Drilling direct control user interface

1. A control apparatus for an automated directional drilling system with a downhole tool on a toolstring, the control apparatus comprising:

a display;

an input device to receive a plurality of measurements comprising one or more of present depth, present bit position, inclination, azimuth, top drive position, magnetic toolface, gravity toolface, or a target control parameter; and

one or more control units having access to instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more control units, cause the control apparatus to:

generate, on the display, a drill string position indicator representing a present depth and a present bit position;

generate, on the display, an inclination indicator and an azimuth indicator;

generate, on the display, a top drive position index representing drill pipe rotation;

generate, on the display, a toolface rosebud graphically illustrating a target toolface and a present toolface at an angle relative to the target toolface;

generate, on the display, a control parameter indicator indicating a target control parameter;

and

iteratively update the display to display the drill string position indicator, the inclination indicator, the azimuth indicator, the top drive position index, the toolface rosebud, and the control parameter indicator in substantially real time; and

control the automatic directional drilling system based on a control command, the control command determined based at least in part on information displayed on the display.

2. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drill string position indicator is shown as a vertical bar graph display.

3. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the top drive position index is shown as a spiral and represents the number of turns in the spiral represents a number of complete rotations the drill pipe has made and the number of turns in the spiral is provided in a digital display.

4. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rosebud defines the directions N, S, E, and W for magnetic toolface and Up, Down, Left and Right for gravity toolface;

wherein the target toolface is displayed 12 o'clock position; and

wherein the present toolface displayed relative to the 12 o'clock target toolface position.

5. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control parameter indicator is a bent bar graph disposed about the rosebud such that the target control parameter is aligned at the 12 o'clock position.

6. The control apparatus of claim 1 , the drill string position indicator further comprising a slide length, and wherein the toolface rosebud is graphically illustrated as a graph.

7. The control apparatus of claim 1 , the drill string position indicator further comprises a moving scale indicating a quantity of distance off bottom when a bit affixed to the downhole tool is hoisted.

8. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the toolface rosebud is controlled to automatically switch between magnetic toolface and gravity toolface, and wherein the present toolface is represented by a first symbol.

9. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the present toolface relative to the target toolface in a rosebud further comprises a plurality of actual historical toolface values as a series of symbols.

10. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a first symbol and a series of second symbols are visually coded to show a degree of error from the target toolface.

11. The control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein visual coding is color coding.

12. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the target control parameter comprises downhole torque.

13. The control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drill string position indicator, the inclination indicator, the azimuth indicator, the top drive position index, the toolface rosebud, and the control parameter indicator are components of an integrated interface generated on the display.

14. A drilling rig for automated directional drilling with a downhole tool on a toolstring

comprising a wired drill pipe, comprising:

a drilling unit for directional drilling comprising a downhole tool on a toolstring comprising a wired drill pipe and

a control apparatus, the control apparatus including:

a display;

an input device to receive a plurality of measurements comprising one or more of present depth, present bit position, inclination, azimuth, top drive position, magnetic toolface, gravity toolface, or a target control parameter; and

one or more control units having access to instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more control units, cause the control apparatus to:

generate, on the display, a drill string position indicator representing a present depth and a present bit position;

generate, on the display, an inclination indicator and an azimuth indicator;

generate, on the display, a top drive position index representing drill pipe rotation;

generate, on the display, a toolface rosebud graphically illustrating a target toolface and a present toolface at an angle relative to the target toolface;

generate, on the display, a control parameter indicator indicating a target control parameter; and

iteratively update the display to display the drill string position indicator, the inclination indicator, the azimuth indicator, the top drive position index, the toolface rosebud, and the control parameter indicator in substantially real time; and

control the automatic directional drilling system based on a control command, the control command determined based at least in part on information displayed on the display.

15. The drilling rig of claim 14 , wherein the top drive position index is shown as a spiral and represents the number of turns in the spiral represents a number of complete rotations the drill pipe has made and the number of turns in the spiral is provided in a digital display.

16. The drilling rig of claim 14 , wherein the rosebud defines the directions N, S, E, and W for magnetic toolface and Up, Down, Left and Right for gravity toolface;

wherein the target toolface is displayed 12 o'clock position; and

wherein the present toolface displayed relative to the 12 o'clock target toolface position.

17. The drilling rig of claim 14 , wherein the control parameter indicator is a bent bar graph disposed about the rosebud such that the target control parameter is aligned at the 12 o'clock position.

18. The drilling rig of claim 14 , the drill string position indicator further comprising a slide length, and wherein the toolface rosebud is graphically illustrated as a graph.

19. The drilling rig of claim 14 , the drill string position indicator further comprises a moving scale indicating a quantity of distance off bottom when a bit affixed to the downhole tool is hoisted.

20. The drilling rig of claim 14 , wherein the toolface rosebud is controlled to automatically switch between magnetic toolface and gravity toolface, and wherein the present toolface is represented by a first symbol.

21. The drilling rig of claim 14 , wherein the present toolface relative to the target toolface in a rosebud further comprises a plurality of actual historical toolface values as a series of symbols.

22. The drilling rig of claim 14 , wherein a first symbol and a series of second symbols are visually coded to show a degree of error from the target toolface.

23. The drilling rig of claim 22 , wherein visual coding is color coding.

24. The drilling rig of claim 14 , wherein the target control parameter comprises downhole torque.

25. A computer-implemented method of controlling a directional drilling system during a directional drilling operation, the method comprising:

a. receiving a data stream from a drilling rig, the data stream including a plurality of real time sensor logs associated with the operation of a drill string used in the drilling operation;

b. processing the received data stream to generate a computerized current case record including data representing a current drilling status;

c. providing a visual display of the current drilling status comprising:

a drill string position indicator indicating a present depth and a present bit position;

an inclination indicator shown as a vertical bar graph;

an azimuth indicator shown as a horizontal bar graph;

a top drive position index shown as a spiral;

a toolface rosebud graphically illustrating a target toolface and a present toolface at an angle relative to the target toolface;

a control parameter indicator;

d. repeating (a) to (c) over time, to update the visual display throughout the drilling operation; and

e. controlling the directional drilling system based on a control command, the control command determined based at least in part on the visual display.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , wherein the drill string position indicator is shown as a vertical bar graph display.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , wherein the top drive position index is shown as a spiral and represents the number of turns in the spiral represents a number of complete rotations the drill pipe has made and the number of turns in the spiral is provided in the digital display.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 ,

wherein the rosebud defines the directions N, S, E, and W for magnetic toolface and Up, Down, Left and Right for gravity toolface;

wherein the target toolface is displayed 12 o'clock position; and

wherein the present toolface displayed relative to the 12 o'clock target toolface position.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , wherein the control parameter indicator is a bent bar graph disposed about the rosebud such that the target control parameter is aligned at the 12 o'clock position.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , the drill string position indicator further comprising a slide length, and wherein the toolface rosebud is graphically illustrated as a graph.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , the drill string position indicator further comprises a moving scale indicating a quantity of distance off bottom when a bit affixed to the downhole tool is hoisted.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , wherein the toolface rosebud is controlled to automatically switch between magnetic toolface and gravity toolface, and wherein the present toolface is represented by a first symbol.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , wherein the present toolface relative to the target toolface in a rosebud further comprises a plurality of actual historical toolface values as a series of symbols.

34. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , wherein a first symbol and a series of second symbols are visually coded to show a degree of error from the target toolface.