Sensor Cart Positioning System and Method

• US 20120200445A1
• Filed: 01/03/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter John Kelly, Ross Peter Jones
• Original Assignee: Peter John Kelly, Ross Peter Jones
• Inventors: Jones, Ross Peter, Kelly, Peter John
• Granted Patent: US 8,779,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection

Abstract

A movable platform has a front end, a back end, a longitudinal axis, and at least one axle oriented generally transverse to the longitudinal axis and located between the front and back ends for supporting wheels of the platform. A position sensor is affixed on the platform at a location other than at a location defined by a plane passing through the axle and normal to the longitudinal axis. The position sensor provides position data as the platform traverses a path. A sensor arrangement is supported by the platform and configured to provide subsurface sensor data as the platform traverses the path. A processor is configured to associate the position data with the sensor data relative to a reference frame and in a manner that accounts for dynamic motion of the platform.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a platform configured to traverse a path

a position sensor physically coupled to the platform and configured to provide position data as the platform traverses a path;

a sensor arrangement physically coupled to the platform and configured to provide subsurface sensor data as the platform traverses the path; and

a processor comprising an output and configured to;

produce geometrically correct position data by correcting for curvilinear dynamic motion errors in the position data; and

provide output data comprising the geometrically correct position data and the sensor data at the output of the processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

associate the geometrically correct position data with the sensor data; and

provide output data comprising the associated geometrically correct position and sensor data at the output of the processor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to correct for curvilinear dynamic motion errors in the position data by accounting for velocity and orientation of the platform as the platform traverses the path.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to associate the geometrically correct position data with the sensor data relative to a local or global reference frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement and the position sensor are spatially separated from one another.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises at least one of a ground penetrating radar, an electromagnetic imaging sensor, and a shallow application seismic sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises two or more of a ground penetrating radar, an electromagnetic imaging sensor, and a shallow application seismic sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a multiplicity of disparate sensors comprising:

at least one of a ground penetrating radar, an electromagnetic imaging sensor, and a shallow application seismic sensor; and

at least one of a magnetic field sensor, a resistivity sensor, and a gravity sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a multi-channel sensor arrangement, and the processor is configured to associate the geometrically correct position data with each of a multiplicity of channels of sensor data developed by the multi-channel sensor arrangement.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is laterally offset relative to a centerline of the sensor arrangement.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is configured to cooperate with a ground station to track the position sensor relative to a fixed local coordinate system.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensor comprises a GPS sensor, and the processor is configured to apply GPS clock times to GPS location data for each discrete sensor of the sensor arrangement for every trace.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the platform defines a first platform and the sensor arrangement comprises a first sensor arrangement, the apparatus further comprising:

a second platform configured to traverse the path and physically coupled to the first platform; and

a second sensor arrangement physically coupled to the second platform and configured to provide subsurface sensor data as the second platform traverses the path;

wherein the processor is configured to;

produce geometrically correct second position data by correcting for curvilinear dynamic motion errors in position data for the second platform;

associate geometrically correct second position data with sensor data provided by the second sensor arrangement; and

provide output data comprising the geometrically correct position data for the first and second sensor arrangements and the first and second sensor data at the output of the processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), and the GUI is configured to produce at least a representation of the associated geometrically correct position and sensor data using the output data.

15. A method, comprising:

traversing a path by a platform;

acquiring position data as the platform traverses the path;

obtaining subsurface sensor data at the platform as the platform traverses the path;

producing geometrically correct position data by correcting for curvilinear dynamic motion errors in the position data; and

providing output data comprising the geometrically correct position data and the sensor data.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

associating the geometrically correct position data with the sensor data; and

providing output data comprising the associated geometrically correct position and sensor data.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein producing geometrically correct position data comprises associating the position data with the sensor data relative to a reference frame and in a manner that accounts for velocity and orientation of the platform.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising:

obtaining subsurface sensor data from a plurality of discrete subsurface sensors; and

applying clock times to the location data for each sample of sensor data obtained by each discrete subsurface sensor.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the subsurface sensor data comprises at least one of ground penetrating radar data, electromagnetic imaging data, shallow application seismic sensor data, magnetic field data, resistivity data, and gravity data.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

traversing the path by a second platform, the second platform physically coupled to the platform defining a first platform at a coupling location;

computing second position data for the second platform relative to the coupling location;

obtaining second subsurface sensor data at the second platform as the second platform traverses the path;

producing geometrically correct second position data by correcting for curvilinear dynamic motion errors in the second position data; and

providing output data comprising the geometrically correct first and second position data and the first and second sensor data.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein:

each of traversing, computing, and obtaining is performed during a survey; and

at least one of producing and providing is performed after completion of the survey.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a representation of the associated position and sensor data.