Method of and apparatus for determining area gravity

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 in which the step of generating signals representing said smoothed profiles comprises integrating with respect to distance along said data profiles, and algebraically adding together values from said integrated profile corresponding with gx(t+nT)dt- gx(t-nT)dt where gx(t) represents data values along the x data profile where nT represents one-half the smoothing interval, and t represents distance along said data profile to provide a resultant sum.

Claim 6

The method of operating a computing apparatus recited in claim 3 in which said step of generating transducible digital codes representing averaged area-gravity values comprises averaging a group of gravity profiles each of which is smoothed by the interval 2T, averaging A group of profiles each of which is smoothed by the interval 4T and by further averaging other groups of smoothed gravity profiles, the profiles in each group each being smoothed by smoothing intervals represented by 2nT where n is an integer and T is one-half the length of the smallest smoothing interval.

Claim 7

The method of operating a computing apparatus recited in claim 4 wherein said step of generating transducible digital codes representing averaged area-gravity values comprises averaging 2n+1 of said profiles smoothed over the smoothing interval 2nT to form the averaged area-gravity value and averaging 2n 1+1 of said profiles smoothed over the interval 2n 1T to form the averaged area-gravity value and said step of generating transducible digital codes representing subtracting averaged area values comprises subtracting the averaged area-gravity value from the averaged area-gravity value to generate a plurality of difference values which enhance the appearance of the anomalies in a given depth range.

Claim 8

The method of operating a computing apparatus recited in claim 4 wherein said step of generating transducible digital codes representing area-gravity values comprises averaging three of said profiles smoothed over the smoothing interval 2T to form the averaged area value and wherein said step of generating transducible digital codes representing subtracting averaged area values comprises subtracting the averaged area-gravity value from the gravity profile g(x,y) to compute a difference value on an area basis which enhances the appearance of anomalies in one given depth range, wherein said step of generating transducible digital codes representing averaged area-gravity values comprises averaging five of said profiles smoothed over the smoothing interval 4T averaged to form the averaged area-gravity value and wherein said step of generating transducible digital codes representing subtracting averaged area values comprises subtracting the averaged area-gravity value from the averaged area-gravity value to obtain a difference value on an area basis which enhances the appearance of anomalies in a second given depth range, and wherein further difference values are obtained to enhance anomalies appearing in other depth ranges by repeating said step of generating transducible digital codes representing averaged area-gravity values combining 2n+ 1 of said profiles smoothed over the smoothing interval 2nT to form the averaged area-gravity value and combining 2n 1+1 of said profiles smoothed over the interval 2(n-1)T to form the averaged area-gravity value and by repeating said step of generating transducible digital codes representing subtracting the averaged area-gravity value from the averaged area-gravity value to obtain said difference values which enhance the appearance of the anomalies in given ranges of depth.

Claim 9

The machine implemented method for automatically treating data representing a plurality of gravity profiles separated one from the other by a distance T and together coextensive with a mapped area which comprises generating signals in said machine representing modified gravity profiles in response to signals in said machine representing gravity values from each profile separated by the distance T wherein the generating step includes generating signals representing algebraic addition together of said values in accordance with the expression gx(t+T)dt- gx(t-T)dt where gx(t) represents gravity values along the x gravity profile, T represents one-half the distance of the smallest smoothing operator, and t represents distance along said gravity profile to produce physical representations in said machine representing a resultant sum, modifying said sum by the factor (1/2T) further modified by division by the number of profiles which have been added together, generating signals in said machine representing subtracting said modified profiles averaged together with one smoothing interval from other modified gravity profiles including a different smoothing interval, and generating signals in said machine representing said gravity values each separated from the other by the distance t for production of new gravity values in the same locations on the mapped area.

Claim 10

The machine implemented method for automatically treating data representing a plurality of gravity profiles separated one from the other by a distance T and together coextensive with a mapped area which comprises generating signals in said machine representing modified gravity profiles in response to signals in said machine representing gravity values from each profile separated by the distance T wherein the generating step includes generating signals representing algebraic addition together of said values in accordance with the expression gx(t+T)dt- gx(t-T)dt where gx(t) represents gravity values along the x gravity profile, T represents one-half the distance of the smallest smoothing operator, and t represents distance along said gravity profile to produce physical representations in said machine representing a resultant sum, modifying said sum by the factor (1/2T) further modified by division by the number of profiles which have been added together, generating signals in said machine representing subtracting said modified profiles averaged together with one smoothing interval from other modified gravity profiles including a different smoothing interval, and generating signals in said machine representing said gravity values each separated from the other by the distance t for production of new gravity values in the same locations on the mapped area.

Claim 15

The method recited in claim 9 wherein said step of generating signals within said computing apparatus representing smoothed gravity profiles comprises representing integrating said gravity profiles with respect to distance, and algebraically obtaining the difference between an integrated gravity profile represenTed by the gx(t+nT)dt and gx(t-nT)dt where gx(t) represents gravity values along the x gravity profile, t represents distance along said gravity profile and n is an integer.

Claim 16

The method recited in claim 9 wherein said step of generating signals within said computing apparatus representing said plurality of averaged gravity profiles comprises averaging together the smoothed gravity profile passing through the location x,y and an equal number of smoothed gravity profiles on both sides of location x,y the total number of smoothed gravity profiles which are averaged being specified by 2n+1, and wherein each of the smoothed gravity profiles has been smoothed by an interval 2nT where n is an integer.

Claim 17

The method recited in claim 11 wherein said step of generating signals within said computing apparatus represents subtracting said area-gravity values comprises subtracting an area-gravity value formed by averaging gravity profiles smoothed by the integral 2nT from an area-gravity value formed by averaging gravity profiles smoothed by the interval 2(n-1)T to form a difference area-gravity value which accentuates anomalies in a particular depth range.

Claim 18

The computer performed method of automatically and sequentially processing data representing physical properties of the earth including anomalies in a particular area which comprises converting said data to first physical representations within said computer representing data profiles across lines of said area, generating second physical representations within said computer from said first physical representation representing smoothing each of said profiles by differing smoothing intervals extending along said profiles, generating third physical representations within said computer from said second physical representation representing adding a plurality of profiles smoothed by the same sampling interval to represent a first sum, generating fourth physical representations within said computer from said first and second physical representations representing adding a plurality of profiles smoothed by a different smoothing interval to represent a second sum, and generating fifth physical representations within said computer from said third and fourth physical representations representing subtracting said first sum from said second sum to enhance the appearance of an anomaly representing said physical properties of the earth.

Claim 19

The computer performed method of automatically and sequentially processing data representing physical properties of the earth including anomalies in a particular area which comprises converting said data to first physical representations within said computer representing data profiles across lines of said area, generating second physical representations within said computer from said first physical representation representing smoothing each of said profiles by differing smoothing intervals extending along said profiles, generating third physical representations within said computer from said second physical representation representing adding a plurality of profiles smoothed by the same sampling interval to represent a first sum, generating fourth physical representations within said computer from said first and second physical representations representing adding a plurality of profiles smoothed by a different smoothing interval to represent a second sum, and generating fifth physical representations within said computer from said third and fourth physical representations representing subtracting said first sum from said second sum to enhance the appearance of an anomaly representing said physical properties of the earth.

Claim 20

Apparatus for processing gravity profile data representing gravitational anomalies of the earth in a particular area which have been converted to physical representations representing gravitational values including circuitry comprising an averaging means for generating from said gravity profile data first signals representing gravity profiles smoothed by differing smoothing intervals extending along said profiles, an adder means for generating second signals from said first signals representing adding together a plurality of said gravity profiles smoothed by a first smoothing interval to generate a first sum, an adder means for generating third signals from said first signals representing adding together a plurality of said gravity profiles smoothed by a second smoothing interval, which is different from said first smoothing interval, to generate a second sum, and a difference means for generating fourth signals from said second signals and said third signals representing subtracting said first sum from said second sum to enhance the appearance of anomalies in the resultant.

Claim 21

Apparatus for processing gravity profile data representing gravitational anomalies of the earth in a particular area which have been converted to physical representations representing gravitational values including circuitry comprising an averaging means for generating from said gravity profile data first signals representing gravity profiles smoothed by differing smoothing intervals extending along said profiles, an adder means for generating second signals from said first signals representing adding together a plurality of said gravity profiles smoothed by a first smoothing interval to generate a first sum, an adder means for generating third signals from said first signals representing adding together a plurality of said gravity profiles smoothed by a second smoothing interval, which is different from said first smoothing interval, to generate a second sum, and a difference means for generating fourth signals from said second signals and said third signals representing subtracting said first sum from said second sum to enhance the appearance of anomalies in the resultant.