Omni-inducer transmitting devices and methods

• US 9,494,706 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S., Merewether, Ray, Soukup, Jan, Martin, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dickinson, Dustin
• Application Number:
  US14/210,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 324326-329, 324/332, 324334-335, 324/347, 324/354, 324 66- 67
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/104 using several coupled or uncoupled coils G01V3/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/17 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

Omnidirectional electromagnetic signal inducer (omni-inducer) devices are disclosed. The omni-inducer device may include a housing, which may include a conductive base for coupling signals to ground, and an omnidirectional antenna node including a plurality of antenna coil assemblies, where the node may be disposed on or within the housing. The omni-inducer device may further include one or more transmitter modules for generating ones of a plurality of output signals, which may be generated at ones of a plurality of different frequencies, and one or more control circuits configured to control the transmitters and/or other circuits to selectively switch the ones of the plurality of output signals between ones of the plurality of antenna coil assemblies.

Claims

1. A man portable omni-inducer device, comprising:

a housing;

a rechargeable battery;

a node assembly coupled to the housing;

an omnidirectional antenna node including a plurality of substantially orthogonally-oriented antenna coil assemblies disposed within the node assembly;

a transmitter module electrically powered by the rechargeable battery for generating ones of a plurality of output signals at a plurality of different frequencies; and

a control circuit configured to selectively switch the ones of a plurality of output signals between ones of the plurality of antenna coil assemblies in one or more predefined time slots;

wherein a first antenna coil assembly of the antenna coil assemblies is driven at a first frequency in a first time slot while the other antenna coil assemblies are not driven, and wherein a second antenna coil assembly of the antenna coil assemblies is driven at a second frequency in a subsequent time slot while the other antenna coils are not driven;

or

wherein a first antenna coil assembly of the antenna coil assemblies is driven at a first frequency in a first time slot while the other antenna coil assemblies are not driven, and wherein a second antenna coil assembly of the antenna coil assemblies is driven at the first frequency in a subsequent time slot while the other antenna coils are not driven.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a vertical mast coupled to the housing, wherein the antenna node is disposed on the vertical mast.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a handle coupled to the housing or the vertical mast.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna node is substantially spherical in shape.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more ground clips coupled to the transmitter module to electrically couple a transmitter output to an Earth ground.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising an electrically conductive base coupled to the transmitter module to capacitively couple a transmitter output to an Earth ground.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a GPS module and a wireless module coupled to the GPS module to communicate positional data provided from the GPS module to a buried object locator.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein ones of antenna coils of the antenna coil assemblies are disposed in a spherical shape.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein coils of the antenna coil assemblies include a primary coil and a magnetically coupled secondary coil in a step-up transformer configuration.

10. The device of claim 9, comprising two or more additional antenna coil assemblies, wherein each antenna coil assembly includes a primary coil and a magnetically coupled secondary coil in a step-up transformer configuration.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of capacitors coupled to the three secondary coils, wherein the capacitor values are selected based on a width of the time slots and an applied frequency to minimize off time of the output signals between time slots.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a user-wearable backpack, wherein the housing is coupled to the user-wearable backpack.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein a first antenna coil assembly is driven by the control circuit at a first frequency in a first time slot, a second antenna coil assembly is driven by the control circuit at a second frequency different that the first frequency in the first time slot, and a third antenna coil assembly is driven by the control circuit at a third frequency different than the first frequency and the second frequency in the time slot.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first antenna coil assembly is driven at the second frequency in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot.