US 11,940,796 B2
Control system for steerable towed marine equipment
Dale J. Lambert, Mandeville, LA (US)
Assigned to DigiCourse, LLC, Harahan, LA (US)
Filed by ION Geophysical Corporation, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 10, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/436,780.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/683,007, filed on Jun. 10, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2019/0377348 A1, Dec. 12, 2019
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); B63B 21/66 (2006.01); B63B 49/00 (2006.01); G01V 1/38 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0206 (2013.01) [B63B 21/66 (2013.01); B63B 49/00 (2013.01); G01V 1/3826 (2013.01); B63B 2211/02 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A control system for providing steering control commands to a steering actuator of a marine seismic component, the control system comprising:
a marine vessel;
a plurality of spaced apart cables extending from the marine vessel, wherein each of the plurality of spaced apart cables is attached to a separate towed marine seismic component;
one or more memory devices storing positional setpoint data for at least one towed marine seismic component;
at least one processor operable to execute a plurality of instructions stored in the one or more memory devices to:
receive process data representing a calculated actual position of the at least one towed marine seismic component being towed by the marine vessel;
compute a difference between the positional setpoint data and the received process data;
generate a control command for steering of the at least one towed marine seismic component based on the computed difference between the positional setpoint data and the process data;
generate a disturbance value based on a measured disturbance, wherein the measured disturbance comprises one or more of a heading of the marine vessel, a speed of the marine vessel, a speed of a current affecting the marine vessel, or a direction of a current affecting the marine vessel, and wherein a percentage or portion of the measured disturbance value is used to immediately effect changes in control signal to the steering actuator to respond to measurable disturbances before effects of the measurable disturbances are recognized in a feedback loop;
combine the disturbance value with a value of the process data to produce a disturbance adjustment value in the feedback loop;
add the disturbance adjustment value to the control command to create an adjusted control command;
provide the adjusted control command to the steering actuator of the at least one towed marine seismic component to implement the control command; and
following the implementation of the adjusted control command, utilize the disturbance adjustment value and results of the implemented adjusted control signal on the at least one towed marine seismic component to generate subsequent process data.