Filters Patents (Class 367/43)
  • Publication number: 20080175101
    Abstract: A method and system for processing synchronous array seismic data includes acquiring synchronous passive seismic data from a plurality of sensors to obtain synchronized array measurements. A reverse-time data process is applied to the synchronized array measurements to obtain a plurality of dynamic particle parameters associated with subsurface locations. These dynamic particle parameters are stored in a form for display. Maximum values of the dynamic particle parameters may be interpreted as reservoir locations. The dynamic particle parameters may be particle displacement values, particle velocity values, particle acceleration values or particle pressure values. The sensors may be three-component sensors. Zero-phase frequency filtering of different ranges of interest may be applied. The data may be resampled to facilitate efficient data processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: Spectraseis AG
    Inventors: Erik Saenger, Brian Steiner, Stefan Schmalholz
  • Publication number: 20080130411
    Abstract: The methods described herein are conceptually similar to classical migration/imaging for surface seismic data. However, instead of using computed (estimated) Green's functions in the imaging process, the instant invention utilizes measured (near-exact) Green's functions from VSP data to image the surface seismic data. Although the instant invention is best utilized where the velocity profile is approximately 1D (i.e., v(z)), the methods disclosed herein can also be extended to instances where there are some lateral velocity variations. Under these conditions, the instant invention allows for imaging surface seismic data and ‘self-imaging’ VSP data without first having to estimate a velocity model. The measurements obtained from the VSP data can also be used as a tool for calibrating computed Green's functions and migration operators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Inventors: Sverre Brandsberg-Dahl, Brian E. Hornby
  • Patent number: 7382685
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for filtering data acquired at a plurality of discrete data points is described, using the steps of defining a filter having defined filter values at defined filter points at least partially not coincident with the data points and using the defined filter values at the defined filter points to determine filter values at the data points, thereby correcting the filter to have filter values at filter points coinciding with the data points and filtering the data using the corrected filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Ralf Ferber, Ali Ozbek
  • Patent number: 7382682
    Abstract: The invention relates to processing seismic data that contains both a desired signal and swell noise. The method is applicable to seismic data is in the frequency-space domain method and comprises determining a signal-only prediction filter from the seismic data at a first frequency at which swell noise is not present, and applying the prediction filter to seismic data at a second frequency at which swell noise is present. This attenuates swell noise in the seismic data at the second frequency. In one embodiment, the prediction filter for a frequency fL, the lowest frequency at which swell noise is present, is determined from seismic data at frequency fH+1, where fH is the highest frequency at which swell noise is present. The prediction filter for a frequency fL+1 is determined from seismic data at frequency fH+2, and so on, so that the prediction filter for frequency fH+1 is determined from seismic data at frequency f2H?L+1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Western Geco L.L.C.
    Inventor: Kamil Zerouk
  • Patent number: 7366054
    Abstract: Methods of processing seismic data to remove unwanted noise from meaningful reflection signals are provided for. The methods comprise the steps of assembling seismic data into common geometry gathers in an offset-time domain without correcting the data for normal moveout. The amplitude data are then transformed from the offset-time domain to the time-slowness domain using a Radon transformation. A corrective filter is then applied to enhance the primary reflection signal content of the data and to eliminate unwanted noise events. The corrective filter has a pass region with a lower pass limit and a higher pass limit. The higher pass limit is set within 15% above the slowness of the primary reflection signals and, preferably, it is more closely set to the slowness of the primary reflection signals. The lower pass limit is also preferably set within 15% below the slowness of the primary reflection signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Inventor: Lawrence C. Wood
  • Patent number: 7239578
    Abstract: Methods of processing seismic data to remove unwanted noise from meaningful reflection signals are provided for. The methods comprise the steps of assembling seismic data into common geometry gathers in an offset-time domain without correcting the data for normal moveout. The amplitude data are then transformed from the offset-time domain to the time-slowness domain using a Radon transformation. At least of subset of the transformed data is filtered to enhance its coherent noise content and to diminish its primary reflection signal content by defining a slowness high-pass region and, a slowness low-pass region. The low-pass region is defined to enhance the low slowness coherent noise content and to diminish the primary reflection signal content thereof, thereby generating a first subset of said transformed data having enhanced low slowness coherent noise content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Inventor: John M. Robinson
  • Patent number: 6987706
    Abstract: Methods of processing seismic data to remove unwanted noise from meaningful reflection signals are provided for. The seismic data is transformed from the offset-time domain to the time-slowness domain using a high resolution Radon transformation. That is, the Radon transformation is performed according to an index j of the slowness set and a sampling variable ?p; wherein j = p max - p min + 1 ? ? ? µ ? ? ? sec ? / ? m ? ? ? ? p , ?p is from about 0.5 to about 4.0 ?sec/m, pmax is a predetermined maximum slowness, and pmin is a predetermined minimum slowness. A corrective filter is then applied to enhance the primary reflection signal content of the data and to eliminate unwanted noise events. After filtering, the enhanced signal content is inverse transformed from the time-slowness domain back to the offset-time domain using an inverse Radon transformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Inventor: Lawrence C. Wood
  • Patent number: 6961283
    Abstract: The present invention provides an adaptive filtering method for substantially eliminating ground roll noise encountered during seismic data acquisition. An apparatus for acquiring seismic data is provided that includes an adaptive filtering circuit coupled to a multi-axis sensor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Input/Output, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell Kappius, Gary Crews
  • Patent number: 6956790
    Abstract: A method of processing sonic wireline or logging while drilling data acquired in a borehole that includes filtering the sonic data to attenuate tool-borne and borehole-borne arrivals; migrating the filtered sonic data; and beamforming the filtered and migrated sonic data to determine a position of a reflector with respect to the borehole. The sonic data may be processed down-hole, transmitted to the surface, and used for geosteering purposes while drilling. The filter may comprise an adaptive noise-attenuating filter capable of attenuating noise arising from different borehole modes from desired signal and allowing for changes in the source signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Jakob B. U. Haldorsen
  • Patent number: 6912467
    Abstract: A method for performing region growing in a data volume that accounts for noise in the data on a probabilistic basis. The data volume is divided into discrete cells, and a probability distribution for each cell's datum value is calculated. Each probability distribution is randomly sampled to generate one probabilistic, noise-free realization for the data volume, and region growing is performed using selected criteria. The process is repeated for different realizations until sufficient statistics are accumulated to estimate the probable size and connectivity of objects discovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventor: John F. Schuette
  • Patent number: 6882938
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for separating energy resulting from actuating at least two different seismic energy sources from seismic signals. The sources are actuated to provide a variable time delay between successive actuations of a first one and a second one of the sources. The method includes sorting the seismic signals such that events therein resulting from actuations of the first source are substantially coherent in all spatial directions, coherency filtering the first source coherency sorted signals, sorting the seismic signals such that events therein resulting from actuations of the second source are substantially coherent in all spatial directions, and coherency filtering the second source coherency sorted signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: PGS Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Svein Torleif Vaage, Ruben D. Martinez, John Brittan
  • Patent number: 6856575
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a microseismic event includes detecting the event to produce a first signal dependent on the event. The first signal includes noise at a frequency of, for example 50 Hz. A first sample of the first signal is taken. Then a second sample of the first signal is taken, the second sample occurring n/f seconds after the first sample, where n is an integer (e.g. 1). Subtracting the first and second samples from each other produces a farther signal dependent on the event in which the noise has been at least partly compensated for.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: ABB Offshore Systems Limited
    Inventor: Robert Hughes Jones
  • Patent number: 6836448
    Abstract: A system and method of creating a filter for use with locally dense seismic data is disclosed. The method includes obtaining survey geometry characteristics from a locally dense seismic survey. A filter is designed which uses spatial derivatives of the wavefield of order between (1) and the maximum order of spatial derivatives of the wavefield that can be estimated within a group. The filter can be designed so as to separate up/down going components, p/s components, or both up/down and p/s components. Partial derivatives in space and time of the wavefield can be calculated, using, for example, a taylor series expansion as an approximation. The seismic data is filtered by combining estimated near surface material properties, the seismic data, and the calculated partial derivatives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Johan Olof Anders Robertsson, Andrew Curtis
  • Patent number: 6757217
    Abstract: Near-offset and far-offset seismic data volumes are time-aligned by first selecting a plurality of time shifts. The near-offset and far-offset seismic data volumes are cross-correlated at the plurality of time shifts. An initial time-shift volume and a maximum correlation volume are created from the maximal cross-correlations at the plurality of time shifts. Areas of high time shift from the initial time-shift volume and areas of low cross-correlation from the maximum correlation volume are determined. The determined areas of high time shift and low cross-correlation are filtered from the initial time-shift volume, generating a filtered time-shift volume. The filtered time-shift volume is applied to the far-offset seismic volume to generate a time-aligned far-offset volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: John E. Eastwood, Brian P. West, Michael D. Gross, Dwight C. Dawson, David H. Johnston
  • Publication number: 20040066185
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting relative movement of two system (S, S2) by using electromagnets induction (B, v, i) on a sensor with a defined magnetic field (Bm) and compensating for the influence of an external interfering magnetic field (Bs). The magnetic field (Bm) is generated in at least two areas (M, M2) with reversed polarity and a conductor arrangement is designed so that an addition induction effect (i, i2) occurs on the conductor and the external interfering field (B2) is corrected by the additive induction effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Applicant: Emile Helayel
    Inventors: Gyoergy Csikos, Daniele Sartori
  • Patent number: 6691073
    Abstract: This invention unifies a set of statistical signal processing, neuromorphic systems, and microelectronic implementation techniques for blind separation and recovery of mixed signals. A set of architectures, frameworks, algorithms, and devices for separating, discriminating, and recovering original signal sources by processing a set of received mixtures and functions of said signals are described. The adaptation inherent in the referenced architectures, frameworks, algorithms, and devices is based on processing of the received, measured, recorded or otherwise stored signals or functions thereof. There are multiple criteria that can be used alone or in conjunction with other criteria for achieving the separation and recovery of the original signal content from the signal mixtures. The composition adopts both discrete-time and continuous-time formulations with a view towards implementations in the digital as well as the analog domains of microelectronic circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Clarity Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Gamze Erten, Fathi M. Salam
  • Patent number: 6674689
    Abstract: A method for analyzing and classifying the morphology of seismic objects extracted from a 3D seismic data volume. Any technique may be used to extract the seismic objects from the 3D seismic data volume. According to the inventive method, one or more morphologic parameters are selected for use in classifying the morphology of the selected seismic objects. Geometric analyses are then performed on each seismic object to determine geometric statistics corresponding to the selected morphologic parameters. The results of these geometric analyses are used to classify the morphology of the seismic objects according to the selected morphologic parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Paul A. Dunn, Marek K. Czernuszenko
  • Publication number: 20030198132
    Abstract: The present invention provides an adaptive filtering method for substantially eliminating ground roll noise encountered during seismic data acquisition. An apparatus for acquiring seismic data is provided that includes an adaptive filtering circuit coupled to a multi-axis sensor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Publication date: October 23, 2003
    Applicant: Input/Output, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell Kappius, Gary Crews
  • Patent number: 6636816
    Abstract: An error-suppression signal measurement system and method therefor is provided. The system transmits a test signal from a first probe, through a device under test, and into a second probe. The probes extract normalization signals from reference signals therein, exchange specific ones of the normalization signals, and combine the normalization signals with data signals derived from the test signal to form receiver signals. The probes propagate the receiver signals to a receiver, where the signals are gain-ranged, digitized, normalized, and compensated for phase-noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Inventors: Steven L. Dvorak, Ben K. Sternberg
  • Patent number: 6418079
    Abstract: Segmenting the spectral distribution of overlapped vibratory signals improves the efficiency of data acquisition while providing reduced harmonic distortion in the time zones of interest. Two identical sweep segments are used. Each sweep segment includes an earlier low frequency sweep and a later high frequency sweep, the individual sweeps having substantially no overlap in frequency except for tapering. The high frequency sweep in each pair starts before the end of the low frequency sweep with an overlap in time that is selected to avoid harmonics from the low frequency sweep. Correlation of the recorded signal separately with the low frequency sweep and the high frequency sweep gives data sets in which individual portions of the desired data are recoverable with the harmonic distortion largely separated from the desired data. The individual portions of the desired data are then spliced to give a broadband response of the earth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: WesternGeco, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Thomas John Fleure
  • Patent number: 6353577
    Abstract: A seismic sensor unit (10) comprises a case (12) containing electronic circuits (18, 20) that serve to digitise and digitally process the output signals of a seismic sensor element (16) inside the case (12). A first digital filtering of acquired signals can be provided at sensor unit level before the data are further fed into a seismic network and further processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Inventors: Jacques Joseph Henri Orban, Didier Largeau, Andreas Wolfgang Laake, Hans Paulson, Abdullah Akkoca
  • Publication number: 20010012237
    Abstract: A surface acoustic wave filter includes a piezoelectric substrate and a plurality of surface acoustic wave resonators mounted on the piezoelectric substrate. The plurality of surface acoustic wave resonators are connected so as to constitute a lattice-type circuit having series-arm resonators and lattice-arm resonators, and a &ggr; value of the lattice-arm resonators and a &ggr; value of the series-arm resonators are made different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Publication date: August 9, 2001
    Applicant: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Norio Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 6201764
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for matching the response of hydrophones 22 to the response of geophones 24 and significantly reducing response variations between hydrophones caused by inherent characteristics. The method includes the steps of determining a capacitance 66 for each of the hydrophones 22 in an operating environment, configuring a filter 36 based on the capacitance 66, and modifying a response of a channel of the hydrophone 22 using the filter 36. The apparatus includes an acquisition unit 20 having a geophone 24 and a hydrophone 22, a recording unit 30, a processing unit 31 and a filter 36 for correcting for variation between hydrophones 22 and changing a first order low frequency response of the hydrophone 22 to appear like a second order response like that of the geophone 24.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Input/Output, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Geoffrey Rice, Paul Ellington Carroll, Thomas Glen Ragan
  • Patent number: 6161076
    Abstract: A method for improving vibratory source seismic data uses a filter which converts a recorded seismic groundforce signal (including harmonic distortion therein) into a desired short-duration wavelet. A plurality of surveys may be carried out using a plurality of sweeps from plurality of vibrators that have their relative phases encoded, the groundforce signal of each vibrator being measured. The recorded seismic reflection signals are then processed to separate out the signals from each vibrator. In another aspect, harmonics of upto any desired order may be canceled while carrying out multiple surveys with a plurality of vibrators. In a marine environment, the recorded signal from a vibrator towed by a moving vessel is used to derive a Doppler shift correction filter that is applied to reflection seismic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Frederick J. Barr, William H. Dragoset, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6147928
    Abstract: An anti-noise component for a flat cable including a flat O-like ferrite core having a slit-like hole through which a flat cable is passed, and an openable and closeable case which covers the ferrite core while the slit-like hole is exposed through the case. Further, the case integrally has a coupling portion including a pawl for fixation to an apparatus on which the component is to be mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Onizuka, Yutaka Saito, Yoshikazu Suto
  • Patent number: 6091669
    Abstract: The general object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining and displaying the relative changes of elastic moduli and that of density of geologic formations and for utilizing these relative changes and plottings for gas/oil exploration, especially for direct gas and light oil detection. The said relative changes of elastic moduli are the relative change of Lame constant .DELTA..lambda./(.lambda.+2.mu.), the relative change of shear modulus .DELTA..mu./(.lambda.+2.mu.) and/or .DELTA..mu./[.kappa.+(4/3).mu.], the relative change of bulk modulus .DELTA..kappa./[.kappa.+(4/3).mu.]; and the relative change of density is .DELTA..rho./.rho..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: China National Offshore Oil Corp.
    Inventor: Xinping Chen
  • Patent number: 6028823
    Abstract: A system and survey method for estimating the geodetic position of acoustic sensors placed at fixed but unknown locations on the seafloor is disclosed. Bottom mounted sensors are surveyed using an extension of the well known trilateration survey technique, i.e., making ranging measurements from reference points to the point to be surveyed. For acoustic sensors, these ranging measurements are obtained by transmitting an acoustic signal from a near surface projector and making corresponding timing and/or position measurements, requiring calculation of the Effective Sound Velocity. Bias errors are precluded from propagating to the sensor coordinates by considering timing and sound velocity biases, in addition to the sensor coordinates, as parameters to be estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Harold T. Vincent, Sau-Lon J. Hu
  • Patent number: 6018500
    Abstract: A conventional CMP gather is Radon transformed from t-x space to the .tau.-p domain. The Radon-transformed data are windowed or zoned into a plurality of data sets, each having an common independent range of selected characteristics. All except one data set are muted. The zero ordinate of the p-axis is shifted to become centered through the contents of the retained data set which is then inverse-transformed back to t-x space. The process is repeated for each of the remaining windowed data sets. The processed windowed data sets are summed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventor: Ronald E. Chambers
  • Patent number: 5982706
    Abstract: A method and computer system for deriving and applying normal moveout corrections to seismic survey traces is disclosed. In each common midpoint (CMP) gather, a stacking velocity function of travel time is first determined for near-offset traces. For each reflective event, a time window about a depth point is selected. Time anisotropy and velocity anisotropy values are then determined for the depth point, for example by way of a semblance analysis applied to envelopes of the traces over the full offset range. Normal moveout corrections are then determined by a weighted sum expression of travel time (zero-offset time plus moveout correction) The weighted sum adds a first travel time expression corresponding to a Dix equation expression with a second travel time expression corresponding to a skewed hyperbolic expression that includes the time and velocity anisotropy values, with the weighting dependent upon the offset of the particular trace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company
    Inventor: Bok S. Byun
  • Patent number: 5971095
    Abstract: A method for filtering noise from discrete noisy seismic signals in a time interval ([1, . . . , T]) is provided. The method comprising the steps of using the noisy seismic signals for determining at least one reference channel (x(t)) for the time interval as an estimate of the noise; determining coefficients for M temporally local filters (w(i, t)), the filters forming a filter bank, and M being a number equal to or larger than two, by minimizing a cost function (J(t)) representing a measure of the error of the output of the filter bank, and applying the filter bank to at least one estimate (x(t)) to determine M filtered estimates of the noise. The filtered estimates are multipled with temporal windows (h(i, t)).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Ali Ozbek
  • Patent number: 5963138
    Abstract: An apparatus for sending signals downhole during drilling operations uses a main pump to pump mud from a mud pit at a substantially constant flow rate. The bulk of the pumped mud goes downhole to maintain adequate circulation for the drill bit. A bypass pipe is provided with a shut-off valve that is controlled by an electronic controller. By pulsing the opening and closing of the shut-off valve, the volumetric flow downhole is pulsed. The pulse amplitude and duration can be controlled. These pulses in the flow rate are detected by a suitable downhole device such as a flow rate measurement device, a pressure detector or a turbine. The initial "wake-up" pulse is made long enough so that the detection device downhole is always able to detect it. Subsequent to this wake-up pulse, adjustments are made to the pulse duration, in steps of about 2 seconds, for the smallest pulse period that is detectable downhole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventor: Hartmut H. Gruenhagen
  • Patent number: 5831934
    Abstract: A method for analyzing received wave signal data in an acoustic logging system that includes a logging tool adapted to be moved through a borehole in the earth and comprising a transmitter section and receiver section, wherein the transmitter section produces sonic waves at periodic intervals which are received as wave signal data by the receiver section. The method comprises the steps of processing the received wave signal data using Fourier Transform procedures, filtering the processed data using a Heisenberg filter procedure, using a Hilbert transform to refine the filtered data, and using the refined data to provide a phase velocity analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Inventors: Stephen P. Gill, Timothy Prowten, Marek Z. Kozak
  • Patent number: 5721710
    Abstract: A method of separating the effects of the earth response on vibratory energy from individual ones of multiple vibrators to geophones, in generating a seismic survey, is disclosed. According to the disclosed method, measurements of the actual vibrations generated at the source are made, in addition to the geophone measurements of the refracted and reflected vibrations, both over a number of frequency sweeps. The source and geophone vibrations are first transformed into frequency domain representations, by way of Discrete Fourier Transforms. An inverse matrix of the recorded frequency-domain source vibrations is then generated for each frequency. When the number of sweeps equals the number of vibrators, the inverse matrix is merely the multiplicative inverse of the source measurements; if the number of sweeps exceeds the number of vibrators, the inverse matrix is the generalized inverse of the original matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1998
    Assignees: Atlantic Richfield Company, Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: John J. Sallas, Dennis Corrigan, Kenneth Paul Allen
  • Patent number: 5719822
    Abstract: A method of processing seismic signal data that uses a special Radon transform for dip moveout (DMO) including the steps of applying conventional pre-DMO steps to the traces, applying a special Radon DMO transform to the traces to obtain a post-DMO section in Radon domain, applying a conventional inverse Radon transform to obtain a post-DMO section in space-time domain with a time and space DMO shift on the traces, and applying conventional post-DMO steps to the resultant traces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Vector Seismic Data Processing, Inc.
    Inventor: Cheng-shu Wang
  • Patent number: 5594706
    Abstract: Methods for processing sonic logging data obtained by a sonic imaging tool or an MWD tool are provided. The sonic logging data are bandpass filtered and sampled according to techniques such as integer band decimation, quadrature modulation, and single side band modulation to provide compressed signals which can be reconstructed if desired. The compressed signals are alternatively stored for downloading and further processing, sent uphole for processing, or processed downhole. The processing preferably involves processing the analytic portion of the compressed signals according to an improved semblance processing technique where the semblance function is calculated over a time window utilizing coarse slowness and time sampling steps. The slowness and time sampling steps are dictated by the parameters of the bandpass filter and the inter-receiver spacing of the tool. The waveform for each receiver is preferably interpolated based on the time step size to provide those data points necessary for stacking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Ramachandra Shenoy, Shu-Kong Chang
  • Patent number: 5511008
    Abstract: A process for the extraction of a time-variable useful signal having a finite spatial extension by an array of N sensors or transducers (N being equal to or greater than 3), that receive the useful signal to which have been added q spatially coherent additive noises (q being less than N). According to the process, unprocessed signals are acquired on the output of each sensor, filtered in order to restrict them to the frequency band of the useful signal and digitized. Then, spatial prediction error signals of the noise are calculated and analyzed so as to carry out the detection of the useful signal and its separation from the q additive noises. A device for extracting a useful signal according to the process is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1996
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Bruno Flament, Roland Blanpain
  • Patent number: 5491669
    Abstract: A method for spectral noise abatement from seismic data. The data are decomposed into organizational components from which a noise component can be resolved by well-known iterative methods. A statistic is calculated by comparing the measured spectral content of the data with a model spectrum. The seismic data are scaled in proportion to the ratio between the model spectrum and the measured spectrum, following which the processed signal traces are displayed as representative of a cross section of the earth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1996
    Assignee: Western Atlas International
    Inventor: Ronald E. Chambers
  • Patent number: 5400299
    Abstract: A method for processing seismic vibrator data. The method utilizes a deterministic signature deconvolution of the vibrator data to compress the impulse response of the data resulting in sharper, clearer seismic images than are possible using cross-correlation techniques. The method may be used in place of or in addition to cross-correlation. Further, the method may be implemented in either the time domain or the frequency domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1995
    Assignee: Exxon Production Research Company
    Inventor: Eugene C. Trantham
  • Patent number: 5384725
    Abstract: The disclosure involves the use of a library of modulated wavelet-packets which are effective in providing both precise frequency localization and space localization. An aspect of the disclosure involves feature extraction by determination of the correlations of a library of waveforms with the signal being processed, while maintaining orthogonality of the set of waveforms selected (i.e. a selected advantageous basis). In a disclosed embodiment, a method is provided for encoding and decoding an input signal, such as an audio or video signal, comprising the following steps: applying combinations of dilations and translations of a wavelet to the input signal to obtain processed values; computing the information costs of the processed values; selecting, as encoded signals, an orthogonal group of processed values, the selection being dependent on the computed information costs; and decoding the encoded signals to obtain an output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignees: Yale University, Yves Meyer
    Inventors: Ronald Coifman, Yves Meyer, Mladen V. Wickerhauser
  • Patent number: 5274604
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for spatially filtering a signal set to enhance interface echoes representing a borehole configuration. The spatial filtering technique provides information regarding the various interfaces formed between materials in the borehole environment, as well as thicknesses of the various materials present in the borehole. Further, the presence of channels formed during the cementing procedure are detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1993
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Ralph M. D'Angelo, Fred E. Stanke, Hung-Wen Chang, Kai Hsu
  • Patent number: 5237538
    Abstract: A space time gate is selected surrounding a coherent noise to be removed from an array of seismic traces. Signal-plus-noise within the selected gate is extracted from the array of seismic traces. Coherent noise within the gated signal-plus-noise is estimated and subtracted from such gated signal-plus-noise to provide a signal estimate. This signal estimate is restored into the array of seismic traces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1993
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew F. Linville, Jr., Robert A. Meek
  • Patent number: 5191557
    Abstract: An apparatus (10) for providing while drilling information on a subterranean geologic formation (28) includes a drilling rig (12) and a rotary drill bit (18) attached to the drilling rig (12) for providing seismic waves as it drills in the earth (16). Geophones (20) are spaced from the rotary drill bit (18) in the earth (16) and receive in direct seismic wave paths (26) and seismic wave paths (30) reflected from the subterranean geologic formation (28) the seismic waves provided by the drill bit (18). A reference sensor (24) is located on the drilling rig (12). The seismic signals sensed by the reference sensor (24) and by the geophones (20) are cross-correlated to separate the drill bit generated signals from interference signals by combining the reference signals and the signals received by the geophones (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Gas Research Institute
    Inventors: James Rector, Bruce Marion, Bernard Widrow, Iraj A. Salehi
  • Patent number: 5182729
    Abstract: Disclosed is a seismic surveying and data processing method to filter from seismic data any energy contributions that are not in the seismic line of profile. The surveying method requires a receiver geometry wherein at least one receiver is in and at least one receiver is out of the line of profile, so that in common offset gather or shot record plots, seismic events along the line of profile are aligned in time and out-of-plane energy takes the form of a series of sawtoothed seismic events arriving at different times in the different lines of receivers. Knowing the number of out-of-plane energies and their respective dips allows for the design of a filter, which is applied to the data with a computer, to null and thereby remove the effects of unwanted out-of-plane energy from the seismic survey data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignee: Exxon Production Research Company
    Inventors: Richard E. Duren, Stanley V. Morris
  • Patent number: 5182730
    Abstract: In conducting measurement operations in drill holes useful downhole information is obtained by selectively filtering data signals carrying the information from mixed signals. The mixed signals result from a mixture of the data signals and interfering signals. The data signals are arranged in a coded sequence of individual signals having a characteristic shape. Control signals representing the characteristic shape are produced. The mixed signals, which are received on the surface from a downhole location, and the control signals are converted to resultant signals that represent the data signals, wherein the effect of interfering signals is diminished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Inventor: Serge A. Scherbatskoy
  • Patent number: 5150333
    Abstract: This invention deals with a telemetering system in logging while drilling which utilizes pressure pulses in the drilling fluid circulation system. More specifically this invention deals with generation of pressure pulses in the "regime of hydraulic shock waves" as distinct from the "regime of slow variation of pressure." Both regimes have been defined in the disclosure. A means has been provided for generating hydraulic shock waves by rapidly changing the rate of flow of the circulation fluid by means of a downhole valve. The downhole information controls the actuation of the valve which generates a succession of wavelets each of which comprises two distinguishable pulses of opposite polarity. The signal received at the surface is processed by a digital filter system in order to improve the signal to noise ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Inventor: Serge A. Scherbatskoy
  • Patent number: 5146433
    Abstract: Methods for recovering a LWD or MWD data signal in the presence of mud pump noise are provided and generally comprise calibrating the drilling mud pressure as a function of the mud pump piston position, and then tracking the piston position during transmission of the LWD or MWD data signal and using the calibration information to subtract out the mud pump noise. Calibration is accomplished in the absence of the LWD or MWD data signal to provide a correlation between mud pump piston position and the drilling mud pressure. Then, when the LWD or MWD data signal is being generated, the mud pump piston position is tracked such that the pressure due to the pump can be subtracted and the LWD or MWD signal recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: Anadrill, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexandre Kosmala, David Malone, Peter Masak
  • Patent number: 5134590
    Abstract: A method of correcting a seismic signal s(t) provided by a vibration sensor (100) in response to at least one emission signal F(t) produced by a least one seismic vibration generator (200). The real emission signal F(t) differs in phase and amplitude relative to a reference emission signal F(t). The correction method of the invention consists in determining the phase difference .DELTA..phi.(f) and the amplitude ratio A(f) between the real emission signal F(t) and the reference emission signal F(t) as a function of frequency f, and in applying the seismic signal s(t) from the vibration sensor (100) to a filter (304) whose response is defined in phase and amplitude respectively by -.DELTA..phi.(f) and by 1/A(f).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1992
    Assignee: Compagnie General de Geophysique
    Inventor: Robert Garotta
  • Patent number: 5067112
    Abstract: In seismic exploration, seismic reflections from subsurface formations are recorded in the form of a time-distance array of seismic traces. This array is transformed into a frequency-distance domain. Frequencies at which coherent noise resides within the frequency-distance domain are determined. Wavenumbers corresponding to such frequenices are removed by filtering. The wavenumber-filtered, frequency-distance domain of seismic traces are then transformed back into a time-distance array of seismic traces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Robert A. Meek, Andrew F. Linville, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5051963
    Abstract: An improved method for cancelling a stationary sinusoid corrupting a data trace is described. The frequency of the corrupting sinusoid is determined precisely and a Wiener-Levinson least squares filter is designed, using a reference sinusoid at precisely the determined frequency and correlated with the corrupted data trace. The filter is applied to the reference trace yielding a noise estimate which can then be subtracted from the data trace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew F. Linville, Jr., Robert A. Meek
  • Patent number: RE38567
    Abstract: An apparatus for sending signals downhole during drilling operations uses a main pump to pump mud from a mud pit at a substantially constant flow rate. The bulk of the pumped mud goes downhole to maintain adequate circulation for the drill bit. A bypass pipe is provided with a shut-off valve that is controlled by an electronic controller. By pulsing the opening and closing of the shut-off valve, the volumetric flow downhole is pulsed. The pulse amplitude and duration can be controlled. These pulses in the flow rate are detected by a suitable downhole device such as a flow rate measurement device, a pressure detector or a turbine. The initial “wake-up” pulse is made long enough so that the detection device downhole is always able to detect it. Subsequent to this wake-up pulse, adjustments are made to the pulse duration, in steps of about 2 seconds, for the smallest pulse period that is detectable downhole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventor: Hartmut H. Gruenhagen