Apparatus and method for compensating for clock drift in downhole drilling components
US7253671B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 28, 2004 |
| Grant date | Aug 7, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 28, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04J3/0661
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A precise downhole clock that compensates for drift includes a prescaler configured to receive electrical pulses from an oscillator. The prescaler is configured to output a series of clock pulses. The prescaler outputs each clock pulse after counting a preloaded number of electrical pulses from the oscillator. The prescaler is operably connected to a compensator module for adjusting the number loaded into the prescaler. By adjusting the number that is loaded into the prescaler, the timing may be advanced or retarded to more accurately synchronize the clock pulses with a reference time source. The compensator module is controlled by a counter-based trigger module configured to trigger the compensator module to load a value into the prescaler. Finally, a time-base logic module is configured to calculate the drift of the downhole clock by comparing the time of the downhole clock with a reference time source.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.