# US 2022/0065098 A1 · Drill planning tool for topography characterization, system and associated methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0065098 A1 - Document ID: US20220065098A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/501,438 - Filed: 2021-10-14 - Published: 2022-03-03 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-23 - Assignees: Merlin Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Merlin Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Rudolf Zeller; Timothy Shaw; Timothy Bayliss; Craig Caswell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220065098A1 ## CPC - E21B 47/0228: using electromagnetic energy or detectors therefor - E21B 47/024: of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) - E21B 7/046: {horizontal drilling (drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003)} - G01B 3/12: Measuring wheels - G01C 7/02: of land surfaces - G01S 19/13: Receivers - G01S 19/49: whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled - G01S 19/396: {Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements} - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract A planning tool plans movement of a boring tool for an underground drilling operation. The planning tool includes one or more wheels for rolling on a surface of the ground along a path responsive to movement by an operator to characterize the surface contour and to generate guidance for the boring tool to reach a target position. Planning can additionally be based on waypoints. The planning tool can be rolled unidirectionally or bidirectionally to characterize the surface contour. Bidirectional movement cancels accelerometer fixed bias. Path stitching is used to plan around obstacles. The planning tool can facilitate tracker placement. The planning tool can collect noise information for frequency selection purposes. A described technique maximizes linear drilling in an underground plan. Compensation and/or warnings are provided for unsteady, fast and slow movement of the planning tool while measuring the surface contour. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A planning tool for planning movement of a boring tool during an underground drilling operation, the boring tool forming part of a system for horizontal directional drilling in which a drill rig advances the boring tool through the ground using a drill string that extends from the drill rig to the boring tool, said planning tool comprising: one or more wheels for rolling on a surface of the ground along a path responsive to movement by an operator, the path at least including (i) an initial surface position proximate to a current position of the boring tool with the boring tool at a current orientation and (ii) a subsequent surface position proximate to a user specified target position for the boring tool that is ahead of the current position; an encoder for generating an encoder output responsive to the rolling of one of the wheels between the initial surface position and the subsequent surface position; an accelerometer including at least one measurement axis for generating an accelerometer output during said rolling of the wheels along the path that characterizes a pitch orientation of the planning tool; and a processor for accepting a user input that specifies the target position ahead of the boring tool with the boring tool located at the current position and the current orientation, and for generating guidance for the boring tool to reach the target position based on the current position, the current orientation, the encoder output and the accelerometer output. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the guidance includes at least includes an average pitch orientation to maintain for reaching the target location. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the initial surface position is directly above the boring tool at the current position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the subsequent surface position is directly above the target position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the subsequent surface position is at a point where the boring tool is intended to exit from the ground. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the target position is an intermediate position within the ground along an overall underground path prior to the boring tool exiting from the ground. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the guidance at least specifies a target pitch orientation for arriving at the target position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to generate additional guidance associated with at least one surface point between the initial surface position and the subsequent surface position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The planning tool of claim 8 wherein the additional guidance for said surface point specifies at least a desired depth associated with the surface point. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The planning tool of claim 9 wherein the additional guidance for said surface point specifies a desired pitch associated with the surface point. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to generate additional guidance associated with a plurality of surface points spaced apart between the initial surface position and the subsequent surface position. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The planning tool of claim 11 wherein the additional guidance at least includes a desired depth associated with each one of the surface points. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The planning tool of claim 12 wherein the additional guidance specifies a desired pitch associated with each one of the surface points. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The planning tool of claim 11 wherein the surface points are spaced apart along the surface by an equal incremental distance. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The planning tool of claim 1 wherein said processor generates the guidance additionally based on a minimum bend radius of said drill string. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The planning tool of claim 14 wherein the drill string is made up of a series of removably attachable drill rods with each drill rod including a rod length for extension into the ground rod-by-rod to define drill rod endpoints in the ground and the surface points are spaced apart based on projecting the drill rod endpoints to the surface of the ground. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The planning tool of claim 16 wherein the guidance includes a target depth and a target pitch for each drill rod endpoint. ### Claim 18 A planning tool as part of a system for horizontal directional drilling in which a drill rig advances a boring tool through the ground using a drill string that extends from the drill rig to the boring tool, said planning tool comprising: one or more wheels for rolling on a surface of the ground along a path responsive to movement by an operator; an encoder for generating an encoder output responsive to the rolling of one of the wheels; an accelerometer including at least one measurement axis for generating an accelerometer output during said rolling of the wheels that characterizes a pitch orientation of the planning tool; and a processor for generating an underground plan for the boring tool below the surface of the ground in relation to said path based on the encoder output and the accelerometer output. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The planning tool of claim 18 wherein said processor determines a surface contour of said path in a vertical plane. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The planning tool of claim 18 wherein said processor generates the underground plan responsive to an indication by the operator that collection of the encoder output and the accelerometer output along the path from a start position to an end position is complete. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The planning tool of claim 18 wherein said processor generates the underground plan additionally based on a minimum bend radius of said drill string. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The planning tool of claim 18 wherein the underground plan is a bore plan that extends from an entry position at which the boring tool enters the ground to an exit position at which the boring tool exits the ground. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The planning tool of claim 18 wherein the underground plan is a bore segment that represents no more than a portion of an overall underground path which extends from an entry position at which the boring tool enters the ground to an exit position at which the boring tool exits the ground. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The planning tool of claim 23 wherein the bore segment is an initial entry portion beginning from an entry position at which the boring tool enters the ground serving as a start position and ending at an intermediate position in the ground. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The planning tool of claim 23 wherein the bore segment is an exit portion beginning from an intermediate position in the ground and ending at an exit position serving as an end position at which the boring tool exits the ground. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The planning tool of claim 23 wherein the bore segment is an intermediate portion that does not include an entry position or an exit position and extends from a first position in the ground to a second position in the ground. ### Claim 27 A system for horizontal directional drilling, said system comprising: a boring tool for forming a borehole; a drill rig for moving the boring tool; and a planning tool comprising: one or more wheels for rolling on a surface of the ground responsive to movement by an operator along a path, an encoder for generating an encoder output responsive to the rolling of one of the wheels, an accelerometer including at least one measurement axis for generating an accelerometer output that characterizes a pitch orientation of the planning tool; and a processor for generating an underground plan for the boring tool below the surface of the ground relative to said path based on the encoder output and the accelerometer output. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27 wherein said processor is located in the planning tool. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27 wherein said processor is remotely located from the planning tool. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The system of claim 29 wherein said processor is located at the drill rig. ### Claim 31 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27 wherein said processor generates the underground plan responsive to an indication by the operator that data collection along the path from a start position to an end position is complete. ### Claim 32 A planning tool as part of a system for horizontal directional drilling in which a drill rig advances a boring tool through the ground in a forward direction using a drill string that extends from the drill rig to the boring tool, said planning tool comprising: one or more wheels for rolling on a surface of the ground along a path responsive to movement by an operator; an encoder for generating an encoder output responsive to the rolling of one of the wheels; an accelerometer including at least one measurement axis for generating an accelerometer output during said rolling that characterizes a pitch orientation of the planning tool; a user interface to accept operator input designating one or more positions along the path; and a processor for generating an underground plan for the boring tool below the surface of the ground in relation to said path based on the encoder output, the accelerometer output and the designated positions. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The planning tool of claim 32 wherein a particular designated position identifies an initial inground waypoint directly therebelow at a specified depth through which the boring tool is to pass and the underground plan at least extends from an entry position on the path, where the boring tool enters the ground, to the initial inground waypoint. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The planning tool of claim 33 wherein said processor determines a setback position for the drill rig on the path in a reverse direction, opposite the forward direction, from the particular designated position at least based on a surface contour of the path in a vertical plane which is characterized by the encoder output and the accelerometer output between the setback position and the particular designated position. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The planning tool of claim 34 wherein the processor further determines an entry position for the boring tool to penetrate the surface of the ground between the setback position and the particular designated position at least based on the surface contour of the path. ### Claim 36 (depends on 32) The planning tool of claim 32 wherein a particular designated position identifies an entry point at which the boring tool is to penetrate the surface of the ground. ### Claim 37 (depends on 35) The planning tool of claim 35 wherein the drill rig includes an adjustable rack angle range for the boring tool to enter the ground and the processor identifies a specific rack angle within the rack angle range. ### Claim 38 (depends on 32) The planning tool of claim 32 wherein a particular designated position identifies an obstacle to be avoided by the bore plan. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The planning tool of claim 38 wherein the obstacle is flagged with a direction and an offset distance from the designated position based on an operator interaction with the user interface.