Omnidirectional sonde and line locator
First Claim
1. A manually portable system for locating a buried object by sensing an electromagnetic signal emitted by the buried object, comprising:
- a housing;
at least one antenna array including three substantially mutually orthogonal antennas;
an elongate member supported by the housing and carrying the antenna array, the elongate member having an axis that extends through the antennas, and an angle subtended between the axis and each of the antennas being substantially identical; and
a circuit at least partially mounted in the housing and operatively coupled to the antennas in the antenna array, the circuit being configured to sense an electromagnetic signal emitted from a buried object and determine a location of the buried object by measuring signal strength and field angles in three dimensions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
At least one antenna array including three mutually orthogonal antennas each sharing a common center point senses an electromagnetic signal emitted by a buried object such as a utility line, pipe or sonde. A circuit at least partially mounted in a housing is connected to the array and determines a location of the buried object by measuring signal strength and field angles in three dimensions without having to align the antenna array relative to the buried object while eliminating nulls and false peaks. A graphical user interface (GUI) has user-friendly icons, symbols, menus, numbers and graphical and auditory representation of signal strength. A SEARCH view indicates signal strength by showing a rotating strength indicator, a trace mode MAP view in which line location is shown by a line that moves side-to-side, and a sonde mode MAP view in which sonde location is shown by a moving line, pole and equator.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A manually portable system for locating a buried object by sensing an electromagnetic signal emitted by the buried object, comprising:
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a housing; at least one antenna array including three substantially mutually orthogonal antennas; an elongate member supported by the housing and carrying the antenna array, the elongate member having an axis that extends through the antennas, and an angle subtended between the axis and each of the antennas being substantially identical; and a circuit at least partially mounted in the housing and operatively coupled to the antennas in the antenna array, the circuit being configured to sense an electromagnetic signal emitted from a buried object and determine a location of the buried object by measuring signal strength and field angles in three dimensions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification