Sensor cart positioning system and method

• US 8,089,390 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Underground Imaging Technologies, Inc. (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Underground Imaging Technologies, Inc. (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jones, Ross Peter, Kelly, Peter John
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US11/804,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20100259438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 342/22
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection

Abstract

A movable platform has a front end, a back end, a longitudinal axis, and at least one axle oriented generally transverse to the longitudinal axis and located between the front and back ends for supporting wheels of the platform. A position sensor is affixed on the platform at a location other than at a location defined by a plane passing through the axle and normal to the longitudinal axis. The position sensor provides position data as the platform traverses a path. A sensor arrangement is supported by the platform and configured to provide subsurface sensor data as the platform traverses the path. A processor is configured to associate the position data with the sensor data relative to a reference frame and in a manner that accounts for dynamic motion of the platform.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a movable platform having a front end, a back end, a longitudinal axis, and at least one axle oriented generally transverse to the longitudinal axis and located between the front and back ends for supporting wheels of the platform;

a position sensor affixed on the platform at a location other than at a location defined by a plane passing through the at least one axle and normal to the longitudinal axis, the position sensor providing position data as the platform traverses a path;

a sensor arrangement supported by the platform and configured to provide subsurface sensor data as the platform traverses the path; and

a processor configured to associate the position data with the sensor data relative to a reference frame and in a manner that accounts for curvilinear dynamic motion of the platform.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to associate the position data with the sensor data relative to the reference frame and in a manner that accounts for velocity and orientation of the platform.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to associate geometrically correct position data with the sensor data relative to the reference frame.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference frame is a local reference frame or a global reference frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement is supported by the platform in a spaced-apart relationship relative to the position sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises at least one of a ground penetrating radar, an electromagnetic imaging sensor, and a shallow application seismic sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a multi-channel sensor arrangement, and the processor is configured to associate the position data with each of a multiplicity of channels of sensor data developed by the multi-channel sensor arrangement.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the multi-channel sensor arrangement comprises at least one of a multi-channel ground penetrating radar and a multi-unit electromagnetic imaging sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a multiplicity of disparate sensors that provide disparate subsurface sensor data, and the processor is configured to associate the position data with disparate sensor data developed by the multiplicity of disparate sensors.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the multiplicity of disparate sensors comprises two or more of a ground penetrating radar, an electromagnetic imaging sensor, a shallow application seismic sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a resistivity sensor, and a gravity sensor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is affixed on the platform laterally offset relative to a centerline of the sensor arrangement.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensor cooperates with a ground station to track the position sensor relative to a fixed local coordinate system.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensor comprises a laser positioning sensor.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensor comprises a GPS positioning sensor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to apply GPS clock times to GPS location data for each discrete sensor of the sensor arrangement for every trace.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second movable platform mechanically coupled to the movable platform; and

a second sensor arrangement supported by the second movable platform and configured to provide subsurface sensor data as the second movable platform traverses the path;

wherein the processor is configured to associate the position data with the sensor data provided by the sensor arrangement and the second sensor arrangement relative to the reference frame and in a manner that accounts for curvilinear dynamic motion of the respective platforms.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to associate the position data with the sensor data provided by the sensor arrangement and the second sensor arrangement relative to the reference frame using the position sensor affixed only to one of the first and second movable platforms and a fixed location of a coupler that mechanically couples the first and second movable platforms.

18. A method, comprising:

moving a platform along a path, the platform having a front end, a back end, a longitudinal axis, and at least one axle oriented generally transverse to the longitudinal axis and located between the front and back ends for supporting wheels of the platform;

acquiring position data relative to a location on the platform other than at a location defined by a plane passing through the at least one axle and normal to the longitudinal axis;

obtaining subsurface sensor data at the platform as the platform traverses the path;

associating the position data with the sensor data relative to a reference frame and in a manner that accounts for curvilinear dynamic motion of the platform; and

producing an output comprising the associated position and sensor data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein associating comprises associating the position data with the sensor data relative to the reference frame in a manner that accounts for velocity and orientation of the platform.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein associating comprises associating geometrically correct position data with the sensor data relative to the reference frame.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the subsurface sensor data comprises at least one of ground penetrating radar data, electromagnetic imaging data, shallow application seismic sensor data, magnetic field data, resistivity data, and gravity data.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the position data comprises GPS positioning data.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the position data comprises laser positioning data.

24. The method of claim 18, comprising:

obtaining subsurface sensor data from a plurality of discrete subsurface sensors; and

applying clock times to the location data for each sample of sensor data obtained by each discrete subsurface sensor.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

moving a second platform along the path, the second platform mechanically coupled to the platform at a coupling location;

computing second position data for the second platform relative to the coupling location and the location on the platform other than at the location defined by the plane passing through the axle and normal to the longitudinal axis;

obtaining second subsurface sensor data at the second platform as the second platforms traverses the path;

associating the second position data with the second sensor data relative to the reference frame and in a manner that accounts for curvilinear dynamic motion of the second platform; and

producing an output comprising the associated second position data and second sensor data.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein associating the position data and producing the output are performed after completion of a survey involving the moving, acquiring, and obtaining processes.