Electromagnetic receiver tracking and real-time calibration system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10338262-B2
Application number	US-201815966252-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2018
Priority date	Apr 7, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

An electromagnetic (EM) receiver system for measuring EM signals. The EM receiver system includes a survey EM transmitter for generating survey EM signals within a first frequency range; a tracking EM transmitter for generating tracking signals within a second frequency range; and a receiver section including a receiver that measures both the survey EM signals and the tracking signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic (EM) system for measuring EM signals, the EM system comprising:
a survey EM transmitter for generating survey EM signals within a first frequency range;
a tracking reference frame;
plural tracking EM transmitters for generating tracking signals within a second frequency range, wherein the plural tracking EM transmitters are rigidly attached to the tracking reference frame; and
a receiver section, including a receiver housing and a receiver, that measures both the survey EM signals and the tracking signals,
wherein the receiver housing is attached with a connecting mechanism to the tracking reference frame so that the receiver housing freely translates and rotates in all directions.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver includes three mutually orthogonal coils, each independently measuring each of the tracking signals.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller connected to the receiver and configured to calculate a position and orientation of the receiver relative to the tracking reference frame, based on the recorded tracking signals.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a synchronization unit for controlling and processing signals in the EM system.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein each tracking EM transmitter includes two or three mutually orthogonal transmitter coils.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver includes two or three mutually orthogonal receiver coils.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional receiver having two or three mutually orthogonal receiver coils.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the additional receiver is used exclusively for tracking purposes.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the EM transmitter includes two or three mutually orthogonal transmitter coils and each transmitter coil independently generates the EM signals.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an inertial system that has accelerometers and roll rate sensors for measuring position and orientation.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein a distance between the receiver and a tracking EM transmitter of the plural tracking EM transmitters is smaller than a radius of the survey transmitter.

12. An electromagnetic (EM) system for measuring EM signals, the EM system comprising:
a transmitter section;
a receiver section;
a tracking reference frame; and
a tow assembly connecting the transmitter section and the receiver section to an aircraft,
wherein the transmitter section includes a survey EM transmitter for generating survey EM signals within a first frequency range, and
plural tracking EM transmitters for generating tracking signals within a second frequency range, wherein the plural tracking EM transmitters are rigidly attached to the tracking reference frame,
wherein the receiver section includes a receiver housing and a receiver that measures both the survey EM signals and the tracking signals, and
wherein the receiver housing is attached with a connecting mechanism to the tracking reference frame so that the receiver housing freely translates and rotates in all directions.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the receiver includes three mutually orthogonal coils, each independently measuring each of the tracking signals.

14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:
a controller connected to the receiver and configured to calculate a position and orientation of the receiver relative to the tracking reference frame based on the recorded tracking signals.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein each tracking EM transmitter includes two or three mutually orthogonal transmitter coils.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the receiver includes two or three mutually orthogonal receiver coils.

17. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:
an additional receiver having two or three mutually orthogonal receiver coils.

18. A method for determining the position and/or orientation of an electromagnetic (EM) receiver, the method comprising:
crossing a given exploration area with a transmitter section, wherein the transmitter section includes a survey EM transmitter for generating survey EM signals within a first frequency range and plural tracking EM transmitters for generating tracking signals within a second frequency range, wherein the plural tracking EM transmitters are rigidly attached to a tracking reference frame; and
recording with a receiver section, including a receiver housing and a receiver, both the survey EM signals and the tracking signals,
wherein the receiver housing is attached with a connecting mechanism to the tracking reference frame so that the receiver housing freely translates and rotates in all directions.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
calculating in a controller a position and/or orientation of the receiver relative to the tracking reference frame based on the recorded tracking signals.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
calibrating a receiver movement compensation from the survey EM signals.

Assignees

• Cgg Services Sas

Inventors

• Miles Philip
• Berringer Jason

Classifications

• G01V3/12

  operating with electromagnetic waves {(operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005)} · CPC title

• G01V3/30

  operating with electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• G01V3/165 Primary

  operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by the object or by the detecting device (with electromagnetic waves G01V3/17) · CPC title

• G01V3/083

  Controlled source electromagnetic [CSEM] surveying · CPC title

• G01V3/265

  Operating with fields produced by spontaneous potentials, e.g. electrochemicals or produced by telluric currents · CPC title