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US4768174A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method for generating and collecting random vibratory seismic data wherein a pre-specified wavelet of minimum side lobe content is always produced in the final correlations by maintaining domain consistency

Assignee: Chevron USA Inc
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Filing: 1986-09-29
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Granted: 1988-08-30
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Expires: 2006-09-29
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Abstract

Abstract A method of producing random sweeps for seismic vibrator sources is described which produces correlograms with reduced side lobe contamination. Digital random phase digital codes activate non-impulsive sources. Detected signals are processed using periodic sweep correlations. The method is especially useful in urban areas where permitting requirements limit the drive level and frequency range of a vibratory seismic source.

Inventors

  • 👤 Richard J. Castle

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-05 07:13
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01V; G01V1/00; G01V1/28; G01V1/36; G01V1/37; G01V1/375; G01V1/02; G01V1/04

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim 16 words
A method of producing and recording random non-impulsive vibrations in the earth comprising the steps of:
Claim 2
Independent Claim 16 words
A method of producing and recording random non-impulsive vibrations in the earth comprising the steps of:
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 124 words
(i) producing over a time duration ts said non-impulsive vibrations by activating at least one vibratory source with a digital random sweep code comprising a number n s of uniformly sampled random numbers and a sampling interval Δt, the time duration t s , the number of n s , and the sampling interval related by t s =(n s -1)Δt, said code resulting from an inverse Fourier transformation of a sequence of complex numbers having a form: ##EQU13## where e is the base of natural logrithms, i is the square root of -1, a k is an amplitude spectrum, k is a component index, and φ k is a frequency spectrum, said code controlling said vibratory source in a repetitive but random manner;
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 124 words
(i) producing over a time duration ts said non-impulsive vibrations by activating at least one vibratory source with a digital random sweep code comprising a number n s of uniformly sampled random numbers and a sampling interval Δt, the time duration t s , the number of n s , and the sampling interval related by t s =(n s -1)Δt, said code resulting from an inverse Fourier transformation of a sequence of complex numbers having a form: ##EQU13## where e is the base of natural logrithms, i is the square root of -1, a k is an amplitude spectrum, k is a component index, and φ k is a frequency spectrum, said code controlling said vibratory source in a repetitive but random manner;
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 25 words
(ii) recording over a second time duration received seismic vibrations that have propogated through the earth from said vibratory source to at least one receiver;
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 25 words
(ii) recording over a second time duration received seismic vibrations that have propogated through the earth from said vibratory source to at least one receiver;
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 26 words
(iii) cross-correlating said received seismic vibrations with said control code such that said code maintains domain consistency during cross-correlation, said correlation corresponding to a pre-specified autocorrelation.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 26 words
(iii) cross-correlating said received seismic vibrations with said control code such that said code maintains domain consistency during cross-correlation, said correlation corresponding to a pre-specified autocorrelation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the autocorrelation has a zero lag line appropriate to an exploration objective.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 56 words
The method of claim 1 wherein step (iii) is carried out in a frequency domain after said code has been extended to maintain domain consistency so as to define an extended digital periodic sweep code, said extended periodic sweep code being a k-fold repetition of the code, where k is a positive integer greater than 1.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 7 words
The method of claim 3 wherein k=2.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 82 words
The method of claim 1 in which step (iii) is carried out in a time domain after said code has been extended to maintain domain consistency in an extension, said extension being bi-directional and defining two equivalent repetition time intervals, t 2 and t 3 , one forward in time and one backward in time from original representations of the code but each correctly mated head and tail relative to said original representations of the code so as to maintain domain consistency.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 25 words
The method of claim 5 in which the equivalent repetition time intervals are equal to each other and to said time duration t s .
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 26 words
The method of claim 1 in which the primary term of the augmented Fourier transform of step (i) is: ##EQU14## where k is 0≦k≦n s -1.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 28 words
The method of claim 7 in which the Fourier transformation is in accordance with: ##EQU15## where d j is the control code and j is an indexing number.
Claim 16
Independent Claim 133 words
A method of constructing a random digital control code for driving a non-impulsive vibratory source to inject random non-impulsive vibrations into the earth comprising: (i) pre-specifying that resulting correlation correspond to a pre-specified autocorrelation having a sequence of uniformly sampled random numbers having a number of points n s and a sampling interval Δt, and a time duration of the autocorrelation, the number points of the autocorrelation and the sampling interval of the autocorrelation are the same as for a control code, said autocorrelation further comprising an amplitude versus time, imbedded wavelets; (ii) using a sequence of real numbers a k , 0≦k≦n s -1, as an amplitude spectrum of a Fourier transform of the control code, said a k being a Fourier transform of the autocorrelation and k being a summation index;
Claim 17
Independent Claim 133 words
A method of constructing a random digital control code for driving a non-impulsive vibratory source to inject random non-impulsive vibrations into the earth comprising: (i) pre-specifying that resulting correlation correspond to a pre-specified autocorrelation having a sequence of uniformly sampled random numbers having a number of points n s and a sampling interval Δt, and a time duration of the autocorrelation, the number points of the autocorrelation and the sampling interval of the autocorrelation are the same as for a control code, said autocorrelation further comprising an amplitude versus time, imbedded wavelets; (ii) using a sequence of real numbers a k , 0≦k≦n s -1, as an amplitude spectrum of a Fourier transform of the control code, said a k being a Fourier transform of the autocorrelation and k being a summation index;
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 50 words
(iii) using a random sequence of real numbers φ k , as a phase spectrum of the Fourier transform of the control code, said sequence φ k being constructed in accordance with: φk=2πn.sub.k where n k is any sequence of random real numbers between 0 and 1, 0≦n k ≦-1;
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 50 words
(iii) using a random sequence of real numbers φ k , as a phase spectrum of the Fourier transform of the control code, said sequence φ k being constructed in accordance with: φk=2πn.sub.k where n k is any sequence of random real numbers between 0 and 1, 0≦n k ≦-1;
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 56 words
(iv) constructing an inverse Fourier transform of the control code as a sequence of complex numbers a k e i φ.sbsp.k and inverse transforming the Fourier transform of the control code in accordance with: ##EQU16## where d j is the control code 0≦j≦n s -1, e is the base of natural logrithms, and i is √-1.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 56 words
(iv) constructing an inverse Fourier transform of the control code as a sequence of complex numbers a k e i φ.sbsp.k and inverse transforming the Fourier transform of the control code in accordance with: ##EQU16## where d j is the control code 0≦j≦n s -1, e is the base of natural logrithms, and i is √-1.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 113 words
The method of claim 9 in which step (ii) includes the substeps of: (a) generating an amplitude spectrum of the Fourier transform of the control code from the autocorrelation, said autocorrelation being a uniformly sampled sequence of real numbers, A k , comprised of the number of points, ns, and the sampling interval, Δt, as the control code, a square of said amplitude spectrum being a power spectrum, p j , and formed in accordance with: p.sub.j =P.sub.j P.sub.j * where P j * is the complex conjugate of P j and P j is: ##EQU17## (b) generating an amplitude spectrum a j from the sequence of P j in accordance with: ##EQU18##
Claim 23
Independent Claim 323 words
A method of constructing a digital correlogram for driving a non-implosive vibratory source C={C 0 ,C 1 , . . . , C n .sbsb.1 -1 } where n l is a number of samples associated with a listed time t l =(n l -1)Δt where Δt is a sampling interval, said digital correlogram being formed by correlating (a) a digital random code, S={S 1 ,S 2 , . . . ,S n .sbsb.s -1 } where n s is the number of samples in the code associated with a temporal duration t s =(n s -1)Δt with (b) a trace digital record collected in a field defined as D={D 0 ,D 1 , . . . , D n .sbsb.d -1 } where n d is the number of samples of the digital record, each correlation of the correlogram defining a pre-specified autocorrelation of merit from which amplitude and phase spectra for code can be calculated in a frequency domain comprising the steps of: (i) replicating the digital random code S to form a periodic digital sweep code P={S 0 ,S 1 , . . . ,S n .sbsb.s -1 ,S 0 ,S 1 , . . . } where said periodic sweep code P is a k-fold replication of the digital random code S having n p samples where n p =kn s where k is a positive integer greater than one, and non-zero elements of an amplitude spectrum of the periodic digital sweep are the same as the elements of an amplitude spectrum of the digital random code corresponding to common frequencies; (ii) constructing an extended digital record E having n p samples by padding the digital record D with additional zero samples in accordance with: E={D.sub.0,D.sub.1, . . . , D.sub.n.sbsb.D.sub.-1, 0, 0, . . . } where there are (n P -n d ) zero samples, n d being the number of samples of the digital record D;
Claim 24
Independent Claim 323 words
A method of constructing a digital correlogram for driving a non-implosive vibratory source C={C 0 ,C 1 , . . . , C n .sbsb.1 -1 } where n l is a number of samples associated with a listed time t l =(n l -1)Δt where Δt is a sampling interval, said digital correlogram being formed by correlating (a) a digital random code, S={S 1 ,S 2 , . . . ,S n .sbsb.s -1 } where n s is the number of samples in the code associated with a temporal duration t s =(n s -1)Δt with (b) a trace digital record collected in a field defined as D={D 0 ,D 1 , . . . , D n .sbsb.d -1 } where n d is the number of samples of the digital record, each correlation of the correlogram defining a pre-specified autocorrelation of merit from which amplitude and phase spectra for code can be calculated in a frequency domain comprising the steps of: (i) replicating the digital random code S to form a periodic digital sweep code P={S 0 ,S 1 , . . . ,S n .sbsb.s -1 ,S 0 ,S 1 , . . . } where said periodic sweep code P is a k-fold replication of the digital random code S having n p samples where n p =kn s where k is a positive integer greater than one, and non-zero elements of an amplitude spectrum of the periodic digital sweep are the same as the elements of an amplitude spectrum of the digital random code corresponding to common frequencies; (ii) constructing an extended digital record E having n p samples by padding the digital record D with additional zero samples in accordance with: E={D.sub.0,D.sub.1, . . . , D.sub.n.sbsb.D.sub.-1, 0, 0, . . . } where there are (n P -n d ) zero samples, n d being the number of samples of the digital record D;
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 31 words
(iii) cross-correlating the period digital sweep code, P, with the extended digital record, E, while domain consistency is maintained, the resulting correlations being a survey record of time t l .
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 31 words
(iii) cross-correlating the period digital sweep code, P, with the extended digital record, E, while domain consistency is maintained, the resulting correlations being a survey record of time t l .
Claim 27
Dependent Claim 14 words
The method of claim 11 in which step (iii) further comprises the substeps of:
Claim 28
Dependent Claim 166 words
(a) calculating digital Fourier transforms of the periodic digital sweep code P and the extended record E in accordance with: ##EQU19## where (FP) j are elements of the digital Fourier transform of the periodic digital sweep code, P k are elements of the periodic digital sweep code, and the indicies j and k are both positive integers from 0 to n p , and ##EQU20## where (FE) j are elements of the digital Fourier transform of the extended record E, where E k are the elements of the extended digital record; (b) calculating the Fourier transforms of the digital correlogram in accordance with: (FC).sub.j =(FE).sub.j (FP).sub.j * where (FP) j * is the complex conjugate of (FP)k and (FC)j are elements of the Fourier transforms of the digital correlogram; (c) Fourier synthesizing the Fourier transforms of the digital correlogram of step (b) to form a digital correlogram in accordance with: ##EQU21## wherein the first n l samples are the correlograms of the survey record of interest.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim 166 words
(a) calculating digital Fourier transforms of the periodic digital sweep code P and the extended record E in accordance with: ##EQU19## where (FP) j are elements of the digital Fourier transform of the periodic digital sweep code, P k are elements of the periodic digital sweep code, and the indicies j and k are both positive integers from 0 to n p , and ##EQU20## where (FE) j are elements of the digital Fourier transform of the extended record E, where E k are the elements of the extended digital record; (b) calculating the Fourier transforms of the digital correlogram in accordance with: (FC).sub.j =(FE).sub.j (FP).sub.j * where (FP) j * is the complex conjugate of (FP)k and (FC)j are elements of the Fourier transforms of the digital correlogram; (c) Fourier synthesizing the Fourier transforms of the digital correlogram of step (b) to form a digital correlogram in accordance with: ##EQU21## wherein the first n l samples are the correlograms of the survey record of interest.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US2688124A Cited
US4168485A Cited
US4486866A Cited
US4601022A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1991-08-30 1992-02-29 1992-08-30 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1995-08-30 1996-02-29 1996-08-30 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1999-08-30 2000-02-29 2000-08-30 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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