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US 5,892,163 AGranted
Sewer and pipeline inspection transporter tool
AssigneeGeophysical Survey Systems, Inc.
InventorDennis J. Johnson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeophysical Survey Systems, Inc.
InventorDennis J. Johnson
Estimating the term…
A sewer inspection device includes a body that has a number of transducers attached to the body. The transducers are attached on pads that can be extended away from the body to enable the transducers to make contact with a sewer wall. The device is lowered into the sewer in the compact, non-extended position of the pads. Subsequently, the pads are extended to make contact with the sewer walls. The body is pulled along the sewer by means of an armored cable extending to the surface. The armored cable includes a conductor or fiber-optic cable for carrying signals between the transducers and a surface controller. In one embodiment, the transducers generate ground penetrating radar (GPR) signals and detect the reflected signals. Defects in the vicinity of the sewer pipe affect the reflected signals. Analysis of the reflected signals provides information about the nature of the defects. Other embodiments of the invention include sonic, gamma ray and electromagnetic induction transducers. The device may also be provided with a supplementary transducer module on the cable that rests on the bottom of the sewer and makes additional measurements relating to the sewer pipe and its immediate surroundings.
An apparatus conveyed in a buried substantially non-metallic pipe for locating and characterizing defects in the vicinity of the buried pipe, the pipe having an inside wall, said apparatus comprising:
An apparatus conveyed in a substantially non-metallic pipe for locating and characterizing defects in the pipe, the pipe having an inside wall, said apparatus comprising:
A method for locating and characterizing defects in a substantially non-metallic pipe, the pipe having an inside wall, said method comprising:
A method for locating and characterizing defects in the vicinity of a buried, substantially non-metallic pipe, the pipe having an inside wall, said method comprising:
An apparatus conveyed in a buried substantially non-magnetic pipe for measuring at least one parameter of interest of a subterranean defect, the pipe having an inside wall, said apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.