Ground tracking devices and methods for use with a utility locator

• US 10,317,559 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S., Cox, David A., Levin, Ryan B., Merewether, Ray, Aldridge, Sequoyah
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval, Melissa J
• Application Number:
  US15/633,654
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 324300, 324326-329, 324336, 324337, 324364, 324314, 324600, 324637, 324639, 324614, 324667
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat

Abstract

A ground tracking apparatus for connection to a locator or other measurement device and configured to determine position, motion, and/or orientation information is disclosed. The ground tracking apparatus may include a ground follower assembly including one or more wheels, which may be detachably coupled to a buried object locator system to capture three-dimensional positional and orientation information during a locate process, as well as provide output data or information to be integrated with maps, photographs, drawings, or other data or information.

Claims

1. A ground tracking system for use with an instrument, comprising:

a ground follower assembly including;

a ground follower element including one or more permanent magnets;

a swing-arm element operatively coupled to the ground follower element; and

a plurality of multi-axis magnetic field sensors to sense movement of the ground follower assembly permanent magnets relative to a surface in two or more axes of motion and generate an output signal based at least in part on the movement; and

a detachable mounting assembly floatably attach the ground follower assembly to the instrument;

wherein the instrument comprises a magnetic field sensing buried utility locator for determining position information associated with the buried utility based on magnetic fields emitted from currents flowing therein.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instrument comprises a man portable utility locator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ground follower assembly comprises a wheel positioned to be retained in contact with a ground surface during movement of the instrument.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ground follower assembly comprises a plurality of wheels positioned to be retained in contact with a ground surface during movement of the instrument.

5. The system of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the magnetic field sensing buried utility locator includes a lower antenna ball and the ground follower is coupled to the locator adjacent the lower antenna ball.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a GPS module disposed in the ground follower assembly for generating GPS positional information in conjunction with the magnetic field sensed position information.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a Bluetooth link module disposed in ground follower assembly.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a gyroscopic module disposed in the ground follower assembly.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a compass sensor disposed in the ground follower assembly.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an imaging element disposed in the ground follower assembly.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a processing element disposed in the ground follower assembly.

12. A ground tracking device for use with an instrument to measure motion of the instrument, comprising:

a wheel;

a wheel sensor element comprising a multi-axis magnetic field sensor to measure a rotation of the wheel and generate a wheel rotation output signal corresponding to the rotation of the wheel;

a swing arm assembly coupled to the wheel assembly;

a yoke assembly coupled to the swing arm assembly;

a swing arm sensor element comprising a multi-axis magnetic field sensor to sense a rotary motion of the second end of the swing arm assembly and generate a swing arm rotation output signal corresponding to the rotary motion of the swing arm assembly;

a yoke sensor element comprising a multi-axis magnetic field sensor to sense a rotation of the yoke assembly relative to a centerline of a measurement device and generate a yoke rotation signal corresponding to the rotation of the yoke assembly; and

a processing element to receive provide the swing arm output signal and the yoke rotation signal and provide a movement output signal to the instrument.