US 12,253,382 B2
Vehicle-based utility locating using principal components
Mark S. Olsson, La Jolla, CA (US); Paul Wisecaver, San Diego, CA (US); and Samantha Crane-Solis, San Marcos, CA (US)
Assigned to SeeScan, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by SeeScan, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/382,040.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/055,278, filed on Jul. 22, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0026238 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. G01C 21/00 (2006.01); G01V 3/08 (2006.01)
CPC G01C 21/3848 (2020.08) [G01C 21/3807 (2020.08); G01V 3/081 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle-based utility locating device for use with a vehicle, comprising:
a positioning element including one or more GNSS antennas and associated receivers to receive positioning signals and determine position data of the vehicle-based utility locating device in a world frame;
a utility locating element for determining the presence and location or absence of buried utility lines, including:
an antenna array to receive AC magnetic fields emitted from one or more buried utilities as the utility locating element is moved through an area of interest and provide antenna array output signals corresponding to the sensed AC magnetic fields;
a receiver element having a receiver input operatively coupled to the antenna array output to sample the antenna array output signals and provide, at a receiver output, receiver output signals corresponding to the sensed AC magnetic fields; and
a processing element, including one or more processors, operatively coupled to the receiver element receiver output to:
receive the receiver output signals and determine principal component values in a plurality of frequency bands; and
output data signals representing one or more field vectors corresponding to the eigenvector and eigenvalues of the principal component values so as to be correlated with the position data;
a memory element comprising one or more non-transitory memories for storing output data values, signal data, position and mapping data, and instructions to implement a signal processing method for determining and mapping utility locations on a communicatively coupled processing element;
a communication element comprising one or more radio transceivers to communicate data including at least output data values, signal data, and position data relating to determining and mapping utility locations to a communicatively coupled computing device; and
a power element to provide electrical power to one or more of the positioning element, the utility locating element, the memory element, and the communication of the vehicle-based utility locating device.