The invention relates to a detection
system suitable for identifying and tracking buried pipes or other bodies buried the ground or embedded in
civil engineering works, which comprises: a coding device affixed to or integrated into the objects (1), taking the form of a succession of thin coding elements (3), each forming a surface of predetermined size, these elements being separated from one another, and their arrangement making it possible to define a code; and a detection device comprising at least one transmission coil (5), at least one reception coil (6) and a
signal processing device for
processing the signals coming from the various coils (5, 6), characterized in that at least some of the coding elements (3) are made of magnetic material, the detection device being designed to saturate or modify the point of operation of the coding elements (3) in their
operating cycle, which then emit a frequency-rich
signal made up of a wave having the
fundamental frequency and
waves having a frequency that is a multiple of the
fundamental frequency, called
harmonics, to gather and process the
signal coming from these elements (3) and to reconstruct the coding of the object (1).