Cable location continuously determining apparatus, cable location continuously determining method, and cable location continuously determining program

• US 7,081,744 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Infrastructure Network Corporation (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Infrastructure Network Corporation (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakanishi, Shinsuke, Hidaka, Kazutoshi, Nishiwaki, Ken, Otsuki, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ledynh, Bot
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, KENNETH
• Application Number:
  US10/780,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20050062475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 324/67, 324/326, 324/329
• US Class Current: 324/67
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat

Abstract

The apparatus can continuously determine the location at which a cable is buried. Location data of a measurement standard position is acquired by RTK-GPS. The azimuth of the moving direction of the apparatus is calculated using the location data. Electromagnetic waves from a metallic wire are received by two electromagnetic signal receiving sections whose locations in the horizontal plane are different from each other, and distances from the measurement standard position to a cable in a measurement base line direction and in the vertical downward direction are calculated using the received electromagnetic signals. The depth of the cable is calculated using the distance in the vertical downward direction. The plane location data of the cable is calculated using the azimuth of the moving direction, the location data of the measurement standard position, and the distance in the measurement base line direction.

Claims

1. A cable location continuously determining apparatus which determines the location of a cable buried in the ground comprising:

a first electromagnetic signal receiving section which receives an electromagnetic signal originating from alternating current flowing through a metallic wire which is integrated or attached to a cable which is the subject of determination;

a second electromagnetic signal receiving section whose position in a horizontal plane is different from a position in the horizontal plane of the first electromagnetic signal receiving section and which receives the electromagnetic signal;

a location data acquiring section which acquires location data including latitude and longitude of a predetermined location with respect to the apparatus itself;

a first location calculation section which calculates location data of the cable including a distance in a measurement base line direction and a distance in a vertical direction, the measurement base line direction being a direction from the first electromagnetic signal receiving section toward the second electromagnetic signal receiving section and being a horizontal direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the apparatus itself, when taking the predetermined location as a standard, using the electromagnetic signal received by the first electromagnetic signal receiving section and the electromagnetic signal received by the second electromagnetic signal receiving section, and which calculates the depth of the cable using the distance in the vertical direction included in the calculated location data;

an azimuth calculation section which calculates an azimuth of the moving direction of the apparatus itself using the location data acquired by the location data acquiring section, and which calculates an azimuth of the measurement base line direction from the calculated azimuth of the moving direction of the apparatus itself; and

a second location calculation section which calculates deviations of the cable from the predetermined location for latitude and longitude using the azimuth of the measurement base line direction calculated by the azimuth calculation section and the distance of the cable in the measurement base line direction included in the location data calculated by the first location calculation section taking the predetermined location as the standard, and calculates plane location data of the cable for latitude and longitude using the calculated deviations, and the latitude and the longitude included in the location data acquired by the location data acquiring section,

wherein the plane location data and the death of the cable are continuously obtained while the apparatus itself is being moved.

2. A cable location continuously determining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display section which displays information relating to the location of the cable which is the subject of determination based on the location data of the cable calculated by the first location calculation section.

3. A cable location continuously determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the location data acquiring section acquires the location data of the predetermined location by using RTK-GPS.

4. A cable location continuously determining method carried out by a cable location continuously determining apparatus which determines the location of a cable buried in the ground, the method comprising:

a location data acquiring step which acquires location data including latitude and longitude of a predetermined location with respect to the apparatus itself;

a first location calculation step which receives an electromagnetic signal originating from alternating current flowing through a metallic wire which is integrated or attached to a cable which is the subject of determination using a first electromagnetic signal receiving section and a second electromagnetic signal receiving section whose position in a horizontal plane is different from a position in the horizontal plane of the first electromagnetic signal receiving section and which receives the electromagnetic signal, and which calculates location data of the cable including a distance in a measurement base line direction and a distance in a vertical direction, the measurement base line direction being a direction from the first electromagnetic signal receiving section toward the second electromagnetic signal receiving section and being a horizontal direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the apparatus itself, when taking the predetermined location as a standard, using the received electromagnetic signal, and which calculates the depth of the cable using the distance in the vertical direction included in the calculated location data;

an azimuth calculation step which calculates an azimuth of the moving direction of the apparatus itself using the location data acquired by the location data acquiring step, and which calculates an azimuth of the measurement base line direction from the calculated azimuth of the moving direction of the apparatus itself; and

a second location calculation step which calculates deviations of the cable from the predetermined location for latitude and longitude using the azimuth of the measurement base line direction calculated by the azimuth calculation step and the distance of the cable in the measurement base line direction included in the location data calculated by the first location calculation step taking the predetermined location as the standard, and calculates plane location data of the cable for latitude and longitude using the calculated deviations, and the latitude and the longitude included in the location data acquired by the location data acquiring steps,

wherein the plane location data and the depth of the cable are continuously obtained while the apparatus itself is being moved.

5. A cable location continuously determining program which makes a computer function as a cable location continuously determining apparatus which determines the location of a cable buried in the ground, the apparatus comprising:

a first electromagnetic signal receiving section which receives an electromagnetic signal originating from alternating current flowing through a metallic wire which is integrated or attached to a cable which is the subject of determination;

a second electromagnetic signal receiving section whose position in a horizontal plane is different from a position in the horizontal plane of the first electromagnetic signal receiving section and which receives the electromagnetic signal;

a location data acquiring section which acquires location data including latitude and longitude of a predetermined location with respect to the apparatus itself;

a first location calculation section which calculates location data of the cable including a distance in a measurement base line direction and a distance in a vertical direction, the measurement base line direction being a direction from the first electromagnetic signal receiving section toward the second electromagnetic signal receiving section and being a horizontal direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the apparatus itself, when taking the predetermined location as a standard, using the electromagnetic signal received by the first electromagnetic signal receiving section and the electromagnetic signal received by the second electromagnetic signal receiving section, and which calculates the depth of the cable using the distance in the vertical direction included in the calculated location data;

an azimuth calculation section which calculates an azimuth of the moving direction of the apparatus itself using the location data acquired by the location data acquiring section, and which calculates an azimuth of the measurement base line direction from the calculated azimuth of the moving direction of the apparatus itself; and

a second location calculation section which calculates deviations of the cable from the predetermined location for latitude and longitude using the azimuth of the measurement base line direction calculated by the azimuth calculation section and the distance of the cable in the measurement base line direction included in the location data calculated by the first location calculation section taking the predetermined location as the standard, and calculates plane location data of the cable for latitude and longitude using the calculated deviations, and the latitude and the longitude included in the location data acquired by the location data acquiring section,

wherein the plane location data and the depth of the cable are continuously obtained while the apparatus itself is being moved.