Sondes with articulated arms used in well logging

Claim 2

In an apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, a body member adapted to be moved longitudinally through a well bore; a plurality of arms attached to said body member, one end portion of each arm having a pivot connection to said body member so that said arms are movable by pivotal rotation between retracted positions alongside said body member and extended positions at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said body member; guide means on said body member above said pivot connections, said guide means functioning to guide a driven member slidable longitudinally along said body member and extending between locations above said guide means and below said Pivot connections; coupling means between the pivoted end of each arm and said driven member arranged so that longitudinal movement of said driven member is translated to pivotal rotation of said arms, and vice-versa; spring means mounted to the sides of said body member and having portions extending outwardly thereof arranged and adapted to continuously urge pivotal rotation of said arms toward extended positions; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body member below said driven member and adapted to contact the lower end thereof to force said driven member along said body member in a direction to cause pivotal rotation of said arms to retracted positions, said motor means being out of contact with said driven member during measuring operations so that said arms can pivot about said pivot connections independently of said motor means.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said spring means is constituted by a plurality of arcuate members, each of said arcuate members comprising at least one blade having one end arranged to press outwardly on a respective one of said arms.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said selectively operable motor means includes piston and cylinder means, one of which is attached to said body member and the other of which is engageable with the lower end of said driven member; and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said piston and cylinder means.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 further including a reservoir below said piston and cylinder means for storing fluid supplied to said piston and cylinder means.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 further including means for balancing the pressure of fluids in said storage chamber with the hydrostatic pressure of fluids in a well bore.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a majority of the structural components of said combination are constructed of a light-weight metal such as titanium.

Claim 8

Apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, comprising: a body member adapted to be moved longitudinally through a well bore; two independent pairs of arms located at right angles around said body member, one end portion of each arm having a pivot connection to said body member so that said arms are movable by pivotal rotation between retracted positions alongside said body member and extended positions at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said body member; guide means on said body member above said pivot connections, said guide means functioning to guide two independently slidable driven members movable longitudinally along said body member, each driven member extending between locations above said guide means and below said pivotal connections; coupling means between the pivoted end portions of each pair of arms and a respective one of said driven members arranged so that longitudinal movement of each driven member is translated to pivotal rotation of a respective pair of said arms, and vice versa; spring means mounted to the sides of said body member and having portions extending outwardly thereof in the plane of pivotal rotation of each pair of arms and arranged and adapted to to continuously urge pivotal rotation of said arms toward extended positions; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body member below said driven members and adapted to contact the lower ends thereof to force said driven members jointly along said body member in a direction to cause pivotal rotation of said arms to said retracted positions, said motor means being out of contact with both of said driven members during measuring operations so that said arms can pivot about said pivot connections independently of said motor means.

Claim 9

Apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, comprising: a body member adapted to be moved longitudinally through a well bore; two independent pairs of arms located at right angles around said body member, one end portion of each arm having a pivot connection to said body member so that said arms are movable by pivotal rotation between retracted positions alongside said body member and extended positions at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said body member; guide means on said body member above said pivot connections, said guide means functioning to guide two independently slidable driven members movable longitudinally along said body member, each driven member extending between locations above said guide means and below said pivotal connections; coupling means between the pivoted end portions of each pair of arms and a respective one of said driven members arranged so that longitudinal movement of each driven member is translated to pivotal rotation of a respective pair of said arms, and vice versa; spring means mounted to the sides of said body member and having portions extending outwardly thereof in the plane of pivotal rotation of each pair of arms and arranged and adapted to to continuously urge pivotal rotation of said arms toward extended positions; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body member below said driven members and adapted to contact the lower ends thereof to force said driven members jointly along said body member in a direction to cause pivotal rotation of said arms to said retracted positions, said motor means being out of contact with both of said driven members during measuring operations so that said arms can pivot about said pivot connections independently of said motor means.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said driven members comprise concentrically disposed tubes, said coupling means coupling the inner one of said tubes to one pair of said arms and the outer one of said tubes to the other pair of said arms.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said driven members comprise concentrically disposed tubes, the inner tube carryIng a transversely disposed trunnion pin having end portions extending through longitudinally extending elongated slots in the wall of the outer tube, said outer tube having oppositely disposed trunnions located at right angles with respect to said trunnion pin, said coupling means comprising crank means on the end portions of each arm, the crank means for one pair of arms having sliding connections with the end portions of said trunnion pin, the crank means for the other pair of arms having sliding connections with said oppositely disposed trunnions.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said motor means includes piston and cylinder means on said body member, said piston means being engageable with the lower ends of said driven members; means for supplying fluid under pressure to said piston and cylinder means to cause said piston means to engage said driven members; and biasing means for urging said piston means out of engagement with said driven members during measuring operations.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 further including a reservoir for storing fluid to be supplied to said piston and cylinder means.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said reservoir and said piston and cylinder means are formed in end-to-end relationship; and a partition separating said reservoir and said cylinder means.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 11 further including means for balancing the pressure of fluids in said reservoir with the hydrostatic pressure of fluids in the well bore.

Claim 16

In an apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, an elongated body having upper and lower axially disposed guide means and a driven member slidable through said guide means; at least one pair of oppositely disposed arms, each arm having one end pivotally connected to said body intermediate said guide means, the pivot connections for a respective pair of said arms being disposed on lateral opposite sides of said driven member; coupling means on said driven member and said arms for translating pivotal rotation of said arms about said pivotal connections to axial sliding movement of said driven member with respect to said body; spring means including elongated blade structures, each having one end connected to an upper portion of said body and the other end pressing against a respective one of said arms, arranged to continuously urge the other ends of said arms outwardly of said body; means for varying the pressure with which said blade structures press against said arms; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body below said lower guide means for forcing axial sliding movement of said driven member with respect to said body in a direction to cause inward movement of said other ends of said arms.

Claim 17

In an apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, an elongated body having upper and lower axially disposed guide means and a driven member slidable through said guide means; at least one pair of oppositely disposed arms, each arm having one end pivotally connected to said body intermediate said guide means, the pivot connections for a respective pair of said arms being disposed on lateral opposite sides of said driven member; coupling means on said driven member and said arms for translating pivotal rotation of said arms about said pivotal connections to axial sliding movement of said driven member with respect to said body; spring means including elongated blade structures, each having one end connected to an upper portion of said body and the other end pressing against a respective one of said arms, arranged to continuously urge the other ends of said arms outwardly of said body; means for varying the pressure with which said blade structures press against said arms; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body below said lower guide means for forcing axial sliding movement of said driven member with respect to said body in a direction to cause inward movement of said other ends of said arms.

Claim 18

Apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, comprising: an elongated body adapted to be lowered into a well bore on a cable, said body member having axially disposed guide means and a driven member slidable along said body member through said guide means; at least one pair of wall-engaging pad structures, each of said pad structures being mounted for lateral movement relative to said body member between retracted positions alongside said body member and extended positions engaging a well bore wall; arm means having pivotal connections to said body member for mounting said pad structures on said body member in a manner to enable said movement between retracted and extended positions; coupling means on said arm means and said driven member for translating pivotal rotation of said arm means about said pivotal connections to axial sliding motion of said driven member with respect to said body member; spring means including arcuate members extending outwardly of said body member, said arcuate members comprising blades having one end attached to said body member and the other end slidably engaging a respective pad structure and arranged to press against said pad structures behind central portions thereof for urging said pad structures laterally outwardly into engagemEnt with a well bore wall; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body member below said guide means and said driven member and adapted for forcing axial movement of said driven member and corresponding pivotal rotation of said arm means in a direction to move said pad structures laterally inwardly of said body member and into positions alongside said body member to enable substantial running clearance of said apparatus in a well bore.

Claim 19

Apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, comprising: an elongated body adapted to be lowered into a well bore on a cable, said body member having axially disposed guide means and a driven member slidable along said body member through said guide means; at least one pair of wall-engaging pad structures, each of said pad structures being mounted for lateral movement relative to said body member between retracted positions alongside said body member and extended positions engaging a well bore wall; arm means having pivotal connections to said body member for mounting said pad structures on said body member in a manner to enable said movement between retracted and extended positions; coupling means on said arm means and said driven member for translating pivotal rotation of said arm means about said pivotal connections to axial sliding motion of said driven member with respect to said body member; spring means including arcuate members extending outwardly of said body member, said arcuate members comprising blades having one end attached to said body member and the other end slidably engaging a respective pad structure and arranged to press against said pad structures behind central portions thereof for urging said pad structures laterally outwardly into engagemEnt with a well bore wall; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body member below said guide means and said driven member and adapted for forcing axial movement of said driven member and corresponding pivotal rotation of said arm means in a direction to move said pad structures laterally inwardly of said body member and into positions alongside said body member to enable substantial running clearance of said apparatus in a well bore.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said selectively operable motor means includes piston and cylinder means, one of said piston and cylinder means being adapted to engage said driven member, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said piston and cylinder means.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each of said arm means includes a plurality of pivotally connected links constructed and arranged to define, together with said body member and pad structures, an articulated quadrilateral in such a manner that the pad structures remain parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body member during lateral inward and outward movement relative to said body member.

Claim 22

Apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, comprising: an elongated body; two independent pairs of pad structures located at right angles around said body, said pad structures being movable laterally inwardly and outwardly of said body; arm means for articulating said pairs of pad structures on said body member, the ends of said arm means being pivotally attached to said body and said pad structures in a manner whereby lateral movement of said pad structures corresponds to pivotal rotation of said arm means; spring means including a plurality of arcuate blade structures, each blade structure having one end mounted to the side of said body and the other end pressing outwardly against a respective pad structure for biasing said pad structures outwardly; first and second concentrically arranged driven members on said body movable longitudinally relative to one another and to said body; means for translating pivotal rotation of the arm means for respective pairs of said pad structures to longitudinal movement of respective ones of said first and second driven members; said first and second members being adapted for coupling to means for detecting the extent of longitudinal movement of said driven members relative to said body; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body below said first and second driven members and adapted to jointly move said first and second driven members in a longitudinal direction with respect to said body to cause pivotal rotation of said arm means and lateral inward movement of said pad structures.

Claim 23

Apparatus for use in making measurements in a well bore, comprising: an elongated body; two independent pairs of pad structures located at right angles around said body, said pad structures being movable laterally inwardly and outwardly of said body; arm means for articulating said pairs of pad structures on said body member, the ends of said arm means being pivotally attached to said body and said pad structures in a manner whereby lateral movement of said pad structures corresponds to pivotal rotation of said arm means; spring means including a plurality of arcuate blade structures, each blade structure having one end mounted to the side of said body and the other end pressing outwardly against a respective pad structure for biasing said pad structures outwardly; first and second concentrically arranged driven members on said body movable longitudinally relative to one another and to said body; means for translating pivotal rotation of the arm means for respective pairs of said pad structures to longitudinal movement of respective ones of said first and second driven members; said first and second members being adapted for coupling to means for detecting the extent of longitudinal movement of said driven members relative to said body; and selectively operable motor means carried by said body below said first and second driven members and adapted to jointly move said first and second driven members in a longitudinal direction with respect to said body to cause pivotal rotation of said arm means and lateral inward movement of said pad structures.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 18 further including means for increasing or decreasing the bias force afforded by said blade structures to correspondingly increase or decrease the amount of pressure exerted by the pad structures against a well bore wall.

Claim 25

In an apparatus for use in investigating earth formations traversed by a borehole, the combination comprising: an elongated body member adapted for longitudinal movement through a borehole; a plurality of wall-engaging members movable between retracted positions alongside said body member and extended positions engaging a well bore wall; slide members upon which said wall engaging members are slidably mounted, said slide members being coupled to said body member and arranged to move longitudinally with respect to said body member and said wall-engaging members; a plurality of main arms coupling different slide members to said body member; linkage means connected between said wall-engaging members and said body member, said linkage means being arranged for permitting transverse movement of said wall-engaging members with respect to said body member while preventing longitudinal movement therebetween; spring means for forcing said wall-engaging members against the well bore wall with a preselected pressure, said spring means including a plurality of blade springs, Each having one end attached to said body member and its other end slidably engaging a respective slide member at a point behind the center portion of the respective wall-engaging member; and remotely and selectively operable means for maintaining said wall-engaging members in retracted position during longitudinal movement in a well bore, including a driven means movable axially of said body member and coupled to said main arms and said linkage means, means for retracting said wall-engaging members in response to upward longitudinal movement of said driven means, and motor means for driving said driven means upwardly relative to said body member.

Claim 26

In an apparatus for use in investigating earth formations traversed by a borehole, the combination comprising: an elongated body member adapted for longitudinal movement through a borehole; a plurality of wall-engaging members movable between retracted positions alongside said body member and extended positions engaging a well bore wall; slide members upon which said wall engaging members are slidably mounted, said slide members being coupled to said body member and arranged to move longitudinally with respect to said body member and said wall-engaging members; a plurality of main arms coupling different slide members to said body member; linkage means connected between said wall-engaging members and said body member, said linkage means being arranged for permitting transverse movement of said wall-engaging members with respect to said body member while preventing longitudinal movement therebetween; spring means for forcing said wall-engaging members against the well bore wall with a preselected pressure, said spring means including a plurality of blade springs, Each having one end attached to said body member and its other end slidably engaging a respective slide member at a point behind the center portion of the respective wall-engaging member; and remotely and selectively operable means for maintaining said wall-engaging members in retracted position during longitudinal movement in a well bore, including a driven means movable axially of said body member and coupled to said main arms and said linkage means, means for retracting said wall-engaging members in response to upward longitudinal movement of said driven means, and motor means for driving said driven means upwardly relative to said body member.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said motor means includes a hydraulically operated piston and cylinder means located on said body member below said driven means, one of said piston and cylinder means being coupled in force transmitting relationship to said driven means.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 21 further including a storage reservoir for storing fluid to operate said piston and cylinder means, said reservoir being located on said body member adjacent said piston and cylinder means.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said retracting means includes crank arms on said main arms and at least some of said linkage means, projections on said driven means, and sliding connections between said crank arms and said projections.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the majority of structural components of said combination are constructed of a light-weight metal such as titanium.