Patents Assigned to Sercel
  • Patent number: 10618606
    Abstract: Method and streamer connecting module for connecting streamer sections to each other. The streamer connecting module includes a housing extending along a longitudinal axis (L) so that first and second ends are opposite to each other; a first streamer connecting part fixedly attached at the first end of the housing; a second streamer connecting part fixedly attached at the second end of the housing; first plural balls located between the first streamer connecting part and the first end of the housing; and a first conduit formed at an interface between the first streamer connecting part and the first end of the housing for accommodating the first plural balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: Frédéric Nicolas
  • Patent number: 10620332
    Abstract: A method for rotating recorded seismic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: Simon Leboeuf
  • Patent number: 10608875
    Abstract: A method is developed for dynamically configuring a network with numerous subnets, each subnet comprising at least one router node and said network comprising at least one subnet server. For enhancing the efficiency, the determination of a subnet master for configuring a subnet is carried out with two parallel processes: election of a subnet master among the router nodes of said subnet allocation to each router node of said subnet of a subnet identifier. Configuration of the subnet, achieved by the subnet master with its allocated subnet identifier, is refreshed regularly, in particular when detecting a change in the configuration of the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Pierre Sagot, Julien Baron
  • Patent number: 10562598
    Abstract: A retriever system for retrieving a marine equipment. The retriever system comprises a hollow body having a first opening, a cap adapted to close the first opening of the hollow body and adapted to be removed. A buoyancy assembly housed in the hollow body and adapted to exit the hollow body when the cap is removed. A linkage system maintains the buoyancy assembly linked to the hollow body of the retriever system. The buoyancy assembly comprises first inflatable element and a second inflatable element, and an inflating system configured to, when activated, inflate the first inflatable element, so as to enable exiting of at least the second inflatable element of the buoyancy assembly out of the hollow body. Said inflating system is configured to start or to continue inflating the second inflatable element when said second inflatable element is out of the hollow body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Thierry Roger, Philippe Nauraye, Jean-Jacques Vignaux, Francois Barbin
  • Patent number: 10473805
    Abstract: Method, source and shuttle configured to generate acoustic waves under water. The seismic source includes a housing; a movable shuttle located inside the housing and configured to move between a closed position and an open position along a longitudinal axis X of the housing; a compensator block located inside the housing and configured to move along the longitudinal axis X; a first static seal system configured to seal a first interface between the housing and the movable shuttle in the closed position; and a second static seal system configured to seal a second interface between the movable shuttle and the compensator block in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Frédéric Sautron, Jacques Samaria, Fabien Barnier
  • Patent number: 10468158
    Abstract: An apparatus for indicating overstress in an electro-mechanical cable. The apparatus includes an overstress an overstress indicator cable including at least one non-twisted conductor disposed within a section of the electro-mechanical cable, where the non-twisted conductor is adapted to break when tension in the non-twisted conductor is greater than an allowable working load for the electro-mechanical cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL, INC.
    Inventor: Mike Maples
  • Patent number: 10450855
    Abstract: System and method for measuring a parameter within a well. The method includes connecting a gauge to a first end of a cable and connecting a vector network analyzer to a second end of the cable, lowering the gauge inside the well, generating a signal with the vector network analyzer and sending the signal along the cable to the gauge, sweeping a frequency of the signal within a given range while feeding the signal to the gauge, determining a resonance frequency of at least one sensor located within the gauge, and calculating the parameter from the resonance frequency of the at least one sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL-GRC CORP.
    Inventors: Anthony Thornberry, John Ainslie, David Covington
  • Patent number: 10371840
    Abstract: A method for calculating a tension (T) in a towed antenna. The method includes towing the antenna in water, wherein the antenna includes plural particle motion sensors distributed along the antenna; measuring with the plural particle motion sensors vibrations that propagate along the antenna; calculating a value of a phase velocity (vp) of the vibrations that propagate along the antenna based on (1) an offset between two particle motion sensors and (2) a time delay of the vibrations that propagate from one of the two particle motion sensors to another one of the two particle motion sensors; selecting a relation that links the phase velocity (vp) to the tension (T); and using the value of the phase velocity and the relation to determine the tension (T) at various locations of the plural particle motion sensors along the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: Simon Leboeuf
  • Patent number: 10330806
    Abstract: A section of a streamer for acoustic marine data collection, the section comprising a carrier for accommodating seismic sensors, wherein the carrier includes, a single body, a first particle motion sensor located on the single body, and a second particle motion sensor being located on the single body, with a 90° angular offset, about a longitudinal axis of the carrier, relative to the first particle motion sensor; and a tilt sensor coupled to the carrier and having a known direction relative to the first and second particle motion sensors so that the tilt sensor determines an angle of tilt of the carrier about a vertical, wherein the first and second particle motion sensors measure a motion related parameter and not a pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL, INC.
    Inventors: Mike Maples, John S. Hepp
  • Patent number: 10295689
    Abstract: A restrictor device is used on a cable to protect the cable from excessive bending. The restrictor device includes two or more restrictor members having a helix shape extending along a longitudinal axis X; and fasteners that connect the two or more restrictor members to each other to form the restrictor device. At least one property of the two or more restrictor members is selected such that a bending portion of the restrictor device moves along the restrictor device when a magnitude of a force applied to the restrictor device changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Zurovec, Andrew Lawrence, Jinjun Wang
  • Patent number: 10274629
    Abstract: A method is provided for transmitting signals on a multi-conductor cable (12) formed from a plurality of conductors (1-7) surrounded by an armor (10), the plurality of conductors having a central conductor (7) surrounded by a first peripheral layer of conductors (1-6) with an even number of conductors symmetrically arranged around the central conductor. The two following transmission modes are carried out simultaneously: a common mode (TX1) that uses the central conductor (7) with a return on the armor (10), for transmitting a first signal (s1); and a differential mode (TX2) between a first path comprising all odd rank conductors (1,3,5) of the peripheral layer and a second path comprising all even rank conductors (2,4,6) of the peripheral layer, for transmitting a second signal (s2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Emmanuel Senechal, Fatima Ghanem Elkorso
  • Patent number: 10253616
    Abstract: A tube for use inside a well. The tube includes a longitudinal body having two threaded ends, the body having a bore; a carrier mechanism located on an exterior of the body, wherein the carrier mechanism has a port and a protecting cover separated from each other by a pre-determined distance (D); and a nut configured to be screwed into the protecting cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL-GRC CORP.
    Inventors: Adam Vincent Buck, Bradley Chandler Holliday, Nicholas Frederick Budler
  • Patent number: 10247839
    Abstract: Described herein is a land seismic data acquisition system comprising a central processing unit; a cabled network connected to the central processing unit comprising a plurality of acquisition lines each comprising: electronic units assembled in series along a telemetry cable and each associated with at least one seismic sensor, the units processing signals transmitted by the sensor(s); intermediate modules assembled in series along the telemetry cable and each associated with at least one of the electronic units, each intermediate module providing power supply and synchronization of the electronic unit(s) wherewith it is associated; wherein each electronic unit is associated with at least two intermediate modules including at least one upstream and at least one downstream from the electronic unit along the telemetry cable, and comprises synchronization means independent from the cabled network, bidirectional and autonomous power supply means, bidirectional storage means of the signals processed by the electr
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: Daniel Boucard
  • Patent number: 10222500
    Abstract: A method for estimating a tilt angle ?(t) of at least one given particle motion sensor nearly collocated, in a multi-sensor streamer for seismic prospection, with a pressure sensor. The given particle motion sensor has two orthogonal sensing axes Y and Z in a plane orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the streamer. The tilt angle is formed by the Z sensing axis and a reference vertical axis Z0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: Simon Leboeuf
  • Patent number: 10168441
    Abstract: Method and flush module for connecting streamer sections to an external device. The flush module includes a housing; a first end connector attached to the housing and configured to connect to a first element of the streamer spread; a second end connector attached to the housing and configured to connect to a second element of the streamer spread; and an external connector attached to the housing and configured to connect to a third element of the streamer spread. The external connector is configured to pivot between (a) a close position during which the external connector is entirely located within the housing, and (b) an open position during which a distal end of the external connector is located outside the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Frédéric Nicolas, Loïc De Rességuier
  • Patent number: 10171337
    Abstract: There is provided a method for electing a master routing node of a given subnet of a network, comprising: determining (71) a first-type address associated with an interface of each node on the given subnet, and being the address given by a routing table of the next hop (router node or target node) on the path leading from the node to a target node; determining (72) a second-type address associated with the interface of each node on the given subnet, and being either the determined first-type address (if the latter is on the given subnet) or the address of the interface of the node on the given subnet (if the determined first-type address is on another subnet); sending (73) by each router node of the given subnet a message containing its determined second-type address; collecting (74) at the interface of each node on the given subnet the sent messages; selecting (75) for the interface of each node on the given subnet a third-type address among its determined second-type address and the second-type addresses co
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: Julien Baron
  • Patent number: 10101482
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for steering a first acoustic linear antenna belonging to a plurality of acoustic linear antennas towed by a vessel. A plurality of navigation control devices are arranged along the plurality of linear antennas in order to act at least laterally on the position of the linear antennas. At least one of the navigation control devices arranged along the first acoustic linear antenna performs steps of: obtaining a local measurement of a feather angle or of a parameter linked to the feather angle, the local measurement being associated with the at least one of the navigation control devices arranged along the first acoustic linear antenna; computing a lateral force, as a function of the obtained local measurement; and applying the computed lateral force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Thierry Roger, Gaetan Mellier, Christophe L'Her
  • Patent number: 10094940
    Abstract: A method for localizing a marine animal in an underwater environment implemented by a passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) system. The passive acoustic monitoring system includes network of acoustic sensors adapted to carry out measurements of acoustic signals. The method includes: obtaining, from the network of acoustic sensors, measured data of an acoustic signal emitted by a marine animal; defining a space of dimensional representation of the underwater environment discretized in a plurality of predefined cells, for each cell of a predefined set, obtaining an error defined as a value of a cost function for the cell, the cost function giving a deviation between: at least some of the measured data; and corresponding theoretical data obtained by assuming the marine animal is located in the cell, the errors obtained for the predefined set of cells enabling to obtain at least one piece of information about localization of the marine animal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventors: Christophe L'Her, Simon Vallez, Veronique L'Her Marrec
  • Patent number: 10042065
    Abstract: It is proposed a method for steering a seismic vessel associated with a sail line and a preplot line. The seismic vessel tows at least one acoustic linear antenna including receivers, the receivers receiving signals generated by at least one source and reflected by subsurface's layers at reflexion points. The method includes: computing, according to a regression method, a shifted preplot line which has a shape substantially identical to the shape of the preplot line and which is the best fit line associated with at least some of the reflexion points; computing a distance D between the preplot line and the shifted preplot line; and providing steering information comprising or based on the distance D to a navigation system or to an operator of a navigation system, to alter the course of the seismic vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: SERCEL
    Inventor: Fabien Chene
  • Patent number: 10036822
    Abstract: A device is provided for producing an acoustic signal in a liquid medium. The device includes a pneumatic chamber to contain a compressed gas volume, at least one pneumatic exhaust port allowing the compressed gas volume to be released out of the pneumatic chamber, and a shuttle movable along a translational axis during an opening phase, between two positions: a closed position in which the compressed gas volume is enclosed within the pneumatic chamber, and an open position in which the compressed gas volume is released out of the pneumatic chamber through the pneumatic exhaust port, to produce the acoustic signal in the liquid medium. A hydraulic brake is used to brake the shuttle during the opening phase. The hydraulic brake includes a hydraulic chamber and having a hydraulic exhaust area of a hydraulic volume out of the hydraulic chamber, and includes a control for controlling the acoustic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Sercel
    Inventor: Frederic Sautron