WIRELESS UTILITY ASSET MAPPING DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20080180319A1
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edward T. Sitler, Joseph S. Purtell, Mohammad Mojahedul Islam, Sanjiv H. Devani, Saul O. Iglesias
• Original Assignee: Edward T. Sitler, Joseph S. Purtell, Mohammad Mojahedul Islam, Sanjiv H. Devani, Saul O. Iglesias
• Inventors: Purtell, Joseph S., Sitler, Edward T., Devani, Sanjiv H., Islam, Mohammad Mojahedul, Iglesias, Saul O.
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.09
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations

Abstract

A wireless utility asset mapping device comprises a pole, a positioning receiver connected to the pole, a wireless modem connected to the positioning receiver and the pole, and at least one waterproof housing enclosing the positioning receiver and the wireless modem. The wireless modem is a long range wireless modem and has a range of at least 500 feet in low density and high density areas. The wireless utility asset mapping device may also comprise an external interface module, and external equipment in communication with the external interface module. A utility asset is located and the wireless utility asset mapping device is placed over the location of the utility asset. The coordinate of the wireless utility asset mapping device is determined and wirelessly transmitted over long distance in low density and high density areas.

Claims

1. A wireless utility asset mapping device comprising:

a pole having a top end, a bottom end, and a middle section extending from the top end to the bottom end;

a positioning receiver connected to said pole, wherein said positioning receiver is connected closer to the top end of said pole than the bottom end of said pole;

a wireless modem connected to said positioning receiver, wherein said wireless modem is a long range wireless modem and has a range of at least 500 feet in low density and high density areas, wherein said wireless modem is connected closer to the top end of said pole than the bottom end of said pole; and

at least one weatherproof housing enclosing said positioning receiver and said wireless modem.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising at least one battery connected to said positioning receiver and said wireless modem.

3. The device of claim 2 further comprising a solar powered source connected to at least one of said positioning receiver, said wireless modem, and said at least one battery.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said positioning receiver comprises a sub-meter global positioning receiver.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said positioning receiver comprises a wireless transceiver, wherein said wireless transceiver operates according to an 802.xx wireless specification.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said wireless modem operates in a frequency band around 900 megahertz or greater.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said wireless modem is a spread spectrum modem.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said wireless modem operates according to an 802.xx wireless specification.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said pole is variable in length.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the length of said pole is variable from around three feet to around seven feet.

11. The device of claim 9 wherein said pole further includes marking indicating the length of said pole.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the length of said pole is between around 3 feet to around 7 feet.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the bottom end of said pole comprises at least one of the following:

a point, a stand, a helical device, or a sensor.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein said at least one weatherproof housing is brightly colored.

15. The device of claim 1 further comprising at least one antenna extending from said at least one weatherproof housing.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein said at least one antenna is connected to said wireless modem.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein said at least one antenna is connected to said positioning receiver.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein at least one of said positioning receiver and said wireless modem comprise a communications port.

19. The device of claim 1 further comprising an external interface module in communication with at least one of said wireless modem and said positioning receiver.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said external interface module is connected to said pole around the middle of said pole.

21. The device of claim 19 wherein said external interface module is not connected to said pole.

22. The device of claim 19 wherein said external interface module comprises at least one of the following:

a switch, a button, a handheld computer, a wireless mobile device, a touch screen, a keyboard or keypad, antennas, a camera, a speaker, a microphone, lights, light emitting diodes, liquid crystal displays, an antenna, circuits, and ports.

23. The device of claim 22 further comprising at least one more weatherproof housing enclosing said external interface module.

24. The device of claim 19 further comprising at least one of the following in communication with said external interface module:

a line locator, a metal detector, a still camera, a video camera, a radar device, an acoustic sensor, a magnetic detector, an electromagnetic detector, a gas detector, a sonar, a sonde transmitter, a sonde receiver, a submersible camera, a robotic crawler, a pipe scrubbing and scraping device, a smart pig, a horizontal drilling device, a vertical drilling device, a thermal imaging device, a microgravity detector, a radiation detector, an x-ray device, a pressure measuring device, and a seismic detector.

25. A wireless utility asset mapping device method comprising:

locating a utility asset;

placing a wireless utility asset mapping device over the location of the utility asset;

determining a coordinate of the wireless utility asset mapping device; and

wirelessly transmitting the coordinate over long distance in low density and high density areas.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said determining comprises determining a global positioning system coordinate with an accuracy of better than one meter.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said wirelessly transmitting comprises at least one of the following:

transmitting at around a 900 megahertz band or greater, transmitting with spread spectrum modulation, transmitting according to an 802.xx wireless specification, and transmitting packetized wireless data.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said locating comprises:

physically locating an approximate location of the utility asset; and

inspecting the utility asset from the approximate location to determine a more precise location.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said inspecting comprises at least one of the following:

inspecting visually, inspecting with a line locator, inspecting with a metal detector, inspecting with a still camera, inspecting with a video camera, inspecting with radar, inspecting with sound, inspecting with magnetic fields, inspecting with electromagnetic fields, inspecting with a gas detector, inspecting with sonar, inspecting with a sonde transmitter, inspecting with a sonde receiver, inspecting with a submersible camera, inspecting with a robotic crawler, inspecting with a pipe scrubbing and scraping device, inspecting with a smart pig, inspecting with a horizontal drilling device, inspecting with a vertical drilling device, inspecting with thermal imaging, inspecting with a microgravity detector, inspecting with a radiation detector, inspecting with x-rays device, inspecting with a pressure sensor, and inspecting with a seismic detector.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising transmitting at least one of the following:

a measurement from said step of inspecting, a depth measurement, sensor measurements, a still image, a video, text, and audio.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein said determining comprises determining a latitude and a longitude of the utility asset.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said determining further comprises determining a depth of the utility asset.

33. The method of claim 25 further comprising transmitting other utility asset information over long distance.

34. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

receiving proximal to the wireless utility asset mapping device information related to the utility asset; and

displaying the related information.

35. A wireless utility asset mapping device comprising:

a pole having a top end, a bottom end, and a middle section extending from the top end to the bottom end, wherein said pole is variable in length, wherein said pole includes marking indicating the length of said pole;

a positioning receiver connected to said pole, wherein said positioning receiver is a sub-meter global positioning receiver, wherein said positioning receiver is connected closer to the top end of said pole than the bottom end of said pole;

a wireless modem connected to said positioning receiver, wherein said wireless modem is a long range wireless modem and has a range of at least 500 feet in low density and high density areas, wherein said wireless modem operates in a frequency band around 900 megahertz or greater, wherein said wireless modem is a spread spectrum wireless modem, wherein said wireless modem is connected closer to the top end of said pole than the bottom end of said pole;

an external interface module in communication with said wireless modem;

a wireless transceiver connected to said pole and in communication with at least one of said wireless modem and said positioning receiver, wherein said wireless transceiver is operable to transmit and receive packetized wireless data;

a power source connected to said positioning receiver, said wireless modem, said external interface module, and said wireless transceiver;

at least one weatherproof housing enclosing said positioning receiver, said wireless modem, said external interface module, and said wireless transceiver; and

an antenna connected to said wireless modem and extending from said at least one weatherproof housing.

36. The device of claim 35 further comprising external equipment in communication with said external interface module.