Patent ID: 8965705
Filing Date: 2015-02-24
Classification: G01V

Abstract:
1. A system for introducing electrical currents into a surface as stimulus for geophysical measurements, the system comprising: a plurality of survey probes for electrode contact with the surface at respective points thereof, wherein respective ones of the survey probes are configurable as current injection-type and current receiver-type survey probes for introduction of the electrical current stimulus into the surface; a current injection power supply coupled to supply the electrical current to, and to receive return current from, respective ones of the survey probes; a controller is configured to individually and selectively program plural of the current injection-type survey probes to inject current into the surface and to individually and selectively program plural of the current receiver-type survey probes to provide respective return paths for current injected into the surface; and cable segments suitable for electrically connecting the controller to a first one of the survey probes and for electrically interconnecting each successive downstream neighbor survey probe to a next successive downstream neighbor survey probe, wherein the controller is configured to execute a startup sequence that polls the survey probes using signals conveyed via the cable segments to determine a relative interconnected order of the survey probes.