US 6,496,008 B1 · Flux plane locating in an underground drilling system

Abstract

A locator is described for tracking the position of a boring tool and/or one or more buried lines within a region. A flux plane is used to establish a flux vector to guide the portable locator to locate points in a dipole field. A locate line is located in the dipole field by determining a predicted locate line angular orientation based upon horizontal flux vector determinations. The predicted angular orientation limits possible directions to and orientations of a predicted locate line relative to the portable locator. Cable line locating measures a local flux intensity of the locating signal using the portable locator. A cable line angular orientation limits the possible directions to the cable line. A display is configured for periodic updates such that displayed positional relationships are essentially continuous, including accommodation of positional and/or orientation changes seen by the portable locator in dipole or cable line tracking.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In an overall system in which a boring tool is moved through the ground within a given region along a path while transmitting a locating field such that the locating field exhibits a pair of locate points at the surface of the ground, one forward of the boring tool and the other to the rear of the boring tool, a method for guiding an operator to each of the locate points using a portable locator, said portable locator including a display and said method comprising the steps of:

a) measuring the intensity of the locating field with the portable locator at an initial above ground point and with the portable locator in a particular orientation;
b) using the measured intensity of the locating field to determine a predicted location of the nearest one of the locate points in proximity to the portable locator at the initial above ground point;
and
c) with the portable locator in said particular orientation, displaying on the portable locator a positional relationship including the predicted location of the nearest locate point relative to the portable locator having a directional indication such that the displayed directional indication points in the actual direction of the predicted location from the initial above ground point.

1 more element

In an overall system in which a boring tool is moved through the ground within a given region along a path while transmitting a locating field such that the locating field exhibits a pair of locate points at the surface of the ground, one forward of the boring tool and the other to the rear of the boring tool, a portable locator for guiding an operator to each of the locate points, said portable locator comprising:

a) a first arrangement for measuring the intensity of the locating field in three dimensions;
b) a second arrangement for using the measured intensity of the locating field to determine a predicted location of the nearest one of the locate points in proximity to the portable locator at an above ground point;
and
c) a display arrangement for displaying on the portable locator a positional relationship including the predicted location of the nearest locate point relative to the portable locator having a directional indication such that the displayed directional indication points in the actual direction of the predicted location from the above ground point so that the direction indication on the portable locator points to the nearest locate point from any above ground point in said region.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Flux plane locating in an underground drilling system

Life of this patent

Flux plane locating in an underground drilling system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16