MULTI-FREQUENCY LOCATING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20140132269A1
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S., Cox, David A., Soukup, Jan, Turner, Timothy M., Levin, Ryan B., Merewether, Ray, Bench, Stephanie M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,927,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/326
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/10 using induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat

Abstract

Multi-frequency buried object location system transmitters and locators are disclosed. A transmitter may generate and provide output signals to a buried object at a plurality of frequencies, which may be selected based on a connection type. Corresponding locators may simultaneously receive a plurality of magnetic field signals emitted from the buried object and generate visual and/or audible output information based at least in part on the plurality of received magnetic field signals. The visual and/or audible output may be further based on signals received from a quad-gradient antenna array.

Claims

1. A buried object locator, comprising:

a mast;

a housing coupled to the mast;

a display element disposed on or within the housing; and

a processing element disposed in the housing;

wherein the processing element is configured to simultaneously receive and process a plurality of magnetic field signals emitted from a buried object at different frequencies and generate, based on two or more of the plurality of magnetic field signals, display information associated with the buried object for rendering on the display element.

2. The locator of claim 1, wherein the display information includes a plurality of lines representing positions of the utility determined based on the plurality of magnetic field signals emitted from the buried object at different frequencies.

3. The locator of claim 1, wherein the display information includes distortion information associated with estimates of the position of the buried object based on two or more of the plurality of magnetic field signals.

4. The locator of claim 1, wherein the estimate of the position of the buried object is displayed as object, and the object is blurred as a function of a determined distortion of the position estimate.

5. The locator of claim 4, wherein the object is a line and the line is blurred as a function of the determined distortion of the position estimate.

6. The locator of claim 1, wherein a first of the plurality of magnetic field signals is received at a predefined unique frequency associated with a connection type, and wherein the first of the plurality of magnetic field signals is processed to determine the display information associated with the buried object based on the connection type.

7. The locator of claim 6, wherein a second of the plurality of magnetic field signals is received at a second predefined unique frequency associated with a second connection type, and wherein the second of the plurality of magnetic field signals is processed to determine the display information associated with the buried object based on the second connection type.

8. The locator of claim 1, wherein a first of the plurality of magnetic field signals is received at a first predefined unique frequency associated with a connection type and a second of the plurality of magnetic field signals is simultaneously received at a second predefined unique frequency associated with the connection type, wherein the display information associated with the buried object is based on both the first of the plurality of magnetic field signals and the second of the plurality of magnetic field signals.

9. The locator of claim 1, wherein a first of the plurality of magnetic field signals is received at a first predefined unique frequency associated with a first connection type and a second of the plurality of magnetic field signals is simultaneously received at a second predefined unique frequency associated with a second connection type, wherein the display information associated with the buried object is based on both the first of the plurality of magnetic field signals and the second of the plurality of magnetic field signals.

10. The locator of claim 1, wherein the processing element is further configured to generate the display information associated with the buried object based on magnetic field signals received from a quad gradient antenna array.

11. A method of providing an output display on a buried object locator, comprising:

simultaneously receiving, at the buried object locator, a plurality of magnetic field signals at different frequencies;

simultaneously processing the received plurality of magnetic field signals to generate information associated with the buried object, wherein the information is generated based on two or more of the plurality of magnetic field signals; and

providing an output of the generated information associated with the buried object on an output device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the output device is a visual display.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the output device is an audio output device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of signals are emitted substantially entirely from the buried object, and wherein the display information indicates substantially no magnetic field distortion.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a first of the plurality of signals are emitted from the buried object and a second of the plurality of signals are emitted from an adjacent conductor, wherein the second of the plurality of signals are emitted as a result of currents coupled to the adjacent conductor from the buried object, and wherein the display information indicates magnetic field distortion due to the adjacent conductor.

16. A method for use in a buried object locator system, comprising:

simultaneously generating, at a buried object transmitter, a plurality of output signals at ones of a plurality of different output frequencies;

coupling the output signals from the transmitter to a buried object in the ground to generate a buried object current corresponding to the output signal components;

receiving, at a buried object locator, radiated magnetic field signals associated with the buried object current at a plurality of the different output frequencies; and

simultaneously determining, at the buried object locator, information associated with the buried object based on two or more of the radiated magnetic field signal components.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of output signals are of the same connection type.

18. A buried object locator system, comprising:

a buried object transmitter configured to;

simultaneously generate, at a buried object transmitter, a plurality of output signal components at ones of a plurality of different output frequencies;

a coupling apparatus for coupling the one or more output signal components from the transmitter to a buried object in the ground to generate a buried object current; and

a buried object receiver configured to;

receive radiated signal components associated with the buried object current at a plurality of the different output frequencies; and

determine, at the buried object locator, information associated with the buried object based on two or more of the radiated signal components.

19. A buried object transmitter configured to:

simultaneously generate a plurality of output signals at ones of a plurality of different output frequencies, wherein the plurality of different output frequencies are phase-synchronized; and

provide the output signals to one or more coupling elements for generating currents in the buried object.

20. The transmitter of claim 19, wherein the plurality of output signals are generated at frequencies of a common connection type, and the output coupling elements correspond to the connection type.