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US 6,553,322 B1Granted
Apparatus and method for accurate pipeline surveying
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorMario B. Ignagni
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pipeline surveying system including a pipeline pig can accurately provide a pipeline profile after correlation with a previously determine Global Positioning System (GPS) survey. An inertial measurement unit located in the pig determines a pipeline profile as it travels through the pipeline and correlates the measured profile with the GPS survey.
Claims20
A pipeline surveying system comprising:
- a pipeline pig;
- an inertial measurement unit (IMU) located in the pipeline pig, the IMU for providing at least one inertial-measurement output;
- at least one processor;
- data storage;
- a datafile stored on the data storage, the datafile containing reference-pipeline-characteristic data defining at least one distinctive-pipeline-reference feature;
- and
- programmable instructions executable by the processor to:
- calculate the pipeline pig attitude, velocity, and position data based on the at least one inertial-measurement output of the IMU;
- generate at least one distinctive-pipeline-measured feature using the at least one inertial-measurement output;
- correlate the at least one distinctive-pipeline-reference feature with the at least one distinctive-pipeline-measured feature to produce at least one estimated-pig-location error;
- and
- a filter for providing the at least one estimated-pig-location error to provide at least one corrected-inertial-measurement output.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.