Technique for establishing at least a portion of an underground path of a boring tool

• US 5,698,981 A
• Filed: 03/14/1996
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Merlin Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Digital Control Incorporated
• Inventors: Mercer, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phillips, Roger
• Application Number:
  US08/615,467
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 324/326, 324/345, 324/346, 324/207.22, 324/207.26, 324/67, 324/329, 324/328, 324/327, 324/66, 33/304, 73/151, 340/853.4, 340/853.5, 175/45
• US Class Current: 324/329
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/0232 at least one of the energy sources or one of the detectors being located on or above the ground surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/26 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified either by the surrounding earth formation or by the detecting device with electromagnetic waves G01V3/30

Abstract

A method of establishing the location of at least a portion of a particular path taken by a boring tool within a given region is presented. The method includes the steps of establishing a reference path within the region and providing a portable locator and means located partially at and forming part of the boring tool and partially at and forming part of the locator for generating certain information about the position of the boring tool relative to the position of the locator. When the boring tool reaches various spaced apart measuring locations as it moves along the particular path, at each such measuring location, the locator is positioned on the reference path at an associated reference point which is specifically determined by the position of the boring tool at the associated location on the particular path. With the locator positioned at each of these reference points, positional information of the boring at the associated location on the particular path is generated and recorded and, from this recorded information, an actual path taken by the boring tool is established, which actual path corresponds generally to at least a portion of the particular path taken by the boring tool.

Claims

1. In an overall process in which a boring tool is moved through the ground within a given region along a particular path from a specific starting point, a method of establishing the location of at least a portion of said particular path within the given region, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a reference path within the region;

(b) providing a portable locator and information generating means for generating certain information about the position of the boring tool relative to the position of the locator, said information generating means being located partially at and forming part of said boring tool and partially at and forming part of said locator, said information generating means including means for transmitting an electromagnetic signal from the boring tool and means including less than five spaced-apart sensors at said locator for sensing said electromagnetic signal;

(c) when said boring tool reaches various spaced-apart measuring locations as it moves along the particular path, at each such measuring location positioning the locator on the reference path at an associated reference point which is specifically determined by the position of the boring tool at the associated measuring location on the particular path;

(d) with the locator positioned at each of said reference points, generating and recording the positional information of the boring tool at the associated measuring location on the particular path; and

(e) from the recorded information of the boring tool at the various associated measuring locations on the particular path, either as it is obtained or thereafter, establishing an actual path containing the associated locations, which actual path corresponds generally to at least a portion of the particular path taken by the boring tool.

2. A method according to claim 1 including the step of graphically representing the actual path.

3. A method according to claim 2 including the step of graphically representing said given region including said reference path along with said actual path.

4. A method according to claim 1 including the steps of:

(a) taking measurements of the actual distance the boring tool moves through the ground along the particular path from said starting point to each of said spaced-apart locations; and

(b) using said measurements along with said recorded information to establish said actual path.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said information generating means also generates information about the pitch of said boring tool and wherein said pitch information is used along with said recorded information to establish said actual path.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein said information generating means continuously generates said certain information about the position of the boring tool relative to the position of the locator as the boring tool moves along the particular path and wherein said positional information is recorded only when the boring tool is at said various spaced-apart locations.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein when said boring tool reaches the various spaced-apart measuring locations on its particular path of movement, identical procedures are used to find the associated reference points on said reference path.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein said information generating means includes an elongated electromagnetic radiation transmitter contained by said boring tool serving as said transmitting means, wherein information generated by said information generating means includes information about the front and rear negative locate points co-linear with the axis of the transmitter contained by the boring tool and wherein said identical procedure used to find the reference points associated with the various spaced-apart locations includes the steps of:

(a) first placing the locator in a fixed orientation at either the front or rear negative locate point when it is at each spaced-apart location; and

(b) thereafter moving the locator in a predetermined way from the associated location to the reference point.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein said information generating means includes a pair of orthogonal antennae contained by said locator for detecting the electromagnetic radiation transmitted by said transmitter and serving as said sensing means, wherein the locator is first placed in said fixed orientation at the front or rear negative locate point such that said orthogonal antennae face in a particular direction and are in a particular horizontal plane, and wherein the predetermined way in which the locator is moved from each location to its associated reference point is to move it from the location to the reference path in a direction perpendicular to a line though the negative locate points of the boring tool while rotating the locator about a vertical axis such that when the locator reaches the particular reference point the orthogonal antennae are rotated 90°

about the vertical axis and they are in the same horizontal plane.

17. A method according to claim 1 wherein said sensing means includes only two of said sensors.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein said two sensors are positioned adjacent to and orthogonal with one another.

19. A method according to claim 9 wherein said orthogonal antennae are the only sensors forming part of said sensing means.

10. In an overall process in which a boring tool is moved through the ground within a given region along a particular path from a specific starting point, a method of establishing the location of said particular path within the given region, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a reference path within the region;

(b) providing a portable locator and information generating means for continuously generating certain information about the position and pitch of the boring tool relative to the position of the locator as the boring tool moves through the ground along the particular path and for generating information about the front and rear negative locate points co-linear with the axis of a transmitter contained by the boring tool, said information generating means being located partially at and forming part of said boring tool and partially at and forming part of said locator, said information generating means including

(i) a pitch sensor,

(ii) said elongated electromagnetic radiation transmitter contained by said boring tool, and

(iii) a pair of orthogonal antennae contained by said locator for detecting the electromagnetic radiation transmitted by said transmitter;

(c) taking measurements of the actual distance the boring tool moves through the ground along the particular path from said starting point to each of said spaced-apart locations;

(d) when said boring tool reaches various spaced-apart measuring locations as it moves along the particular path, at each such measuring location, using the same procedure for each measuring location, positioning the locator on the reference path at an associated reference point which is specifically determined by the position of the boring tool at the associated measuring location on the particular path, said procedure being used to find the reference points associated with the various spaced-apart locations including the steps of

(i) first placing the locator in a fixed orientation at either the front or rear negative locate point when it is at each spaced-apart location,

(ii) thereafter moving the locator in a predetermined way from the associated location to the reference point;

(e) with the locator positioned at each of said reference points, recording the positional information and pitch of the boring tool at the associated location on the particular path;

(f) from the recorded positional information and pitch of the boring tool at the various associated measuring locations on the particular path and from the measurements of the actual distance the boring tool moves through the ground along the particular path from said starting point to each of said spaced-apart locations, either as the positional information is recorded or thereafter, establishing an actual path containing the associated locations, which actual path corresponds generally to the particular path taken by the boring tool; and

(g) graphically representing said given region including said reference path along said actual path.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the locator is first placed in said fixed orientation at the front or rear negative locate point such that said orthogonal antennae face in a particular direction and are in a particular horizontal plane, and wherein the predetermined way in which the locator is moved from each location to its associated reference point is to move it from the location to the reference path in a direction perpendicular to a line though the negative locate points of the boring tool while rotating the locator about a vertical axis such that when the locator reaches the particular reference point the orthogonal antennae are rotated 90°

about the vertical axis and they are in the same horizontal plane.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein said positional information and pitch of said boring tool is recorded only when the boring tool is at said various spaced-apart locations.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein said information generating means is also located partially at a remote location, said information generating means including means for sending said positional information and pitch of said boring tool by wireless transmission from the locator to said remote location and wherein said given region, reference path and said actual path are graphically generated at said remote location.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein said given region, reference path and said actual path are graphically generated on a permanent medium.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein said given region, reference path and said actual path are graphically generated on a visual monitor.

16. A method according to claim 10 wherein said boring tool produces an underground tunnel coextensive with said actual path as the boring tool moves through the ground, said method including the step of installing a cable in the ground within said tunnel.