Patent ID: 8867309

Claim:
A seismic data transmission system comprising: at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units, each unit comprising: a casing; a battery; a radio transmitter; a radio receiver; a local clock; a local memory; a processor and a seismic sensor; wherein each of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units is configured to collect seismic data and transmit seismic data from an acoustic signal that propagates into earth and is reflected by subsurface lithologic formations or fluid layers of the earth; a concentrator comprising a power source and a radio receiver; wherein the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units are physically arranged so that at least one of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units is capable of radio transmission and reception communication with at least two other wireless seismic data acquisition units; wherein the concentrator is disposed within a transmission range of at least one wireless seismic data acquisition unit and is configured for radio reception communication with the at least one wireless seismic data acquisition unit; and wherein the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units transmit the seismic data to a control station via: a first short range wireless transmission, during a time period, using a first transmission parameter, of at least a first portion of the seismic data from a first of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units to a second of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units; a second short range wireless transmission, during the time period, using a second transmission parameter, of at least a second portion of the seismic data from a third of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units to a fourth of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units, wherein the third of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units and the fourth of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units are different wireless seismic data acquisition units than the first of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units and the second of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units; wherein the first transmission parameter and the second transmission parameter substantially prevent communication interference between the first short range wireless transmission and the second short range wireless transmission during the time period; and a third short range wireless transmission of at least the first portion of the seismic data from the second of the at least four wireless seismic data acquisition units to the concentrator; and the concentrator transmits at least the first portion of the seismic data to the control station via a data communications cable.