Detector for Detecting a Current Carrying Conductor

• US 20120139525A1
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radiodetection Limited
• Original Assignee: Radiodetection Limited
• Inventors: Pearson, Richard David
• Granted Patent: US 8,742,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/67
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/123 Measuring loss due to hysteresis G01R33/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/081 the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00

Abstract

A locator for determining the location and/or orientation of a concealed conductor, comprising a reference field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a reference axis; a first field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a first axis; and a processor operable to calculate an in-phase component of a signal detected by the first field detector, the in-phase component being in phase with a signal detected at the reference field detector and to calculate a signal indicative of a position of the concealed conductor relative to the locator using at least the in-phase component.

Claims

1. A locator for determining the location and/or orientation of a concealed conductor, comprising:

a reference field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a reference axis;

a first field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a first axis; and

a processor operable to calculate an in-phase component of a signal detected by the first field detector, the in-phase component being in phase with a signal detected at the reference field detector, and to calculate a signal indicative of a position and/or orientation of the concealed conductor relative to the locator using at least the in-phase component.

2. The locator according to claim 1, further comprising a reference oscillator, wherein the processor is further operable to calculate vectors for the signals from the reference field detector and first field detector, and to calculate a projection of the vector from first detector onto the vector from the reference oscillator as an in-phase component.

3. The locator according to claim 1, wherein the first axis is parallel to the reference axis, the first field detector and the reference field detector are spaced apart, and the processor is operable to calculate the distance between the concealed conductor and the locator.

4. The locator according to claim 1, wherein the first axis is at an angle to the reference axis, and the processor is operable to calculate the signal to indicate the degree of rotation of the reference axis relative to an axis of the concealed conductor.

5. The locator according to claim 4, wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the reference axis.

6. The locator according to claim 1, wherein the first axis is at an angle to the reference axis, and the processor is operable to calculate the signal to indicate a lateral position of the conductor relative to the first axis.

7. The locator according to claim 6, wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the reference axis.

8. The locator according to claim 7, further comprising a further field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a second axis, wherein the second axis is parallel to the first axis, the first axis and the second axis are orthogonal to the reference axis, and the processor is operable to calculate the signal to indicate a lateral displacement between the first axis and the concealed conductor.

9. The locator according to claim 4, further comprising a further field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a further axis, wherein the further axis is parallel to the reference axis, the further field detector and the reference field detector are spaced apart, and the processor is operable to calculate the signal to indicate the distance between the concealed conductor and the locator.

10. The locator according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator for providing an indication of the position and/or orientation of the concealed conductor using the signal indicative of the position and/or orientation of the concealed conductor relative to the locator.

11. A method of determining the location and/or orientation of a concealed conductor, comprising:

measuring a reference magnetic field along a reference axis;

measuring a first magnetic field along a first axis;

calculating an in-phase component of the first magnetic field, the in-phase component being in phase with the reference magnetic field; and

calculating position and/or orientation information of the concealed conductor using at least the in-phase component.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first axis is parallel to the reference axis, and the position information comprises a distance between the reference axis and the concealed conductor.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first axis is at an angle to the reference axis and the position information comprises a lateral position of the conductor relative to the first axis.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the reference axis.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising measuring a second magnetic field along a second axis, wherein the second axis is parallel to the first axis, the first axis and the second axis are orthogonal to the reference axis, and the position information comprises a lateral distance between the first axis and the concealed conductor.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first axis is at an angle to the reference axis, and the orientation information comprises an indication of the degree of rotation of the reference axis relative to an axis of the concealed conductor.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the reference axis

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising generating a reference oscillation, calculating the phase of the reference field with respect to the reference oscillation, calculating the phase of the first magnetic field with respect to the reference oscillation, and determining the in-phase component from the calculated phases and magnitudes of the reference magnetic field and the first magnetic field.

19. A non-volatile carrier medium storing computer readable instructions for execution by a processor in a locator for locating and/or determining orientation of a concealed conductor, the locator having a reference field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a reference axis;

a first field detector operable to detect an alternating magnetic field along a first axis;

wherein the instructions comprise instructions for controlling the processor to calculate an in-phase component of a signal detected by the first field detector, the in-phase component being in phase with a signal detected at the reference field detector and to calculate a signal indicative of a position and/or orientation of the concealed conductor relative to the locator using at least the in-phase component.

20. The carrier medium according to claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for calculating the phase of the reference field with respect to a reference oscillation, calculating the phase of the first magnetic field with respect to the reference oscillation, and determining the in-phase component from the calculated phases and magnitudes of the reference magnetic field and the first magnetic field.