Locator with current-measuring capability

• US 7,498,797 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seektech Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seektech Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S., Martin, Michael J., Stuart, Paul G.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEDYNH, BOT L
• Application Number:
  US11/962,870
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 324 66- 67, 324228-229, 324/232, 324/326, 324329-332, 324/334, 324344-345, 324347-348, 324/354, 324/357, 702 33- 38, 702 57- 59, 702 60- 62, 702 64- 65
• US Class Current: 324/67
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0871 Complete apparatus or systems; circuits, e.g. receivers or amplifiers G01R29/0878, G01R29/0892 take precedence; dosimeters, warning devices G01R29/0857
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0878 Sensors; antennas; probes; detectors wave guide measuring sections G01R1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat

Abstract

A human-portable utility locator system for locating and tracing a buried utility line characterized by an electromagnetic field emission. The locator may include a horizontal spaced sensor pair for detecting the horizontal field asymmetry of the emitted field in one or more independent frequency bands, which is employed to assist in determining an accurate “virtual depth” measurement for producing detection events. An event detector may be disposed to detect events corresponding to extremum in the B-field gradient with respect to time and a user interface (UI) coupled to the event detector signals the detected event to a user. In a preferred embodiment, one pair of spaced-apart 3D magnetic sensor arrays is disposed substantially orthogonal to another intermediate spaced-apart pair of sensors.

Claims

1. A locator, comprising:

a pair of vertically-spaced sensor arrays that each detect an electromagnetic field emitted by a buried utility line;

a pair of horizontally-spaced sensors for detecting a gradient of the electromagnetic field;

a processor operatively coupled to the sensor arrays and to the sensors that determines a location of the buried utility line and calculates a current in the buried utility line when a magnetic gradient detected by the sensors reverses; and

a display for reporting the location and the calculated current to a user.

2. The locator of claim 1 wherein each sensor array includes three mutually orthogonal coils.

3. A locator, comprising:

a plurality of sensor arrays that each detect an electromagnetic field emitted by a buried utility line, including at least first and second vertically-spaced sensor arrays and at least third and fourth horizontally spaced sensor arrays;

a processor operatively coupled to the sensor arrays that determines a location of the buried utility line and calculates a current in the buried utility line;

a display for reporting the location and the calculated current to a user; and

wherein the third and fourth sensor arrays are combined with a fifth sensor array to form a tripod.

4. The locator of claim 3 wherein each sensor array includes three mutually orthogonal coils.

5. A locator, comprising:

at least a pair of spaced apart sensor arrays that each detect an electromagnetic field emitted by a buried utility line;

a processor operatively coupled to the sensor arrays that determines the location of the buried utility line based on a plurality of outputs signals from the sensor arrays and calculates a current in the buried utility line utilizing a correlation process; and

a display for reporting the location and the calculated current to a user.

6. A locator, comprising:

a plurality of sensor arrays that each detect an electromagnetic field emitted by a buried utility line, including at least first and second vertically-spaced sensor arrays and at least third and fourth horizontally spaced sensor arrays, each sensor array including three mutually orthogonal coils;

a processor operatively coupled to the sensor arrays that determines a location of the buried utility line and calculates a current in the buried utility line; and

a display for reporting the location and the calculated current to a user.

7. A locator, comprising:

at least a pair of spaced apart sensor arrays that each detect an electromagnetic field emitted by a buried utility line;

a processor operatively coupled to the sensor arrays that determines the location of the buried utility line based on a plurality of outputs signals from the sensor arrays and calculates a current in the buried utility line;

a display for reporting the location and the calculated current to a user; and

wherein the processor repeatedly calculates the current utilizing a correlation process as the sensor arrays move relative to the buried utility line and the processor causes the display to report the calculated current when a detected electromagnetic field vector angle is within a predetermined range.

8. The locator of claim 7 wherein the processor calculates the current utilizing a single frequency centered substantially mid-band of a broad frequency band.