Patent ID: 7467661

Claim:
A downhole perforator assembly for establishing communication between an interior of a tubular disposed within a wellbore having a substantially longitudinal wellbore axis and an annulus around the tubular, the downhole perforator assembly comprising: a downhole power unit having a power unit housing, a self-contained power source for providing electrical power and a moveable shaft; and a downhole perforator having a perforator housing, a mandrel slidably positioned within the perforator housing and a penetrator radially outwardly extendable from the perforator housing, the power unit housing operably associated with the perforator housing and the moveable shaft operably associated with the mandrel such that when the downhole power unit is activated and the moveable shaft is longitudinally shifted relative to the power unit housing along a shaft axis substantially parallel to the wellbore axis, the mandrel is longitudinally shifted relative to the perforator housing along the shaft axis and at least a portion of the penetrator is extended radially outwardly from the perforator housing.