Laser geophone
AssigneeConoco Inc.
InventorsJulian B. Coon, Bobby J. Thomas, William L. Chapman, James C. Fowler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for measuring the velocity of earth surface motion utilizing coherent light energy which comprises steps of generating and directing a coherent light beam toward a selected earth surface position, reflecting said beam from a stationary reflector located at the earth surface position, and simultaneously reflecting said beam from a reflector at said earth surface position which moves with earth surface motion; and, detecting the reflected beam, including both the reflection path components, to derive an instantaneous difference frequency that is proportional to the velocity of the earth surface motion.
Claims9
A method for measuring the velocity of earth surface motion, comprising steps of:
- generating and directing a coherent light beam toward a selected earth surface position;
- reflecting said directed coherent light beam as a reference beam from a reflector at said position;
- reflecting said directed coherent light beam as a signal beam from a second resiliently mounted reflector moving with vertical motion of said earth surface at said position;
- and
- detecting said reflected beam, which includes both the reference and the signal beam reflection path components, to derive an instantaneous difference frequency that is proportional to velocity of the earth surface motion.
Apparatus for determining earth surface movement at a selected earth site comprising:
- 1st means attached to said earth site for directing a beam of coherent energy over said earth site;
- 2nd means attached to said earth site and spaced from said 1st means intercepting said beam and for re-directing said beam in two components, a reference beam being affected by movement of said 2nd means, and a signal beam being affected by movement of said 2nd means and an impressed signal responsive to vertical movement of the earth site;
- and
- means for receiving said first and second re-directed beams and detecting frequency difference that is proportional to vertical earth surface movement at said earth site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.