Electromagnetic marker devices with separate receive and transmit antenna elements
AssigneeSeescan, Inc.
InventorsStephanie M. Bench, Mark S. Olsson, Matthew D. Bockman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A marker device embodiment may include separate concentrically-oriented receive and transmit antenna elements coupled to an ASIC which includes electronics to receive an input signal at a first frequency from a transmitter, convert the input signal to a power supply to power the electronic circuit, generate, in response to the input signal, an output signal at a second frequency different from the first frequency, and provide the output signal, via the transmit antenna element, to an above-ground receiver for assistance in determining the location of a buried utility.
Claims21
A marker device for use with a buried utility locating system, comprising:
- a housing comprising a material having a low dielectric constant;
- a receive antenna element comprising one or more conductive windings tuned to an input signal at a first frequency;
- a transmit antenna element comprising one or more conductive windings to broadcast an output signal at a second frequency, different from the first frequency, and positioned to be physically separated concentrically from the receive antenna element so as decouple the resonance of the separate antenna elements;
- an electronic circuit comprising a printed circuit board electrically coupled separately to conductive windings of the receive and transmit antenna elements, the circuit board including electrical traces and connecting elements to electrically couple the conductive windings to the electrical traces on the circuit board, and electrical circuitry including:
- an input circuit to receive, via the receive antenna element, the input signal at the first frequency from an above-ground transmitter;
- a power circuit to convert the input signal to a power supply for powering the electronic circuit;
- a processing element to generate an output signal at a second frequency responsive to the input signal wherein the second frequency is outside the resonant range of the first frequency;
- and
- an output circuit to provide the output signal to the transmit antenna element to be broadcast to an above-ground receiver to assist in determining a location of the buried object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.