BOREHOLE SURVEY SYSTEM UTILIZING STRAPDOWN INERTIAL NAVIGATION

摘要

A borehole survey system that utilizes strapdown inertial navigation techniques for mapping a borehole while the system probe (10) is continuously moved along a borehole (12) by means of a cable (14) that is wound on a cable reel (16). Signals representative of the acceleration of the probe (10) relative to the three axes of a probe body coordinate system (34) and signals representative of angular rotation of the probe (10) about the three axes of the probe body coordinate system are processed within the signal processor (24) to obtain signals that represent probe velocity and probe position in a level coordinate system (36) that is fixed in orientation relative to the geographic location of the borehole (12). Precise and continuous surveys are accommodated by correction of the level coordinate probe velocity signals and probe position signals with error correction signals that are based on the difference between inertially derived probe body coordinate position signals representative of the distance traveled by the probe (10) along the borehole (12) and a cable length signal that is derived from a cable measurement apparatus (26), which indicates the amount of cable (14) fed into or retrieved from the borehole (12). Error correction also is provided to correct for Coriolis effect, centrifugal acceleration and variations in the earth's gravitational field as a function of probe depth.