Wireless Seismic Data Acquisition Modules
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Seismic surveys using cable-based systems face challenges such as high costs, reliability issues due to cable damage, and environmental impact, as well as delays in data capture, which hinder efficient data acquisition and processing.
Innovation Solution
A wireless seismic data acquisition system utilizing a network of individual data acquisition modules that transmit seismic data to a central recording and control system, employing serial data transfer and multiplexing techniques to ensure real-time data capture without delaying the survey process, allowing for cable-less layouts and improved reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cable-based systems are used to connect sensors, then data can be transmitted reliably, but the cost increases and environmental impact worsens due to cable damage and logistics requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful cable component from the seismic survey system and replaces it with wireless communication modules. Each sensor node transmits data wirelessly to neighboring nodes, eliminating the need for physical cables that cause environmental damage, logistics complexity, and potential points of failure. This extraction resolves the contradiction by removing the source of harmful factors while maintaining data transmission capability through alternative wireless means.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical cable-based data transmission system with an electromagnetic wireless communication system. Instead of physically connecting sensors through cables that require deployment and retrieval logistics, the system uses radio frequency or other wireless electromagnetic signals to transmit data from sensor nodes through multiple hops to the base station, thereby eliminating the mechanical infrastructure and its associated environmental and economic costs.
2Measurement precision
If more sensors are used to improve image quality, then the survey quality improves, but the number of cables and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data transmission function across multiple independent wireless nodes rather than requiring a centralized cable infrastructure. Each sensor node operates independently, transmitting its data through wireless hops to neighboring nodes and eventually to the base station. This segmentation allows the system to scale to thousands of sensors without proportionally increasing infrastructure complexity, as each node is a self-contained unit without cable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal sensor nodes that can function both as data collection points and as relay stations for neighboring nodes. Each wireless node is designed to both sense seismic data and transmit it wirelessly, while also receiving and forwarding data from other nodes. This multi-functionality reduces the overall system complexity compared to cable-based systems where each sensor requires dedicated cable routing, enabling scalable deployment of large numbers of sensors with uniform, simplified units.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cables are laid across obstacles such as rivers and highways, then the survey area can be covered, but the logistical effort and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adaptability to the survey system by using wireless communication that can automatically navigate around obstacles without physical reconfiguration. When obstacles such as rivers or highways block the path, the wireless data transmission dynamically routes around them through intermediate nodes, whereas cable-based systems would require physical cable deployment across or around obstacles, demanding significant logistical effort. This dynamic routing capability maintains survey area coverage while eliminating the operational burden of cable management in complex terrains.
4Use of energy by moving object
If serial data transfer is used in wireless system, then power consumption is reduced, but data transfer speed may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic transmission cycles where sensor nodes transmit data in structured time intervals rather than continuously. During each periodic cycle, nodes sequentially transmit their data through the wireless network to the base station. This periodic action reduces power consumption compared to continuous transmission while maintaining adequate data transfer speed by optimizing the interval duration to match the survey requirements and network capacity, thereby resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and transmission speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for acquiring seismic data using a wireless network and a number of individual data acquisition modules that are configured to collect seismic data and forward data to a central recording and control system. In one implementation, a number of remote modules (301) are arranged in lines. Base station modules (302) receive information from the lines and relay the information to a central control and recording system (303). Radio links operating on multiple frequencies (F1-F12) are used by the modules (301). For improved data transfer rate, radio links from a remote module (301) leap past the nearest remote module to the next module closer to the base station.