Patents by Inventor Michael MEECH

Michael MEECH has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11634198
    Abstract: Embodiments, including systems and methods, for remotely controlling underwater vehicles (such as ROVs) and deploying ocean bottom seismic nodes from the underwater vehicles. A direct data connection may be created between an Integrated Navigation System (located on a surface vessel) and a ROV controller/Dynamic Positioning (DP) system (which may be located on the surface vessel and/or the ROV). The INS may be configured to output the ROV target position and ROV position (such as standard 2 or 3 dimensional coordinates) to the DP system. The DP system may be configured to calculate the necessary ROV movements based on directly received data from the INS. Based on a selected ROV target destination or desired ROV action (which may be done automatically or by an operator), the ROV may be automatically positioned and/or controlled based on commands from the DP system based on commands and/or data from the INS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Seabed Geosolutions B.V.
    Inventors: Martin John Hartland, Michael Meech
  • Publication number: 20200231261
    Abstract: Embodiments, including systems and methods, for remotely controlling underwater vehicles (such as ROVs) and deploying ocean bottom seismic nodes from the underwater vehicles. A direct data connection may be created between an Integrated Navigation System (located on a surface vessel) and a ROV controller/Dynamic Positioning (DP) system (which may be located on the surface vessel and/or the ROV). The INS may be configured to output the ROV target position and ROV position (such as standard 2 or 3 dimensional coordinates) to the DP system. The DP system may be configured to calculate the necessary ROV movements based on directly received data from the INS. Based on a selected ROV target destination or desired ROV action (which may be done automatically or by an operator), the ROV may be automatically positioned and/or controlled based on commands from the DP system based on commands and/or data from the INS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Applicant: Seabed Geosolutions B.V.
    Inventors: Martin John Hartland, Michael Meech
  • Publication number: 20190265378
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for individually identifying, handling, tracking, deploying, and recovering a plurality of seismic nodes by an underwater vehicle for subsea operations. The deployment and positioning and retrieval of seismic nodes to and from the seabed may be managed automatically by software and/or manually automated by an ROV operator. The disclosed system may be coupled to a ROV navigation system. The node identification system tracks the position of each seismic node (associated with a unique identification number) within each tray or other node holder at all times, whether the tray is located on board a surface vessel, within an ROV, within a subsea basket, or on the seabed. The identification system is configured to track, select, deploy, and recover a particular seismic node by its unique identification number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Applicant: Seabed Geosolutions B.V.
    Inventors: Michael Meech, Martin John Hartland, Nishan Ragoonanan, Adam Bialowas
  • Publication number: 20160363682
    Abstract: Method and system for acquiring seismic data. The method includes receiving an area to be seismically surveyed; receiving a sub-area that is smaller than area; determining a full seismic survey configuration, which includes streamer vessels and source vessels, to survey the entire area, wherein the full seismic survey configuration generates seismic data over the entire area; determining an in-fill process configuration that is different than the full seismic survey configuration, wherein the in-fill process configuration generates long offset seismic data over the sub-area; and sending the full seismic survey configuration to the streamer vessels and the source vessels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Damien GRENIE, Keith WILHELM, Yunfeng LI, Michael MEECH
  • Publication number: 20160139284
    Abstract: Methods for performing marine seismic surveys are disclosed. Survey lines can be traversed and the survey vessels can be turned by following determined turn paths which are based on a number of factors including, whether they are source or streamer vessels, the length of towed equipment, a turn radius, and/or other factors. Such methods can be applied using various seismic survey vessel configurations, e.g., a long-offset, diagonally-staggered configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2014
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventor: Michael MEECH