Seismic Node Drop Mechanism for Zero-Speed Ground Landing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current seismic surveying methods require intense human involvement for deploying and orienting numerous seismic sensing nodes, which increases deployment time and costs, and traditional methods necessitate precise node placement and orientation to ensure accurate data collection.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-mounted deployment system that automatically drops seismic nodes onto the ground with a horizontal speed relative to the ground, using a storage system and deploying system to control the node's horizontal speed to zero, allowing for self-adjusting nodes to land without rolling, thus eliminating the need for precise orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional manual deployment methods are used for seismic sensing nodes, then precise orientation and placement can be achieved, but deployment time increases and human involvement intensifies
Solution Approach 1:
The seismic sensing node is equipped with a self-adjustment mechanism that automatically orients the sensing axis to the vertical direction after deployment. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual orientation, allowing automated deployment while maintaining precise vertical alignment of the sensing axis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical deployment with an automated dropping system that uses controlled free-fall and ejection mechanisms. The system substitutes human-operated mechanical placement with an automated system that drops nodes from a moving vehicle, using the node's own self-adjustment mechanism instead of requiring precise mechanical placement by operators.
2Measurement precision
If traditional manual deployment methods are used for seismic sensing nodes, then accurate orientation can be ensured, but deployment efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The node incorporates a self-adjustment mechanism that automatically orients the sensing axis vertically after deployment. This self-service function maintains orientation accuracy while enabling rapid automated deployment, thereby improving deployment efficiency without sacrificing orientation precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of deployment by transitioning from controlled manual placement to automated dropping with free-fall. The node's self-adjustment mechanism compensates for the changed deployment parameters, maintaining sensing axis verticality despite the different deployment method, thus improving efficiency while preserving orientation accuracy.
3Productivity
If automated dropping system is used for seismic sensing nodes, then deployment time is reduced and human intervention is minimized, but control over node horizontal speed becomes critical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex active speed control mechanisms with a passive ballistic ejection system. The node is ejected with forward velocity matching the vehicle's speed, and natural aerodynamic forces during free-fall automatically reduce the horizontal speed to zero by the time the node reaches the ground, eliminating the need for complex active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potentially harmful effect of high horizontal speed at ejection into a beneficial outcome. By ejecting the node forward at vehicle speed and allowing controlled free-fall, the horizontal velocity is naturally dissipated through air resistance, ensuring the node lands with zero horizontal speed relative to the ground. This transforms the complexity of speed control into a simple ballistic trajectory problem.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces deployment time, minimizes human intervention, and prevents node rolling, enhancing safety and efficiency in seismic data acquisition campaigns.
Implementation Method 1
a slide making a non-zero angle with a horizontal direction, and configured to eject a sensing node stored by the vehicle, with a substantially zero horizontal speed relative to the ground
Implementation Method 2
The deploying system is configured to control an ejecting horizontal speed vn of each sensing node relative to the storage system so that the horizontal speed vn is substantially equal to a storage system horizontal speed vv relative to the ground
Data Source
AI summary
A sensing node distribution system for dropping plural sensing nodes on the ground includes a storage system configured to be carried by a vehicle and to store the plural sensing nodes and a deploying system functionally connected to the storage system and configured to distribute the plural sensing nodes on the ground by dropping. The deploying system is configured to control an ejecting horizontal speed vn of each sensing node relative to the storage system so that the horizontal speed vn is substantially equal to a storage system horizontal speed vv relative to the ground.