System and method for optimizing an operation of a sensor used with wellbore equipment
First Claim
1. A method for optimizing a data rate of a sensor used with well operation equipment for an oil or gas well, the method comprising:
- upon receipt of each transmission that comprises at least one parameter value from a sensor module by a processor executing a set of program instructions on a storage device;
receiving the at least one parameter value from the sensor module, said at least one parameter value being transmitted by the sensor module at a first data rate, wherein the at least one parameter value corresponds to a physical parameter measured by the sensor module;
receiving a predetermined parameter threshold associated with a second data rate;
comparing said at least one parameter value transmitted from said sensor module to said predetermined parameter threshold;
determining a rate of change of the at least one parameter value using a stored historical value;
receiving a predetermined rate of change threshold associated with the physical parameter;
comparing the rate of change of the at least one parameter value with the predetermined rate of change threshold;
determining whether said at least one parameter value transmitted from said sensor module is within said predetermined parameter threshold;
determining whether said rate of change is within said predetermined rate of change threshold;
immediately upon determining that said at least one parameter value transmitted from said sensor module is within said predetermined parameter threshold or that said rate of change is within said predetermined rate of change threshold;
generating a command signal for transmission, said command signal comprising said second data rate; and
,transmitting said generated command signal to said sensor module to command said sensor module to transmit subsequent parameter value signals at said second data rate; and
receiving a second parameter value of the subsequent parameter value signals;
determining that the second parameter value represents a static condition for the physical parameter measured by the sensor module;
generating, in response to the determination that the second parameter value represents the static condition, a second command signal for transmission, said second command signal comprising a third data rate, wherein the third data rate is lower than the second data rate; and
transmitting said generated second command signal to said sensor module to command said sensor module to transmit subsequent parameter value signals at said third data rate.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and associated methods may relate to a sensor controller configured to apply predetermined criteria to determine when a parameter value sampled by a sensor module meets the predetermined criteria, and in response to making such a determination, adjust a commanded data rate including an update time period. In an illustrative example, the predetermined criteria may be independently defined for each sensor in a network. In examples with a network of sensors, the sensor controller may dictate sensor module operation at differentiated data rates. In an illustrative example, a sensor controller may communicate with a series of pressure level sensor modules connected to a drilling apparatus in a mud logging application. Upon detection of a pressure level change that exceeds a critical condition as determined through comparison with the predetermined criteria, the sensor controller may increase or decrease a data rate of the respective sensor module, for example.
35 Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A method for optimizing a data rate of a sensor used with well operation equipment for an oil or gas well, the method comprising:
upon receipt of each transmission that comprises at least one parameter value from a sensor module by a processor executing a set of program instructions on a storage device; receiving the at least one parameter value from the sensor module, said at least one parameter value being transmitted by the sensor module at a first data rate, wherein the at least one parameter value corresponds to a physical parameter measured by the sensor module; receiving a predetermined parameter threshold associated with a second data rate; comparing said at least one parameter value transmitted from said sensor module to said predetermined parameter threshold; determining a rate of change of the at least one parameter value using a stored historical value; receiving a predetermined rate of change threshold associated with the physical parameter; comparing the rate of change of the at least one parameter value with the predetermined rate of change threshold; determining whether said at least one parameter value transmitted from said sensor module is within said predetermined parameter threshold; determining whether said rate of change is within said predetermined rate of change threshold; immediately upon determining that said at least one parameter value transmitted from said sensor module is within said predetermined parameter threshold or that said rate of change is within said predetermined rate of change threshold; generating a command signal for transmission, said command signal comprising said second data rate; and
,transmitting said generated command signal to said sensor module to command said sensor module to transmit subsequent parameter value signals at said second data rate; and receiving a second parameter value of the subsequent parameter value signals; determining that the second parameter value represents a static condition for the physical parameter measured by the sensor module; generating, in response to the determination that the second parameter value represents the static condition, a second command signal for transmission, said second command signal comprising a third data rate, wherein the third data rate is lower than the second data rate; and transmitting said generated second command signal to said sensor module to command said sensor module to transmit subsequent parameter value signals at said third data rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
13. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a storage device as a set of program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to cause operations to be performed to optimize a data rate of a first sensor module of a plurality of sensor modules used with well operation equipment for an oil or gas well, the operations comprising:
upon receipt of each transmission that comprises at least one parameter value from the plurality of sensor modules; receiving the at least one parameter value from the first sensor module, said at least one parameter value being transmitted by the first sensor module at a first data rate, wherein the at least one parameter value corresponds to a physical parameter measured by the first sensor module; receiving a predetermined parameter threshold associated with a second data rate; comparing said at least one parameter value transmitted from said first sensor module to said predetermined parameter threshold; and
,determining whether said at least one parameter value transmitted from said first sensor module is within said predetermined parameter threshold; determining a data bandwidth for a controller, where the controller is configured to receive a plurality of transmissions from the plurality of sensor modules; determining whether said data bandwidth for the controller is within a predetermined threshold; immediately upon determining that said at least one parameter value transmitted from said sensor module is within said predetermined parameter threshold and that said data bandwidth is within the predetermined threshold; generating a first command signal for transmission, said first command signal comprising said second data rate for the first sensor module; and
,transmitting said generated first command signal to said first sensor module to command said first sensor module to transmit subsequent parameter value signals at said second data rate, wherein the second data rate and a data rate for a second sensor module of the plurality of sensor modules are selected not to require sampling and transmission of the at least one parameter value from the first sensor module and a second parameter value from the second sensor module at concurrent times; receiving a second parameter value of the subsequent parameter value signals from the first sensor module; determining that the second parameter value represents a static condition for the physical parameter measured by the first sensor module; generating, in response to the determination that the second parameter value represents the static condition, a second command signal for transmission, said second command signal comprising a third data rate, wherein the third data rate is lower than the second data rate; and transmitting said generated second command signal to said first sensor module to command said first sensor module to transmit subsequent parameter value signals at said third data rate. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
Specification