Methods, apparatus, and systems for generating electronic records of locate and marking operations, and combined locate and marking apparatus for same

• US 8,620,587 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Steven E., Chambers, Curtis, Farr, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Armand, Marc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngon, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US12/569,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 702/150, 702182-185, 702/188, 702/5, 702/176, 702/57, 324/301, 324/244, 324/260, 222/192, 222/175, 239/525, 239/150, 239/722, 239/71, 239/73
• US Class Current: 702/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/06 Surveyors' staffs; Movable markers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus for generating electronic records of locate operations and marking operations. Exemplary systems and apparatus include marking devices that generate, store and/or transmit electronic records of marking information, locate devices that generate, store and/or transmit electronic records of locate information, locate devices and marking devices that communicate with each other (and optionally with other devices or systems) to share/exchange locate information and marking information, and a combined locate and marking apparatus that constitutes an integrated device capable of various functionality germane to respective locate and marking devices, and configured for generating electronic records of both locate information and marking information. An exemplary method for analyzing and processing locate information and marking information includes a computer-implemented method for visually rendering (e.g., in a display field of a display device) various aspects of locate and marking operations.

Claims

1. A combination locate and marking apparatus, comprising:

an actuation mechanism to control dispensing of

a marking material;

an actuator to provide an actuation signal to control the actuation mechanism so as to dispense the marking material;

at least one receiver antenna to detect a magnetic field from a target object;

a mode selector device operable to select a locate mode distinctly from a marking mode for the apparatus and operable to select the marking mode distinctly from the locate mode for the apparatus;

a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the actuator, the mode selector device, the memory and the at least one receiver antenna, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processor, the processor is configured to log both locate information and marking information in an electronic record stored on the memory, the locate information relating at least in part to operation of the at least one receiver antenna and the marking information including at least one characteristic of the marking material, wherein the processor logs the locate information and the marking information based on or in response to;

at least one characteristic of the magnetic field detected by the at least one receiver antenna when the locate mode is selected by the mode selector device; and

the actuation signal provided by the actuator when the marking mode is selected by the mode selector device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the locate information includes at least one characteristic of at least one signal detected by the at least one receiver antenna.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor periodically logs in the memory the locate information and the marking information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication interface coupled to the processor,

wherein the processor controls the communication interface so as to transmit at least some of the at least one of the locate information and the marking information to an external computing device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing comprising a marking dispenser holder configured to hold a marking dispenser for dispensing the marking material,

wherein the processor and the memory are coupled to or disposed within the housing.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one input device to provide at least some of the locate information and/or at least some of the marking information logged into the memory.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the at least one input device includes a location tracking system to provide geographic information; and

the at least some of the locate information and/or the at least some of the marking information logged into the memory includes the geographic information provided by the location tracking system.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the geographic information provided by the location tracking system includes at least one longitude coordinate, at least one latitude coordinate, and a corresponding geo-location data time stamp at which the at least one longitude coordinate and the at least one latitude coordinate are obtained by the location tracking system.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the at least one input device includes a timing system to provide timing information; and

the at least some of the locate information and/or the at least some of the marking information logged into the memory includes the timing information provided by the timing system.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the at least one input device includes a marking material detection mechanism to provide marking material information; and

the at least some of the marking information logged in to the memory includes the marking material information provided by the marking material detection mechanism.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the at least one input device includes at least one communications interface to provide external information; and

the at least some of the locate information and/or the at least some of the marking information logged into the memory includes the external information provided by the at least one communication interface.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least some of the locate information and/or the at least some of the marking information logged into the memory includes service-related information and/or ticket information.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the at least one input device includes at least one user interface to provide user-entered information; and

the at least some of the locate information and/or the at least some of the marking information logged into the memory includes the user-entered information provided by the at least one user interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one user interface includes a display to facilitate entry of the user-entered information via a menu-driven graphical user interface (GUI).

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least some of the user-entered information includes mode selection information indicating the selected locate mode or marking mode.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

when the apparatus is in the marking mode, the processor logs the marking information in the memory in response to at least one actuation of the actuator; and

when the apparatus is in the locate mode, the processor logs the locate information in the memory.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the mode selector device further facilitates selection of a landmark mode; and

when the apparatus is in the landmark mode, the processor logs in the memory landmark information relating to one or more environmental landmarks.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a bypass device to prevent dispensing of the marking material upon actuation of the actuator when the apparatus is in the landmark mode.

19. A combination locate and marking apparatus, comprising:

an actuation mechanism to control dispensing of a marking material;

at least one receiver antenna to detect a magnetic field from a target object;

a mode selector device operable to select a locate mode distinctly from a marking mode for the apparatus and operable to select the marking mode distinctly from the locate mode for the apparatus;

a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the mode selector device, the memory and the at least one receiver antenna, the processor configured to, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processor, log both locate information and marking information in an electronic record stored on the memory, the locate information relating at least in part to operation of the at least one receiver antenna, the marking information including at least one characteristic of the marking material,

wherein the processor logs in the memory the locate information during the locate mode and the marking information during the marking mode as an essentially continuous stream of data in which the locate information and the marking information, when present, respectively are uniquely identified.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an actuator to provide an actuation signal to the processor, the actuation signal further controlling the actuation mechanism so as to dispense the marking material, wherein the processor logs in the memory the locate information and the marking information in response to the actuation signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processor is coupled to the actuation mechanism and controls the actuation mechanism to dispense the marking material based at least in part on the at least one characteristic of the at least one signal detected by the at least one receiver antenna.

22. A combined locate and marking apparatus for logging information relating to a locate operation and a marking operation for at least one underground facility, the apparatus comprising:

an actuator to dispense a marking material so as to form at least one locate mark on ground, pavement or other surface to mark a presence or an absence of the at least one underground facility as part of the marking operation;

at least one receiver antenna to detect a magnetic field from the at least one underground facility as part of the locate operation;

at least one input device to provide locate information regarding the locate operation and/or marking information regarding the marking operation, the locate information relating at least in part to operation of the at least one receiver antenna and the marking information relating at least in part to the marking material;

a mode selector device operable to select a locate mode distinctly from a marking mode for the apparatus and operable to select the marking mode distinctly from the locate mode for the apparatus;

a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the mode selector device, the at least one input device, the at least one receiver antenna, and the actuator, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processor;

1) when the apparatus is in the marking mode, the processor logs in the memory, in response to at least one actuation of the actuator, at least some of the marking information provided by the at least one input device, the marking information including at least one characteristic of the marking material; and

2) when the apparatus is in the locate mode, the processor logs in the memory at least some of the locate information provided by the at least one input device and logs in the memory at least some additional locate information including at least one characteristic of at least one signal detected by the at least one receiver antenna.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor logs in the memory the locate information and the marking information in at least one electronic record that contains both the locate information and the marking information.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the mode selector device includes at least one user interface having a display to facilitate selection of the marking mode or the locate mode via a menu-driven graphical user interface (GUI).

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one input device includes a plurality of input devices including:

a location tracking system to provide geographic information; and

a marking material detection mechanism to provide marking material information,

wherein the locate information and/or the marking information includes at least some of the geographic information provided by the location tracking system, and wherein the marking information includes at least some of the marking material information provided by the marking material detection mechanism.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising an elongated housing having a proximal end including a handle for a user and a distal end proximate to the ground, pavement or other surface, wherein the location tracking system is coupled to the housing nearer to the proximal end than the distal end.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the geographic information provided by the location tracking system includes at least one longitude coordinate, at least one latitude coordinate, and a corresponding geo-location data time stamp at which the at least one longitude coordinate and the at least one latitude coordinate are obtained by the location tracking system.

28. A method for performing a locate and marking operation for at least one underground facility using a combined locate and marking apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting, via at least one receiver antenna of the apparatus, a magnetic field from the at least one underground facility;

dispensing a marking material from the apparatus, in response to an actuation signal from an actuator, so as to form at least one locate mark on ground, pavement or other surface to mark a presence or an absence of the at least one underground facility;

selecting, via a mode selector device, a locate mode or a marking mode for the apparatus;

logging, via a processor, into an electronic record in a local memory of the apparatus both locate information and marking information, the locate information relating at least in part to the magnetic field detected via the at least one receiver antenna and the marking information including at least one characteristic of the marking material dispensed, wherein the processor logs the locate information and/or the marking information based on or in response to;

at least one characteristic of the magnetic field detected by the at least one receiver antenna when the locate mode is selected by the mode selector device, and

the actuation signal provided by the actuator when the marking mode is selected by the mode selector device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the locate information includes at least one characteristic of at least one signal detected.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising transmitting the information to an external computing device via a communication interface of the apparatus.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising combining the information into a same electronic record, and wherein transmitting the information comprises transmitting the electronic record.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one input device, and wherein the information comprises data provided by the at least one input device.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one input device includes a timing system to provide timing data, and wherein the information includes the timing data provided by the timing system.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one input device includes a plurality of input devices including:

a location tracking system to provide geographic data; and

a marking material detector to provide marking material data,

and wherein the information includes the geographic data provided by the location tracking system and the marking material data provided by the marking material detector.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the information further comprises at least one of a service provider identification, a user identification, an identification of the apparatus, and locate request information.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the information is periodically logged into the local memory and/or transmitted to an external computing device via a communication interface of the apparatus.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the information is logged into the local memory and/or transmitted to an external computing device via a communication interface of the apparatus in response to actuation of the actuator.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the apparatus further comprises a location tracking system configured to provide geographic data, and wherein the geographic data is logged into the local memory and/or transmitted to an external computing device in response to actuation of the actuator.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein the information comprises data about a signal detected by the at least one receiver antenna, and wherein the information is collected in the local memory in response to a characteristic of the signal detected by the at least one receiver antenna indicating a detection event has occurred.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the characteristic of the signal detected by the at least one receiver antenna indicates a detection event has occurred when a value of the characteristic exceeds a threshold value.

41. The method of claim 28, wherein the information comprises data about the marking material, and wherein the data about the marking material is collected into the local memory in response to actuation of the actuator.

42. A combination locate and marking apparatus, comprising:

an actuation mechanism to control dispensing of a marking material;

at least one receiver antenna to detect a magnetic field from a target object;

a mode selector device operable to select a locate mode distinctly from a marking mode for the apparatus and operable to select the marking mode distinctly from the locate mode for the apparatus;

a memory to store processor-executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the mode selector device, the memory and the at least one receiver antenna, the processor configured to, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processor, log both locate information and marking information in an electronic record stored on the memory based at least in part on the locate mode or the marking mode as selected via the mode selector device, the locate information being logged during the locate mode and including at least one characteristic of at least one signal detected by the at least one receiver antenna, the marking information being logged during the marking mode and relating at least in part to the marking material in an electronic record stored on the memory.

43. A method for performing a locate and marking operation for at least one underground facility using a combined locate and marking apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting, via at least one receiver antenna of the apparatus, a magnetic field from the at least one underground facility;

dispensing a marking material from the apparatus so as to form at least one locate mark on ground, pavement or other surface to mark a presence or an absence of the at least one underground facility;

selecting, via a mode selector device, a locate mode or a marking mode for the apparatus; and

logging into an electronic record in a local memory of the apparatus both locate information and marking information based at least in part on the locate mode or the marking mode as selected via the mode selector device, the locate information being logged during the locate mode and including at least one characteristic of at least one signal detected by the at least receiver antenna, the marking information being logged during the marking mode and relating at least in part to the marking material dispensed from the apparatus so as to form at least one locate mark on the ground, pavement or other surface to mark the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility.