Directional drilling target steering apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9540879-B2
Application number	US-201213725718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2012
Priority date	Jan 5, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus and method are used in conjunction with a system for performing horizontal directional drilling, the system including a drill string extending from a drill rig to a boring tool such that the boring tool is steerable based on a roll orientation. The system also includes an arrangement for generating steering commands for guiding the boring tool to a target position. Responsive at least in part to the steering commands, a display is configured to selectively indicate each of a rotate command, a push command and a spin command. A steering indicator is described which indicates a current roll orientation of the boring tool. A 3-D grid can be animated and centered on either a steering or target indicator. Rounding of a steering command ratio can limit the display of target roll orientations to only those that a given boring tool transmitter is capable of sensing and indicating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. In a system for performing horizontal directional drilling including a drill string extending from a drill rig to a boring tool such that the boring tool is steerable based on a roll orientation thereof, said system including an arrangement for generating steering commands for guiding the boring tool to a target position, an apparatus comprising:
a display configured to selectively indicate, responsive at least in part to the steering commands, rig actuation commands including each of a rotate command, a push command and a spin command such that at any given time during a drilling operation one of the rotate command, the push command and the spin command is issued to an operator of the system wherein execution of the rig actuation commands guides the boring tool to the target position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display is configured to visually indicate each of said rotate command, said push command and said spin command to the operator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display illustrates a steering indicator that is positioned on the display based on the steering commands and the steering indicator indicates said roll orientation of the boring tool.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the steering indicator graphically indicates the roll orientation on a clock face.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the steering indicator numerically indicates the roll orientation.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the system generates the steering commands including a vertical steering command and a horizontal steering command and wherein the display is configured to switch between indicating the spin command and each of the push command and the rotate command based on a threshold value of a magnitude of each of the vertical steering command and the horizontal steering command.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display illustrates a steering indicator that is positioned on the display based on the steering commands and the steering indicator is configured to change in appearance while the spin command is issued as compared to the appearances of the push command and the rotate command.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display illustrates a target indicator and the target indicator is configured to include a first diameter corresponding to the push command and the rotate command and a second, larger diameter corresponding to the spin command.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the display further illustrates a steering indicator and said display is configured to center the steering indicator on the target indicator responsive to both the vertical steering command and the horizontal steering command satisfying a threshold value of a magnitude of each of the vertical steering command and the horizontal steering command.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the target position is defined in fixed relation to a portable device that receives a locating signal from the boring tool.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the target position is a point along a predetermined bore plan which target position is defined in relation to a portable device that is located above ground.

12. In a system for performing horizontal directional drilling including a drill string extending from a drill rig to a boring tool such that the boring tool exhibits a pitch orientation and at least periodically transmits a pitch reading based on the pitch orientation and is steerable based on a roll orientation thereof, said system including an arrangement for generating steering commands for guiding the boring tool to a target position, an apparatus comprising:
a display configured to illustrate a steering indicator in a positional relationship with a target indicator on said display and said steering indicator is configured to present information that is representative of a current roll orientation of the boring tool using a set of predefined roll positions in conjunction with indicating a desired steering direction to steer the boring tool to the target position and the desired steering direction, as indicated, moves stepwise between the plurality of predefined roll positions responsive to the current roll orientation of the boring tool and the display is further configured to illustrate a current pitch orientation in conjunction with a pitch trend including a minimum pitch and a maximum pitch based on a plurality of the transmitted pitch readings.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the steering indicator graphically illustrates the current roll orientation on a clock face.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the steering indicator includes a roll bar that illustrates the current roll orientation.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the roll bar is configured for stepwise movement between the plurality of predefined roll positions on the clock face responsive to the current roll orientation of the boring tool.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the steering indicator numerically illustrates the current roll orientation of the boring tool.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the steering indicator includes a pitch horizon that indicates said current pitch orientation.

18. In a system for performing horizontal directional drilling including a drill string extending from a drill rig to a boring tool such that the boring tool is steerable based on a roll orientation thereof, said system including an arrangement for generating steering commands for guiding the boring tool to a target position, an apparatus comprising:
a display configured to illustrate a steering indicator in a positional relationship with a target indicator on said display and said steering indicator is configured to present information that is representative of a current roll orientation of the boring tool using a set of predefined roll positions in conjunction with indicating a desired steering direction to steer the boring tool to the target position and the desired steering direction, as indicated, moves stepwise between the plurality of predefined roll positions responsive to the current roll orientation of the boring tool and the target indicator is positionally fixed on the display and the steering indicator moves around the target indicator to present the positional relationship.

19. In a system for performing horizontal directional drilling including a drill string extending from a drill rig to a boring tool such that the boring tool is steerable based on a roll orientation thereof, said system including an arrangement for generating steering commands for guiding the boring tool to a target position, an apparatus comprising:
a display configured to illustrate a steering indicator in a positional relationship with a target indicator on said display and said steering indicator is configured to present information that is representative of a current roll orientation of the boring tool using a set of predefined roll positions in conjunction with indicating a desired steering direction to steer the boring tool to the target position and the desired steering direction, as indicated, moves stepwise between the plurality of predefined roll positions responsive to the current roll orientation of the boring tool and the steering indicator is positionally fixed on the display and the target indicator moves around the steering indicator to present the positional relationship.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the display is configured to illustrate a series of geometric shapes that lead from the steering indicator to the target i

Assignees

• Merlin Technology Inc

Inventors

• Kolpack Bruce
• Bahr David
• Hall Thomas J
• Medeiros Benjamin J

Classifications

• E21B41/00

  Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 · CPC title

• E21B7/06

  Deflecting the direction of boreholes · CPC title

• E21B7/046 Primary

  horizontal drilling (drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003) · CPC title

• E21B47/024

  of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) · CPC title

• E21B47/02 Primary

  Determining slope or direction · CPC title