# US 2014/0197962 A1 · Synchronization of distributed measurements in a borehole > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197962 A1 - Document ID: US20140197962A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/743,720 - Filed: 2013-01-17 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-17 - Assignees: Baker Hughes Incorporated - Inventors: John D. Macpherson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197962A1 ## CPC - G01V 3/18: specially adapted for well-logging - G01V 1/26: Reference-signal-transmitting devices, e.g. indicating moment of firing of shot - G01V 1/40: specially adapted for well-logging - G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02) ## Abstract A system and method to synchronize distributed measurements in a borehole are described. The system includes a plurality of wired segments coupled together by couplers and a plurality of nodes configured to measure, process, or relay information obtained in the borehole to a surface processing system, each of the plurality of nodes comprising a local clock and being disposed at one of the couplers or between couplers. The system also includes a surface processing system coupled to a master clock and configured to determine a time offset between the master clock and the local clock of an nth node among the plurality of nodes based on a downhole generated synchronization signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system to synchronize distributed measurements in a borehole, the system comprising: a plurality of wired segments coupled together by couplers; a plurality of nodes configured to measure, process, or relay information obtained in the borehole to a surface processing system, each of the plurality of nodes comprising a local clock and being disposed at one of the couplers or between couplers; and a surface processing system coupled to a master clock and configured to determine a time offset between the master clock and the local clock of an nth node among the plurality of nodes based on a downhole generated synchronization signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the surface processing system determines a time offset associated with every node between the nth node and the surface processing system. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the wired segments are part of a wired pipe. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the surface processing system determines the time offset associated with the local clock of the nth node as follows: B[n]=C[n]+da[n]+dc[n]+dr[n]−CM where B[n] is the time offset for the nth node; C[n] is the local clock time of the nth node; da[n] is an aggregate of a delay associated with every node from the surface processing system to the nth node; dc[n] is an aggregate of a delay associated with every wired segment from the surface processing system to the nth node; dr[n] is an aggregate of a delay associated with every coupler from the surface processing system to the nth node; and CM is the master clock time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein the delay associated with every coupler is based on a statistical analysis of experimental results. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein the delay associated with every wired segment is the same based on a length of each of the plurality of wired segments. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein the delay associated with each wired segment is determined based on a model. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein the delay associated with every node that performs processing is an artificial delay greater than a processing delay at any node. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein the delay associated with each node is determined statistically. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the surface processing system determines a synchronized time stamp from a time stamp associated with data from the nth node based on the time offset associated with the local clock of the nth node from the time stamp. ### Claim 11 A method of synchronizing distributed measurements in a borehole, the method comprising: disposing a known number of wired segments coupled together by couplers in the borehole; disposing nodes along the wired segments, the nodes being disposed at two or more of the couplers or between couplers and each node comprising a local clock and configured to measure or relay information obtained in the borehole to a surface processing system; generating a time-stamped signal at an nth node based on the local clock of the nth node; receiving the time-stamped signal at the surface processing system; and the surface processing system computing a time offset between a master clock associated with the surface processing system and the local clock of the nth node. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising the surface processing system computing a time offset between the master clock and the local clock of every node between the nth node and the surface processing system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the surface processing system computing the time offset for the nth node is as follows: B[n]=C[n]+da[n]+dc[n]+dr[n]−CM where B[n] is the time offset for the nth node; C[n] is the local clock time of the nth node; da[n] is an aggregate of a delay associated with every node from the surface processing system to the nth node; dc[n] is an aggregate of a delay associated with every wired segment from the surface processing system to the nth node; dr[n] is an aggregate of a delay associated with every coupler from the surface processing system to the nth node; and Cm is the master clock time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the delay associated with every coupler is based on a statistical analysis of experimental results. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the delay associated with every wired segment is the same based on a length of each of the wired segments. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the delay associated with each wired segment is determined based on a model. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the delay associated with every node that performs processing is an artificial delay greater than a processing delay at any node. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the delay associated with each node is determined statistically. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising the surface processing system determining a standardized time stamp from the time stamp associated with data from the nth node based on the time offset associated with the local clock of the nth node from the time stamp.