Patent ID: 8242928

Claim:
A downhole signal transmission system for providing communications along a string of downhole components comprising a plurality of interconnected downhole components having rotary connections and including a fluid therein, comprising: plurality of signal repeaters spaced along said string of downhole components, said signal repeaters being tuned to radiofrequency signals having information modulated thereon; and at least one of said downhole components comprising: a first end containing a pin electrode, said first end interconnecting with an end of a first adjacent downhole component containing a box electrode, a second end containing a box electrode, said second end interconnecting with an end of a second adjacent downhole component containing a pin electrode, a conductor connecting the pin electrode to the box electrode through the downhole component, and an insulative coating that encapsulates said pin electrode and said box electrode of said downhole component, wherein said radiofrequency signals are capacitively coupled from one of said first and second adjacent downhole component to said downhole component through said insulative coating and said fluid, transmitted through said conductor of said downhole component to a signal repeater, and are capacitively coupled to the other of said first and second adjacent downhole components through said insulative coating and said fluid.