System and method for visual display of well-logging data

Claim 1

A method of investigating the character of subsurface earth materials traversed by a borehole, comprising deriving a plurality of well-logging measurements of said earth materials at selected locations along the length of said borehole, deriving and storing recordable measurements of first and second selected lithological characteristics of said materials at said locations on a real-time basis as a function of at least one of said plurality of well-logging measurements, and displaying and recording a visible representation of said first and second characteristics and said character of subsurface materials defined by a difference between said first and second characteristics, wherein said displaying step further comprises retrieving said measurement of said first characteristic, generating a first sequence of digital 0's having a first total number corresponding to said measurement of said first characteristic storing a 2-dimensional lithological matrix pattern of digital 1's and 0's corresponding to said character of subsurface materials, retrieving said measurement of said second characteristic, retrieving at least a portion of one line of said matrix pattern, generating a second sequence of digital 1's and 0's from said portion having a second total number corresponding to the difference between said measurement of said second and said first characteristics, generating a third sequence of digital 0's having a third total number corresponding to the difference between a preselected total and the sum of said first and second total numbers, and displaying in sequence a visible representation of said first, second and third sequences.

Claim 2

A method of investigating the character of subsurface earth materials traversed by a borehole, comprising deriving a plurality of well-logging measurements of said earth materials at selected locations along the length of said borehole, deriving and storing recordable measurements of first and second selected lithological characteristics of said materials at said locations on a real-time basis as a function of at least one of said plurality of well-logging measurements, and displaying and recording a visible representation of said first and second characteristics and said character of subsurface materials defined by a difference between said first and second characteristics, wherein said displaying step further comprises retrieving said measurement of said first characteristic, generating a first sequence of digital 0's having a first total number corresponding to said measurement of said first characteristic storing a 2-dimensional lithological matrix pattern of digital 1's and 0's corresponding to said character of subsurface materials, retrieving said measurement of said second characteristic, retrieving at least a portion of one line of said matrix pattern, generating a second sequence of digital 1's and 0's from said portion having a second total number corresponding to the difference between said measurement of said second and said first characteristics, generating a third sequence of digital 0's having a third total number corresponding to the difference between a preselected total and the sum of said first and second total numbers, and displaying in sequence a visible representation of said first, second and third sequences.

Claim 10

A system for investigating the character of subsurface earth material traversed by a borehole, comprising logging means for surveying the length of said borehole, sensor means in said logging means for deriving a plurality of depth related logging signals from said materials at selected locations along the length of said borehole, controller means for deriving from said plurality of signals measurements of lithological characteristics of said materials traversed by said borehole at said selected locations, data storage means for receiving from said controller means and storing said lithological measurements, curve storage means for storing first bit pattern representations correlative to said lithological measurements, first processor means interconnected between said data storage means and said curve storage means for transforming said stored lithological measurements into said correlative first bit pattern representations, lithological symbol matrix storage means for storing second bit pattern representations each corresponding to different preselected combinations of said lithological measurements, second processor means interconnected between said curve storage means and said matrix storage means for deriving a third bit pattern corresponding to at least one of said preselected combinations of measurements and to the magnitudes of said measurements of said at least one combination, clock means interconnected between said first and second processor means for alternately commanding said first processor means to operate in an internal state while said second processor means operates in an input/output access state during a first interval and commanding said second processor means to operate in an internal state while said first processor means operates in an input/output access stage during a second interval, status register means interconnected between said first and second processor means for receiving status signals from said first and second processor means corresponding to the operational state of the respective ones of said first and second processor means, display means interconnected to said second processor means for displaying visible and recordable representations of said third bit pattern.

Claim 11

A system for investigating the character of subsurface earth material traversed by a borehole, comprising logging means for surveying the length of said borehole, sensor means in said logging means for deriving a plurality of depth related logging signals from said materials at selected locations along the length of said borehole, controller means for deriving from said plurality of signals measurements of lithological characteristics of said materials traversed by said borehole at said selected locations, data storage means for receiving from said controller means and storing said lithological measurements, curve storage means for storing first bit pattern representations correlative to said lithological measurements, first processor means interconnected between said data storage means and said curve storage means for transforming said stored lithological measurements into said correlative first bit pattern representations, lithological symbol matrix storage means for storing second bit pattern representations each corresponding to different preselected combinations of said lithological measurements, second processor means interconnected between said curve storage means and said matrix storage means for deriving a third bit pattern corresponding to at least one of said preselected combinations of measurements and to the magnitudes of said measurements of said at least one combination, clock means interconnected between said first and second processor means for alternately commanding said first processor means to operate in an internal state while said second processor means operates in an input/output access state during a first interval and commanding said second processor means to operate in an internal state while said first processor means operates in an input/output access stage during a second interval, status register means interconnected between said first and second processor means for receiving status signals from said first and second processor means corresponding to the operational state of the respective ones of said first and second processor means, display means interconnected to said second processor means for displaying visible and recordable representations of said third bit pattern.