Methods and apparatus for assessing marking operations based on acceleration information
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for assessing use of a marking device to mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility with a marking material, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one input/output (I/O) interface;
at least one memory storing processor-executable instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory and the at least one I/O interface, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processor, the processor;
A) receives, via the at least one I/O interface, acceleration information representative of acceleration of the marking device during the use of the marking device, wherein the acceleration information includes a plurality of data segments;
B) analyzes the acceleration information to determine at least one of;
(i) a number of distinct acceleration data segments associated with formation of a marking pattern, wherein the marking pattern comprises at least one of a discontinuous pattern, an alphanumeric character, and a symbol;
(ii) a duration of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and
(iii) a periodicity of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and
C) stores in the at least one memory, and/or transmits via the at least one I/O interface, at least one indication relating to an assessment of use of the marking device based at least in part on B).
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Abstract
Marking devices of the type used for marking a presence or an absence of underground facilities and including motion detectors such as accelerometers are described. Methods of collecting and analyzing motion information indicative of the motion of a marking device are also described. The motion information may be used for various purposes, including documenting performance of a marking operation and/or performance of a particular technician, pattern determination and comparison, as well as quality control assessment.
504 Citations
54 Claims
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1. An apparatus for assessing use of a marking device to mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility with a marking material, the apparatus comprising:
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at least one input/output (I/O) interface; at least one memory storing processor-executable instructions; and a processor coupled to the memory and the at least one I/O interface, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processor, the processor; A) receives, via the at least one I/O interface, acceleration information representative of acceleration of the marking device during the use of the marking device, wherein the acceleration information includes a plurality of data segments; B) analyzes the acceleration information to determine at least one of; (i) a number of distinct acceleration data segments associated with formation of a marking pattern, wherein the marking pattern comprises at least one of a discontinuous pattern, an alphanumeric character, and a symbol; (ii) a duration of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and (iii) a periodicity of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and C) stores in the at least one memory, and/or transmits via the at least one I/O interface, at least one indication relating to an assessment of use of the marking device based at least in part on B). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 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)
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39. In a computer comprising at least one hardware processor, at least one tangible storage medium, and at least one input/output (I/O) interface, a method for assessing use of a marking device to mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility with a marking material, the method comprising:
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A) receiving, via the at least one I/O interface, acceleration information representative of acceleration of the marking device during the use of the marking device, wherein the acceleration information includes a plurality of data segments; B) analyzing, via at least one hardware processor, the acceleration information to determine at least one of; (i) a number of distinct acceleration data segments associated with formation of a marking pattern, wherein the marking pattern comprises at least one of a discontinuous pattern, an alphanumeric character, and a symbol; (ii) a duration of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and (iii) a periodicity of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and C) storing in the at least one memory, and/or transmitting via the at least one I/O interface, at least one indication relating to an assessment of use of the marking device based at least in part on B). - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. At least one computer-readable non-transitory storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor in a computer comprising at least one input/output (I/O) interface, perform a method for assessing use of a marking device to mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility with a marking material, the method comprising:
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A) receiving, via the at least one I/O interface, acceleration information representative of acceleration of the marking device during the use of the marking device, wherein the acceleration information includes a plurality of data segments; and B) analyzing the acceleration information to determine at least one of; (i) a number of distinct acceleration data segments associated with formation of a marking pattern, wherein the marking pattern comprises at least one of a discontinuous pattern, an alphanumeric character, and a symbol; (ii) a duration of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and (iii) a periodicity of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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Specification