Method of and system for communication between points along a fluid flow

• US 5,991,602 A
• Filed: 12/11/1996
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Labarge Incorporated (Ducommun LaBarge Technologies, Inc. (California))
• Original Assignee: Labarge Incorporated (Ducommun LaBarge Technologies, Inc. (California))
• Inventors: Sturm, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aoki, Makoto
• Application Number:
  US08/764,668
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 455/40, 340/853.1, 340/853.2, 340/853.3, 340/854.3, 340/854.6, 340/854.8, 340/825.54, 367/81, 367/82, 367/83, 406/49, 406/189
• US Class Current: 455/40
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/138 Devices entrained in the flow of well-bore fluid for transmitting data, control or actuation signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/00 Transmission systems characterised by the medium used for transmission, not provided for in groups H04B3/00 - H04B11/00

Abstract

A method of communicating data between points along a fluid flow includes providing a plurality of remotely writable and readable data storage units capable of flowing in the fluid flow; remotely writing data to the data storage units as they pass a first point in the fluid flow; and remotely reading data from the data storage units as they pass a second point in the fluid flow downstream of the first point. The system of the present invention includes a plurality of remotely writable and readable data storage units capable of flowing in the fluid flow; a data writer at the first point for remotely writing data to the data carriers as they pass the first point in the fluid flow; and a data reader at the second point for remotely reading data from the data carriers as they pass the second point in the fluid flow.

Claims

1. A system for communicating data along a fluid flow, the system comprising:

a plurality of remotely writable and readable electronic data storage units capable of flowing in a fluid flow;

a data writer at a first point along the fluid flow for remotely writing data to the electronic data storage units as they pass said first point in the fluid flow;

a data reader at a second point along the fluid flow for remotely reading data from the electronic data storage units as they pass said second point in the fluid flow, said second point separated by a distance from said first point; and

a plurality of data sensors coupled to said data writer, said plurality of data sensors configured to accumulate data for writing to said plurality of electronic data storage units.