User interfaces for utility locators

• US 9,599,740 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US14/022,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20140167765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/02 operating with propagation of electric current
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/081 the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/10 using induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/165 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by the object or by the detecting device with electromagnetic waves G01V3/17

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to user interfaces for enhanced utility locators. Such enhanced utility locators may include a variety of sensors and other such technologies for determining information regarding a buried or otherwise inaccessible utility line. Such information may be displayed in various ways to convey relative characteristics among multiple utilities, or to convey relative characteristics of one or more utilities with respect to a locator.

Claims

1. A utility locator, comprising:

a housing;

an antenna array for sensing a buried utility;

a memory;

a processing element for generating information associated with the buried utility; and

a display coupled to the processing element and/or memory, wherein the display provides a user interface for visually communicating information by rendering the information on the display device, the displayed information including at least a representation of information relating to a depth of at least one sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator, a representation of information relating to a type of the at least one sensed utility, and a representation of information relating to a direction of current of the at least one sensed utility.

2. The locator of claim 1, wherein the visually communicated information includes:

information relating to a first depth of a first sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator; and

information relating to a second depth of a second sensed utility with respect to the first position of the locator and the first depth of the first sensed utility.

3. The locator of claim 2, wherein the visually communicated information further includes:

information relating to a height of a third sensed utility with respect to the first position of the locator, the first depth of the first sensed utility, and the second depth of the second sensed utility.

4. The locator of claim 2, wherein the visual communication of the information relating to the first depth depicts a first color relating to the first depth relative to the first position of the locator, and the visual communication of the information relating to the second depth depicts a second color relating to the second depth relative to the first position of the locator.

5. The locator of claim 2, wherein the visual communication of the information relating to the first depth depicts a first pattern relating to the first depth relative to the first position of the locator, and the visual communication of the information relating to the second depth depicts a second pattern relating to the second depth relative to the first position of the locator.

6. The locator of claim 2, wherein the visual communication of the information relating to the first depth depicts a first length relating to the first depth relative to the first position of the locator, and the visual communication of the information relating to the second depth depicts a second length relating to the second depth relative to the first position of the locator.

7. The locator of claim 6, wherein the second length is shorter than the first length when the second depth is greater than the first depth, and the second length is longer than the first length when the second depth is less than the first depth.

8. The locator of claim 6, wherein the shorter of the first length and the second length is displayed within an inner section of the user interface, and the longer of the first length and the second length is displayed within both the inner section and an outer section of the user interface so as to depict its longer length with respect to the shorter of the first and second lengths.

9. The locator of claim 2, wherein the visual communication of the information relating to the first depth depicts a first width relating to the first depth relative to the first position of the locator, and the visual communication of the information relating to the second depth depicts a second width relating to the second depth relative to the first position of the locator.

10. The locator of claim 1, wherein the information includes information relating to a first type of a first sensed utility, and a second type of a second sensed utility;

wherein the first type designates an electric utility line and the second type designates a water utility line.

11. The locator of claim 1, wherein the information includes information relating to a first direction of current relating to a first sensed utility;

wherein the information includes one or more arrows or other directional indicators pointing in the first direction of current.

12. The locator of claim 1, wherein a single line is visually depicted on the user interface to identify a single-phase electric utility line and three lines are visually depicted on the user interface to identify a three-phase electric utility line.

13. The locator of claim 1, wherein the visually communicated information includes:

information relating to a first directional orientation of a first sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator; and

information relating to a directional orientation of a second sensed utility with respect to the first position of the locator and the first directional orientation of the first sensed utility.

14. A utility locator, comprising:

a housing;

an antenna array for sensing a buried utility;

a memory;

a processing element for generating information associated with the buried utility; and

a display coupled to the processing element and/or memory, wherein the display provides a user interface for visually communicating information by rendering the information on the display device, the displayed information including one or more of a representation of information relating to a depth of at least one sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator, a representation of information relating to a type of the at least one sensed utility, and a representation of information relating to a direction of current relating to the at least one sensed utility;

wherein a true depth or soil attenuation correction is visually represented on sensed utility lines based on percentage of current loss.

15. A utility locator, comprising:

a housing;

an antenna array for sensing a buried utility;

a memory;

a processing element for generating information associated with the buried utility; and

a display coupled to the processing element and/or memory, wherein the display provides a user interface for visually communicating information by rendering the information on the display device, the displayed information including one or more of a representation of information relating to a depth of at least one sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator, a representation of information relating to a type of the at least one sensed utility, and a representation of information relating to a direction of current relating to the at least one sensed utility;

wherein a passively connected AC line is visually depicted on the user interface as above ground.

16. A method for displaying information relating to one or more utilities on a user device, comprising:

generating, on a display device, a visual representation of information regarding one or more sensed utilities, wherein the visual representation includes at least a representation of information relating to a depth of at least one sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator, a representation of information relating to a type of the at least one sensed utility, and a representation of information relating to a direction of current of the at least one sensed utility.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the visual representation includes:

a representation of information relating to a first depth of a first sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator; and

a representation of information relating to a second depth of a second sensed utility with respect to the first position of the locator and the first depth of the first sensed utility.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the visual representation further includes:

a representation of information relating to a height of a third sensed utility with respect to the first position of the locator, the first depth of the first sensed utility, and the second depth of the second sensed utility.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing a first color representation relating to the first depth relative to the first position of the locator; and

providing a second color representation relating to the second depth relative to the first position of the locator.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing a first length representation relating to the first depth relative to the first position of the locator; and

providing a second length representation relating to the second depth relative to the first position of the locator.

21. A utility locator, comprising:

a display;

a memory;

and a processing element coupled to the memory and/or display to visually communicate information on the display associated with one or more sensed utilities, including at least information relating to a depth of at least one sensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator, information relating to a type of the at least one sensed utility, and information relating to a direction of current of the at least one sensed utility.

22. A utility locator, comprising:

an antenna array for sensing a buried utility;

a memory;

a processing element coupled to the memory for generating information associated with the buried utility; and

a display coupled to the processing element and/or memory, wherein the display provides a user interface for visually communicate information regarding one or more sensed utilities by rendering information on the display, the displayed information including information relating to a direction of current of the at least one sensed utility, as well as one or more of a representation of detected utility represented as a cluster of lines, a representation of a detected utility represented as an envelope of lines, and a representation of one or more detected utilities as a grouped line.