Geo-locating positions along optical waveguides

• US 9,316,762 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Barfoot, David A., McPhail, Paul H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Petkovsek, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/049,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20150098673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 385/12, 385/13, 356/73.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35338 using other arrangements than interferometer arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/16 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/24 using optical fibres

Abstract

A method of correlating physical locations with respective positions along an optical waveguide can include transmitting to the waveguide a signal including an indication of the transmitting location, and the waveguide receiving the signal. A system for correlating a physical location with a position along an optical waveguide can include a transmitter which transmits to the optical waveguide a signal including an indication of the transmitter location, and a computer which correlates the location to the position, based on the signal as received by the waveguide. A method of determining a position along an optical waveguide at which a signal is transmitted can include modulating on the signal an indication of a transmission location, and transmitting the signal to the waveguide, thereby causing vibration of the waveguide.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a signal to an optical waveguide from a transmitter, the transmitter located at a physical location, the signal including an indication of the physical location of the transmitter;

receiving the signal with the optical waveguide from exterior to the optical waveguide at a position along the optical waveguide from an input to the optical waveguide; and

correlating the physical location with the position along the optical waveguide using light injected at the input of the optical waveguide.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the physical location includes a latitude and longitude of the physical location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the physical location includes a descriptor of the physical location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises acoustically transmitting the signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises causing vibration of the optical waveguide.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a distance along the optical waveguide corresponding to the position at which the signal is received.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the position along the optical waveguide closest to the transmitting.