A remotely monitorable and status-aware wireless communication module, system and method

Abstract

The application provides a wireless communication module, system and method which can be remotely monitored and state-aware. The module comprises a signal monitoring unit, a wireless transmission unit and a master control unit; the signal monitoring unit can monitor the interference signals on site; the wireless transmission unit can transmit data wirelessly; the master control unit can select a signal frequency which is not occupied by interference signals for communication according to the monitoring condition of the signal monitoring unit, and / or the master control unit can adjust the signal transmission power of the wireless transmission unit. The system comprises a plurality of wireless communication modules as described above. The method is based on the wireless communication module as described above and comprises a signal frequency adjustment process and / or a signal transmission power adjustment process. The application can effectively avoid on-site signal interference and realize stable data transmission in a strong interference environment of drilling and logging; the signal transmission power can be self-adaptively changed to reduce power consumption, avoid rapid battery consumption and prolong the use time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of natural gas well development technology, and more specifically, to a wireless communication module, system, and method for remote monitoring and status awareness. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless communication technology boasts advantages such as high scalability, wide coverage, and ease of equipment installation. In recent years, with the development of wireless communication technology, many oil and gas production companies have proposed building digital and intelligent oilfields, in which wireless communication technology has been widely applied.

[0003] In well site wireless communication research, wireless communication modules are used to transmit and receive sensor data. Installing wireless communication modules on-site significantly reduces the need for wired cabling, shortens equipment installation and commissioning time, and reduces workload for subsequent line maintenance. However, in environments with strong electromagnetic interference, such as those with strong interference during drilling and logging, the data transmission quality of the wireless communication modules will degrade, specifically manifesting as unstable wireless communication module networking, high latency, and high bit error rate. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address at least one of the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art. For example, one objective of this invention is to effectively avoid signal interference across multiple frequency bands in the field; a second objective is to achieve adaptive adjustment of signal transmission power to reduce power consumption; and a third objective is to utilize signal monitoring and variable signal transmission power to achieve dynamic perception of field data under conditions of strong interference during drilling and logging.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a wireless communication module.

[0006] The module includes: a signal monitoring unit, a wireless transmission unit, and a main control unit; wherein, the signal monitoring unit can monitor interference signals on site; the wireless transmission unit can transmit data wirelessly; the main control unit can select a signal frequency not occupied by interference signals for communication based on the monitoring status of the signal monitoring module, and / or, the main control unit can adjust the signal transmission power of the wireless transmission unit.

[0007] Furthermore, the signal monitoring unit includes an antenna, a radio frequency amplifier, and a frequency selector.

[0008] Furthermore, the signal monitoring unit monitors a signal frequency range of 410MHz to 525MHz.

[0009] Furthermore, the wireless transmission unit includes an oscillator, an amplifier, a modulator, and an antenna.

[0010] Furthermore, the number of wireless transmission units is two, which communicate via LoRa protocol and network protocol respectively for on-site data transmission and long-distance transmission. The network protocol includes 4G, 5G or remote cellular network protocol.

[0011] Furthermore, the main control unit includes a microcontroller. Even further, the microcontroller is an STM32F103ZET6.

[0012] Furthermore, the wireless communication module also includes a power source. Even further, the power source may include a solar charging unit and a battery.

[0013] Furthermore, the wireless communication module includes a first serial port, a second serial port, a third serial port, and a fourth serial port; wherein, the first serial port can receive data via the RS485 protocol; the second serial port can exchange data with other wireless communication modules; the third serial port can send data via network protocol communication; wherein the network protocol includes 4G, 5G, or remote cellular network protocols; and the fourth serial port can upload data to a host computer.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention provides a wireless communication system for drilling and logging environments with strong interference.

[0015] The system may include multiple wireless communication modules as described above.

[0016] Furthermore, at least one wireless communication module is installed in the integrated logging room and / or video surveillance room, and constitutes the main node.

[0017] Furthermore, at least one wireless communication module is installed at the field sensor and / or field node box, and constitutes a secondary node.

[0018] Furthermore, the multiple wireless communication modules form a self-organizing network through the LoRa protocol.

[0019] Furthermore, the system may also include a supporting storage module, which is capable of collecting, processing and storing field information, including at least one of the following: the hardware status of the field sensors, the master node and the slave node, data and signals.

[0020] Furthermore, the system may also include a remote communication module and a remote monitoring module, wherein the remote communication module can transmit the field information in the supporting storage module to the remote monitoring module.

[0021] Furthermore, the remote monitoring module can monitor and analyze each node based on the encoding or location information of the master node and the slave node.

[0022] In another aspect, the present invention provides a wireless communication method.

[0023] The method is implemented based on the wireless communication module described above and includes: a signal frequency adjustment process and / or a signal transmission power adjustment process.

[0024] Furthermore, the signal frequency adjustment process includes: using a default frequency for self-organizing network and communication; monitoring interference signals; parsing interference signal information when interference signals are detected; selecting a new communication frequency to avoid interference signal frequencies based on the parsed information; and switching to the new communication frequency for self-organizing network and communication.

[0025] Furthermore, the signal transmission power adjustment process includes: transmitting a signal using the maximum transmission power; adjusting the transmission power; detecting the signal strength and determining whether the signal strength meets the communication requirements. If it does, the signal is transmitted at the current transmission power; if it does not, the transmission power is adjusted and detected until the requirements are met.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention include at least one of the following:

[0027] (1) The present invention can effectively avoid signal interference in multiple frequency bands on site and can achieve stable data transmission in the environment of strong interference during drilling and logging.

[0028] (2) Under the condition of meeting the on-site communication requirements, the present invention can adaptively change the signal transmission power to reduce power consumption, avoid the battery draining too quickly, and extend the usage time. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The above and other objects and / or features of the present invention will become clearer from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wireless communication system for drilling and logging in environments with strong interference is shown.

[0031] Figure 2 A flowchart of signal frequency adjustment is shown;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the wireless communication module is shown.

[0033] Figure 4 A flowchart for signal transmission power adjustment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0034] In the following sections, the wireless communication module, system, and method of the present invention capable of remote monitoring and status awareness will be described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments.

[0035] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention adds a signal monitoring unit to the wireless communication module. This enables the monitoring of on-site interference signals, allowing data to be transmitted wirelessly without using signal frequencies occupied by interference signals, thus achieving stable data transmission even in environments with strong interference during drilling and logging. Furthermore, considering that the signal strength varies between wireless communication modules due to differences in distance and obstacle size, setting the transmission power to maximum for all modules would lead to excessively rapid battery drain. Therefore, this invention detects the signal strength during communication and adjusts the transmission power of the wireless module in real time to achieve stable data transmission while reducing battery consumption.

[0036] Exemplary Example 1

[0037] This exemplary embodiment provides a wireless communication module.

[0038] The module includes a signal monitoring unit, a wireless transmission unit, and a main control unit. The signal monitoring unit can monitor interference signals on site; the wireless transmission unit can transmit data wirelessly; the main control unit can select a signal frequency not occupied by interference signals for communication based on the monitoring status of the signal monitoring module, and / or the main control unit can adjust the signal transmission power of the wireless transmission unit.

[0039] In this embodiment, the signal monitoring unit may include a signal monitoring circuit.

[0040] The signal monitoring unit includes an antenna, an RF amplifier, and a frequency selector. The antenna receives wireless signals from the surrounding environment and converts them into corresponding electrical signals; the RF amplifier amplifies the wireless signals; and the frequency selector selects wireless signals within a specific frequency range.

[0041] The signal monitoring unit can also demodulate and process wireless signals to obtain relevant parameters such as signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, and spectrum occupancy.

[0042] In this embodiment, the signal monitoring unit can monitor a signal frequency range of 410MHz to 525MHz.

[0043] In this embodiment, the wireless transmission unit may include a wireless transmission circuit, which may also be referred to as a wireless transmitting circuit.

[0044] The wireless transmission unit includes an oscillator, an amplifier, a modulator, and an antenna.

[0045] An oscillator generates a high-frequency signal, an amplifier increases the power of the signal generated by the oscillator, a modulator combines the information to be transmitted with the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator, and an antenna converts the modulated signal into radio waves and radiates them into space.

[0046] In this embodiment, the wireless communication module may include two wireless transmission units: one for on-site data transmission via the LoRa protocol, and the other for long-distance transmission via 4G, 5G, or other remote cellular network protocols.

[0047] In this embodiment, the main control unit includes a microcontroller. Further, the microcontroller can be an STM32F103ZET6.

[0048] In this embodiment, the wireless communication module may further include a power supply, which includes a solar charging unit and a battery. When the sunlight is strong enough, the solar energy powers the entire wireless communication module and charges the battery; when the sunlight is insufficient, the battery is used for power supply.

[0049] In this embodiment, the wireless communication module may include a data receiving and transmitting unit, which may include a data receiving and transmitting circuit, also referred to as a serial port or interface. This invention may include four serial ports: a first serial port, a second serial port, a third serial port, and a fourth serial port.

[0050] The first serial port can receive data via the RS485 protocol; the second serial port can exchange data with other wireless communication modules; the third serial port can send data via 4G, 5G or other remote cellular network protocols; and the fourth serial port can upload data to the host computer.

[0051] Exemplary Example 2

[0052] This example provides a wireless communication system for use in drilling and logging environments with strong interference. The system includes multiple wireless communication modules as described in Exemplary Example 1.

[0053] In this embodiment, at least one wireless communication module is installed in the integrated logging room and / or video monitoring room, forming a master node. For example, one wireless communication module is installed in both the integrated logging room and the video monitoring room.

[0054] In this embodiment, at least one wireless communication module is installed at the field sensor and / or the field node box, forming a secondary node. For example, wireless communication modules are installed at both the field sensor and the field node box.

[0055] In this embodiment, the system may also include a supporting storage module, a remote communication module, and a remote monitoring module.

[0056] The storage module is capable of collecting, processing, storing, and retrieving the hardware status and corresponding data and signals of the system's sensors, nodes, etc.

[0057] The remote communication module can seal the information in the storage module and transmit it back to the remote monitoring point (i.e., the remote monitoring module) via a wireless or wired network. The remote communication module may include 4G, 5G, or other remote cellular network protocol modules, or it may use other network protocol modules with higher transmission rates.

[0058] The remote monitoring module can remotely monitor and display the transmission rate, transmission status, and connection status of various data sources. Furthermore, the remote monitoring module can use wireless node codes, geodetic coordinates, or location information to remotely monitor, analyze, and perform status monitoring of multiple wireless nodes from a wireless transmission terminal, regardless of the wireless signal coverage area.

[0059] Exemplary Example 3

[0060] This example provides a wireless communication method.

[0061] The method is implemented based on the wireless communication module in Exemplary Example 1 and includes: a signal frequency adjustment process and / or a signal transmission power adjustment process.

[0062] In this embodiment, the signal frequency adjustment process includes: using a default frequency for self-organizing network and communication; monitoring interference signals; parsing interference signal information when interference signals are detected; selecting a new communication frequency to avoid interference signal frequencies based on the parsed information; and switching to the new communication frequency for self-organizing network and communication.

[0063] In this embodiment, the signal transmission power adjustment process includes: transmitting a signal using the maximum transmission power; adjusting the transmission power; detecting the signal strength and determining whether the signal strength meets the communication requirements. If it does, the signal is transmitted at the current transmission power; if it does not, the transmission power is adjusted and detected until the requirements are met.

[0064] Furthermore, the signal transmission power adjustment process also includes: detecting the signal strength after transmitting the signal using the maximum transmission power.

[0065] To better understand the exemplary embodiments described above, further explanation will be provided below with reference to specific examples.

[0066] Example 1

[0067] This example provides a wireless communication module. The wireless communication module can be used in drilling and logging environments with strong interference and has dynamic sensing capabilities.

[0068] The wireless communication module may include:

[0069] (1) Signal monitoring circuit.

[0070] The antenna in the signal monitoring circuit receives wireless signals from the surrounding environment and converts them into corresponding electrical signals. The radio frequency amplifier and frequency selector in the signal monitoring circuit are used to amplify and select wireless signals within a specific frequency range, and then demodulate and process the wireless signals to obtain relevant parameters of the signals, such as signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, and spectrum occupancy.

[0071] The signal monitoring circuit monitors signals with a frequency range of 410MHz to 525MHz.

[0072] (2) Wireless transmission circuit

[0073] A wireless transmission circuit, also known as a wireless signal transmitting circuit, includes an oscillator, an amplifier, a modulator, and an antenna.

[0074] An oscillator generates a high-frequency signal, an amplifier increases the power of the signal generated by the oscillator, a modulator combines the information to be transmitted with the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator, and an antenna converts the modulated signal into radio waves and radiates them into space. In this invention, the wireless communication module has two wireless signal transmission circuits, which communicate via the LoRa protocol and 4G, 5G, or other long-distance cellular network protocols for on-site data transmission and long-distance transmission, respectively. The LoRa protocol enables the on-site wireless communication module to form a self-organizing network.

[0075] (3) Power supply

[0076] The wireless communication module can be powered by both solar energy and batteries. When sunlight is strong enough, the solar energy powers the entire wireless communication module and charges the battery; when sunlight is insufficient, the battery provides power. Both solar energy and batteries provide 24V. Inside the wireless communication module, a step-down circuit using a TPS5430DDAR power chip generates 12V, ±5V, and 3.3V to power other devices. Additionally, a backup battery is provided for use when replacing the main battery.

[0077] (4) Data receiving and transmitting circuit

[0078] The data receiving and transmitting circuit, also known as a serial port or interface, consists of four ports. The wireless communication module can receive sensor data from the field node box through one RS485 interface and transmit the data to the wireless transmitting circuit through the other two RS485 serial ports. RS485 communication is implemented using the TP8485 chip. The master node also needs to use an RS485 interface to transmit the data to the host computer.

[0079] (5) Data acquisition circuit

[0080] The data acquisition circuit includes a 16-bit DAC chip, DAC8830IBD, which generates a 4.9152V reference voltage for the ADC chip in the data acquisition circuit. This reference voltage is then passed through a voltage follower consisting of an AD8605 amplifier to provide a reference voltage for the 14-bit 8-channel ADC chip, AD7949. The AD7949 is controlled and sampled by an STM32F103ZET6.

[0081] (6) STM32F103ZET6 microcontroller

[0082] The data transmission and automatic selection of wireless communication frequency are controlled by the STM32F103ZET6 microcontroller.

[0083] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication module.

[0084] The power module provides 24V power to the entire communication module via solar energy or batteries. It also includes a small-capacity backup battery to power the wireless communication module when the main battery is replaced. The STM32F103ZET6 sends the necessary reference voltage parameters to the DAC module via SPI1. The DAC module generates the reference voltage for the ADC module. The STM32F103ZET6 communicates with the ADC via SPI2, which monitors the battery voltage. When the battery level drops below a certain threshold, the ADC will alert on-site personnel to replace the battery.

[0085] Example 2

[0086] This example provides a wireless communication system for use in drilling and logging environments with strong interference. The system includes multiple wireless communication modules as described in Example 1.

[0087] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wireless communication system for use in drilling and logging environments with strong interference is shown. The field area uses the LoRa protocol to establish a self-organizing network between wireless communication modules. The default communication frequency is 410MHz, and the adjustable frequency range is from 410MHz to 525MHz. The signal frequency adjustment flowchart is shown below. Figure 2 As shown. Data is transmitted over long distances from the field area to the office area using 4G, 5G, or other remote cellular network protocols. The main node of the wireless communication module is installed in the integrated logging room and video monitoring room, while the secondary nodes are installed at the field sensors and field node boxes.

[0088] like Figure 1 and 3As shown, serial port 1 (i.e., the first serial port) of the wireless communication module is used to receive data from node boxes or individual sensors via the RS485 protocol; serial port 2 (i.e., the second serial port) is used to receive or send data to other wireless communication modules; serial port 3 (i.e., the third serial port) is used to send data to the office area via 4G, 5G or other remote cellular network protocols; and serial port 4 (i.e., the fourth serial port) is used to upload sensor data received by the wireless communication main module located in the integrated logging room and video monitoring room to the host computer.

[0089] After the wireless communication module has established normal network communication, if the electromagnetic environment changes, such as due to the addition or removal of equipment, and a decrease in wireless communication quality is detected, the module will change the communication frequency or adjust the signal transmission power based on the detected interference signal to ensure high-quality data transmission. During the initial self-networking, it will transmit the signal at a maximum transmission power of approximately 158mW. The signal transmission power adjustment flowchart is as follows. Figure 4 As shown in Table 1, the air transmission rate of the wireless communication module also affects the data transmission distance. The comparison table of air transmission rate and transmission distance in an open environment is shown in Table 1.

[0090] Table 1

[0091]

[0092] Example 3

[0093] This example further illustrates the power adjustment process of the wireless communication module when the secondary node of the wireless communication module is moved to another location.

[0094] When the secondary node of the wireless communication module is moved to another location due to field requirements, the signal transmission strength and communication frequency will adaptively change according to the environment to meet the current communication needs, due to changes in the electromagnetic environment and obstacles in which the module is located.

[0095] The wireless communication module first establishes a self-organizing network using the default frequency of 410MHz, monitors the frequency of interference signals on site, and summarizes the interference signal frequencies to the master node of the wireless communication module with the maximum signal transmission power. The master node then determines the communication frequency of the wireless module on site.

[0096] After determining the communication frequency, the signal transmission power of the secondary node of the wireless communication module decreases in stages. Each time the signal transmission power is changed, the signal transmission and reception strength is detected until the current communication requirements are met while the signal transmission power is at a low level.

[0097] Compared with existing technologies, the innovative aspects of the wireless communication module, system, and method for remote monitoring and status awareness of this invention include:

[0098] This invention relates to a dynamic sensing system for wireless communication modules in drilling and logging environments with strong interference. It achieves wireless communication in such environments by monitoring interference signals and automatically adjusting signal transmission power, enabling real-time transmission of field sensor data and dynamic perception of the well site conditions. The wireless communication modules are deployed at the node boxes where wireless data transmission is required. Each module consists of a master node and slave nodes. Upon power-up, both nodes first monitor nearby interference signals and then communicate at a default frequency. Information from all interference signals is aggregated to the wireless communication module at the master node. The microcontroller (e.g., STM32F103ZET6) in the master node analyzes the interference signal information and determines a better communication frequency. This frequency information is then distributed to all wireless communication modules. After a one-second delay, all slave nodes send handshake information to the master node, completing the wireless network setup and enabling data transmission. This system effectively avoids signal interference across multiple frequency bands in the field and adaptively adjusts signal transmission power to reduce power consumption while meeting on-site communication requirements. Furthermore, this invention can also remotely monitor, monitor data, and analyze the status of multiple wireless nodes without being limited by wireless signal coverage, using wireless node codes, geodetic coordinates, or location information at the wireless transmission terminal.

[0099] Although the present invention has been described above in conjunction with exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication module, characterized in that, The module includes: a signal monitoring unit, a wireless transmission unit, and a main control unit, wherein, The signal monitoring unit can monitor interference signals on site; The wireless transmission unit is capable of transmitting data wirelessly; The main control unit can select a signal frequency that is not occupied by interference signals for communication based on the monitoring status of the signal monitoring module, and / or the main control unit can adjust the signal transmission power of the wireless transmission unit.

2. The wireless communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal monitoring unit includes an antenna, a radio frequency amplifier, and a frequency selector.

3. The wireless communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal monitoring unit monitors signals with a frequency range of 410MHz to 525MHz.

4. The wireless communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless transmission unit includes an oscillator, an amplifier, a modulator, and an antenna.

5. The wireless communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of wireless transmission units is two, which communicate via LoRa protocol and network protocol respectively for on-site data transmission and long-distance transmission. The network protocol includes 4G, 5G or remote cellular network protocol.

6. The wireless communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control unit includes a microcontroller.

7. The wireless communication module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The microcontroller is an STM32F103ZET6.

8. The wireless communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless communication module also includes a power supply.

9. The wireless communication module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The power source includes a solar charging unit and a battery.

10. The wireless communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless communication module includes a first serial port, a second serial port, a third serial port, and a fourth serial port; wherein, The first serial port can receive data via the RS485 protocol; The second serial port can exchange data with other wireless communication modules; The third serial port can send data via network protocol communication; the network protocol includes 4G, 5G or remote cellular network protocols. The fourth serial port can upload data to the host computer.

11. A wireless communication system for drilling and logging in environments with strong interference, characterized in that, The system includes a plurality of wireless communication modules as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, At least one wireless communication module is installed in the integrated logging room and / or video surveillance room, and constitutes the main node; At least one wireless communication module is installed at the field sensor and / or field node box, and constitutes a secondary node.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The multiple wireless communication modules form a self-organizing network through the LoRa protocol.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The system also includes a supporting storage module, which can collect, process and store field information, including at least one of the following: the hardware status, data and signals of the field sensors, the master node and the slave node.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, characterized in that, The system also includes a remote communication module and a remote monitoring module. The remote communication module can transmit the field information in the supporting storage module to the remote monitoring module.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The remote monitoring module can monitor and analyze each node based on the encoding or location information of the master node and the slave node.

16. A wireless communication method, characterized in that, The method is implemented based on the wireless communication module of any one of claims 1 to 10, and includes: a signal frequency adjustment process and / or a signal transmission power adjustment process.

17. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The signal frequency adjustment process includes: Use the default frequency for self-organizing networking and communication; Monitor interference signals; When interference signals are detected, analyze the interference signal information; Based on the analyzed information, a new communication frequency is selected to avoid interference signal frequencies; Switch to a new communication frequency for self-organizing network and communication.

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The signal transmission power adjustment process includes: Transmit the signal using maximum transmission power; Adjust the transmission power; The signal strength is detected to determine if it meets the communication requirements. If it does, the signal is transmitted at the current transmission power. If it does not meet the requirements, the transmission power is adjusted and the detection continues until the requirements are met.

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