TRACKING THE POSITIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A BORING TOOL AND ONE OR MORE BURIED LINES USING A COMPOSITE MAGNETIC SIGNAL
First Claim
1. In a system in which a boring tool is moved through the ground by a drill string in a region which includes at least one electronically conductive in-ground line, an arrangement for monitoring a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said arrangement comprising:
- a first transmitter for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line;
a receiver carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field indicative of the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line;
a second transmitter carried by said boring tool for producing a locating signal; and
a portable locator for using said locating signal to determine a position of said boring tool within said region and for indicating the detected intensity of said magnetic locating field generated from either one of said line of said boring tool.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A boring tool is moved through the ground in a region which includes at least one electrically conductive in-ground line and which is subject to static magnetic fields including the magnetic field of the earth. Tracking a positional relationship between the boring tool and the line, as well as a directional heading of the boring tool within the region are provided by: (i) generating a time varying magnetic field from the line; (ii) at the boring tool, detecting a composite magnetic signal which includes one component affected by the static magnetic fields and another component affected by the time varying magnetic field such that the static magnetic field component varies as a function of the directional heading and the time varying component varies as a function of the positional relationship; and (iii) processing the composite magnetic signal to separate the static magnetic field component and the time varying magnetic field component from the composite magnetic signal for use in determining the directional heading and the positional relationship. In one feature, the static magnetic field component is used to determine the directional heading of the boring tool and the time varying magnetic field component is used to determine the positional relationship.
23 Citations
5 Claims
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1. In a system in which a boring tool is moved through the ground by a drill string in a region which includes at least one electronically conductive in-ground line, an arrangement for monitoring a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said arrangement comprising:
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a first transmitter for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line; a receiver carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field indicative of the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line; a second transmitter carried by said boring tool for producing a locating signal; and a portable locator for using said locating signal to determine a position of said boring tool within said region and for indicating the detected intensity of said magnetic locating field generated from either one of said line of said boring tool. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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Specification