Enhanced precise location
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A line locator, comprising:
- a plurality of coil detectors, each of the plurality of coil detectors oriented to measure a component of an electromagnetic field;
circuitry coupled to provide quadrature signals indicating a complex electromagnetic field strength;
a position locator for indicating a position of the line locator;
a processor coupled to receive the complex electromagnetic field strength and the position, and to calculate values related to a target line, whereinthe processor is configured to execute instructions for;
modeling an expected complex field strength using a phase error function, and using an estimation of a current attenuation at two nearest side tones to update a fit factor, the side tones defined by a carrier frequency and a modulation frequency; and
determining parameters related to the target line from a best model.
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Abstract
A line locator includes a signal detector to detect signals from an underground line; an error modeler that models a phase error in the signal from neighboring underground lines; and an enhanced electromagnetic field modeler that provides a location of the underground line based on the signal and a result from the error modeler.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. A line locator, comprising:
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a plurality of coil detectors, each of the plurality of coil detectors oriented to measure a component of an electromagnetic field; circuitry coupled to provide quadrature signals indicating a complex electromagnetic field strength; a position locator for indicating a position of the line locator; a processor coupled to receive the complex electromagnetic field strength and the position, and to calculate values related to a target line, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions for; modeling an expected complex field strength using a phase error function, and using an estimation of a current attenuation at two nearest side tones to update a fit factor, the side tones defined by a carrier frequency and a modulation frequency; and determining parameters related to the target line from a best model. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of locating a target line, comprising:
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measuring an electromagnetic field using a plurality of coil detectors; modeling, by a processor, a phase error based on the presence of lines neighboring the target line, wherein modeling comprises using a phase error function including a plurality of parameters from the target line and from the neighboring lines, and an estimation of a current attenuation at two nearest side tones to update a fit factor, the side tones defined by a carrier frequency and a modulation frequency; and utilizing the phase error in an enhanced electromagnetic field model to locate the target line. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification