# US 2014/0196951 A1 · Positioning method for a drilling head > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196951 A1 - Document ID: US20140196951A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/129,555 - Filed: 2012-06-25 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-27 - Inventors: Pekka Ritamaki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196951A1 ## CPC - E21B 7/04: Directional drilling - E21B 47/0232: at least one of the energy sources or one of the detectors being located on or above the ground surface - 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) - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - 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 Positioning method of a bit or a drill head (22) of a drilling device which drills an underground hole in which method devices which measure the situation of the drill head and/or receiving devices of signals which have been sent from elsewhere and are related to the mentioned measuring and equipment (3, 4) in order to convert the measurement data into a signal form which can be sent onto the ground surface, a possible battery (10) to be a power source and devices in order to send the signal from the drilling head (22), are located to the drilling head, most advantageously into a protected unit (6). The positioning data of the drill head (22) is clarified with the help of a signal sent from the ground surface so that the overground position from which sent signal is at its strongest when it is being received in the drill head (22) is searched and the position of the drill head is determined from this position to be located directly underneath and the depth position of the drill head (22) is determined as weakening of the signal which has been sent from the ground surface to the drill head (22) wherein the experimentally defined weakening of the signal per a ground metre is used in order to determine the depth position and the data detected at the drill head (22) are sent to the ground surface either by radio along a drill rod pipe (9) or from the drill head (22) through the ground onto the ground surface the shortest way possible. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Positioning method of a bit or a drill head (22) of a drilling device which drills an underground hole in which method devices which measure the situation of the drill head and/or receiving devices of signals which have been sent from elsewhere and are related to the mentioned measuring and equipment (3, 4) in order to convert the measurement data into a signal form which can be sent onto the ground surface, a possible battery (10) to be a power source and devices in order to send the signal from the drill head (22), are located to the drilling head, most advantageously into a protected unit (6), characterized in that the positioning data of the drill head (22) is clarified with the help of a signal sent from the ground surface so that the overground position from which sent signal is at its strongest when it is being received in the drill head (22) is searched and the position of the drill head is determined from this position to be located directly underneath and the depth position of the drill head (22) is determined as weakening of the signal which has been sent from the ground surface to the drill head (22) wherein the experimentally defined weakening of the signal per a ground metre is used in order to determine the depth position and the data detected at the drill head (22) are sent to the ground surface either by radio along a drill rod pipe (9) or from the drill head (22) through the ground onto the ground surface the shortest way possible. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Method according to the claim 1, characterized in that the equipment (25),(26) carried by the person (24) and performing positioning and the display equipment (26) of the machine operator working at the starting point send signal data in a bi-directional way. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Method according to the claim 1, characterized in that overground position: track of the positioning of the drilling head (22) are indicated with a GPS- equipment. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Method according to the claim 1, characterized in that a RFID-unit is placed at the drilling head which unit receives a carrier wave sent from the ground surface and sends the carrier wave in a modulated form when the modulations include signal and sensor data of the drilling head (22) when the modulated carrier wave can be received on the ground surface and from the modulations the data sent by the drilling head can be solved. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Method according to the claim 1, characterized in that during the drilling based on the rotating of the drill rod (9) the angle of rotation of the drilling head is measured during the horizontal drilling by using an angle sensor which is located at the drilling head and is based on gravity and during the vertical drilling the angle of rotation of the drilling head is measured by utilizing the indication of the sensor detecting the direction of the magnetic field of the earth. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Method according to the claim 1, characterized in that the person (24) moves forward with the measuring device (25) on the ground surface above the detected location of the drilling head (22).