US4040189A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for leveling an instrument in a well bore
Assignee: Lacoste and Romberg Inc
•
Filing: 1976-09-22
•
Granted: 1977-08-09
•
Expires: 1996-09-22
Abstract
Abstract The apparatus includes a housing in which a frame is rotationally mounted, an instrument which is pivotally mounted about two axes within said frame, level sensing devices on the instrument to detect the tilt of the instrument about said two axes, and means for tilting the instrument within the frame so that the instrument's reference axis may be brought to a substantially vertical position when the apparatus is within an inclined well bore. The instrument is mounted unsymmetrically within the frame so that the instrument may be tilted in one direction on one axis a much greater amount than on the other axis and in the other direction. The method steps include the steps of detecting the level position of the instrument along the two axes, rotating the frame within the housing to orient the instrument so that its large range tilt capacity is brought into position to correct the tilt of the instrument and tilting the instrument within the frame to bring the reference axis of the instrument to a substantially vertical position.
Inventors
- 👤 Lucien J. B. LaCoste
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 06:49
CPC Classifications
E; E21; E21B; E21B47/00; E21B47/02; E21B47/022
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
190 words
A device for leveling an instrument comprising: a housing having a dimension which is substantially longer than the housing dimensions normal to said long dimension, a frame, means for rotating said frame about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said long housing dimension, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be positioned approximately vertical for good instrument performance, means for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about two tilt axes substantially normal to said rotation axis and at an angle to each other, one of said tilt means having a long range of tilt, the other of said tilt means having a shorter range of tilt, said instrument being mounted in said tilt means to align its reference axis parallel to said rotation axis when said long range tilt means is near one end of its range and when the short range tilt means is near the center of its range, means for indicating the amount of tilt of said long range tilt means relative to said frame, and leveling indicating means in fixed relation to said instrument to indicate when said instrument reference axis is vertical.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
190 words
A device for leveling an instrument comprising: a housing having a dimension which is substantially longer than the housing dimensions normal to said long dimension, a frame, means for rotating said frame about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said long housing dimension, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be positioned approximately vertical for good instrument performance, means for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about two tilt axes substantially normal to said rotation axis and at an angle to each other, one of said tilt means having a long range of tilt, the other of said tilt means having a shorter range of tilt, said instrument being mounted in said tilt means to align its reference axis parallel to said rotation axis when said long range tilt means is near one end of its range and when the short range tilt means is near the center of its range, means for indicating the amount of tilt of said long range tilt means relative to said frame, and leveling indicating means in fixed relation to said instrument to indicate when said instrument reference axis is vertical.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
135 words
A device for leveling an instrument comprising: a housing having a dimension which is substantially longer than the housing dimensions normal to said long dimension, a frame, means for rotating said frame about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said long housing dimension, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be positioned approximately vertical for good instrument performance, means for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about a tilt axis normal to said rotation axis, said instrument being mounted in said tilt means to align its reference axis parallel to said rotation axis when said tilt means is near one end of its range, means for limiting the range of said tilt means, and level indicating means in fixed relation to said instrument to indicate when said instrument reference axis is vertical.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
135 words
A device for leveling an instrument comprising: a housing having a dimension which is substantially longer than the housing dimensions normal to said long dimension, a frame, means for rotating said frame about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said long housing dimension, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be positioned approximately vertical for good instrument performance, means for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about a tilt axis normal to said rotation axis, said instrument being mounted in said tilt means to align its reference axis parallel to said rotation axis when said tilt means is near one end of its range, means for limiting the range of said tilt means, and level indicating means in fixed relation to said instrument to indicate when said instrument reference axis is vertical.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
182 words
A device for leveling an instrument comprising: a housing having a dimension which is substantially longer than the housing dimensions normal to said long dimension, a frame, means for rotating said frame about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said long housing dimension, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be positioned approximately vertical for good instrument performance, means for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about two tilt axes substantially normal to said rotation axis and at an angle to each other, one of said tilt means having a long range of tilt, the other of said tilt means having a shorter range of tilt, said instrument being mounted in said tilt means to align its reference axis parallel to said rotation axis when said long range tilt means is near one end of its range and when the short range tilt means is near the center of its range, level indicating means in fixed relation to said frame, and level indicating means in fixed relation to said instrument to indicate when said instrument reference axis is vertical.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
182 words
A device for leveling an instrument comprising: a housing having a dimension which is substantially longer than the housing dimensions normal to said long dimension, a frame, means for rotating said frame about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said long housing dimension, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be positioned approximately vertical for good instrument performance, means for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about two tilt axes substantially normal to said rotation axis and at an angle to each other, one of said tilt means having a long range of tilt, the other of said tilt means having a shorter range of tilt, said instrument being mounted in said tilt means to align its reference axis parallel to said rotation axis when said long range tilt means is near one end of its range and when the short range tilt means is near the center of its range, level indicating means in fixed relation to said frame, and level indicating means in fixed relation to said instrument to indicate when said instrument reference axis is vertical.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
189 words
An apparatus for leveling an instrument within a well bore comprising: a housing having a transverse dimension capable of being lowered into the well bore and a longitudinal axis which is generally parallel with the axis of the well bore when the housing is within said well bore, a frame mounted within said housing, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be approximately vertical for best operation of the instrument, means for mounting said instrument within said frame and for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about an axis extending substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing, means for indicating the level of said instrument about two axes with one of said axes being aligned with the axis about which said tilting means tilts said instrument and the other of said axes being substantially normal to the tilt axis and said longitudinal axis of said housing, and means for rotating said frame relative to said housing whereby the instrument may be positioned with its maximum inclination in a direction which may be brought to a substantially vertical position by operation of said tilting means.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
189 words
An apparatus for leveling an instrument within a well bore comprising: a housing having a transverse dimension capable of being lowered into the well bore and a longitudinal axis which is generally parallel with the axis of the well bore when the housing is within said well bore, a frame mounted within said housing, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be approximately vertical for best operation of the instrument, means for mounting said instrument within said frame and for tilting said instrument relative to said frame about an axis extending substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing, means for indicating the level of said instrument about two axes with one of said axes being aligned with the axis about which said tilting means tilts said instrument and the other of said axes being substantially normal to the tilt axis and said longitudinal axis of said housing, and means for rotating said frame relative to said housing whereby the instrument may be positioned with its maximum inclination in a direction which may be brought to a substantially vertical position by operation of said tilting means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said instrument is mounted within said frame by said mounting means in an unsymmetrical position so that its maximum direction of movement available is aligned with the axis of its movement by said tilting means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, including a second tilting means for tilting said instrument about an axis normal to the axis about which said other tilting means tilts said instrument.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, including means for stopping the rotation of said frame in said housing to assure that it does not continue to rotate in the same direction with each rotation.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, including limit switches mounted on said frame to stop the travel of said tilting means as it reaches the end of its travel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, including a potentiometer connected to said tilt means and having an output indicative of the position of said tilt means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, including means for indicating the level of said frame about two axes which are substantially parallel to the two axes of the level indicating means on said instrument.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
89 words
The method of leveling an instrument within a well bore wherein the instrument is mounted within a frame and is tiltable relative thereto and the frame is mounted within a housing and is rotatable relative to the housing including the steps of: detecting the tilt of the instrument in two axes at an angle to each other and substantailly normal to the longitudinal axis of the housing, aligning the axis of one of said tilt detections to a maximum, and tilting the instrument to substantially eliminate said maximum tilt.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
89 words
The method of leveling an instrument within a well bore wherein the instrument is mounted within a frame and is tiltable relative thereto and the frame is mounted within a housing and is rotatable relative to the housing including the steps of: detecting the tilt of the instrument in two axes at an angle to each other and substantailly normal to the longitudinal axis of the housing, aligning the axis of one of said tilt detections to a maximum, and tilting the instrument to substantially eliminate said maximum tilt.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 11 wherein: said aligning step is performed by rotating the frame within said housing.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
95 words
The method of leveling an instrument within a well bore wherein the instrument is mounted within a frame and is tiltable relative thereto and the frame is mounted within a housing and is rotatable relative to the housing, including the steps of: orienting the instrument within the well bore by rotation of the frame within said housing to position the instrument with its maximum tilt in the direction in which said instrument is tiltable within said frame, and tilting the instrument within the frame to bring the reference axis of the instrument substantially to vertical.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
95 words
The method of leveling an instrument within a well bore wherein the instrument is mounted within a frame and is tiltable relative thereto and the frame is mounted within a housing and is rotatable relative to the housing, including the steps of: orienting the instrument within the well bore by rotation of the frame within said housing to position the instrument with its maximum tilt in the direction in which said instrument is tiltable within said frame, and tilting the instrument within the frame to bring the reference axis of the instrument substantially to vertical.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 13 including the steps of initially aligning the reference axis of the instrument to a position substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said housing.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
142 words
A device for leveling an instrument, comprising a housing having a transverse dimension capable of being lowered into a well bore, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be approximately vertical for best operation of the instrument, means for mounting said instrument within said housing whereby when the reference axis of said instrument is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said housing said instrument is offset to one side of said housing, means for rotating said mounting means and said instrument with respect to said housing, and means for indicating the desired position of said mounting means and said instrument with respect to the inclination of said housing whereby when said housing is inclined said mounting means and said instrument may be rotated to a position allowing the movement of said instrument to position its reference axis substantially vertical.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
142 words
A device for leveling an instrument, comprising a housing having a transverse dimension capable of being lowered into a well bore, an instrument having a reference axis which is to be approximately vertical for best operation of the instrument, means for mounting said instrument within said housing whereby when the reference axis of said instrument is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said housing said instrument is offset to one side of said housing, means for rotating said mounting means and said instrument with respect to said housing, and means for indicating the desired position of said mounting means and said instrument with respect to the inclination of said housing whereby when said housing is inclined said mounting means and said instrument may be rotated to a position allowing the movement of said instrument to position its reference axis substantially vertical.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
66 words
A device according to claim 15, wherein said mounting means includes a frame rotationally mounted within said housing and rotatable by said rotating means, and a gimbal mounting said instrument to said frame in free swinging relationship therewith whereby when said frame is rotated to the desired position said instrument is moved responsive to gravity to a position in which its reference axis is substantially vertical.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-08-08 | 1981-02-07 | 1981-08-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-08-08 | 1985-02-07 | 1985-08-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-08-08 | 1989-02-07 | 1989-08-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |