Locate transmitter configured to detect out-of-tolerance conditions in connection with underground facility locate operations, and associated methods and systems
AssigneeCertusView Technologies, LLC
InventorsSteven Nielsen, Curtis Chambers, Jeffrey Farr
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A locate transmitter and method for performing a locate operation to detect a presence or absence of an underground facility. An applied signal is generated to be applied along the underground facility. One or more environmental conditions of an environment in which the transmitted is located are detected and compared to a target value or range of values to determine if an out-of-tolerance condition exists.
Claims28
A locate transmitter for facilitating performance of a locate operation to detect a presence or absence of an underground facility, the locate transmitter comprising:
- transmitter circuitry configured to generate an applied signal to be applied along the underground facility;
- an input device to provide an output signal indicative of at least one environmental condition of an environment in which the locate transmitter is located;
- a memory to store processor-executable instructions and a target value or range of values for the at least one environmental condition of the environment in which the locate transmitter is located;
- and
- at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the input device to receive the output signal from the input device wherein, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions, the processor:
- A) compares the output signal indicative of the at least one environmental condition of the environment in which the locate transmitter is located to the target value or the range of values for the at least one environmental condition of the environment in which the locate transmitter is located to determine if an out-of-tolerance environmental condition exists.
A locate transmitter for facilitating performance of a locate operation to detect a presence or absence of an underground facility, the locate transmitter comprising:
- transmitter circuitry configured to generate an applied signal to be applied along the underground facility;
- an input device to provide an output signal indicative of at least one environmental condition of an environment in which the locate transmitter is located;
- a memory to store processor-executable instructions and a target value or range of values;
- and
- at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the input device to receive the output signal from the input device wherein, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions, the processor:
- A) compares the output signal to the target value or the range of values to determine if an out-of-tolerance condition exists;
- wherein, if the processor determines that the out-of-tolerance condition exists, the processor does at least one of:
- (B) logs an out-of-tolerance indication into an electronic record stored in the memory;
- (C) controls at least one output device of the locate transmitter to generate an alert;
- and
- (D) disables the transmitter circuitry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.