US 10,330,454 B2Granted

Method for defining the curve of a tubular structure

AssigneeTechnip France

InventorsMickaël Carmona, Laurent Jouanet, Nathalie Sprynski, Olivier Delcroix, Patrick Lestanc

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Abstract

A method for determining the bend of a tubular structure, including determining the inclination of first and second rigid objects fixed in distinct locations along the tubular structure. The method includes supplying accelerometers (A1, . . . AN) rigidly linked by the object to measure an acceleration in at least one direction of measurement (vj), the respective directions of measurement of at least two of said accelerometers being non-collinear. The measurement, by the accelerometers, of the components of the Earth's gravitational field along said directions of measurement, the measurement providing, for each of said directions, a measurement value, denoted mj for a measurement direction of index i. The method includes solving a defined matrix equation to determine the inclination Φ of the object relative to the reference frame of reference.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method comprising determining a bend of a deformable tubular structure, wherein determining the bend of a deformable tubular structure comprises

determining inclinations of first and second rigid objects in a fixed reference frame, the fixed reference frame being fixed relative to the direction of the Earth's gravitational field, said rigid objects being fixed at distinct locations along said tubular structure,
wherein determining the inclinations of the first and second rigid objects comprises
designating the first rigid object to be an object,
performing a sequence of steps on the object,
designating the second rigid object to be the object, and
performing the sequence of steps on the object,
wherein performing a sequence of steps on an object comprises obtaining measurements from accelerometers that are rigidly linked to each other by the object,
wherein each of the accelerometers measures an acceleration in at least one measurement direction,
wherein at least two of the accelerometers have non-collinear measurement directions,
wherein the accelerometers measure the components of the Earth's gravitational field along their respective measurement directions, thereby providing, for each of said measurement directions, a measured value,
solving a matrix equation to determine the inclination Φ of the object relative to the fixed reference,
wherein the matrix equation is:
M
=
A
⁡
[
cos
⁡
(
ϕ
)
-
sin
⁡
(
ϕ
)
⁢
sin
⁡
(
η
)
-
sin
⁡
(
ϕ
)
⁢
cos
⁡
(
η
)
]
wherein M is a vector having the measured values as components thereof,
wherein A is a matrix defined by the measurement directions of the accelerometers in a secured reference frame,
wherein the secured reference frame is a reference frame that is secured to the object, and
wherein η is an angle of rotation of the secured reference frame relative to the fixed reference frame, and
after having performed the sequence of steps on both the first rigid object and on the second rigid object, determining the bend of the tubular structure from the inclinations determined for the first and second rigid objects.

49 more elements

An apparatus comprising

a computation device,
a tubular deformable structure, and
first and second rigid objects,
wherein the first rigid object rigidly links together a first set of accelerometers and the second rigid object rigidly links together a second set of accelerometers,
wherein each of the accelerometers is able to measure a component of the Earth's gravitational field in at least one measurement direction to provide a measurement for the measurement direction,
wherein at least two accelerometers of the first set have non-collinear measurement directions and at least two accelerometers of the second set have non-collinear measurement directions,
wherein the computation device is programmed to determine an inclination Φ of each of said first and second rigid objects relative to a fixed reference frame,
wherein the fixed reference frame is fixed relative to the direction of the Earth's gravitational field by designating the first rigid object to be an object, solving a matrix equation for the object, designating the second rigid object to be the object, and solving the matrix equation for the object,
wherein the matrix equation is given by:
M
=
A
⁡
[
cos
⁡
(
ϕ
)
-
sin
⁡
(
ϕ
)
⁢
sin
⁡
(
η
)
-
sin
⁡
(
ϕ
)
⁢
cos
⁡
(
η
)
]
wherein M is a vector having, as components thereof, the measurements,
wherein A is a matrix defined by the measurement directions of the accelerometers on the object in a secured reference frame, the secured reference frame being a reference frame that is secured to the object,
wherein η is an angle of rotation of the secured reference frame relative to the fixed reference frame, and
wherein the computation device is further configured to determine the bend of the tubular structure between said first and second rigid objects from the inclinations determined for the first and second rigid objects.

45 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/654,055Filed 18 Dec 2013
Priority: FR 12 6232019 Dec 2012
Published: US 2015/0345929 A13 Dec 2015
Granted: 25 Jun 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G01B 5/24
Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of mechanical techniques: for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
G01B 5/004
Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of mechanical techniques: for measuring coordinates of points
G01B 7/28
Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques: for measuring contours or curvatures
G01P 15/00
Measuring acceleration