Magnetic utility locator devices and methods
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A magnetic utility locator, comprising:
- an elongate housing element;
a first three-axis integrated circuit chip magnetic sensor disposed on or within the housing element at or near a lower end of the housing when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation;
a second three-axis integrated circuit chip magnetic sensor positioned above the first three-axis magnetic sensor when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation;
a printed circuit board (PCB) module positioned within the housing element including signal processing electronics coupled to an output of the first three-axis magnetic sensor chip and the output of the second three-axis magnetic sensor chip for subtracting corresponding output signals from one of the three-axis magnetic sensors from output signals of the other of the three-axis magnetic sensor to determine a magnetic field distortions in two or more dimensions caused by a hidden or buried conductive utility, where the magnetic fields result from currents flowing therein, and to determine information about the buried utility based at least in part on the determined magnetic field distortion;
a non-transitory memory for storing the determined information about the buried utility; and
a visual display element for providing a visual display of the determined information including a determined depth of the buried, a determined position of the buried utility, or both.
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Abstract
Magnetic locators for detection of buried objects, such as buried utilities of conductive materials, are disclosed. Outputs provided from two or more magnetic sensors, such as three three-axis magnetic sensors, as well as optionally from other sensors, such as accelerometers and gyroscopic sensors, may be used to determine magnetic field distortion and provide output information corresponding to the detected objects based on the sensor outputs.
16 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A magnetic utility locator, comprising:
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an elongate housing element; a first three-axis integrated circuit chip magnetic sensor disposed on or within the housing element at or near a lower end of the housing when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation; a second three-axis integrated circuit chip magnetic sensor positioned above the first three-axis magnetic sensor when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation; a printed circuit board (PCB) module positioned within the housing element including signal processing electronics coupled to an output of the first three-axis magnetic sensor chip and the output of the second three-axis magnetic sensor chip for subtracting corresponding output signals from one of the three-axis magnetic sensors from output signals of the other of the three-axis magnetic sensor to determine a magnetic field distortions in two or more dimensions caused by a hidden or buried conductive utility, where the magnetic fields result from currents flowing therein, and to determine information about the buried utility based at least in part on the determined magnetic field distortion; a non-transitory memory for storing the determined information about the buried utility; and a visual display element for providing a visual display of the determined information including a determined depth of the buried, a determined position of the buried utility, or both. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19)
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13. A magnetic utility locator, comprising:
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an elongate housing element; a first three-axis magnetic sensor disposed on or within the housing element at or near a lower end of the housing when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation; a second three-axis magnetic sensor positioned above the first three-axis magnetic sensor when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation; a printed circuit board (PCB) module positioned within the housing element including signal processing electronics coupled to an output of the first three-axis magnetic sensor and the output of the second three-axis magnetic sensor for subtracting corresponding output signals from one of the three-axis magnetic sensors from output signals of the other of the three-axis magnetic sensor to determine magnetic field distortions in two or more dimensions caused by a hidden or buried conductive utility, where the magnetic fields result from currents flowing therein, and to determine information about the buried utility based at least in part on the determined magnetic field distortion; a non-transitory memory for storing the determined information about the buried utility; and a visual display element for providing a visual display of the determined information including a determined depth of the buried, a determined position of the buried utility, or both; wherein the magnetic field sensor data is normalized using a differential op-amp circuit and applying a high pass or bandpass filter. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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14. A magnetic utility locator, comprising:
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an elongate housing element; a first three-axis magnetic sensor disposed on or within the housing element at or near a lower end of the housing when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation; a second three-axis magnetic sensor positioned above the first three-axis magnetic sensor when the locator is positioned in a vertical orientation; a printed circuit board (PCB) module positioned within the housing element including signal processing electronics coupled to an output of the first three-axis magnetic sensor and the output of the second three-axis magnetic sensor for subtracting corresponding output signals from one of the three-axis magnetic sensors from output signals of the other of the three-axis magnetic sensor to determine magnetic field distortions in two or more dimensions caused by a hidden or buried conductive utility, where the magnetic fields result from currents flowing therein, and to determine information about the buried utility based at least in part on the determined magnetic field distortion; a non-transitory memory for storing the determined information about the buried utility; a visual display element for providing a visual display of the determined information including a determined depth of the buried, a determined position of the buried utility, or both; and one or more additional three-axis magnetic sensors positioned at or near the lower end of the housing, wherein the determined information is based further on outputs from the two or more three-axis magnetic field sensors. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification