SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATING UNDERGROUND LINES USING A VIEW-IN-THE-GROUND INDICATOR

• US 20160379390A1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrotech Corporation (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Original Assignee: Metrotech Corporation (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Inventors: BENZIE, Stephen Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 10,832,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A system and method of for underground line location using a view-in-the-ground indicator includes a display. The display includes a view-in-the-ground indicator configured to indicate left-right position information and orientation information associated with a plurality of underground lines using a corresponding plurality of needles. The plurality of needles are concurrently displayed and are distinguishable from one another. Each of the plurality of needles has a variable horizontal position that indicates the left-right position information and a variable orientation that indicates the orientation information. In some embodiments, the plurality of needles are distinguishable from one another based on a color coding scheme. In some embodiments, the color coding scheme of the plurality of needles matches a color coding scheme of a plurality of feeder cables coupled to the plurality of underground lines.

Claims

1. A display for an underground line locator comprising:

a view-in-the-ground indicator configured to indicate left-right position information and orientation information associated with a plurality of underground lines using a corresponding plurality of needles, the plurality of needles being concurrently displayed and being distinguishable from one another, and wherein each of the plurality of needles has a variable horizontal position that indicates the left-right position information and a variable orientation that indicates the orientation information.

2. The display of claim 1, further comprising a bar graph indicator configured to indicate signal strength information corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of underground lines and further configured to indicate which of the plurality of underground lines is currently selected.

3. The display of claim 2, wherein the selected one of the plurality of underground lines is user selectable.

4. The display of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of bar graph indicators configured to indicate signal strength information corresponding to the plurality of underground lines, the plurality of bar graph indicators being concurrently displayed and being distinguishable from one another.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein the plurality of needles are distinguishable from one another based on a color coding scheme.

6. The display of claim 5, wherein the color coding scheme of the plurality of needles matches a color coding scheme of a plurality of feeder cables coupled to the plurality of underground lines.

7. The display of claim 5, further comprising a bar graph indicator configured to indicate signal strength information corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of underground lines, wherein the bar graph indicator is colored according to the color coding scheme to indicate which of the plurality of underground lines is currently selected.

8. The display of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of bar graph indicators configured to indicate signal strength information corresponding to the plurality of underground lines, the plurality of bar graph indicators being concurrently displayed and being distinguishable from one another based on the color coding scheme.

9. A method of providing feedback to a user of an underground line locator comprising:

determining signal strength information corresponding to a first underground line;

displaying the signal strength information using a signal strength indicator;

determining left-right positioning and orientation information corresponding to the first underground line; and

displaying the left-right positioning and orientation information associated with the first underground line using a view-in-the-ground indicator.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining left-right positioning and orientation information associated with one or more additional underground lines; and

displaying the left-right positioning and orientation information associated with the one or more additional underground lines using the view-in-the-ground indicator.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining signal strength information corresponding to the one or more additional underground lines; and

switchably displaying the signal strength information corresponding to the one or more additional underground lines using the signal strength indicator, wherein the signal strength indicator displays signal strength information corresponding to one selected underground line at a time.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the view-in-the-ground indicator uses a color coding scheme to distinguish among the first underground line and the one or more additional underground lines.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the signal strength indicator is colored according to the color coding scheme to indicate that the signal strength information corresponding to the first underground line is being displayed.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining signal strength information corresponding to the one or more additional underground lines; and

displaying the signal strength information corresponding to the one or more additional underground lines using one or more additional signal strength indicators, wherein the signal strength indicator and the one or more additional signal strength indicators are colored according to the color coding scheme.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the underground line locator is maintained in a fixed position relative to the user such that the left-right positioning information and the orientation information changes slowly in comparison to when the underground line locator is swinging the relative to the user.

16. An underground line locator system comprising:

one or more transmitters configured to couple a plurality of locate tones onto a corresponding plurality of underground lines, each of the plurality of locate tones being distinguishable from one another, wherein the plurality of locate tones cause the plurality of underground lines to radiate time-varying magnetic fields;

a locator configured to measure the time-varying magnetic fields and determine signal strength, position, and orientation information associated with the plurality of underground lines based on the time-varying magnetic fields;

a display interface coupled to the locator configured to display the signal strength, position, and orientation information, wherein;

the signal strength information is displayed using a bar graph indicator; and

the position and orientation information is displayed using a view-in-the-ground indicator.

17. The underground line locator system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of locate tones are distinguishable from one another based on frequency, modulation, or both.

18. The underground line locator system of claim 16, wherein the one or more transmitters are coupled to the plurality of underground lines via a plurality of feeder cables, the plurality of feeder cables being distinguishable from one another based on a color coding scheme.

19. The underground line locator system of claim 18, wherein the bar graph indicator and the view-in-the-ground indicator of the display interface are colored according to the color coding scheme of the feeder cables.

20. The underground line locator system of claim 16, wherein the view-in-the-ground indicator includes a plurality of needles corresponding to the plurality of underground lines, and wherein each of the plurality of needles has a variable horizontal position that indicates the position information and a variable orientation that indicates the orientation information.