MXPA06005811A - Method and system for transmission of seismic data - Google Patents

Abstract

The transmission method utilizes multiple seismic acquisition units (12) within an array (14) as intermediate short range radio receivers/transmitters to pass collected seismic data in relay fashion back to a control station (16). Any one seismic unit in the array is capable of transmitting radio signals to several other seismic units positioned within radio range of the transmitting unit, thus allowing the system to select an optimal transmission path. Utilizing an array of seismic units permits transmission routes back to a control station to be varied as needed. In transmissions from the most remote seismic unit to the control station, each unit within a string (18) receives seismic data from other units and transmits the received seismic data along with the receiving unit's locally stored seismic data. As transmission is passed along the chain, it is bounced between seismic units to be relayed by each unit in the array.

Description

-f tí • * > METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSMISSION OF SEISMIC DATA 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the acquisition of seismic data and more particularly to a method and system for transmitting data between several remote stations in a group and a data collection station using a relay system connected to communicate between them allowing it to be 0 alter the transmission paths. 2. Description of Previous Art Seismic exploration generally uses a seismic energy source to generate an acoustic signal that propagates in the earth and is partially reflected by underground seismic reflections (ie, interconnections between lithological or underground fluid layers characterized by different elastic properties). The reflected signals are detected and recorded by seismic units that have receivers or geophones located on the surface or near the surface of the earth, thus generating an underground seismic survey. The recorded signals, or seismic energy data, can then be processed to provide information related to the underground lithological formations, identifying features such as, for example, the limits of the underground lithological formations.

Generally, seismic units or stations are placed in a group, where the group consists of a line of stations each of which has at least one geophone mounted to it to record seismic cross section data under the group. For data in a wider area and for three-dimensional representations of a formation, several lines of stations can be installed next to each other, in such a way that a network of receivers is formed. Frequently, stations and their geophones are remotely located or separated. In terrestrial seismic surveys, for example, hundreds to thousands of geophones can be deployed in an especially diverse form, such as a typical network configuration where each station line spans 5000 meters with separate stations every 25 meters and station lines successive are separated to 200 meters.

Different data transmission systems are used to connect remote seismic data acquisition units to a control station. Generally, seismic stations are controlled from a central location that transmits control signals to the stations and collects seismic data and other data back from the stations. Alternatively, seismic stations can transmit data back to an intermediate data collection station such as a concentrator, where the data is recorded and stored until it is recovered. Whatever the case, the different stations are more commonly connected by cable to one another using a telemetric data cable. Other systems use wireless methods for control and transmission of data in such a way that the individual stations are not connected to each other. Still other systems temporarily store the data in each station until the data is extracted.

In the case of wired stations, generally several geophones are connected in a parallel-series combination in a single twisted pair of wires to form a single group or receiver channel for a station. During the data collection process, the output from that channel is digitized and registered with the station for further analysis. In turn, the stations are generally connected to cables used to communicate and transport the collected data to recorders located at a control station or at a hub station.

In the case of wireless seismic units, each unit communicates with a central control station or with a concentrator through radio transmissions. Transmissions are made directly between each seismic unit and the control station or directly between each seismic unit and the concentrator. As long as the transmissions are long-range signals, high voltage, for example between a seismic acquisition unit and a central control station, transmissions generally require a license granted by the local governing authority. The units that have capacity for these transmissions also have higher voltage requirements and therefore require larger dry cell blocks. As long as the seismic acquisition units transmit to a concentrator station using a short-range, lower-voltage signal, the transmitter and receiver units must generally have a site line between them.

An example of prior art is US Patent No. 6,070,129 which teaches a method and apparatus for transmitting seismic data to a remote collection station. Specifically, an acquisition unit having a geophone mounted thereto communicates with a central station directly by radio channels, or optionally, by means of an intermediate station. Whenever a large number of acquisition units is used, the patent teaches that each of a number of intermediate stations can also be used, where each intermediate station communicates directly with a part of the acquisition units. The intermediate stations can function as data concentrators and can also be used to control different tasks performed by their respective groups of acquisition units. If the data is transmitted directly between an acquisition unit and the central station or directly between an acquisition unit and an intermediate station, the transmitter system accumulates seismic data, distributes the data by successive transmission windows and transmits the data discontinuously during successive transmissions to decrease the variation in the flow of seismic data.

Similarly, U.S. Patent No. 6,219,620 teaches a seismic data acquisition system using wireless telemetry, in which a large number of remote seismic acquisition stations are grouped together in a number of cells and each acquisition unit. within a cell it communicates directly with a cellular access node, that is, a hub, which in turn communicates with a central control unit. This patent teaches that in order to avoid overlap between transmitting seismic units within adjacent cells, adjacent cells use different frequencies for communication between the units and their respective cellular access nodes. In other words, the adjacent cells operate at different frequencies such that a particular acquisition unit is only capable of transmitting to the cellular access node assigned to its cell.

A defect of the prior art seismic transmission systems mentioned above is that the failure of any intermediate transmission station or cellular access node will prevent communication with a number of seismic acquisition units. Moreover, whenever an individual unit is prevented from transmitting back to its respective cell access node due to factors external to the unit, the participation and operation of the unit within the group is lost. For example, a unit may lose radio contact with an access point due to a weak signal, weather conditions, topography, interference from other electrical devices operating in the vicinity of the unit, interruption of the deployment position of the unit or the presence of a physical structure on the site line between the unit and the access unit.

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a communication system for a seismic survey group that has flexibility in the transmission of signals and data to and from remote seismic units and a control and / or data collection station. The system must be able to communicate between functional seismic units even when one or more intermediate stations can not operate correctly. In addition, the system must have the ability to communicate between functional seismic units even when a change in environmental or physical conditions inhibits or prevents a direct transmission between a remote unit and its control station.

EXTRACT OF THE INVENTION The method according to the invention transmits radio signals between individual seismic acquisition units in a group, such that the transmissions can be passed in a chain of relays through the group of seismic units. Several seismic acquisition units within the group are capable of passing transmissions to several other seismic units. More specifically, any unit of seismic acquisition of the group is capable of transmitting radio signals to several seismic acquisition units positioned within the range of the transmitting seismic acquisition unit. A network of radio-connected seismic acquisition units such as this allows seismic data transmission routes back to a control station to be varied as desired or necessary. In other words, the transmission path used to transmit data from the individual seismic acquisition units in a group back to a control station can be altered. In transmissions up the chain, ie from the most remote seismic acquisition unit to the control station, each unit receives seismic data from a seismic unit "down" the chain and transmits the seismic data received upwards by the chain with locally stored seismic data from the receiving unit. Preferably, as the transmission moves up the chain, it bounces between the seismic acquisition units so that it is retransmitted by each unit of the group. The specific transmission path, ie the chain of units, for any given transmission may vary between transmissions according to various requirements of the general system. The control signals and the like can be passed back down the chain along the same or different transmission paths.

The resistance of the transmitted signal can be altered to adjust the transmission range for a transmitting seismic unit, so that the number of potential receiving seismic acquisition units can be controlled. In one embodiment, each seismic acquisition unit is omnidirectional in its transmission and is capable of connecting all units within a 360 ° range around the transmitting unit. Alternatively, a transmitting seismic unit may use a directional antenna such that the transmissions are made to only one or more seismic acquisition units in a limited or single direction or a more limited transmission range.

Preferably, the individual seismic acquisition units are wireless and do not require any external wiring for data transmission or control of the unit. These units may contain a battery, a short range radio transmitter / receiver, a local clock, a local limited memory, a processor and a package of geophones. In one embodiment, each unit may include a short-range radio transmission antenna molded or otherwise integrated into the unit's case. In another embodiment, each unit may include external tines that are used not only to connect the unit to ground, but also as a conductive tube through which the batteries of the unit can be recharged.

At least one and preferably a number of seismic acquisition units of the network are located in the vicinity of the control station so that the network can use short range radio frequency to transmit seismic data all the way back to the control station. In another embodiment of the invention, the control station is located remotely from the seismic units and one or more concentrators are located in the vicinity of the seismic acquisition units of the network such that the network can use the radio frequency short range to transmit seismic data to the concentrators. The concentrators, in turn, can store the seismic data and / or transmit it back as desired to a control station.

Such a hub may include a long-range transmitter / receiver to communicate with a control station, a short-range transmitter / receiver to communicate with the network of seismic acquisition units, a massive memory for long-range storage of collected data. from the network, a power supply, a local clock and a processor. In one embodiment, the concentrators can communicate with the control station through the telemetric cable, while communicating with the seismic acquisition network through the short range transmission.

Within the communication network, there are several transmission paths from the most remote unit to the control station / hub. The particular transmission path to be used for any given transmission is determined based on the signal strength between units that communicate, the operational level of a unit, and the efficiency of the path.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a top view of a seismic acquisition group representing possible transmission paths between strings of seismic acquisition units of the group.

Figure 2 is a top view of a seismic data transmission path using seismic acquisition units.

Figure 3 is an elevation view of a seismic acquisition unit of the invention.

Figure 4 is a top sectional view of the unit of Figure 2.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments In the detailed description of the invention, like numbers are used to designate like parts throughout the description. Different items of equipment, such as clamps, connections, etc., can be omitted to simplify the description. However, those skilled in the art will notice that conventional equipment can be used as desired.

With reference to Figure 1, there is shown a seismic transmission network 10 of the invention. The transmission network 10 is composed of a number of seismic acquisition units 12 scattered in a seismic group 14 and controlled by the control station 16. The group 14 is formed by several lines 18 of acquisition units 12. The radio transmissions , and in particular, the seismic data, are passed from a seismic unit 12 to a seismic unit 12 when the transmission is bounced through the network 10 to the control unit 16. In one embodiment of the network 10, the concentrators 20 are disposed between group 14 and control station 16. While the invention is described in more detail with reference to the transmission of seismic data, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention encompasses any type of transmission from a seismic unit that includes, but not limited to, quality control data.

Each acquisition unit 12 has a unidirectional transmission range 22 and can form a wireless connection 23 with several acquisition units 12. As shown, within the transmission range 22 of the unit 12, there are several other units 12 capable of receiving the transmission, which in essence form the local area network composed of acquisition units 12. For example, unit 12a has a transmission or nidirectional range 22a. Within the transmission range 22a of the unit 12a are the seismic acquisition units 12b-12g. With the flexibility to transmit to several acquisition units 12 each of which has the capacity to receive and transmit seismic data to several other units 12 within group 14, each unit 12 within group 14 is presented with several ways to communicate seismic data back to the control station 16. For example, the unit 12 'can transmit data back to the control station 16 by sending them along the path 24, along the path 25 or along some other path determined by the requirements of the network 10.

In another embodiment, a seismic transmitter unit 12 may use an antenna or group of directional radio antennas such that the transmissions are substantially unidirectional and are made to only one or more seismic acquisition units 12 in a limited direction. It is common in the art to use groups-a group of phased antennas comprising two or more antennas for transmission directionality and gain enhancement. In these types of antenna arrangement, different parameters of adjustable antennas, such as phase, can be altered to control the directionality and gain and therefore the range of the transmission. Therefore, for the purposes of this description, "unidirectional" means a transmission with a higher gain along an axis or in a limited direction, while "omnidirectional" means a transmission with generally the same gain to substantially 360. °. This maintains the flexibility to transmit to several units in the direction to which the transmission antenna points, while reducing the number of options of roads that it is necessary to process with the general system, for which several roads must be transmitted in the same frequency at the same time without interfering with each other. In addition, a higher gain can be achieved in a single or limited direction without the need for additional power, or alternatively, the power requirements can be reduced, and therefore the battery life is prolonged, while maintaining the same gain as an omnidirectional signal.

In the illustration of Figure 1, group 14 is shown comprising three strings of seismic acquisition units 18a, 18b, and 18c. Each string 18a, 18b and 18c illustrates a different potential transmission path defined by wireless connections 23 between the units 12 within a string. Those skilled in the art will understand that the indicated wireless connections 23 are for illustrative purposes only and, for the purposes of the invention, a "string" 18 of seismic units 12 for a particular transmission path is defined by the selected transmission path by which data is communicated from one unit 12 to another. Therefore, for any given group 14, a "string" of units may be constantly changing between transmissions. That arrangement allows the transmissions to be re-routed in the event of any failure of a unit 12 within the rope. Similarly, transmissions can be re-routed in the case of a weak signal between units 12 or to solve topographic obstacles or other obstacles that may interfere with short-range site line transmissions. Furthermore, in addition to some unit failures, it may be desirable to reroute a transmission simply because of the operational state of the unit. For example, a unit with a lower battery power can be used downstream at the end of the string and avoided as a transmission relay above to conserve the unit's batteries, meaning that the above relay units require more power to retransmit the transmission due to the cumulative size of the transmissions.

In the case where several adjacent strings are desired, assignments of radio transmission parameters can be made to minimize interference with other transmissions and allow the same transmission parameters to be reused. For example, the rope 18a can transmit data in a first set of radio transmission parameters while the rope 18b can transmit data in a second set of parameters. Since the transmissions from a string 18 are short range, it may only be necessary for adjacent strings to use different transmission parameters. In this regard, the physical arrangement of the seismic units of a part of the group 14 defined as a chord 18 may depend on the short-range transmission capabilities of the seismic units 12 of the adjacent chord. The non-adjacent strings that use the same string are sufficiently separated so as not to interfere with each other. In other words, the rope 18b is defined such that its width is sufficient to ensure that no transmission from a seismic unit 12 from the rope 18a transmitting with a certain set of radio transmission parameters is received by any seismic unit 12 from the rope 18c adjusted to receive the same set of radio transmission parameters. Those skilled in the art will understand that there are many transmission parameters that can be adjusted in this regard, including non-exhaustive examples of frequencies, time segments, power, modulation methods, directional antenna gain, physical separation of units and strings, etc. . Naturally, the interference between adjacent strings, as well as individual units, can also be minimized by causing the transmission in discrete data packets to be sent in short transmission pulses.

Moreover, while three strings 18 are shown to indicate possible transmission paths, the system 10 may comprise any number of strings. The number of strings for any given set of transmissions depends on the requirements of the system. For example, instead of several strings, each acquisition unit 12 of a group 14 can be used in a single transmission path such that the entire group 14 is considered a "string" for the purposes of this description. Those skilled in the art will understand that the number of transmission paths and the number of acquisition units used for any given transmission may be constantly in flux to minimize the operating requirements for a particular transmission or group of transmissions.

In each case, the resistance of the transmitted signal of a seismic unit 12 can be altered to adjust the transmission range for a transmitting seismic unit so that the number of potential receiving seismic acquisition units 12 can be controlled.

At least one and preferably a number of seismic acquisition units 12 of the network 10 are located close to the control station 16 such that the network 10 can use the short-range radio frequency to transmit seismic data to the station control 16 from the seismic units 12. However, large amounts of data transmitted to a control station can be difficult to handle and generally require long-range high-voltage transmitters. Therefore, in one embodiment of the invention, data is accumulated and stored in several remote dispersed concentrators from station 16. Accumulating seismic data in concentrators 20, the need for radio licenses and other associated requirements can be avoided. with long-range transmissions. The concentrators 20 are located in the vicinity of the seismic acquisition units 12 of the network 10 so that the network 10 can use the short-range, low-voltage radio transmission to transmit seismic data to the concentrators 20. The concentrators 20, in turn, may store the seismic data or transmit it back as desired to the control station 16. In one embodiment, the concentrators locally store the seismic data but transmit quality control data received from the return acquisition units. to the control station 16.

Much like the individual acquisition units 12, each concentrator 20 preferably also has a transmission range 26 comprising several seismic acquisition units 12. As within group 14, the transmission of data from the string 18 to the accumulator 20 can made from a number of units 12. For example, the accumulator 20a has an omnidirectional transmission range 26a. Within the transmission range 26a of the accumulator 20a are the seismic acquisition units 12h-12j. As such, any of the acquisition units 12h-12j can transmit data from the string 18a to the accumulator 20a. Therefore, a failure of the acquisition units, such as 12h, would not prevent the seismic data from the string 18a from passing through the line. In contrast, the transmission path from the string 18a to the concentrator 20a would simply be rerouted through an operational acquisition unit, for example the units 12i or 12 j. The concentrators 20 can also be positioned such that they are within the short range transmission distance of the adjacent concentrators.

As described above, the network 10 can operate as a one-way network, i.e. the concentrators 20 are used only to receive seismic data transmitted from the group 14, or a two-way network, i.e. the concentrators 20 transmit signals towards went to group 14 in addition to receiving seismic data transmitted from group 14.

In another configuration, the seismic data is transmitted back from the group 14 using the network of the seismic acquisition units 12, but the control signals are transmitted directly to each acquisition unit 12 from the control station 16 or from a concentrator 20. In that case, an acquisition unit 12 may be capable of receiving long-range transmissions directly from a distant source with sufficient transmission power for those communications, i.e., the control station 16, an associated hub 20 or relay stations The radios used to extend the range, even through the acquisition unit 12 itself, are only capable of short-range skip transmissions to send seismic data back to the control station or to the concentrator.

Transmissions to the control station 16 from the accumulators 20 or the acquisition units 12 may also include the global positioning system ("GPS") or other survey information to establish the location of a particular unit 12 for the purposes of firing and for recovery purposes. This is particularly desirable for wireless units that are described here since it may be difficult to locate those units when recovering them. The GPS survey information can also be useful in the selection of a transmission path within a group that was described above.

In operation, a preferred transmission path can be preset to predetermine in units 12. Similarly, alternative paths can be preset or predefined in units 12. These preset paths, as well as the number of paths required for a particular group 14, they are determined based on the volume of data to be transmitted, the transmission rates, the signal strength and the number of "real-time" radio channels that have different transmission parameters such that the transmission channels radio are non-interfering, battery power, location of the unit, etc.

Before a transmission or set of transmissions along a string, a beacon signal can be used to verify the preferred transmission path substantially in the same way as an ad hoc network or a peer-to-peer network identifies systems within of the network. Alternatively, instead of transmitting data using the parameters described above. If a beacon signal is transmitted and the preferred transmission path is not available, the system 10 looks for another way of transmission through the seismic units. In one embodiment, the beacon signal is transmitted and local units within range send a return signal acknowledging the beacon signal. Once a path is verified or established, as the case may be, the path may be "blocked" for the purposes of the particular transmission so that the system 10 continues to seek another path. The beacon signal can be generated from within group 14 by the seismic units themselves or initiated by the control station or the concentrator.

A synchronization signal can also be used to synchronize to record the time for the units of the system 10 by establishing a future time t (0) at which the track record by the seismic units 12 is to begin. In contrast, the prior art generally sends an impulse signal that immediately triggers the record for each seismic unit at the time it receives the signal so that prior art seismic units located closer to a source of signals begin to register before the most remote seismic units of the signal source. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, all of the seismic units 12 can be adjusted to start recording at the specific clock time, such that the data transmitted back to the network 10 is assigned a time-based timbre based on time. synchronization trigger. In this regard, all data is synchronized in time regardless of the transmission path used by the network or the period of time it takes the network to transmit the data through the network.

In this same vein, it is also desirable to determine the data delay along the path based on the master clock time so that the data that does not have a date stamp can be synchronized with the data of other seismic units. The seismic network 10 described allows data to be recovered through radio transmission in real time or close to real time.

Although the invention has been described in its broadest sense it has the flexibility to alter data transmission paths, ie each unit has wireless connections with several other units, to transmit seismic data acquired from a group of acquisition units back to a control station or concentrator, it is also true that none of the prior art transmission systems use seismic data acquisition units as intermediate transmission devices. Therefore, an aspect of the invention illustrated in Figure 2 is the use of seismic data acquisition units 12 themselves, configured in a predetermined chord, as intermediate devices for passing transmissions from a seismic unit of the chord to a control station. In this regard, a string 40 of seismic units 12 is predetermined and defined by an outermost unit 42a and a number of intermediate units 42b to 42i. Each unit 42 of the rope 40 has a wireless connection 44 within its transmission range 46 only with the units directly above and directly below the rope. For example, the seismic unit 42g is only able to communicate with the seismic units 42f and 42h with their respective wireless connections 44 because only the units 42f and 42h are within the transmission range 46 of the unit 42g. When acquiring data, the unit 42g transmits the acquired data up the chord to the unit 42g together with all the data received by wireless transmission from the unit 42f. All the seismic data of the units 12 comprising the rope 40 is transmitted upwards by the rope to the control station 16. The control station 16 can likewise use the seismic units 12 to pass control signals and return command by the rope.

As mentioned above, one of the benefits of the invention is its utility to use flexible transmission paths that can be changed easily based on different internal and external parameters that affect the network. This flexibility also makes the network itself much more reliable. Preferably, transmission paths in flight based on these parameters can be established and / or re-routed. Another advantage of the system is that it uses less power in the transmission of a signal for a given distance through several short transmissions than would be needed for a single transmission over the same distance. In other words, since the power required to transmit a signal is reduced as one over the square of the transmission distance, it is much more optimal to transmit a signal in several short jumps than it would be to transmit the same signal in the same distance in a single jump. This is true even with short-range, low-voltage transmissions. Of course, a further advantage of the system of the invention is that it avoids the need to acquire long-range radio transmission licenses. Finally, unlike the prior art, the system of the invention eliminates the need to physically locate a concentrator or similar device in the middle of a seismic group, nor use the concentrator to distribute and organize several transmissions of seismic data that enter directly from units of individual seismic acquisition.

Turning to the individual seismic acquisition units illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, each unit 12 is preferably wireless and does not require any external cabling for data transmission or control of the units. Each unit 12 may contain a battery 30, a short range radio transmitter / receiver 31, a local clock 32, a limited local memory 33, and a processor 34 housed within a box 35. A package of geophones 36 may be accommodated inside the box 35 or mounted externally to it. Any common short-range radio transmission equipment can be used. A non-limiting example is a wireless fidelity equipment ("Wi-Fi"), where the transmission parameters can be selected to provide signal carrier modulation schemes such as complementary code manipulation (CCK) / packet binary loop (PBCC) or direct sequence extended spectrum (DSSS) or multiple carrier schemes such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and code division multiple access (CDMA). The local memory capacity is preferably limited since local seismic data are retained only for a short period of time. In addition, since the unit 12 needs to transmit only a short range signal, the power requirements for the unit are minimized unlike the increased power requirements needed to transmit a more resistant signal to a more distant receiving device. By reducing memory requirements, transmission requirements and battery requirements, the total cost, as well as the physical size and weight, of each unit are minimized.

While each unit may include an antenna, mounted through an external connector, in one embodiment of the invention, each unit 12 may include a short-range transmission antenna 36 molded or otherwise integrated into the unit case 35 . This eliminates the need for an external connector. Each unit 12 may also include indications of radio frequency identification or similar identification indicia, such as a bar code. Finally, each unit 12 may include a receiver for receiving long-range radio transmissions directly from a control station or hub that was described above.

In another embodiment, each unit 12 may include external projections or barbs 37 which are used not only to connect the unit to ground, but also as an electrically conductive conduit through which the internal batteries of unit 30 can be recharged. It minimizes the need for external connectors that are known in the industry as the source of different problems such as corrosion, losses, etc. or alternatively the need to open the sealed unit in another way. While any shape, length or amount of the projections or tines can be used, a preferred configuration uses three tines that can also be used to connect the unit to ground. In a three prong configuration, the tines are connected to the battery through a relay or similar mechanism. The third prong would be used to control the relay. During charging, the relay would close; after charging the relay would open to prevent battery discharge.

The concentrator 20 (not shown) can include a long range radio transmitter / receiver for communicating with a control station 16, a short range radio transmitter / receiver for communicating with the network of seismic acquisition units 12, a power supply, a local clock and a processor. In one embodiment, the concentrator 20 functions simply as an intermediate long range receiver / transmitter for retransmitting short range transmissions from the network of seismic units 12 to the control station 16. In another embodiment, the concentrator 20 is provided with massive memory for the storage of seismic data transmitted from the network of seismic units 12. In another embodiment, the concentrator 20 can retransmit control signals and other transmission from the control station 16 back to the network of the seismic units 12. In this same vein, the concentrator 20 can be arranged to function as a local control station for a network of seismic units 12. While the preferred embodiment uses radio frequency for transmissions between hub 20 and control station 16, transmission between them can also occur through other different transmission vehicles, such as a telemetric cable or an optical cable.

While certain features and embodiments of the invention have been described herein in detail, it will be readily understood that the invention encompasses all modifications and improvements within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

Claims (87)

1. A method for transmitting seismic data comprising the steps of: A. Providing a group of at least two seismic acquisition units, wherein a first seismic acquisition unit is capable of receiving a short-range radio transmission and transmit a short-range radio transmission and a second seismic acquisition unit that is capable of acquiring seismic data; B. Use the second seismic acquisition unit to transmit seismic data through the short-range radio transmission to the seismic acquisition unit; and C. Using the first seismic acquisition unit to receive data through short-range radio transmission from the second seismic acquisition unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of using the first seismic acquisition unit to transmit the seismic data received through the short range radio transmission.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of providing a receiving station for receiving the short range radio transmission from the first seismic acquisition unit.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of using the short range radio transmission to transmit seismic data from the group to the receiving station.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of recording seismic data from the group to the receiving station.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein several short range radio transmissions are used to transmit several sets of seismic data from the group to the receiving station.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of. record several sets of seismic data from the group to the receiving station.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of providing a control station for receiving the short range radio transmission from the first seismic acquisition unit, wherein the control station is remote from the receiving station.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of transmitting seismic data from the receiving station to the control station.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the transmission of seismic data from the receiving station to the control station is achieved using the long-range radio transmission.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the transmission of seismic data from the receiving station to the control station is achieved using a fiber optic cable.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the transmission of seismic data from the receiving station to the control station is achieved using a telemetric data cable.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of acquiring seismic data using the first and second seismic units.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of using the first seismic acquisition unit to transmit through the short range radio transmission, seismic data acquired by the second seismic unit.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of using the first seismic acquisition unit to transmit seismic data acquired by the first seismic unit through the short range radio transmission.

16. A method for transmitting seismic data comprising the steps of: A. Providing a number of seismic acquisition units, wherein each of the seismic acquisition units is capable of acquiring seismic data, of receiving a long radio transmission reach and transmit a short-range radio transmission; B. Use a number of seismic acquisition units to transmit seismic data through short-range radio transmission to another unit of seismic acquisition of the group; and C. Using a number of seismic acquisition units to receive seismic data through short-range radio transmission from another unit of seismic acquisition of the group.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of dividing the number of seismic acquisition units into at least two subgroups of seismic acquisition units and using a short range radio transmission technique having adjusted parameters of such that the non-interfering radio transmission can be carried out in each subgroup.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of dividing the plurality of seismic acquisition units into a third subgroup, wherein the first and the third subgroups of seismic acquisition units are separated from each other with the second subgroups of seismic acquisition units.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of assigning transmission parameters in such a way that the third subgroup of seismic acquisition units have the same short-range radio-radio transmission parameters in such a way that they are assigned to the first subgroup.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of using an amount of the seismic acquisition units within the first subgroup to transmit data through the short range radio transmission to other seismic acquisition units in the first subgroup while simultaneously using a number of seismic acquisition units within the second subgroup to transmit data through short-range radio transmission or other seismic acquisition units of the second subgroup, where each transmission is made using the parameters of short-range radio transmission assigned to the respective subgroup.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of using a number of seismic acquisition units within the first subgroup to transmit data through short range radio transmission to other seismic acquisition units in the first subgroup while simultaneously using a number of said seismic acquisition units within said second subgroup to transmit seismic data through the short range radio transmission to other seismic acquisition units in the second subgroup while simultaneously using a quantity of the acquisition units seismic data within the third subgroup to transmit data through short-range radio transmission to other seismic acquisition units of the third subgroup, where each transmission is made using the chordal range radio transmission parameters assigned to the respective subgroup.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein each seismic acquisition unit has a radio transmission range and the seismic acquisition units within the first and third subgroups are sufficiently separated such that they are outside the transmission range within the respective subgroups.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein each seismic acquisition unit has a radio transmission range that can be adjusted by adjusting the transmission parameters such that the first and third subgroups have transmission ranges that do not interfere with each other. .

24. The method according to claim 16 wherein each acquisition unit has a group of transmission parameters associated therewith and an adjustable transmission range, the method furthermore the step of adjusting the transmission range by adjusting the transmission parameters.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the transmission range is adjusted by adjusting the transmission power.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one seismic acquisition unit is capable of receiving short-range radio transmissions from at least two other seismic acquisition units.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein each seismic acquisition unit is capable of receiving short-range radio transmissions from at least two other seismic acquisition units.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein each seismic acquisition unit is capable of receiving short-range radio transmissions from at least three other seismic acquisition units.

29. A method for transmitting seismic data comprising the steps of: A. Providing at least three separate seismic acquisition units deployed in a group, wherein each of the seismic acquisition units is capable of receiving a short range radio transmission and transmitting a short range radio transmitter; B. Providing a receiving station for receiving a short-range radio transmission from at least one seismic acquisition unit within the group; C. Identify at least one signal transmission path through the group from a seismic acquisition unit to the receiving station, where a transmission path is defined as a chain of at least two seismic acquisition units and the station receiver, each capable of communicating in series through short-range radio transmission; and D. Transmit a signal along the identified transmission path.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising the step of identifying at least two separate transmission paths from a seismic acquisition unit to the receiving station.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising the step of transmitting a first signal along a transmission path and transmitting a second signal along the other transmission path.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein each of the seismic acquisition units is capable of acquiring seismic data.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of acquiring seismic data using the seismic acquisition units.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the transmitted signal received by the receiving station includes seismic data acquired by at least one of the seismic acquisition units.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the transmitted signal received by the receiving station includes seismic data acquired by an amount of said seismic acquisition units.

36. The method according to claim 16, wherein each seismic acquisition unit has a radio transmission range.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein at least two seismic acquisition units are within the radio transmission range of another seismic acquisition unit.

38. The method according to claim 36, wherein the radio transmission range of each seismic acquisition unit is omnidirectional.

39. The method according to claim 36, wherein the radio transmission range of at least one of the seismic acquisition units is omnidirectional.

40. The method according to claim 36, wherein the radio transmission range of at least one of the seismic acquisition units is unidirectional.

41. The method according to claim 29, wherein the transmission chain is composed of a number of seismic acquisition units.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the transmission chain includes each unit of seismic acquisition of the group.

43. A method for transmitting seismic data comprising the steps of: A. Generating a radio signal from a first seismic unit; Y B. Transmit the radio signal to a receiving station; C. wherein the transmission step is achieved by retransmitting the transmitted signal through a second seismic acquisition unit.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the transmission step is achieved by retransmitting the transmitted signal through a number of seismic acquisition units.

45. The method according to claim 36, further comprising the step of adjusting the transmission range of a seismic acquisition unit in such a way as to alter the amount of other seismic acquisition units within the radio transmission range of the unit. seismic acquisition adjusted.

46. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of accumulating and storing seismic data transmitted from the group at the receiving station.

47. The method according to claim 29, wherein the receiving station is within the short range radio range of at least two seismic acquisition units.

48. The method according to claim 29, wherein the receiving station is within the short range radio range of at least three seismic acquisition units.

49. The method according to claim 29, wherein the receiving station transmits control signals to the seismic acquisition units.

50. The method according to claim 35, wherein the receiving station transmits control signals to the seismic acquisition units and the control signal is transmitted by the same transmission chain used to transmit seismic data from the seismic acquisition units to the seismic acquisition unit. receiving station.

51. The method according to claim 35, wherein the receiving station transmits control signals to the seismic acquisition units and the control signal is transmitted by a transmission chain different from that used to transmit seismic data from the seismic acquisition units. to the receiving station.

52. The method according to claim 29, further comprising at least two transmissions from the seismic acquisition units to the receiving station.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the transmissions from the seismic acquisition units to the receiving station are made using different transmission chains.

54. The method according to claim 29, further comprising the step of using a long-range transmission to transmit control signals from the receiving station to the seismic acquisition units.

55. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of using a long-range transmission to transmit control signals from the control station to the seismic acquisition units.

56. The method according to claim 1, wherein a transmission from a seismic acquisition unit includes information that identifies the position of the seismic acquisition unit.

57. The method according to claim 1, wherein a transmission from a seismic acquisition unit includes information that identifies the identity of the seismic acquisition unit.

58. The method according to claim 29, wherein the transmission path is preset between the seismic acquisition units.

59. The method according to claim 58, wherein a second alternative transmission path is present between the seismic acquisition units.

60. The method according to claim 29, wherein several transmission paths are identified.

61. The method according to claim 60, further comprising the step of selecting a transmission path between several transmission paths before transmission.

62. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of generating a beacon signal from at least one of the seismic acquisition units.

63. The method according to claim 16 further comprises the step of determining the amount of other seismic acquisition units within the transmission range of a seismic acquisition unit.

64. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of determining the signal range for other seismic acquisition units within the transmission range of the seismic acquisition unit.

65. The method according to claim 29, further comprising the step of generating a beacon signal and transmitting the beacon signal along the transmission path.

66. The method according to claim 65, further comprising the step of verifying the transmission path by generating a beacon signal.

67. The method according to claim 65, further comprising the step of using the beacon signal to establish a synchronized recording time between the seismic acquisition units.

68. The method according to claim 65, further comprising the step of simultaneously initiating the recording of seismic data by the seismic acquisition units.

69. The method according to claim 65, wherein the seismic data transmitted from the simian acquisition unit has a date stamp.

70. A seismic data transmission system comprising: A. At least two wireless seismic acquisition units, each unit comprising: (1) a ca; (2) a battery; (3) a short range radio transmitter disposed within the box; (4) a short range radio receiver disposed within the box; (5) a local clock disposed within the box; (6) a limited local memory disposed within the box; and (7) a processor disposed within the box; and B. a receiving unit comprising: (1) a battery; and (2) a short range radio receiver.

71. The system according to claim 70, wherein the receiving unit further comprises mass memory means.

72. The system according to claim 70, wherein the receiving unit further comprises a long-range radio transmitter.

73. A seismic data transmission system comprising: A. At least two wireless seismic acquisition units, each unit comprising: (1) a box; (2) a battery; (3) a wireless fidelity transmitter disposed within the box; (4) a wireless fidelity receiver disposed within the box; (5) a local clock disposed within the box; (6) a limited local memory disposed within the box; and (7) a processor disposed within the box; and B. a receiving unit comprising: (1) a battery; and (2) a wireless fidelity receiver.

74. The transmission system according to claim 70, wherein each seismic acquisition unit further comprises an antenna.

75. The transmission system according to claim 70, in the antenna is molded in the box.

76. The transmission system according to claim 70, wherein each seismic acquisition unit further comprises a long-range radio receiver.

77. The transmission system according to claim 70, wherein each seismic acquisition unit further comprises a geophone.

78. The transmission system according to claim 70, wherein at least one seismic acquisition unit further comprises a prong mounted externally to the box, wherein the prong is in selective electrical contact with the battery.

79. The system according to claim 70, wherein at least one seismic acquisition unit further comprises at least three tines externally mounted to the box, wherein at least one tine is in selective electrical contact with the battery.

80. A method for transmitting data in a seismic acquisition network, the method comprises the steps of: A. Providing a group of at least two seismic acquisition units, wherein the first seismic acquisition unit is capable of receiving a transmission short-range radio and transmitting a short-range radio transmission and a second seismic acquisition unit that is capable of generating data; B. Using the second seismic acquisition unit to transmit said data through the short range radio transmitter to the first seismic acquisition unit; and C. Using the first seismic acquisition unit to receive data through short-range radio transmission from the second seismic acquisition unit.

81. The method according to claim 80, wherein the data is seismic data acquired by one of the seismic acquisition units.

82. A method according to claim 80, wherein the data is quality control data.

83. A method of charging the batteries of the seismic acquisition unit, the method comprises the steps of: A. Providing a seismic acquisition unit having a battery and three external tines; B. Electrically connect two of the tines to the battery through a relay; C. Electrically connect the third prong to the relay to control the relay; D. Use the third prong to close the relay to start charging the battery; and E. Use the third prong to open the relay to finish charging the battery to prevent discharge of the battery through the tines connected to the battery.

84. A seismic acquisition unit, comprising: A. A box; B. at least one geophone; C. a clock; D. a battery; E. a first and second barb each mounted externally to the box and each electrically connected to the battery; F. At least one relay arranged in the electrical connection between at least one of the first and second tines and the battery; Y G. A third prong mounted externally to the box and electrically connected to the relay to open and close the relay.

85. The seismic acquisition unit according to claim 84, wherein the relay comprises a first input and a first output, wherein the input is electrically connected to one of the first and second tines and the output is electrically connected to the battery , the relay further comprises a second input electrically connected to the third prong.

86. The method according to claim 16, wherein each acquisition unit has a set of antenna parameters associated therewith and an adjustable transmission range, the method further comprising the step of adjusting the transmission range by adjusting the transmission parameters .

87. The method according to claim 16, wherein each acquisition unit has a set of antenna parameters associated therewith and an adjustable transmission direction, the method further comprising the step of adjusting the transmission direction by adjusting the parameters of the transmission. .