Positioning system for seismic array

摘要

A positioning determining system 16 (GPS, acoustic network, laser device) informs a controller of the position of the seismic sources 14 in a towed array 11. The controller controls an actuator on a steerable deflector 15 to adjust a moveable wing 18 which allows the lateral position of the array to be changed to a desired position. The array may comprise a plurality of sub-arrays being coupled to each other by distance ropes. A winch may vary the length of some of the distance ropes to adjust the positions of the sub-arrays. The array may also include an obstacle avoidance system comprising an acoustic transmitter and receiver (eg sonar) which can inform the controller of obstacles and the deflector can be steered accordingly.