In-field configuration of land survey sensors

• US 9,213,094 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WesternGeco LLC
• Original Assignee: WesternGeco LLC
• Inventors: Golparian, Daniel, Lepper, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Satanovsky, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US12/482,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,378 Days
• Field of Search: 702/14, 367/14, 367/16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/825 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/003 Seismic data acquisition in general, e.g. survey design G01V1/3808, G01V1/42 take precedence

Abstract

Described herein are implementations of various technologies for a method for in-field configuration of land survey sensors. One or more planned positions of the sensors may be received. One or more actual positions of the sensors may be determined. The actual positions may be sent to the sensors while the sensors are powered off.

Claims

1. A method for configuring land survey sensors, comprising:

receiving one or more planned positions of the sensors;

determining one or more actual positions of the sensors;

sending the actual positions to radio-frequency identification (RFID) transceivers of the sensors receiving one or more serial numbers of the sensors from the RFID transceivers of the sensors forwarding the one or more serial numbers to a data center using the handheld device; and

forwarding the actual positions to the data center.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the actual positions of the sensors are determined using a global navigation satellite system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the sensors according to the planned positions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein placing the one or more sensors according to the planned positions comprises placing the one or more sensors in one or more positions different from the planned positions if an obstruction exists at the planned positions.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the planned positions are different from the actual positions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a time of the placement of the sensors, a weather condition at the time, a geology description of a surface at the actual positions, a description of a coupling of the sensors to the surface at the actual positions, or combinations thereof, to the sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise electromagnetic survey sensors.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise seismic survey sensors.

9. A land acquisition system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors disposed in a survey area;

a handheld device for configuring the sensors comprising;

a processor; and

a memory having program instructions configured to cause the processor to;

receive one or more planned positions of the sensors;

determine one or more actual positions of the sensors;

send the actual positions to radio-frequency identification (RFID) transceivers of the sensors while the sensors are powered off;

receive one or more serial numbers of the sensors from the RFID transceivers of the sensors;

forward the one or more serial numbers to a data center; and

send the actual positions to the data center.

10. The land acquisition system of claim 9, wherein the handheld device further comprises a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module configured to determine the actual positions of the sensors.

11. The land acquisition system of claim 9, wherein the handheld device further comprises a RFID write module configured to send the actual positions to the sensors.

12. The land acquisition system of claim 9, wherein the handheld device further comprises a RFID read module configured to receive the one or more serial numbers of the sensors.

13. The land acquisition system of claim 9, wherein each sensor comprises an active RFID tag that is configured to receive the actual positions from the handheld device and to write the actual positions to a memory of the RFID tag.

14. The land acquisition system of claim 9, wherein the sensors comprise electromagnetic survey sensors.

15. The land acquisition system of claim 9, wherein the sensors comprise seismic survey sensors.

16. A method for processing seismic data, comprising:

receiving, at a data center, a first set of serial numbers of sensors from a handheld device, wherein the first set of serial numbers was received from radio-frequency identification (RFID) transceivers of the sensors while the sensors were powered off;

receiving, at the data center, a second set of serial numbers of the sensors from the sensors;

comparing the first set of serial numbers with the second set of serial numbers;

determining, using a microprocessor, whether seismic data has been received from the sensors in a seismic survey area based on the comparison;

receiving actual positions of the sensors; and

processing the seismic data based on the actual positions if it is determined that the seismic data has been received from the sensors based on the comparison.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the seismic data has been received from the sensors comprises:

determining that the seismic data from all of the sensors have not been received, if the first set of serial numbers does not match the second set of serial numbers.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the seismic data has been received from the sensors comprises:

determining that the seismic data from all of the sensors have been received, if the first set of serial numbers matches the second set of serial numbers.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first set of serial numbers was received by the handheld device from the RFID transceivers of the sensors.