System, method and monument for land surveying

• US 8,947,205 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Berntsen International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Berntsen International Inc.
• Inventors: Rushing, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US12/784,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 340/8.1, 340/572.8, 340/568, 340/571, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/652, 342/357.48, 342/357.62, 342/357.4, 521/03
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/04 Permanent marks; Boundary markers
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/10 using induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2477 Antenna or antenna activator circuit

Abstract

A monument usable for locating stationary geographical positions and/or assets includes a housing, comprising a body and a cap; at least one permanent magnet mounted on or in the housing; and at least one electronic marker located on or in the housing. The magnet has a magnetic field of sufficient strength for its location to be readily identified from outside the housing using a portable magnetic locator and the electronic marker includes an electronic transceiver for receiving and/or transmitting electronic information unique to the geographical location and/or functional properties of the monument or an asset associated with the monument.

Claims

1. A monument for locating stationary geographical positions and assets comprising:

a housing;

at least one permanent magnet provided on the housing and having a magnetic field of sufficient strength for a location of the at least one magnet relative to a portable magnetic locator to be readily identified from outside the housing the portable magnetic locator; and

at least one electronic marker coupled to a metal backing plate and provided on the housing, the at least one electronic marker for receiving and/or transmitting one or more radio frequency (RF) signals which include information unique to a geographical location and/or a functional property of a monument or an asset associated with the monument, wherein the electronic marker is adapted to transmit and/or receive the one or more radio frequency (RF) signals in the presence of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet;

wherein the at least one permanent magnet and the at least one electronic marker are each positioned within the housing;

at least one of a body and a cap of the housing is formed of metal or other material resistant to the passage of electronic frequencies, the body including at least one opening adjacent to the at least one electronic marker for facilitating passage of the one or more radio frequency (RF) signals from and to the electronic marker; and

wherein the at least one electronic marker comprises an RFID tag and the at least one opening in the body and the material of a cover attachable to the body in a position covering at least a portion of the at least one opening permits the passage of RFID signals from and to the RFID tag.

2. The monument of claim 1, wherein the at least one RFID tag is a passive RFID tag and includes an RFID transceiver and an antenna.

3. The monument of claim 1, wherein the at least one RFID tag is an active RFID tag and includes a transceiver, an antenna and a power source.

4. The monument of claim 3, wherein the power source may be selected from the group including a battery and a solar cell.