrator or one or more other nodes of the network and the seismic sensor data of the sensor of the node and the seismic sensor data received wirelessly from one or more other nodes of the network, and

said time slots during which the sender of the node must send the seismic sensor data and the commands to one or more other nodes of the network.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of time-stamping in each node the commands it has received relative to the common time reference.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of organizing in a controlled manner the allocation of a specific radiofrequency between a sender and a receiver, respectively located in separate nodes of the network.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of linking the stamping information with the seismic sensor data of the sensor of each node and storing the time-stamping information with the sensor data of said node in the memory of the node.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

controlling, by the concentrator, the frequency emitted by a transmitting node; and

notifying by the concentrator, a receiving node of said frequency.