Patent · US Expired

Bore location system having mapping capability

US6427784B1 · kind B1 · utility

28Cited by
45References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 1, 2000
Grant dateAug 6, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 1, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01V3/17
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method for mapping a bore below a ground surface is provided. A boring rod head configured to transmit a signal indicating the pitch angle of the boring rod head with respect to a horizontal plane is disposed within a bore. The boring rod head is advanced within the bore in predetermined linear increments. The pitch angle is measured at each increment. The change in depth is determined at each increment from a prior increment based on the length of the increment and the measured pitch angle at the increment. For each increment, the changes of depth determined in the prior step are added, including the change of depth for the most recent increment. Thus, the depth of the bore at each increment with respect to a predetermined horizontal plane is determined. The depths determined in the prior step are then adjusted by an amount equal to the difference between the predetermined horizontal plane and a ground surface above the bore at each increment so that the adjusted depth at each increment describes the depth of the bore with respect to the ground surface at that increment. The adjusted depth data is accumulated.

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