Georeferenced monitoring system

• US 6,785,619 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Westfalische Ferngas-AG
• Original Assignee: Westfalische Ferngas-AG
• Inventors: Katzenbach, Burkhard, Homann, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilton, John S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, HIEN XUAN
• Application Number:
  US09/869,487
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 702/51, 702/24, 702/188, 73/290.1, 73/232, 73/233.4, 73/310.5, 356/519, 340/521, 340/522, 340/531, 340/539, 340/539.13, 340/539.11, 340/500
• US Class Current: 702/51
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 5/02 Preventing, monitoring, or locating loss
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/22 for pipes, cables or tubes; for pipe joints or seals; for valves; for welds; for containers, e.g. radiators

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile measuring device that monitors potential leaks of gas conduits. The device includes a navigation system.

Claims

1. A mobile measuring device for monitoring leaks on gas lines, comprising an electronic navigation system to guide an operator along a track predefined by a computer unit which links position information to topographic information about the area to be monitored stored in said computer unit to generate said predefined track, and a documentation system to document results measured by a gas testing device mounted thereon.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized by a satellite position measuring system.

3. The mobile measuring device as claimed in claim 1, characterized by acoustic and/or optical guidance of an operator, using calculated navigation data.

4. The mobile measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized by a supporting/measuring wheel.

5. The mobile measuring device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, by using the supporting/measuring wheel, a record of the path covered is recorded by the computer unit.

6. The device as claimed in claim 2, comprising a supporting/measuring wheel wherein the satellite position measuring system is coupled with sensors on said supporting/measuring wheel.

7. The device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the satellite position measuring system is coupled with sensors in measuring electronics, which extrapolate information about the position of the mobile measuring device by generating a distance vector in the computer unit.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the direction component of the distance vector and/or the magnitude or the distance vector is/are generated via an electric compass, an orthogonal pair of speed sensors, a two-axis orthogonal acceleration sensor or a gyroscope. sensor or a gyroscope.

9. A method of monitoring gas lines, comprising:

feeding navigation information about a predefined path into an electronic navigation system;

producing signals indicating the path to be taken by means of the electronic navigation system; and

moving a mobile measuring device in response to the signals indicating the path to be taken.