Utility mapping and data distribution system and method

• US 20020184235A1
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Young, Gary, Alft, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 6,751,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/00 Seismology; Seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/002 Details, e.g. power supply systems for logging instruments, transmitting or recording data, specially adapted for well logging, also if the prospecting method is irrelevant means for transmitting well survey signals E21B47/12; signal transmission systems in general G08C; transmission in general H04B
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/6163 Electromagnetic

Abstract

A system and method of mapping underground utilities and other subsurface objects involves one or more of acquiring utility location data using a number of different detectors and sensors, processing the multiple detector/sensor output data to produce mapping data, storing the mapping data in a database, and providing access to and use of the stored mapping data by subscribing users on a usage fee basis.

Claims

1. A method of detecting one or more underground utilities, comprising:

concurrently sensing a plurality of physical parameters of a subsurface;

storing data associated with the sensed physical parameters; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the stored data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the utilities further comprises associating stored data for each of the sensed physical parameters in terms of depth and position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the utilities further comprises:

combining the stored data to produce combined data; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the combined data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the utilities further comprises:

combining the stored data to produce combined data expressed in terms of subsurface depth; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the combined data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the utilities further comprises:

combining the stored data to produce combined data expressed in terms of horizontal path length; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the combined data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the utilities further comprises:

combining the stored data based on soil characteristics to produce combined data; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the combined data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more soil characteristics using one or more of the sensed physical parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more of soil resistivity, conductivity, permittivity, temperature, water saturation, composition, and hardness using one or more of the sensed physical parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the utilities further comprises:

weighting the stored data based on signal noise associated with the sensed physical parameters; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the weighted stored data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the utilities further comprises:

fusing the stored data to produce fused data; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the fused data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing tolerance factor data associated with the stored data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tolerance factor data is computed dynamically.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the tolerance factor data is computed subsequent to storing the data.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising weighting the stored data using the tolerance factor data.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing tolerance factor data for each data point of the stored data.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing tolerance factor data associated with each of the detected utilities.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing ground truth data and enhancing accuracy of the utility detection using the stored ground truth data.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a map of the detected utilities.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising incorporating data associated with the map within a Geographic Information System.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a 2-D map or a 3-D map of the detected utilities.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying data associated with one or more of the sensed physical parameters or one or more of the detected utilities.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating radar waves and seismic shear waves, the seismic shear waves having frequencies of less than about 1 kHz, wherein concurrently sensing the physical parameters further comprises concurrently sensing the physical parameters using the radar waves and seismic shear waves.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating radar waves and seismic shear waves, the seismic shear waves having frequencies of greater than about 1 kHz, wherein concurrently sensing the physical parameters further comprises concurrently sensing the physical parameters using the radar waves and seismic shear waves.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising determining velocities of the radar waves and seismic waves, respectively.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the seismic waves comprise seismic shear waves.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the seismic waves have frequencies of at least about 3 kHz.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the seismic waves have frequencies in the range of about 2,000 Hz to about 3,200 Hz.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the radar waves and seismic waves have wavelengths for detecting underground utilities of a predefined size.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the radar waves and seismic waves have wavelengths for detecting underground utilities having a dimension of at least ⅜

inch.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the radar waves and seismic waves have wavelengths of about 3 inches.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the radar waves and seismic waves have wavelengths of less than about 0.5 feet.

24. A method of detecting one or more underground utilities, comprising:

generating radar waves and seismic waves of about the same wavelength;

concurrently sensing a plurality of physical parameters of a subsurface using the radar waves and seismic waves;

storing data associated with the sensed physical parameters; and

detecting the utilities within the subsurface using the stored data.

33. A method of detecting one or more underground utilities, comprising:

concurrently sensing a plurality of physical parameters of a subsurface;

storing data associated with the sensed physical parameters; and

mapping the utilities within the subsurface as a function of subsurface depth using the stored data.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein mapping the utilities further comprises mapping the utilities within the subsurface as a function of position and subsurface depth.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein mapping the utilities comprises computing depth of the utilities as a function of position.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein mapping the utilities further comprises computing a depth tolerance factor associated with at least some of the sensed physical parameters.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the depth tolerance factors are computed as a function of position.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein mapping the utilities further comprises computing tolerance factor data for each data point of the stored data.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein mapping the utilities further comprises computing tolerance factor data associated with each of the utilities.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising storing ground truth data and enhancing accuracy of the mapped utilities using the stored ground truth data.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein mapping the utilities further comprises generating a 2-D map or a 3-D map of the utilities.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein mapping the utilities further comprises incorporating mapping data within a Geographic Information System.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the Geographic Information System defines subsurface mapping data in three dimensions using subsurface depth data.

44. The method of claim 33, further comprising displaying data associated with one or more of the sensed physical parameters, one or more of the detected utilities, or a map of the detected utilities.

45. The method of claim 33, further comprising generating radar waves and seismic shear waves, the seismic shear waves having frequencies of less than about 1 kHz, wherein concurrently sensing the physical parameters further comprises concurrently sensing the physical parameters using the radar waves and seismic shear waves.

46. The method of claim 33, further comprising generating radar waves and seismic shear waves, the seismic shear waves having frequencies of greater than about 1 kHz, wherein concurrently sensing the physical parameters further comprises concurrently sensing the physical parameters using the radar waves and seismic shear waves.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, further comprising a positional reference system, the positional reference system producing position data associated with a position of each of the sensors.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the sensor system comprises a radar unit that generates radar waves and a seismic unit that generates seismic waves.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the radar and seismic waves have about the same wavelength.

51. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the seismic unit generates seismic shear waves.

52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the seismic unit generates seismic shear waves having frequencies of at least about 3 kHz.

53. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the radar waves and seismic waves have wavelengths for detecting underground utilities having a dimension of at least ⅜

inch.

54. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the radar waves and seismic waves have wavelengths of about 3 inches.

55. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the seismic waves comprise seismic shear waves having frequencies of less than about 1 kHz.

56. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the seismic waves comprise seismic shear waves having frequencies of greater than about 1 kHz.

57. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the sensor system comprises two or more of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) sensor, a seismic sensor, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sensor, an electromagnetic (EM) sensor, a time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) sensor, and cone penetrometer instrument.

58. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the sensor system comprises one or more of a resistivity sensor, a permittivity sensor, a conductivity sensor, and a magnetometer.

59. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the sensor system comprises one or both of an infrared sensor and a video device.

60. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the processor is coupled to a data fusion engine for processing the contemporaneously acquired sensor data.

61. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the processor performs joint inversion of the sensor data to determine a depth and a location of the detected utilities.

62. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the processor computes tolerance factor data associated with sensor data stored in memory.

63. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the processor weights the stored data using the tolerance factor data.

64. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the processor computes tolerance factor data associated with each of the detected utilities.

65. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the memory stores ground truth data and the processor processes the ground truth data to enhance accuracy of utility detection.

66. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the processor generates a map of the detected utilities using the sensor data.

67. The apparatus of claim 66, wherein the processor incorporates data associated with the map within a Geographic Information System.

68. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the processor generates a 2-D map or a 3-D map of the detected utilities.

69. The apparatus of claim 47, further comprising a display coupled to the processor, the processor causing the display to display data associated with one or more of the sensed physical parameters or one or more of the detected utilities.

47. An apparatus for detecting underground utilities, comprising:

a sensor system comprising a plurality of sensors, each of the sensors sensing a physical parameter of the subsurface differing from that sensed by other sensors of the sensor system;

memory for storing sensor data acquired by the sensors; and

a processor coupled to the sensor unit and memory, the processor controlling contemporaneous acquisition of the sensor data from the sensors and detecting underground utilities within the subsurface using the sensor data.