US-12618291-B2 - Pitch data processing system for horizontal directional drilling

US12618291B2US 12618291 B2US12618291 B2US 12618291B2US-12618291-B2

Abstract

A pitch data processing system of a horizontal directional drilling system can include a sonde, an offset and range calibration unit, a pitch speed limiter, and a low pass filter. The sonde can include an accelerometer configured to measure and output a raw pitch signal. The offset and range calibration unit can receive and process the raw pitch signal and output a calibrated pitch signal. The pitch speed limiter can receive the calibrated pitch signal. The pitch speed limiter is configured to set upper and lower pitch change speed limits. The pitch speed limiter can yield a speed-change limited pitch signal. The low pass filter can receive the speed-change limited pitch signal and attenuate the received speed-change limited pitch signal above a selected cutoff frequency of the low pass filter, the low pass filter configured to output an adjusted pitch signal.

Inventors

Yuriy Khapochkin

Assignees

Underground Magnetics, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240410

Claims (20)

1 . A pitch data processing system for a horizontal directional drilling system, the pitch data processing system comprising: a sonde including an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is configured to measure and output a raw pitch signal; an offset and range calibration unit for receiving and initially processing the raw pitch signal from the sonde, the offset and range calibration unit configured to output a calibrated pitch signal; a pitch speed limiter for receiving the calibrated pitch signal from the offset and range calibration unit, the pitch speed limiter configured to set at least one of an upper pitch change speed limit or a lower pitch change speed limit, the pitch speed limiter configured to yield a speed-change limited pitch signal; and a filter for receiving the speed-change limited pitch signal from the pitch speed limiter, the filter configured to attenuate the received speed-change limited pitch signal above a selected cutoff frequency of the filter, the filter configured to output a speed-limited and filtered pitch signal for at least one of a display or for controlling operation of the horizontal directional drilling system.
2 . The pitch data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the sonde is operable as a below-ground unit, and wherein the offset and range calibration unit, the pitch speed limiter, and the filter are incorporated together within an above-ground locator unit.
3 . The pitch data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the sonde is operable as a below-ground unit, and wherein the offset and range calibration unit, the pitch speed limiter, and the filter are incorporated together within the sonde.
4 . The pitch data processing system of claim 1 , wherein an above-ground communication unit is configured to wirelessly communicate a maximum pitch change speed to the sonde, the maximum pitch change speed selected by a system user.
5 . The pitch data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the upper pitch change speed limit or the lower pitch change speed limit is chosen based on at least one of a size of the horizontal directional drilling system or a type of drilling job performed.
6 . The pitch data processing system of claim 5 , wherein the pitch speed limiter is configured to set both an upper pitch change speed limit and a lower pitch change speed limit, and wherein a maximum pitch change speed between the upper pitch change speed limit and the lower pitch change speed limit is selected to be between 5% and 10% per second for a drilling situation tolerant of a greater level of pitch instability.
7 . The pitch data processing system of claim 5 , wherein the pitch speed limiter is configured to set both an upper pitch change speed limit and a lower pitch change speed limit, and wherein a maximum pitch change speed between the upper pitch change speed limit and the lower pitch change speed limit is selected to be 5% per second or less for a drilling situation dictating a greater level of pitch stability.
8 . The pitch data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pitch speed limiter is a first pitch speed limiter configured for use in a situation when the horizontal directional drilling system is in a pushing mode.
9 . The pitch data processing system of claim 8 , further comprising a second pitch speed limiter configured for use in a situation when the horizontal directional drilling system is in a rotating mode.
10 . The pitch data processing system of claim 9 , further comprising a roll sensor and a rotation detection unit together configured to determine which of the first pitch speed limiter or the second pitch speed limiter is to be selectably activated.
11 . The pitch data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to determine that a large change in pitch exceeds a threshold limit in the same direction over a chosen amount of time and to then allow a faster rate of pitch change until a pitch change speed drops below the threshold limit.
12 . A pitch data processing system for a horizontal directional drilling system, the pitch data processing system comprising: an offset and range calibration unit for receiving and initially processing the raw pitch signal received from an accelerometer of a sonde, the offset and range calibration unit configured to output a calibrated pitch signal, the offset and range calibration unit disposed within one of an above-ground locator unit or the sonde; a pitch speed limiter communicatively coupled with the offset and range calibration unit, the pitch speed limiter configured to receive the calibrated pitch signal from the offset and range calibration unit, the pitch speed limiter configured to set at least one of an upper pitch change speed limit or a lower pitch change speed limit, the pitch speed limiter configured to yield a speed-change limited pitch signal; and a filter communicatively coupled with the pitch speed limiter, wherein the filter is configured to receive the speed-change limited pitch signal from the pitch speed limiter, the filter configured to attenuate the received speed-change limited pitch signal above a selected cutoff frequency of the filter, the filter configured to output a speed-limited and filtered pitch signal for at least one of a display or for controlling operation of the horizontal directional drilling system.
13 . The pitch data processing system of claim 12 , wherein the offset and range calibration unit, the pitch speed limiter, and the filter are incorporated together within one of the above-ground locator unit or the sonde.
14 . The pitch data processing system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one of the upper pitch change speed limit or the lower pitch change speed limit is chosen based on at least one of a size of the horizontal directional drilling system or a type of drilling job performed.
15 . The pitch data processing system of claim 14 , wherein the pitch speed limiter is configured to set both an upper pitch change speed limit and a lower pitch change speed limit, and wherein a maximum pitch change speed between the upper pitch change speed limit and the lower pitch change speed limit is selected to be between 5% and 10% per second for a drilling situation tolerant of a greater level of pitch instability.
16 . The pitch data processing system of claim 14 , wherein the pitch speed limiter is configured to set both an upper pitch change speed limit and a lower pitch change speed limit, and wherein a maximum pitch change speed between the upper pitch change speed limit and the lower pitch change speed limit is selected to be 5% per second or less for a drilling situation dictating a greater level of pitch stability.
17 . The pitch data processing system of claim 12 , wherein the pitch speed limiter is a first pitch speed limiter configured for use in a situation when the horizontal directional drilling system is in a pushing mode.
18 . The pitch data processing system of claim 17 , further comprising a second pitch speed limiter configured for use in a situation when the horizontal directional drilling system is in a rotating mode.
19 . The pitch data processing system of claim 18 , further comprising a roll sensor and a rotation detection unit together configured to determine which of the first pitch speed limiter or the second pitch speed limiter is to be selectably activated.
20 . The pitch data processing system of claim 12 , wherein the system is configured to determine that a large change in pitch exceeds a threshold limit in the same direction over a chosen amount of time and to then allow a faster rate of pitch change until a pitch change speed drops below the threshold limit.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/148,997, filed Jan. 14, 2021, and titled “PITCH DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONAL DRILLING,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/960,833, filed Jan. 14, 2020, and titled “ACCOMMODATING PITCH INSTABILITY IN HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONAL DRILLING.” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/148,997 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/960,833 are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND Utility lines for water, electricity, gas, telephone, and cable television are often run underground for reasons of safety and aesthetics. In many situations, the underground utilities can be buried in a trench which is then back-filled. Although useful in areas of new construction, the burial of utilities in a trench has certain disadvantages. In areas supporting existing construction, a trench can cause serious disturbance to structures or roadways. Further, there is a high probability that digging a trench may damage previously buried utilities, and that structures or roadways disturbed by digging the trench are rarely restored to their original condition. Also, an open trench may pose a danger of injury to workers and passersby. The general technique of boring a horizontal underground hole has recently been developed in order to overcome the disadvantages described above, as well as others unaddressed when employing conventional trenching techniques. In accordance with such a general horizontal boring technique, also known as horizontal directional drilling (HDD) or trenchless underground boring, a boring system is situated on the ground surface and drills a hole into the ground at an oblique angle with respect to the ground surface. A drilling fluid is typically flowed through the drill string, over the boring tool, and back up the borehole in order to remove cuttings and dirt. After the boring tool reaches a desired depth, the tool is then directed along a substantially horizontal path to create a horizontal borehole. After the desired length of borehole has been obtained, the tool is then directed upwards to break through to the earth's surface. A reamer is then attached to the drill string which is pulled back through the borehole, thus reaming out the borehole to a larger diameter. It is common to attach a utility line or other conduit to the reaming tool so that it is dragged through the borehole along with the reamer. Another technique associated with horizontal directional drilling, often referred to as push reaming, involves attaching a reamer to the drill string at the entry side of a borehole after the boring tool has exited at the exit side of the borehole. The reamer is then pushed through the borehole while the drill rods being advanced out of the exit side of the borehole are individually disconnected at the exit location of the borehole. A push reaming technique is sometimes used because it advantageously provides for the recycling of the drilling fluid. The level of direct operator interaction with the drill string, such as is required to disconnect drill rods at the exit location of the borehole, is much greater than that associated with traditional horizontal directional drilling techniques. The process of horizontal directional drilling has undergone significant development over the past two decades. These developments have involved the drilling machines and the location detection and directional control components. Several types of location detection and directional control systems have been utilized, with today's walk-over guidance systems becoming the most accepted technology. As the guidance/locator technology is quite different than the mechanical technology utilized in developing the drilling machines, in most instances companies have developed either the drilling machine or the guidance systems, but typically not both. As a result, there are now several suppliers of walk-over guidance systems, each with unique features, that are used with the variety of drilling machines. Early in the development of horizontal directional drilling technology, it was recognized that there was a potential to incorporate location information, as generated from a remote electronic component and transferred via radio signals or hard wire, into the control of the drilling machines. Examples of this include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,646,277 and 4,881,083, and GB 2175096, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their respective entireties. These systems were primarily configured as bore-to-target systems where the remote electronic component was placed at a position near a destination point. This remote electronic component then cooperated with the drilling machine, and specifically with an electronic component mounted in the drill head, with each individual component integral to the contr