OMNI-INDUCER TRANSMITTING DEVICES AND METHODS

• US 20170235010A1
• Filed: 11/07/2016
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S., Merewether, Ray, Soukup, Jan, Martin, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US15/345,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235010A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/104 using several coupled or uncoupled coils G01V3/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/17 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

Omnidirectional electromagnetic signal inducer (“omni-inducer”) devices are disclosed for generating utility locating current signals, at one or more frequencies in on or more time intervals.

Claims

1. A portable omni-inducer device for use with a magnetic field buried utility locator, comprising:

a housing;

an omnidirectional antenna array having a plurality of antenna coils for generating magnetic field signals in three orthogonal axes;

a transmitter module having an output operatively coupled to the omnidirectional antenna array for generating a plurality of output signals at different frequencies for coupling to the omnidirectional antenna array; and

a control circuit for selectively switching ones of the plurality of output signals between ones of the plurality of antenna coils.

2. A method for providing an omnidirectional signal for tracing buried objects with a magnetic field buried locator, comprising:

generating, in a transmitter module, a first output signal at a first frequency;

selectively applying the first output signal to a first antenna coil of an omnidirectional antenna array in a first time interval;

generating, in the transmitter module, a second output signal at the first frequency; and

selectively applying the second output signal, at a different time interval than the first time interval, to a second antenna coil of the omnidirectional antenna array.