US 5,740,036 AGranted

Method and apparatus for analyzing geological data using wavelet analysis

AssigneeAtlantic Richfield Company

InventorsChander M. Ahuja, Charles C. Mosher

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Abstract

A method and system for interactively applying wavelet transform and filter operations to digital data corresponding to geological measurements is disclosed. The disclosed system and method provides the capability of applying sequences of wavelet transform filter operations to input signal datasets representative of the measurements, where the wavelet transforms can utilize different scale-wavelet function pairs within the sequence. Interactive filtering is available within each wavelet transform-filter operation, allowing either manual filtering of selected level and bands, or automatic filtering through application of a filter function. Multiple wavelet transform-filter operations may be applied to the same filtered datasets, to facilitate comparison of the various analysis techniques.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method of operating a computer to analyze geological measurements taken at a survey region of the earth, comprising:

retrieving, from memory, an input signal dataset corresponding to a discrete space-domain representation of geological measurements over a selected portion of the survey region;
performing an initial wavelet transform-filter operation upon the input signal dataset to produce a first-level filtered dataset, wherein the initial wavelet transform-filter operation comprises a wavelet transform of the input signal dataset, a filter operation upon the results of the wavelet transform, and an inverse transform upon the results of the filter operation to produce the first-level filtered dataset;
performing a first wavelet transform-filter operation upon the first-level filtered dataset, comprising the steps of:
selecting a first scale-wavelet function pair for application to the first-level filtered dataset;
transforming the first-level filtered dataset by applying the selected first scale-wavelet function pair to the first-level filtered dataset;
then filtering results of the transforming step using a first selected filter;
and
then inverse-transforming results of the filtering step, by applying the selected first scale-wavelet function pair thereto, to produce a first second-level filtered dataset;
and
displaying the first second-level filtered dataset.

7 more elements

A digital computing system for analyzing geological measurements taken at a survey region of the earth, comprising:

a memory for storing data corresponding to a discrete space-domain representation of geological measurements over the survey region;
a graphics display output device;
and
a programmed computer, coupled to the memory and to the output device, for:
retrieving, from the memory, an input signal dataset corresponding to the discrete space-domain representation of geological measurements over a selected portion of the survey region;
performing an initial wavelet transform-filter operation upon the input signal dataset to produce a first-level filtered dataset, wherein the initial wavelet transform-filter operation comprises a wavelet transform of the input signal dataset, a filter operation upon the results of the wavelet transform, and an inverse transform upon the results of the filter operation to produce the first-level filtered dataset;
performing a first wavelet transform-filter operation upon the first-level filtered dataset, comprising the steps of:
selecting a first scale-wavelet function pair for application to the first-level filtered dataset;
transforming the first-level filtered dataset by applying the selected first scale-wavelet function pair to the first-level filtered dataset;
then filtering results of the transforming step using a first selected filter;
and
then inverse-transforming results of the filtering step, by applying the selected first scale-wavelet function pair thereto, to produce a first second-level filtered dataset;
and
displaying the first second-level filtered dataset on the graphics display.

11 more elements

A computer-readable memory having a storage medium configured so that, when read and used by a computer, the computer is directed to analyze geological measurements taken at a survey region of the earth by a plurality of operations comprising:

retrieving, from a computer memory, an input signal dataset corresponding to a discrete space-domain representation of geological measurements over a selected portion of the survey region;
performing an initial wavelet transform-filter operation upon the input signal dataset to produce a first-level filtered dataset, wherein the initial wavelet transform-filter operation comprises a wavelet transform of the input signal dataset, a filter operation upon the results of the wavelet transform, and an inverse transform upon the results of the filter operation to produce the first-level filtered dataset;
performing a first wavelet transform-filter operation upon the first-level filtered dataset, comprising the steps of:
selecting a first scale-wavelet function pair for application to the first-level filtered dataset;
transforming the first-level filtered dataset by applying the selected first scale-wavelet function pair to the first-level filtered dataset;
then filtering results of the transforming step using a first selected filter;
and
then inverse-transforming results of the filtering step, by applying the selected first scale-wavelet function pair thereto, to produce a first second-level filtered dataset;
and
displaying the first second-level filtered dataset.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.