TRACKING THE POSITIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A BORING TOOL AND ONE OR MORE BURIED LINES USING A COMPOSITE MAGNETIC SIGNAL
First Claim
1. In a system in which a boring tool including a drill string having a length which is fed out in a way which moves the boring tool through the ground in a region which includes at least one electrically conductive in-ground line, an apparatus for tracking a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said apparatus comprising:
- a transmitter arrangement for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line in a predetermined way;
a receiver arrangement carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field which, in cooperation with the predetermined way in which the magnetic locating signal is generated, provides for an unambiguous measurement of the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line throughout said region using said magnetic locating signal;
a drill string monitoring arrangement for monitoring a value of at least one parameter relating to the way in which said drill string is fed out; and
a processor for correlating the magnetic locating field intensity with the value of said one parameter in a way which indicates certain changes in the positional relationship between said boring tool and said line without the need to establish an actual distance between the boring tool and said line as the boring tool moves through the ground within said region.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A boring tool is moved through the ground in a region which includes at least one electrically conductive in-ground line and which is subject to static magnetic fields including the magnetic field of the earth. Tracking a positional relationship between the boring tool and the line, as well as a directional heading of the boring tool within the region are provided by: (i) generating a time varying magnetic field from the line; (ii) at the boring tool, detecting a composite magnetic signal which includes one component affected by the static magnetic fields and another component affected by the time varying magnetic field such that the static magnetic field component varies as a function of the directional heading and the time varying component varies as a function of the positional relationship; and (iii) processing the composite magnetic signal to separate the static magnetic field component and the time varying magnetic field component from the composite magnetic signal for use in determining the directional heading and the positional relationship. In one feature, the static magnetic field component is used to determine the directional heading of the boring tool and the time varying magnetic field component is used to determine the positional relationship.
9 Citations
18 Claims
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1. In a system in which a boring tool including a drill string having a length which is fed out in a way which moves the boring tool through the ground in a region which includes at least one electrically conductive in-ground line, an apparatus for tracking a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said apparatus comprising:
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a transmitter arrangement for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line in a predetermined way; a receiver arrangement carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field which, in cooperation with the predetermined way in which the magnetic locating signal is generated, provides for an unambiguous measurement of the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line throughout said region using said magnetic locating signal; a drill string monitoring arrangement for monitoring a value of at least one parameter relating to the way in which said drill string is fed out; and a processor for correlating the magnetic locating field intensity with the value of said one parameter in a way which indicates certain changes in the positional relationship between said boring tool and said line without the need to establish an actual distance between the boring tool and said line as the boring tool moves through the ground within said region. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. In a system in which a boring tool is moved through the ground by a drill string in a region which includes at least one electronically conductive in-ground line, an arrangement for monitoring a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said arrangement comprising:
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a first transmitter for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line; a receiver carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field indicative of the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line; a second transmitter carried by said boring tool for producing a locating signal; and a portable locator for using said locating signal to determine a position of said boring tool within said region and for indicating the detected intensity of said magnetic locating field generated from either one of said line of said boring tool. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a system which includes a boring tool and an above-ground portable locator for locating the boring tool and in which said boring tool is moved through the ground by a drill string in a region which includes at least one electrically conductive in-ground line, an apparatus for monitoring a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said apparatus comprising:
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a transmitter for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line; a receiver carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field to produce a magnetic field intensity indicative signal that is indicative of the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line; and a remote display located at said portable locator and responsive to said intensity indicative signal for indicating the detected intensity of said magnetic locating field generated from either one of said line or said boring tool. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. In a system in which a boring tool is moved from a drill rig through the ground by a drill string in a region which includes at least one electrically conductive in-ground line, an apparatus for monitoring a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said apparatus comprising:
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a transmitter for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line; a receiver carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field to produce a signal indicative of said magnetic field intensity, said signal being responsive to the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line; and a remote display located at said drill rig and responsive to said signal for indicating the detected intensity of said magnetic locating field generated from either one of said line or said boring tool. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In a system in which a boring tool is moved from a drill rig through the ground by a drill string in a region which includes at least one electrically conductive in-ground line, an apparatus for monitoring a specific positional relationship between the boring tool and said line, said apparatus comprising:
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a transmitter for generating a magnetic locating field from one of either said boring tool or at least an underground length of said line; a receiver carried by said boring tool if said field is generated from said line, or connected to said line if said field is generated from said boring tool, for detecting an intensity of said magnetic locating field to produce a signal indicative of said magnetic field intensity, said signal being responsive to the positional relationship between the boring tool and said line; a repeater located above-ground and which is responsive to said intensity indicative signal for passing the intensity indicative signal toward said drill rig; and a remote display located at said drill rig and responsive to said intensity indicative signal from said repeater for indicating the detected intensity of said magnetic locating field generated from either one of said line or said boring tool.
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Specification