CPC F16L 55/48 (2013.01) [G01C 21/165 (2013.01); F16L 2101/30 (2013.01)] | 17 Claims |
1. A method to enhance pipeline trajectory reconstruction using pipeline junctions, the method comprising:
collecting sensor data with a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial sensor comprising an accelerometer onboard a Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) device, the sensor data including acceleration data obtained by the accelerometer;
detecting a pattern in the acceleration data using a processing device configured to receive the sensor data from the MEMS inertial sensor, the pattern being indicative of a junction characteristic in the pipeline;
determining a rate of travel of the PIG device; and
determining a position of the PIG device within the pipeline in response to a combination of the identified junction characteristic and the rate of travel of the PIG device, wherein determining the position of the PIG device further comprises applying orientation updates by selectively applying an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to the sensor data generated by the MEMS inertial sensor located onboard the PIG device in response to the junction characteristic.
|