# US 11,029,439 B1 · Utility locator apparatus, systems, and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,439 B1 - Document ID: US11029439B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/954,486 - Filed: 2018-04-16 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2006-09-18 - Assignees: Seescan, Inc. - Applicants: SeeScan, Inc. - Inventors: Mark S. Olsson; Michael J. Martin; Ray Merewether; Paul G. Stuart - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029439B1 ## CPC - G01V 3/15: specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat - 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) - G01V 3/081: {the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures (characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00)} - G01V 3/10: using induction coils - G01V 3/101: {by measuring the impedance of the search coil; by measuring features of a resonant circuit comprising the search coil (measuring impedance or characteristics derived therefrom G01R27/00, e.g. quality factor G01R27/26)} - G01V 3/102: {by measuring amplitude} - G01V 3/104: {using several coupled or uncoupled coils (G01V3/101 takes precedence)} - G01V 3/105: {forming directly coupled primary and secondary coils or loops} - G01V 3/107: {using compensating coil or loop arrangements} - G01V 3/16: specially adapted for use from aircraft (G01V3/165 - G01V3/175 take precedence) - G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02) ## Abstract Man-portable locator systems for locating buried or otherwise inaccessible pipes, conduits, cables, wires, and/or inserted transmitters using magnetic field antenna arrays and signal processing to analyze and display information about multiple buried utilities simultaneously are disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A buried utility locator device, comprising: a magnetic field antenna array for simultaneously detecting magnetic field signals emitted from a first buried utility and a second, separate, buried utility and providing corresponding output signals; an electronic circuit operatively coupled to the magnetic field antenna array for receiving and processing the magnetic field antenna array output signals and simultaneously generating output signals associated with each of the first buried utility and the second buried utility; a processor for receiving the output signals and determining information associated with the first and second buried utilities based at least in part on the processed magnetic field antenna output signals; and a non-transitory memory for storing the determined information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The locator device of claim 1, further including a display for providing a visual output of the determined information associated with the buried objects simultaneously. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The locator device of claim 2, wherein the display comprises an LCD or LED panel display. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The locator device of claim 1, further including an enclosure for housing an electrical circuit, wherein the enclosure has separate gradient coils disposed on opposite sides of the enclosure for detecting a magnetic field gradient between the coils, wherein detecting the magnetic field gradient between the coils comprises determining the difference between the magnetic field gradient detected at each of the separate gradient coils. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The locator device of claim 4, wherein the gradient coils of the locator are used in conjunction with the antenna array signals to provide a basis for computing a proximity and depth of a detected buried utility. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The locator device of claim 1, wherein processing the magnetic field antenna array output signals further includes determining signal quality, wherein signal quality includes signal strength and reliability. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The locator device of claim 6, further including an adjustable variable-time bandpass filter coupled to the output signals to provide adjustment of a filter time-constant responsive to the determined signal quality. ### Claim 8 A method for locating a buried utility, comprising: detecting magnetic field signals emitted from a first buried utility and simultaneously detecting magnetic field signals from a second separate buried utility using a magnetic field antenna array; providing corresponding output signals from the detected first and second buried utility signals; receiving and processing the magnetic field antenna array output signals and simultaneously generating output signals associated with each of the first buried utility and the second buried utility using an electronic circuit operatively coupled to the magnetic field antenna array; receiving the output signals and determining information associated with the first and second buried utilities based at least in part on the processed magnetic field antenna output signals using an electronic circuit including a processor; and storing the determined information using a non-transitory memory. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further including providing to a display a visual output of the determined information associated with the buried objects simultaneously. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the display comprises an LCD or LED panel display. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further including detecting a magnetic field gradient between the coils using separate gradient coils, wherein detecting the magnetic field gradient between the coils comprises determining the difference between the magnetic field gradient detected at each of the separate gradient coils. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, computing a proximity and depth of a detected buried utility. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, filtering the output signals to provide adjustment of a filter time-constant responsive to the determined signal quality, wherein signal quality includes signal strength and reliability. ### Claim 14 A buried utility locator device, comprising: a magnetic field antenna array for simultaneously detecting magnetic field signals emitted from a first buried utility and a second, separate, buried utility and providing corresponding output signals; an electronic circuit operatively coupled to the magnetic field antenna array for receiving and processing the magnetic field antenna array output signals and simultaneously generating output signals associated with each of the first buried utility and the second buried utility; a processor for receiving the output signals and determining information associated with the first and second buried utilities based at least in part on the processed magnetic field antenna output signals; a non-transitory memory for storing the determined information; a display for providing a visual output of the determined information associated with the buried objects simultaneously, wherein the display comprises an LCD or LED panel display; and an enclosure for housing an electrical circuit, wherein the enclosure has separate gradient coils disposed on opposite sides of the enclosure for detecting a magnetic field gradient between the coils, wherein detecting the magnetic field gradient between the coils comprises determining the difference between the magnetic field gradient detected at each of the separate gradient coils, wherein the gradient coils of the locator are used in conjunction with the antenna array signals to provide a basis for computing a proximity and depth of a detected buried utility. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The locator device of claim 14, wherein processing the magnetic field antenna array output signals further includes determining signal quality, wherein signal quality includes signal strength and reliability; and further including an adjustable variable-time bandpass filter coupled to the output signals to provide adjustment of a filter time-constant responsive to the determined signal quality. ### Claim 16 A method for locating a buried utility, comprising: detecting magnetic field signals emitted from a first buried utility and simultaneously detecting magnetic field signals from a second separate buried utility using a magnetic field antenna array; providing corresponding output signals from the detected first and second buried utility signals; receiving and processing the magnetic field antenna array output signals and simultaneously generating output signals associated with each of the first buried utility and the second buried utility using an electronic circuit operatively coupled to the magnetic field antenna array; receiving the output signals and determining information associated with the first and second buried utilities based at least in part on the processed magnetic field antenna output signals using an electronic circuit including a processor; storing the determined information using a non-transitory memory; providing to a display a visual output of the determined information associated with the buried objects simultaneously, wherein the display comprises an LCD or LED panel display; detecting a magnetic field gradient between the coils using separate gradient coils, wherein detecting the magnetic field gradient between the coils comprises determining the difference between the magnetic field gradient detected at each of the separate gradient coils; computing a proximity and depth of a detected buried utility; and filtering the output signals to provide adjustment of a filter time-constant responsive to the determined signal quality, wherein signal quality includes signal strength and reliability.