Utility Locator with Multi-Frequency Sensor Arrays for Depth Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for locating and tracing buried objects face challenges in accuracy and efficiency, particularly in crowded and noisy environments, due to interference from multiple buried utilities and overhead power lines, which complicates the detection of magnetic field gradients and requires significant user intervention to process multiple signals.
Innovation Solution
A human-portable utility locator system with two horizontally-spaced one-dimensional sensors and vertically-spaced three-dimensional sensor arrays that measure horizontal magnetic field asymmetry, enabling automatic detection of virtual depth and reducing the need for user intervention by providing a more accurate and reliable signal-to-noise ratio, allowing for simultaneous measurement and display of electromagnetic emissions in multiple frequency regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional magnetic field detection methods are used to locate buried utilities, then the system can detect buried objects, but the detection accuracy deteriorates in crowded and noisy environments with multiple buried utilities and overhead power lines
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the electromagnetic spectrum into multiple frequency regions and uses separate sensor arrays tuned to different frequencies. This allows the system to detect signals from different utilities at different frequencies simultaneously, separating them in the frequency domain to eliminate interference in crowded environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from traditional single-frequency or narrow-band detection to multi-frequency regional detection. By adding the frequency dimension as a new detection axis, the system can distinguish between multiple buried utilities and overhead power lines based on their different operating frequencies, thereby improving detection accuracy in complex environments.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and frequency regions are used to improve detection accuracy, then the signal-to-noise ratio improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a universal sensor platform that can detect electromagnetic signals across multiple frequency regions. The same basic sensor structure is deployed in different configurations (vertically-spaced arrays, horizontally-spaced sensors) to handle different detection scenarios, reducing the need for multiple specialized devices while maintaining high signal-to-noise ratio.
3Ease of operation
If automated detection is implemented to reduce user burden, then the ease of operation improves, but the system requires more sophisticated processing capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically processes multi-frequency sensor signals to identify buried utilities, their locations, and depths without requiring user intervention for signal separation or analysis. The processor autonomously correlates signals across frequency regions, filters interference, and presents results to the user, making the sophisticated system easy to operate.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves accurate automatic detection of buried utility lines by optimizing signal-to-noise ratio and reducing user burden, providing reliable virtual depth measurements and current measurements, even in complex environments with multiple buried utilities.
Implementation Method 1
two sensor arrays each for detecting the electromagnetic field emission
Implementation Method 2
a processor coupled to the two sensor arrays for determining a B-field vector magnitude at each sensor array as a function of time
Data Source
AI summary
A human-portable utility locator system for locating and tracing a buried utility line characterized by an electromagnetic field emission. The locator may include a horizontal spaced sensor pair for detecting the horizontal field asymmetry of the emitted field in one or more independent frequency bands, which is employed to assist in determining an accurate “virtual depth” measurement for producing detection events. An event detector may be disposed to detect events corresponding to extremum in the B-field gradient with respect to time and a user interface (UI) coupled to the event detector signals the detected event to a user. In a preferred embodiment, one pair of spaced-apart 3D magnetic sensor arrays is disposed substantially orthogonal to another intermediate spaced-apart pair of sensors.