Patent · US Expired

Magnetometer-based locator and identifier for ferrous objects having unknown shapes

US4837489A · kind A · utility

38Cited by
5References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 29, 1987
Grant dateJun 6, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 29, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01V3/081
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A ferrous object detector and locator includes a magnetometer sensor and a position sensor controlled by a microprocessor. The device accurately locates and identifies an unknown ferrous object and determines the depth and orientation of a buried ferrous rod. Simultaneous magnetic field measurements from the magnetometer and position information in one or more orthogonal directions from the position sensor are combined and analyzed by the microprocessor using predetermined algorithms to determine the location and identity of the object. The detecetor is capable of detecting location and identity of objects of general shape and size.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.