Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING AND PROCESSING
FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION
ON A LOCATE DEVICE
BACKGROUND
100011 Field service operations may be any operation in which companies
dispatch
technicians and/or other staff to perform certain activities, for example,
installations,
services and/or repairs. Field service operations may exist in various
industries,
examples of which include, but are not limited to, network installations,
utility
installations, security systems, construction, medical equipment, heating,
ventilating and
air conditioning (HVAC) and the like.
[00021 An example of a field service operation in the construction industry is
a so-
called "locate and marking operation," also commonly referred to more simply
as a
"locate operation" (or sometimes merely as "a locate"). In a typical locate
operation, a
locate technician visits a work site in which there is a plan to disturb the
ground (e.g.,
excavate, dig one or more holes and/or trenches, bore, etc.) so as to
determine a presence
or an absence of one or more underground facilities (such as various types of
utility
cables and pipes) in a dig area to be excavated or disturbed at the work site.
In some
instances, a locate operation may be requested for a "design" project, in
which there may
be no immediate plan to excavate or otherwise disturb the ground, but
nonetheless
information about a presence or absence of one or more underground facilities
at a work
site may be valuable to inform a planning, permitting and/or engineering
design phase of
a future construction project.
[00031 In many states, an excavator who plans to disturb ground at a work site
is
required by law to notify any potentially affected underground facility owners
prior to
undertaking an excavation activity. Advanced notice of excavation activities
may be
provided by an excavator (or another party) by contacting a "one-call center."
One-call
centers typically are operated by a consortium of underground facility owners
for the
purposes of receiving excavation notices and in turn notifying facility owners
and/or
their agents of a plan to excavate. As part of an advanced notification,
excavators
typically provide to the one-call center various information relating to the
planned
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activity, including a location (e.g., address) of the work site and a
description of the dig
area to be excavated or otherwise disturbed at the work site.
[0004] Figure 1 illustrates an example in which a locate operation is
initiated as a
result of an excavator 1 providing an excavation notice to a one-call center
2. An
excavation notice also is commonly referred to as a "locate request," and may
be
provided by the excavator to the one-call center via an electronic mail
message,
information entry via a website maintained by the one-call center, or a
telephone
conversation between the excavator and a technician at the one-call center.
The locate
request may include an address or some other location-related information
describing the
geographic location of a work site at which the excavation is to be performed,
as well as
a description of the dig area (e.g., a text description), such as its location
relative to
certain landmarks and/or its approximate dimensions, within which there is a
plan to
disturb the ground at the work site. One-call centers similarly may receive
locate
requests for design projects (for which, as discussed above, there may be no
immediate
plan to excavate or otherwise disturb the ground).
[0005] Using the information provided in a locate request for planned
excavation or
design projects, the one-call center identifies certain underground facilities
that may be
present at the indicated work site. For this purpose, many one-call centers
typically
maintain a collection "polygon maps" which indicate, within a given geographic
area
over which the one-call center has jurisdiction, generally where underground
facilities
may be found relative to some geographic reference frame or coordinate system.
[0006] Polygon maps typically are provided to the one-call centers by
underground
facilities owners within the jurisdiction of the one call center ("members" of
the one-call
center). A one-call center first provides the facility owner/member with one
or more
maps (e.g., street or property maps) within the jurisdiction, on which are
superimposed
some type of grid or coordinate system employed by the one-call center as a
geographic
frame of reference. Using the maps provided by the one-call center, the
respective
facilities owners/members draw one or more polygons on each map to indicate an
area
within which their facilities generally are disposed underground (without
indicating the
facilities themselves). These polygons themselves do not precisely indicate
geographic
locations of respective underground facilities; rather, the area enclosed by a
given
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polygon generally provides an over-inclusive indication of where a given
facilities
owner's underground facilities are disposed. Different facilities
owners/members may
draw polygons of different sizes around areas including their underground
facilities, and
in some instances such polygons can cover appreciably large geographic regions
(e.g., an
entire subdivision of a residential area), which may further obfuscate the
actual/precise
location of respective underground facilities.
[0007] Based on the polygon maps collected from the facilities owners/members,
the
one-call center may in some instances create composite polygon maps to show
polygons
of multiple different members on a single map. Whether using single member or
composite polygon maps, the one-call center examines the address or location
information provided in the locate request and identifies a significant buffer
zone around
an identified work site so as to make an over-inclusive identification of
facilities
owners/members that may have underground facilities present (e.g., to err on
the side of
caution). In particular, based on this generally over-inclusive buffer zone
around the
identified work site (and in some instances significantly over-inclusive
buffer zone), the
one-call center consults the polygon maps to identify which member polygons
intersect
with all or a portion of the buffer zone so as to notify these underground
facility
owners/members and/or their agents of the proposed excavation or design
project.
Again, it should be appreciated that the buffer zones around an indicated work
site
utilized by one-call centers for this purpose typically embrace a geographic
area that
includes but goes well beyond the actual work site, and in many cases the
geographic
area enclosed by a buffer zone is significantly larger than the actual dig
area in which
excavation or other similar activities are planned. Similarly, as noted above,
the area
enclosed by a given member polygon generally does not provide a precise
indication of
where one or more underground facilities may in fact be found.
[0008] In some instances, one-call centers may also or alternatively have
access to
various existing maps of underground facilities in their jurisdiction,
referred to as
"facilities maps." Facilities maps typically are maintained by facilities
owners/members
within the jurisdiction and show, for respective different utility types,
where
underground facilities purportedly may be found relative to some geographic
reference
frame or coordinate system (e.g., a grid, a street or property map, GPS
latitude and
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longitude coordinates, etc.). Facilities maps generally provide somewhat more
detail
than polygon maps provided by facilities owners/members; however, in some
instances
the information contained in facilities maps may not be accurate and/or
complete. For at
least this reason, whether using polygon maps or facilities maps, as noted
above the one-
call center utilizes a significant buffer zone around an identified work site
so as to make
an over-inclusive identification of facilities owners/members that may have
underground
facilities present.
[0009] Once facilities implicated by the locate request are identified by a
one-call
center (e.g., via the polygon map/buffer zone process), the one-call center
generates a
"locate request ticket" (also known as a "locate ticket," or simply a
"ticket"). The locate
request ticket essentially constitutes an instruction to inspect a work site
and typically
identifies the work site of the proposed excavation or design and a
description of the dig
area, typically lists on the ticket all of the underground facilities that may
be present at
the work site (e.g., by providing a member code for the facility owner whose
polygon
falls within a given buffer zone), and may also include various other
information relevant
to the proposed excavation or design (e.g., the name of the excavation
company, a name
of a property owner or party contracting the excavation company to perform the
excavation, etc.). The one-call center sends the ticket to one or more
underground
facility owners 4 and/or one or more locate service providers 3 (who may be
acting as
contracted agents of the facility owners) so that they can conduct a locate
and marking
operation to verify a presence or absence of the underground facilities in the
dig area.
For example, in some instances, a given underground facility owner 4 may
operate its
own fleet of locate technicians (e.g., locate technician 6), in which case the
one-call
center 2 may send the ticket to the underground facility owner 4. In other
instances, a
given facility owner may contract with a locate service provider to receive
locate request
tickets and perform a locate and marking operation in response to received
tickets on
their behalf.
[0010] Upon receiving the locate request, a locate service provider or a
facility
owner (hereafter referred to as a "ticket recipient") may dispatch a locate
technician 5 to
the work site of planned excavation to determine a presence or absence of one
or more
underground facilities in the dig area to be excavated or otherwise disturbed.
A typical
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first step for the locate technician 5 includes utilizing an underground
facility "locate
device," which is an instrument or set of instruments (also referred to
commonly as a
"locate set") for detecting facilities that are concealed in some manner, such
as cables
and pipes that are located underground. The locate device is employed by the
technician
to verify the presence or absence of underground facilities indicated in the
locate request
ticket as potentially present in the dig area (e.g., via the facility owner
member codes
listed in the ticket). This process is often referred to as a "locate
operation."
[00111 In one example of a locate operation, an underground facility locate
device is
used to detect electromagnetic fields that are generated by an applied signal
provided
along a length of a target facility to be identified. In this example, a
locate device may
include both a signal transmitter to provide the applied signal (e.g., which
is coupled by
the locate technician to a tracer wire disposed along a length of a facility),
and a signal
receiver which is generally a hand-held apparatus carried by the locate
technician as the
technician walks around the dig area to search for underground facilities.
Figure 2
illustrates a conventional locate device 20 (indicated by the dashed box) that
includes a
transmitter 22 and a locate receiver 24. The transmitter 22 is connected, via
a connection
point 26, to a target object (in this example, underground facility 28)
located in the
ground 21. The transmitter generates the applied signal 23, which is coupled
to the
underground facility via the connection point (e.g., to a tracer wire along
the facility),
resulting in the generation of a magnetic field 25. The magnetic field in turn
is detected
by the locate receiver 24, which itself may include one or more detection
antenna (not
shown). The locate receiver 24 indicates a presence of a facility when it
detects
electromagnetic fields arising from the applied signal 23. Conversely, the
absence of a
signal detected by the locate receiver generally indicates the absence of the
target
facility.
[00121 In yet another example, a locate device employed for a locate operation
may
include a single instrument, similar in some respects to a conventional metal
detector. In
particular, such an instrument may include an oscillator to generate an
alternating current
that passes through a coil, which in turn produces a first magnetic field. If
a piece of
electrically conductive metal is in close proximity to the coil (e.g., if an
underground
facility having a metal component is below/near the coil of the instrument),
eddy
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currents are induced in the metal and the metal produces its own magnetic
field, which in
turn affects the first magnetic field. The instrument may include a second
coil to
measure changes to the first magnetic field, thereby facilitating detection of
metallic
objects.
[00131 In addition to the locate operation, the locate technician also
generally
performs a "marking operation," in which the technician marks the presence
(and in
some cases the absence) of a given underground facility in the dig area based
on the
various signals detected (or not detected) during the locate operation. For
this purpose,
the locate technician conventionally utilizes a "marking device" to dispense a
marking
material on, for example, the ground, pavement, or other surface along a
detected
underground facility. Marking material may be any material, substance,
compound,
and/or element, used or which may be used separately or in combination to
mark,
signify, and/or indicate. Examples of marking materials may include, but are
not limited
to, paint, chalk, dye, and/or iron. Marking devices, such as paint marking
wands and/or
paint marking wheels, provide a convenient method of dispensing marking
materials
onto surfaces, such as onto the surface of the ground or pavement.
[00141 Figures 3A and 3B illustrate a conventional marking device 50 with a
mechanical actuation system to dispense paint as a marker. Generally speaking,
the
marking device 50 includes a handle 38 at a proximal end of an elongated shaft
36 and
resembles a sort of "walking stick," such that a technician may operate the
marking
device while standing/walking in an upright or substantially upright position.
A marking
dispenser holder 40 is coupled to a distal end of the shaft 36 so as to
contain and support
a marking dispenser 56, e.g., an aerosol paint can having a spray nozzle 54.
Typically, a
marking dispenser in the form of an aerosol paint can is placed into the
holder 40 upside
down, such that the spray nozzle 54 is proximate to the distal end of the
shaft (close to
the ground, pavement or other surface on which markers are to be dispensed).
[00151 In Figures 3A and 3B, the mechanical actuation system of the marking
device
50 includes an actuator or mechanical trigger 42 proximate to the handle 38
that is
actuated/triggered by the technician (e.g, via pulling, depressing or
squeezing with
fingers/hand). The actuator 42 is connected to a mechanical coupler 52 (e.g.,
a rod)
disposed inside and along a length of the elongated shaft 36. The coupler 52
is in turn
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connected to an actuation mechanism 58, at the distal end of the shaft 36,
which
mechanism extends outward from the shaft in the direction of the spray nozzle
54. Thus,
the actuator 42, the mechanical coupler 52, and the actuation mechanism 58
constitute
the mechanical actuation system of the marking device 50.
[00161 Figure 3A shows the mechanical actuation system of the conventional
marking device 50 in the non-actuated state, wherein the actuator 42 is "at
rest" (not
being pulled) and, as a result, the actuation mechanism 58 is not in contact
with the spray
nozzle 54. Figure 3B shows the marking device 50 in the actuated state,
wherein the
actuator 42 is being actuated (pulled, depressed, squeezed) by the technician.
When
actuated, the actuator 42 displaces the mechanical coupler 52 and the
actuation
mechanism 58 such that the actuation mechanism contacts and applies pressure
to the
spray nozzle 54, thus causing the spray nozzle to deflect slightly and
dispense paint. The
mechanical actuation system is spring-loaded so that it automatically returns
to the non-
actuated state (Figure 3A) when the actuator 42 is released.
[00171 In some environments, arrows, flags, darts, or other types of physical
marks
may be used to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility in a
dig area, in
addition to or as an alternative to a material applied to the ground (such as
paint, chalk,
dye, tape) along the path of a detected utility. The marks resulting from any
of a wide
variety of materials and/or objects used to indicate a presence or absence of
underground
facilities generally are referred to as "locate marks." Often, different color
materials
and/or physical objects may be used for locate marks, wherein different colors
correspond to different utility types. For example, the American Public Works
Association (APWA) has established a standardized color-coding system for
utility
identification for use by public agencies, utilities, contractors and various
groups
involved in ground excavation (e.g., red = electric power lines and cables;
blue = potable
water; orange = telecommunication lines; yellow = gas, oil, steam). In some
cases, the
technician also may provide one or more marks to indicate that no facility was
found in
the dig area (sometimes referred to as a "clear").
[00181 As mentioned above, the foregoing activity of identifying and marking a
presence or absence of one or more underground facilities generally is
referred to for
completeness as a "locate and marking operation." However, in light of common
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parlance adopted in the construction industry, and/or for the sake of brevity,
one or both
of the respective locate and marking functions may be referred to in some
instances
simply as a "locate operation" or a "locate" (i.e., without making any
specific reference
to the marking function). Accordingly, it should be appreciated that any
reference in the
relevant arts to the task of a locate technician simply as a "locate
operation" or a "locate"
does not necessarily exclude the marking portion of the overall process. At
the same
time, in some contexts a locate operation is identified separately from a
marking
operation, wherein the former relates more specifically to detection-related
activities and
the latter relates more specifically to marking-related activities.
[0019] Inaccurate locating and/or marking of underground facilities can result
in
physical damage to the facilities, property damage, and/or personal injury
during the
excavation process that, in turn, can expose a facility owner or contractor to
significant
legal liability. When underground facilities are damaged and/or when property
damage
or personal injury results from damaging an underground facility during an
excavation,
the excavator may assert that the facility was not accurately located and/or
marked by a
locate technician, while the locate contractor who dispatched the technician
may in turn
assert that the facility was indeed properly located and marked. Proving
whether the
underground facility was properly located and marked can be difficult after
the
excavation (or after some damage, e.g., a gas explosion), because in many
cases the
physical locate marks (e.g., the marking material or other physical marks used
to mark
the facility on the surface of the dig area) will have been disturbed or
destroyed during
the excavation process (and/or damage resulting from excavation).
SUMMARY
[0020] The inventors have appreciated that, at least in some circumstances,
advance
knowledge of existing facilities that may be present at a work site/dig area
for a proposed
excavation may be useful to a technician dispatched to perform a locate and/or
marking
operation. In this respect, facilities maps may be a valuable resource to the
technician; as
noted above, facilities maps generally are maintained by various facilities
owners and
these maps typically indicate the type and geographic location of one or more
facility
lines (e.g., pipes, cables, and the like) owned and/or operated by the
facility owner(s).
Although the accuracy of facilities maps may in some cases be suspect (e.g.,
due to
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incorrect information in the maps, age of the maps, lack of timely revisions
that reflect
the current status of deployed facilities, etc.), the various information
present in many
types of facilities maps generally provides at least some meaningful
orientation to the
deployment of underground facilities in a given area.
[0021] Accordingly, the inventors have recognized and appreciated that ready
access
to available facilities maps pertaining to a given work site/dig area may
provide the
technician with helpful information toward effectively and efficiently
conducting a locate
and/or marking operation. To this end, a library of facilities maps pertaining
to various
types of facilities in a given geographic area may be provided to a locate
technician
dispatched to the field to perform a locate and/or marking operation. For
example, a
library of appropriate facilities maps may be available for viewing
electronically via a
computer available at a particular work site (e.g., a laptop computer or other
mobile
computer disposed in the technician's vehicle). Alternatively, the locate
technician may
carry with them a set of paper facilities maps in his/her vehicle. The locate
technician
may review the facilities maps in their vehicle, for example, then proceed to
the actual
dig area to perform the locate and/or marking operation while attempting to
remember
relevant information in the facilities maps. However, especially for complex
facilities
maps, it may be difficult for the technician to commit to memory relevant
information in
the facilities maps, and it may be inconvenient for the technician to return
to the vehicle
to consult facilities maps once a locate and/or marking operation has begun.
[0022] In view of the foregoing, various embodiments of the present invention
are
directed to methods and apparatus for viewing facilities maps information on a
locate
device used to conduct a locate operation. In this manner, a technician may
have access
to, and may view locally (e.g., immediately before, during and/or after
conducting a
locate and/or marking operation in a given work site/dig area), various
information
derived from facilities maps. For purposes of the present disclosure, and as
discussed in
greater detail herein, "facilities maps information" refers to any information
that may be
derived from a facilities map, examples of which information include, but are
not limited
to, all or a portion of the imagery associated with a facilities map, any
underlying
metadata (e.g., GIS metadata, facility type information, line or symbol codes,
etc.) that
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may accompany a facilities map or set of facilities maps, and any legend
information that
may be included in a facilities map.
[0023] In various aspects, the inventive concepts discussed herein generally
relate to
one of more of the following: 1) selection, from a local or remote
library/archive, of one
or more appropriate "base" facilities maps, or database(s) of facility map
data, relating to
a given work site/dig area; 2) manual or automated selection of an appropriate
pan and/or
zoom (resolution) for displaying, on a user interface/display of a locate
device, facilities
map information derived from the base facilities map(s); 3) appropriately
updating (e.g.,
changing pan, zoom, orientation, etc.), if/as necessary, displayed facilities
map
information while a locate device is used during a locate operation; 4)
overlaying, on the
displayed facilities map information, information relating to the locate
operation; and 5)
storing locally on the locate device, and/or transmitting from the locate
device, facilities
map information and/or overlaid locate information (e.g., for further
processing, analysis
and/or subsequent display).
[0024] Some examples of locate devices configured to collect various
information
relating specifically to locate operations, which locate devices may be
modified
according to the inventive concepts described herein to facilitate display of
facilities map
information, are provided in U.S. non-provisional application serial no.
12/571,329, filed
September 30, 2009, and entitled "Methods and Apparatus for Generating
Electronic
Records of Locate Operations," which application is hereby incorporated herein
by
reference. This application describes, amongst other things, collecting
information
relating to the geographic location, time, and/or one or more characteristics
of a magnetic
field detected by one or more receiver antennas of a locate device (e.g.,
"locate
information"), and generating an electronic record based on this collected
information. It
should be appreciated, however, that the inventive concepts discussed herein
in
connection with display of facilities map information may be applied generally
to
various instrumentation/equipment used for one or both of a locate operation
and a
marking operation (e.g., a marking device, a locate device such as a locate
transmitter
and/or locate receiver, a combined locate and marking device, etc.), as
discussed in
further detail below. An example of combined locate and marking device in
which the
inventive concepts discussed below may be implemented is described in U.S. Non-
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provisional Application Serial No. 12/569,192, entitled "Methods, Apparatus,
and
Systems for Generating Electronic Records of Locate and Marking Operations,
and
Combined Locate and Marking Apparatus for Same," filed on September 29, 2009
under
attorney docket no. D0687.7001 OUSO1.
[0025] Similarly, it should be appreciated that pursuant to the inventive
concepts
described herein, facilities map information displayed on a locate device may
facilitate
execution of either or both of a locate operation and a marking operation, as
at least in
some instances a technician would have at their disposal, and use together,
both a locate
device and a marking device to detect and mark a presence or absence of one or
more
underground facilities at a work site/dig area.
[0026] Furthermore, in addition to facilities map information, it should be
appreciated that the present disclosure contemplates other types of image
information
being accessed and displayed on a user interface/display of a locate device to
facilitate
various aspects of a locate and/or marking operation. For example, other types
of maps
(e.g., street/road maps, polygon maps, tax maps, etc.), architectural,
construction and/or
engineering drawings, land surveys, and photographic renderings/images, and
various
information derived therefrom, may be displayed on the locate device and may
also be
used as the basis for overlaying locate information relating to a locate
operation. As with
facilities map information, such image information and/or overlaid locate
information
may be stored locally on the locate device, and/or transmitted from the locate
device
(e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display).
[0027] In sum, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a locate
receiver to detect a presence or an absence of an underground facility. The
locate
receiver comprises: a housing; an RF antenna for receiving a magnetic field
and
outputting an output signal; a processing circuit, for receiving the output
signal from the
RF antenna and determining a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field; a
display
device coupled to the housing; at least one memory; and at least one
processor, coupled
to the processing circuit, the display device and the at least one memory,
configured to
display on the display device a map image that is generated based on first map
data
selected by the at least one processor.
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[00281 Another embodiment is directed to a method for displaying information
on a
locate receiver having a housing, an RF antenna for receiving a magnetic field
and
outputting an output signal, a processing circuit, for receiving the output
signal from the
RF antenna and determining a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, a
display
device coupled to the housing, at least one memory; and at least one
processor, coupled
to the processing circuit, the display device and the at least one memory. The
method
comprises displaying on the display device a map image that is generated based
on first
map data selected by the at least one processor.
[00291 Another embodiment is directed to at least one computer-readable
storage
medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on at least one processor
in a
locate receiver having a housing, an RF antenna for receiving a magnetic field
and
outputting an output signal, a processing circuit, for receiving the output
signal from the
RF antenna and determining a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, a
display
device coupled to the housing, at least one memory; and at least one
processor, coupled
to the processing circuit, the display device and the at least one memory,
causes the at
least one processor to perform a method comprising: displaying on the display
device a
map image that is generated based on first map data selected by the at least
one processor.
[00301 Another embodiment is directed to a locate receiver to detect a
presence or an
absence of an underground facility. The locate receiver comprises: a housing;
an RF
antenna for receiving a magnetic field and outputting an output signal; a
processing
circuit, for receiving the output signal from the RF antenna and determining a
magnetic
field strength of the magnetic field; a display device coupled to the housing;
at least one
memory; and at least one processor, coupled to the processing circuit, the
display device
and the at least one memory, configured to: display on the display device a
map image
that is generated based on first map data selected by the at least one
processor and that
includes a geographic location at which an indication of detection of a
facility line was
generated; and overlay at least one electronic marking on the first map image
at a
position on the first map image corresponding to a location at which the
indication of
detection of a facility line was generated.
[00311 Another embodiment is directed to a method for displaying information
on a
locate receiver having a housing, an RF antenna for receiving a magnetic field
and
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outputting an output signal, a processing circuit, for receiving the output
signal from the
RF antenna and determining a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, a
display
device coupled to the housing, at least one memory; and at least one
processor, coupled
to the processing circuit, the display device and the at least one memory. The
method
comprises: displaying on the display device a map image that is generated
based on first
map data selected by the at least one processor and that includes a geographic
location at
which an indication of detection of a facility line was generated; and
overlaying at least
one electronic marking on the first map image at a position on the first map
image
corresponding to a location at which the indication of detection of a facility
line was
generated.
[0032] Another embodiment is directed to at least one computer-readable
storage
medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on at least one processor
in a
locate receiver having a housing, an RF antenna for receiving a magnetic field
and
outputting an output signal, a processing circuit, for receiving the output
signal from the
RF antenna and determining a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, a
display
device coupled to the housing, at least one memory; and at least one
processor, coupled
to the processing circuit, the display device and the at least one memory,
causes the at
least one processor to perform a method comprising: displaying on the display
device a
map image that is generated based on first map data selected by the at least
one processor
and that includes a geographic location at which an indication of detection of
a facility
line was generated; and overlaying at least one electronic marking on the
first map image
at a position on the first map image corresponding to a location at which the
indication of
detection of a facility line was generated.
[0033] Another embodiment is directed to a locate receiver to detect a
presence or an
absence of an underground facility. The locate receiver comprises: a housing;
an RF
antenna for receiving a magnetic field and outputting an output signal; a
processing
circuit, for receiving the output signal from the RF antenna and determining a
magnetic
field strength of the magnetic field; a display device coupled to the housing;
at least one
memory; and at least one processor, coupled to the processing circuit, the
display device
and the at least one memory, configured to: display on the display device a
map image
that is generated based on first map data that comprises facilities map data
and is selected
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by the at least one processor; and compare a location at which an indication
of detection
of a facility was generated to a location of a facility line as indicated by
the first map data
and generate an alert based on the comparison.
[0034] Another embodiment is directed to a method for displaying information
on a
locate receiver having a housing, an RF antenna for receiving a magnetic field
and
outputting an output signal, a processing circuit, for receiving the output
signal from the
RF antenna and determining a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, a
display
device coupled to the housing, at least one memory; and at least one
processor, coupled
to the processing circuit, the display device and the at least one memory. The
method
comprises: displaying on the display device a map image that is generated
based on first
map data that comprises facilities map data and is selected by the at least
one processor;
and comparing a location at which an indication of detection of a facility was
generated
to a location of a facility line as indicated by the first map data and
generating an alert
based on the comparison.
[0035] Another embodiment is directed to at least one computer-readable
storage
medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on at least one processor
in a
locate receiver having a housing, an RF antenna for receiving a magnetic field
and
outputting an output signal, a processing circuit, for receiving the output
signal from the
RF antenna and determining a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, a
display
device coupled to the housing, at least one memory; and at least one
processor, coupled
to the processing circuit, the display device and the at least one memory,
causes the at
least one processor to perform a method comprising: displaying on the display
device a
map image that is generated based on first map data that comprises facilities
map data
and is selected by the at least one processor; and comparing a location at
which an
indication of detection of a facility was generated to a location of a
facility line as
indicated by the first map data and generating an alert based on the
comparison.
[0036] For purposes of the present disclosure, the term "dig area" refers to a
specified area of a work site within which there is a plan to disturb the
ground (e.g.,
excavate, dig holes and/or trenches, bore, etc.), and beyond which there is no
plan to
excavate in the immediate surroundings. Thus, the metes and bounds of a dig
area are
intended to provide specificity as to where some disturbance to the ground is
planned at a
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given work site. It should be appreciated that a given work site may include
multiple dig
areas.
[00371 The term "facility" refers to one or more lines, cables, fibers,
conduits,
transmitters, receivers, or other physical objects or structures capable of or
used for
carrying, transmitting, receiving, storing, and providing utilities, energy,
data,
substances, and/or services, and/or any combination thereof. The term
"underground
facility" means any facility beneath the surface of the ground. Examples of
facilities
include, but are not limited to, oil, gas, water, sewer, power, telephone,
data
transmission, cable television (TV), and/or internet services.
[00381 The term "locate device" refers to any apparatus and/or device for
detecting
and/or inferring the presence or absence of any facility, including without
limitation, any
underground facility. In various examples, a locate device may include both a
locate
transmitter and a locate receiver (which in some instances may also be
referred to
collectively as a "locate instrument set," or simply "locate set").
[00391 The term "marking device" refers to any apparatus, mechanism, or other
device that employs a marking dispenser for causing a marking material and/or
marking
.object to be dispensed, or any apparatus, mechanism, or other device for
electronically
indicating (e.g., logging in memory) a location, such as a location of an
underground
facility. Additionally, the term "marking dispenser" refers to any apparatus,
mechanism,
or other device for dispensing and/or otherwise using, separately or in
combination, a
marking material and/or a marking object. An example of a marking dispenser
may
include, but is not limited to, a pressurized can of marking paint. The term
"marking
material" means any material, substance, compound, and/or element, used or
which may
be used separately or in combination to mark, signify, and/or indicate.
Examples of
marking materials may include, but are not limited to, paint, chalk, dye,
and/or iron. The
term "marking object" means any object and/or objects used or which may be
used
separately or in combination to mark, signify, and/or indicate. Examples of
marking
objects may include, but are not limited to, a flag, a dart, and arrow, and/or
an RFID
marking ball. It is contemplated that marking material may include marking
objects. It
is further contemplated that the terms "marking materials" or "marking
objects" may be
used interchangeably in accordance with the present disclosure.
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[0040] The term "locate mark" means any mark, sign, and/or object employed to
indicate the presence or absence of any underground facility. Examples of
locate marks
may include, but are not limited to, marks made with marking materials,
marking
objects, global positioning or other information, and/or any other means.
Locate marks
may be represented in any form including, without limitation, physical,
visible,
electronic, and/or any combination thereof.
[0041] The terms "actuate" or "trigger" (verb form) are used interchangeably
to refer
to starting or causing any device, program, system, and/or any combination
thereof to
work, operate, and/or function in response to some type of signal or stimulus.
Examples
of actuation signals or stimuli may include, but are not limited to, any local
or remote,
physical, audible, inaudible, visual, non-visual, electronic, mechanical,
electromechanical, biomechanical, biosensing or other signal, instruction, or
event. The
terms "actuator" or "trigger" (noun form) are used interchangeably to refer to
any
method or device used to generate one or more signals or stimuli to cause or
causing
actuation. Examples of an actuator/trigger may include, but are not limited
to, any form
or combination of a lever, switch, program, processor, screen, microphone for
capturing
audible commands, and/or other device or method. An actuator/trigger may also
include,
but is not limited to, a device, software, or program that responds to any
movement
and/or condition of a user, such as, but not limited to, eye movement, brain
activity, heart
rate, other data, and/or the like, and generates one or more signals or
stimuli in response
thereto. In the case of a marking device or other marking mechanism (e.g., to
physically
or electronically mark a facility or other feature), actuation may cause
marking material
to be dispensed, as well as various data relating to the marking operation
(e.g.,
geographic location, time stamps, characteristics of material dispensed, etc.)
to be logged
in an electronic file stored in memory. In the case of a locate device or
other locate
mechanism (e.g., to physically locate a facility or other feature), actuation
may cause a
detected signal strength, signal frequency, depth, or other information
relating to the
locate operation to be logged in an electronic file stored in memory.
[0042] The terms "locate and marking operation," "locate operation," and
"locate"
generally are used interchangeably and refer to any activity to detect, infer,
and/or mark
the presence or absence of an underground facility. In some contexts, the term
"locate
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operation" is used to more specifically refer to detection of one or more
underground
facilities, and the term "marking operation" is used to more specifically
refer to using a
marking material and/or one or more marking objects to mark a presence or an
absence
of one or more underground facilities. The term "locate technician" refers to
an
individual performing a locate operation. A locate and marking operation often
is
specified in connection with a dig area, at least a portion of which may be
excavated or
otherwise disturbed during excavation activities.
[0043] The term "user" refers to an individual utilizing a locate device
and/or a
marking device and may include, but is not limited to, land surveyors, locate
technicians,
and support personnel.
[0044] The terms "locate request" and "excavation notice" are used
interchangeably
to refer to any communication to request a locate and marking operation. The
term
"locate request ticket" (or simply "ticket") refers to any communication or
instruction to
perform a locate operation. A ticket might specify, for example, the address
or
description of a dig area to be marked, the day and/or time that the dig area
is to be
marked, and/or whether the user is to mark the excavation area for certain
gas, water,
sewer, power, telephone, cable television, and/or some other underground
facility. The
term "historical ticket" refers to past tickets that have been completed.
[0045] The following U.S. published applications and patents are hereby
incorporated herein by reference:
[0046] U.S. patent no. 7,640,105, issued December 29, 2009, filed March 13,
2007,
and entitled "Marking System and Method With Location and/or Time Tracking;"
[0047] U.S. publication no. 2008-0245299-Al, published October 9, 2008, filed
April 4, 2007, and entitled "Marking System and Method;"
[0048] U.S. publication no. 2009-0013928-Al, published January 15, 2009, filed
September 24, 2008, and entitled "Marking System and Method;"
[0049] U.S. publication no. 2009-0238414-Al, published September 24, 2009,
filed
March 18, 2008, and entitled "Virtual White Lines for Delimiting Planned
Excavation
Sites;"
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[0050] U.S. publication no. 2009-0241045-Al, published September 24, 2009,
filed
September 26, 2008, and entitled "Virtual White Lines for Delimiting Planned
Excavation Sites;"
[0051] U.S. publication no. 2009-0238415-Al, published September 24, 2009,
filed
September 26, 2008, and entitled "Virtual White Lines for Delimiting Planned
Excavation Sites;"
[0052] U.S. publication no. 2009-0241046-Al, published September 24, 2009,
filed
January 16, 2009, and entitled "Virtual White Lines for Delimiting Planned
Excavation
Sites;"
[0053] U.S. publication no. 2009-0238416-Al, published September 24, 2009,
filed
January 16, 2009, and entitled "Virtual White Lines for Delimiting Planned
Excavation
Sites;"
[0054] U.S. publication no. 2009-0237408-Al, published September 24, 2009,
filed
January 16, 2009, and entitled "Virtual White Lines for Delimiting Planned
Excavation
Sites;"
[0055] U.S. publication no. 2009-0202101-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
February 12, 2008, and entitled "Electronic Manifest of Underground Facility
Locate
Marks;"
[0056] U.S. publication no. 2009-0202 1 10-Al, published August 13, 2009,
filed
September 11, 2008, and entitled "Electronic Manifest of Underground Facility
Locate
Marks;"
[0057] U.S. publication no. 2009-0201311-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
January 30, 2009, and entitled "Electronic Manifest of Underground Facility
Locate
Marks;"
[0058] U.S. publication no. 2009-0202111-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
January 30, 2009, and entitled "Electronic Manifest of Underground Facility
Locate
Marks;"
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[0059] U.S. publication no. 2009-0204625-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
February 5, 2009, and entitled "Electronic Manifest of Underground Facility
Locate
Operation;"
[0060] U.S. publication no. 2009-0204466-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
September 4, 2008, and entitled "Ticket Approval System For and Method of
Performing
Quality Control In Field Service Applications;"
[0061] U.S. publication no. 2009-0207019-Al, published August 20, 2009, filed
April 30, 2009, and entitled "Ticket Approval System For and Method of
Performing
Quality Control In Field Service Applications;"
[0062] U.S. publication no. 2009-0210284-Al, published August 20, 2009, filed
April 30, 2009, and entitled "Ticket Approval System For and Method of
Performing
Quality Control In Field Service Applications;"
[0063] U.S. publication no. 2009-0210297-Al, published August 20, 2009, filed
April 30, 2009, and entitled "Ticket Approval System For and Method of
Performing
Quality Control In Field Service Applications;"
[0064] U.S. publication no. 2009-0210298-Al, published August 20, 2009, filed
April 30, 2009, and entitled "Ticket Approval System For and Method of
Performing
Quality Control In Field Service Applications;"
[0065] U.S. publication no. 2009-0210285-Al, published August 20, 2009, filed
April 30, 2009, and entitled "Ticket Approval System For and Method of
Performing
Quality Control In Field Service Applications;"
[0066] U.S. publication no. 2009-0324815-A1, published December 31, 2009,
filed
April 24, 2009, and entitled "Marking Apparatus and Marking Methods Using
Marking
Dispenser with Machine-Readable ID Mechanism;"
[0067] U.S. publication no. 2010-0006667-A1, published January 14, 2010, filed
April 24, 2009, and entitled, "Marker Detection Mechanisms for use in Marking
Devices
And Methods of Using Same;"
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[00681 U.S. publication no. 2009-0204238-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
February 2, 2009, and entitled "Electronically Controlled Marking Apparatus
and
Methods;"
[00691 U.S. publication no. 2009-0208642-Al, published August 20, 2009, filed
February 2, 2009, and entitled "Marking Apparatus and Methods For Creating an
Electronic Record of Marking Operations;"
100701 U.S. publication no. 2009-0210098-Al, published August 20, 2009, filed
February 2, 2009, and entitled "Marking Apparatus and Methods For Creating an
Electronic Record of Marking Apparatus Operations;"
[00711 U.S. publication no. 2009-0201178-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
February 2, 2009, and entitled "Methods For Evaluating Operation of Marking
Apparatus;"
[00721 U.S. publication no. 2009-0238417-Al, published September 24, 2009,
filed
February 6, 2009, and entitled "Virtual White Lines for Indicating Planned
Excavation
Sites on Electronic Images;"
100731 U.S. publication no. 2009-0202112-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
February 11, 2009, and entitled "Searchable Electronic Records of Underground
Facility
Locate Marking Operations;"
[00741 U.S. publication no. 2009-0204614-Al, published August 13, 2009, filed
February 11, 2009, and entitled "Searchable Electronic Records of Underground
Facility
Locate Marking Operations;"
[00751 U.S. publication no. 2009-0327024-Al, published December 31, 2009,
filed
June 26, 2009, and entitled "Methods and Apparatus for Quality Assessment of a
Field
Service Operation;"
[00761 U.S. publication no. 2010-0010862-Al, published January 14, 2010, filed
August 7, 2009, and entitled, "Methods and Apparatus for Quality Assessment of
a Field
Service Operation Based on Geographic Information;"
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[0077] U.S. publication No. 2010-0010863-Al, published January 14, 2010, filed
August 7, 2009, and entitled, "Methods and Apparatus for Quality Assessment of
a Field
Service Operation Based on Multiple Scoring Categories;"
[0078] U.S. publication no. 2010-0010882-A1, published January 14, 2010, filed
August 7, 2009, and entitled, "Methods and Apparatus for Quality Assessment of
a Field
Service Operation Based on Dynamic Assessment Parameters;" and
[0079] U.S. publication no. 2010-0010883-Al, published January 14, 2010, filed
August 7, 2009, and entitled, "Methods and Apparatus for Quality Assessment of
a Field
Service Operation Based on Multiple Quality Assessment Criteria."
[0080] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing
concepts and
additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts
are not
mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject
matter
disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter
appearing at
the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive
subject matter
disclosed herein. It should also be appreciated that terminology explicitly
employed
herein that also may appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference should
be
accorded a meaning most consistent with the particular concepts disclosed
herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0081] The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally
being
placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
[0082] Figure 1 shows an example in which a locate and marking operation is
initiated as a result of an excavator providing an excavation notice to a one-
call center.
[0083] Figure 2 illustrates one example of a conventional locate instrument
set
including a locate transmitter and a locate receiver.
[0084] Figures 3A and 3B illustrate a conventional marking device in an
actuated
and non-actuated state, respectively.
[0085] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of a data acquisition system
including
a locate device for creating electronic records of located operations and
displaying
facilities map information, according to some embodiments of the present
invention.
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[0086] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the data acquisition system of Figure
4,
illustrating an exemplary locate device upon which some embodiments of the
invention
may be implemented.
[0087] Figure 6 illustrates an example of facilities map information that may
be
viewed on the display of the locate device shown in Figures 4 and 5;
[0088] Figure 7 illustrates a sketch representing an exemplary input image
that may
be viewed on the display of the locate device.
[0089] Figure 8 illustrates a map, representing an exemplary input image that
may be
viewed on the display of the locate device.
[0090] Figure 9 illustrates a construction/engineering drawing, representing
an
exemplary input image that may be viewed on the display of the locate device.
[0091] Figure 10 illustrates a land survey map, representing an exemplary
input
image that may be viewed on the display of the locate device.
[0092] Figure 11 illustrates a grid, overlaid on the construction/engineering
drawing
of Fig. 9, representing an exemplary input image that may be viewed on the
display of
the locate device.
[0093] Figure 12 illustrates a street level image, representing an exemplary
input
image that may be viewed on the display of the locate device.
[0094] Figure 13 illustrates an example of a video frame sequence of a
facilities map
that may be displayed on the display of a locate device, in accordance with
some
embodiments.
[0095] Figure 14 illustrates a flow diagram of a process for displaying a
facilities
map on the display of a locate device, in accordance with some embodiments.
[0096] Figure 15 illustrates a flow diagram of a process for overlaying data
on a
facilities map displayed on the display of a locate device.
[0097] Figure 16 shows a display device having a display field in which one or
more
display layers and/or sub-layers of locate information, landmark information
and/or
image/reference information may be selectively enabled or disabled for
display,
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0098] Following below are more detailed descriptions of various concepts
related to,
and embodiments of, inventive systems, methods and apparatus for viewing
facilities
maps information and/or other image information on a locate device. It should
be
appreciated that various concepts introduced above and discussed in greater
detail below
may be implemented in any of numerous ways, as the disclosed concepts are not
limited
to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific
implementations and
applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes.
[0099] Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a locate device
capable of accessing and displaying various types of information derived from
one or
more facilities maps. In some embodiments, the locate device may have the
capability to
access one or more locally and/or remotely stored electronic facilities maps
or a database
of facility map information, and select and display all or a portion of a
facilities map that
is of interest to a technician or other technician of the locate device. As
explained in
detail below, in some embodiments, the locate device may update the display of
the
facilities map information in essentially real-time (e.g., change one or more
of pan,
zoom, orientation, etc.), as the locate device is in use, when changes in the
geo-location
and/or heading of the locate device are detected. In this manner, the locate
device
provides a convenient way for the locate technician to view and interact with
facilities
map information in real-time while conducting a locate and/or marking
operation (and/or
immediately before or after the locate operation).
[00100] In various aspects, the inventive concepts discussed herein generally
relate to
one of more of the following: 1) selection, from a local or remote
library/archive, of one
or more appropriate "base" facilities maps or facilities map data sets
relating to a given
work site/dig area; 2) manual or automated selection of an appropriate pan
and/or zoom
(resolution) for displaying, on a user interface/display of a locate device,
facilities map
information derived from the base facilities map(s); 3) appropriately
updating, if/as
necessary, displayed facilities map information while a locate device is used
during a
locate operation; 4) overlaying, on the displayed facilities map information,
information
relating to the locate operation; and 5) storing locally on the locate device,
and/or
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transmitting from the locate device, facilities map information and/or
overlaid locate
information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent
display).
[00101] Furthermore, in addition to facilities map information, it should be
appreciated that the present disclosure contemplates other types of image
information
being accessed and displayed on a user interface/display of a locate device to
facilitate
various aspects of a locate and/or marking operation. For example, other types
of maps
(e.g., street/road maps, polygon maps, tax maps, etc.), architectural,
construction and/or
engineering drawings, land surveys, and photographic renderings/images, and
various
information derived therefrom, including virtual white line (VWL) designations
that
delimit, on a map or other image, a planned excavation area, may be displayed
on the
locate device and may also be used as the basis for overlaying locate
information relating
to a locate operation.
[00102] 1.. Locate Devices
[00103] As discussed above a locate device (or so-called "locate set") may
include at
least one transmitter and a locate receiver. In one embodiment of the present
invention,
one or both of a locate transmitter and a locate receiver may be particularly
configured to
acquire locate information relating to a locate operation, generate an
electronic record of
the acquired locate information, and store, transmit, analyze or otherwise
process the
acquired locate information. Such locate devices also may be configured to
access and
display facilities map information to facilitate the locate operation.
[00104] Various types of locate information may be generated during, or
otherwise
associated with, the use of a locate set to perform a locate operation. For
example, locate
information related to the use of the transmitter may include, but is not
limited to,
information about the applied signal power, the applied signal frequency, the
location of
the transmitter, the connection point type (i.e., the manner in which
connection is made
to the target object, such as direct connection, inductive coupling, etc.), an
identification
of the transmitter unit (e.g., serial number), information about how the
transmitter unit is
grounded (if at all), and an indication of whether a sufficient electrical
connection has
been made to the target object (e.g., some transmitters produce a "continuity
signal"
indicative of the quality of the connection between the transmitter and the
target object).
Locate information related to the use of the locate receiver may include, but
is not
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limited to, an identification of the locate receiver (e.g., a serial number),
the mode of
operation of the locate receiver (e.g., peak mode v. null mode), the frequency
to which
the locate receiver is tuned, the gain of the locate receiver, the frequency
of a detected
magnetic field, the amplitude/strength of a detected magnetic field, the
electrical current
of the detected signal, the location of the locate receiver, and a depth
measurement taken
by the locate receiver (which may be used, for example, as additional
information
regarding a target object). In addition, locate information relating to the
locate operation
itself may include, but is not limited to, information about the target
object, the location
of the locate site, the party requesting the locate, the party performing the
locate, and
whether any locate operations have previously been performed for this site.
[001051 According to some aspects of the invention, locate information
relating to a
locate set, and/or locate operation more generally, may be recorded,
transmitted, and/or
processed, for example, to enable evaluation of the performance of the locate
technician,
evaluation of the operation of the locate equipment, reconstruction of the
actions taken
by the locate technician during the locate operation, and/or to facilitate
comparison of
collected data to historical data. In one exemplary embodiment, a locate
receiver is
configured to store and/or transmit locate information relating to a locate
set and/or a
locate operation, and in some implementations generate an electronic record of
at least
some of the locate information. Examples of locate-related information that
may be
logged into an electronic record may include any of the types of information
described
above or any suitable combinations of information of interest, and generally
may
include, but are not limited to:
= timing information (e.g., one or more time stamps) associated with one or
more events occurring during a given locate operation;
= geographic information (e.g., one or more geographic coordinates) associated
with one or more events of a locate operation (in some instances, the
geographic information may be accompanied by timing information, such as a
time stamp, for each acquisition of geographic information); and/or
geographic diagnostics information (e.g., GPS diagnostics information, such
as, but not limited to, the quality of a GPS signal, the number of satellites
in
view of the GPS receiver, etc.);
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= service-related information: one or more identifiers for the locate
technician
performing the locate operation, the locate contractor (service provider)
dispatching the locate technician, and/or the party requesting the locate
operation;
= ticket information: information relating to one or more facilities to be
located,
location information (e.g., an address, geo-coordinates, and/or text
description) relating to the work site and/or dig area in which the locate and
marking operation is performed, ground type information (e.g., a description
of the ground at which the locate is performed), excavator information, other
text-based information, etc.
= target object information: information about the target object (e.g.,
facility) to
be located, such as the type of object, expected depth of object, etc.;
= locate performance information: information entered, detected and/or sensed
as part of performing the locate operation, such as ground type in the area of
the locate operation (e.g., grass, pavement, etc., which could also or
alternatively be indicated in ticket information), magnetic field strength and
frequency, electric current magnitude, depth of the located object, the mode
of operation of the locate receiver (e.g., peak v. null detection modes), the
gain of the locate receiver, etc. With respect to locate receivers, the "gain"
is
typically a measure of the degree of sensitivity of a locate receiver antenna
that is picking up a signal emanating from along an underground facility
(alternatively, "gain" may be viewed as a degree of amplification being
applied to a received signal). Gain may be expressed in terms of any scale
(e.g., 0-100), as a numeric value or percentage. "Signal strength" (or
"magnetic field strength") refers to the strength of a received signal at a
given
gain value; signal strength similarly may be expressed in terms of any scale,
as a numeric value or percentage. Generally speaking, higher signal strengths
at lower gains typically indicate more reliable information from a locate
receiver, but this may not necessarily be the case for all locate operations;
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= locate receiver information: information about the locate receiver, such as
identification of the locate receiver (e.g., serial number), make and model of
the locate receiver, mode of operation, battery level, etc.; and
= transmitter information: information about any transmitter and transmitter
signal (also referred to herein as an applied signal) utilized for the locate
operation, such as transmitter type, connection type, applied signal
frequency,
transmitter power,.whether a continuity indication is provided for the applied
signal, etc.
[00106] One or more electronic records based on the locate information
described
above, or any other locate-related information, may be generated,
logged/stored in local
memory of the locate receiver, formatted in any of a variety of manners, saved
as any of
a variety of file types having any of a variety of data structures, processed
and/or
analyzed at the locate receiver itself, and/or transmitted to another device
(for example,
to a computer or, in those embodiments in which multiple locate receivers are
used to
complete a same locate operation, to another locate receiver) for storage,
processing
and/or analysis.
[00107] Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a functional block diagram and perspective
view,
respectively, of one example of a data acquisition system 100, including a
locate device
such as a locate receiver 110 and optionally a remote computer 150, according
to one
embodiment of the present invention. One or both of the locate receiver 110
and the
remote computer 150 of the data acquisition system 100 may be configured
collect locate
information relating to performance of a locate operation.
[00108] As shown in Figure 4, in one embodiment locate receiver 110 includes
control electronics 112, the components of which are powered by a power source
114.
Power source 114 may be any power source that is suitable for use in a
portable device,
such as, but not limited to, one or more rechargeable batteries, one or more
non-
rechargeable batteries, a solar photovoltaic panel, a standard AC power plug
feeding an
AC-to-DC converter, and the like.
[00109] As also shown in Figure 4, in one embodiment control electronics 112
of
locate receiver 110 may include, but are not limited to, a processor 118, at
least a portion
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of an actuation system 120 (another portion of which may include one or more
mechanical elements), a local memory 122, a communication interface 124, a
user
interface 126, a timing system 128, and a location tracking system 130.
[001101 The processor 118 may be any general-purpose processor, controller, or
microcontroller device. Local memory 122 may be any volatile or non-volatile
data
storage device, such as, but not limited to, a random access memory (RAM)
device and a
removable memory device (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, a
multimedia
card (MMC), a secure digital card (SD), a compact flash card (CF), etc.). As
discussed
further below, the local memory may store a locate data algorithm 137, which
may be a
set of processor-executable instructions that when executed by the processor
118 causes
the processor to control various other components of the locate receiver 110
so as to
generate an electronic record 135 of a locate operation, which record also may
be stored
in the local memory 122 and/or transmitted in essentially real-time (as it is
being
generated) or after completion of a locate operation to a remote device (e.g.,
remote
computer 150). In other aspects, the local memory 122 also may store a map or
image
viewer application 113 (hereafter simply "map viewer application"), and one or
more
facilities maps or facilities map data sets 166 and/or other images 168. As
discussed
further below, the one or more facilities maps/data sets 166 may in some
implementations include a library of facilities maps, or a database of
facilities map data,
for one or more different types of facilities deployed in a geographical
region.
[001111 In one exemplary implementation, a Linux-based processing system for
embedded handheld and/or wireless devices may be employed in the locate
receiver 110
to implement various components of the control electronics 112. For example,
the
Fingertip4TM processing system, including a Marvell PXA270 processor and
available
from InHand Electronics, Inc. (www.inhandelectronics.com/products/fingertip4),
may be
used. In addition to the PXA270 processor (e.g., serving as the processor
118), the
Fingertip4TM includes flash memory and SDRAM (e.g., serving as local memory
122),
multiple serial ports, a USB port, and other I/O interfaces (e.g., to
facilitate interfacing
with one or more input devices and other components of the locate receiver),
supports a
variety of wired and wireless interfaces (WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Ethernet, any
IEEE
802.11 interface, or any other suitable wireless interface) to facilitate
implementation of
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the communication interface 124, and connects to a wide variety of LCD
displays (to
facilitate implementation of a user interface/display). In yet other exemplary
implementations, the processor 118 may be realized by multiple processors that
divide/share some or all of the functionality discussed herein in connection
with the
processor 118. For example, in one implementation, an Atom TM processor
available
from Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, California, may be used alone or in
connection
with one or more PIC processors to accomplish various functionality described
herein.
[00112] Communication interface 124 of locate receiver 110 may be any wired
and/or
wireless communication interface by which information may be exchanged between
locate receiver 110 and an external or remote device, such as a remote
computing device
that is elsewhere in the dig area (i.e., not a part of the locate receiver
110) or outside the
dig area. For example, data that is provided by components of data acquisition
system
100 and/or stored in local memory 122 (e.g., one or more electronic records
135, one or
more facilities maps 166) may be transmitted via communication interface 124
to a
remote computer, such as remote computer 150, for processing. Similarly, one
or more
facilities maps 166 may be received from the remote computer 150 or one or
more other
external sources via the communication interface 124. Examples of wired
communication interfaces may include, but are not limited to, USB ports, RS232
connectors, RJ45 connectors, Ethernet, and any combination thereof. Examples
of
wireless communication interfaces may include, but are not limited to, an
Intranet
connection, Internet, Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, IEEE 802.11
technology
(e.g., operating at a minimum bandwidth of 54 Mbps, or any other suitable
bandwidth),
radio frequency (RF), Infrared Data Association (IrDA) compatible protocols,
Local
Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), Shared Wireless Access Protocol
(SWAP), any combination thereof, and other types of wireless networking
protocols.
The wireless interface may be capable of capturing signals that reflect a
user's intent.
For example, the wireless interface may include a microphone that can capture
a user's
intent by capturing the user's audible commands. Alternatively, the wireless
interface
may interact with a device that monitors a condition of the user, such as eye
movement,
brain activity, and/or heart rate.
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[00113] User interface 126 of locate receiver 110 may be any mechanism or
combination of mechanisms by which a user may operate data acquisition system
100
and by which information that is generated by data acquisition system 100 may
be
presented to the user. For example, user interface 126 may include, but is not
limited to,
a display device (including integrated displays and external displays, such as
Heads-Up
Displays (HUDs)), a touch screen, one or more manual pushbuttons, a microphone
to
provide for audible commands, one or more light-emitting diode (LED)
indicators, one
or more toggle switches, a keypad, an audio output (e.g., speaker, buzzer, and
alarm),
and any combination thereof. In one implementation, the user interface 126
includes a
"menu/on" button to power up the locate receiver and provide a menu-driven
graphical
user interface (GUI) displayed by the display device (e.g., menu items and/or
icons
displayed on the display device) and navigated by the technician via a
joystick or a set of
four "up/down/left/right" buttons, as well as a "select/ok" button to take
some action
pursuant to the selection of a menu item/icon. As described below, the display
may also
be used in some embodiments of the invention to display information relating
to one or
more facilities maps and/or one or more other images germane to a locate
and/or marking
information, as well as information relating to a placement of marking
material in a dig
area, a location of an underground facility in a dig area, or any other
suitable information
that may be displayed based on information acquired to create an electronic
record 135.
[00114] In various embodiments, the one or more interfaces of the locate
receiver
110-including the communication interface 124 and user interface 126-may be
used
as input devices to receive information to be stored in the memory 122, to
facilitate
various functions of the locate receiver and/or to be logged as part of an
electronic record
of a locate operation. In some cases, locate information received via the
interface(s)
(e.g., via the communication interface 124) may include ticket information
regarding
underground facilities to be detected during a locate operation. As another
example,
using an interface such as the user interface 126, service-related information
may be
input, including an identifier for the locate receiver used by the technician,
an identifier
for a technician, and/or an identifier for the technician's employer.
Alternatively, some
or all of the service-related information similarly may be received via the
communication
interface 124 (and likewise some or all of the ticket information may be
received via the
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user interface 126). As also noted above, facilities map information and/or
other image
information also may be received via the communication interface 124.
[001151 The actuation system 120 of locate receiver 110 shown in the block
diagram
of Figure 4 may include both electrical and mechanical elements according to
various
embodiments discussed in further detail below, and for purposes of
illustration is shown
in Figure 4 as included as part of the control electronics 112. The actuation
system 120
may include a mechanical and/or electrical actuator mechanism (e.g., see the
actuator
142 shown in Figure 5) to provide one or more signals or stimuli as an input
to the
actuation system 120. Upon receiving one or more signals or stimuli (e.g.,
actuation/triggering by a locate technician or other user), the actuation
system 120 may
cause the logging of various data constituting locate information. To this
end, the
actuation system 120 may provide one or more output signals in the form of an
actuation
signal 121 to the processor 118 to indicate one or more actuations of the
locate receiver,
in response to which the processor 118 may acquire/collect various locate
information
and log data into the electronic record 135.
[001161 Location tracking system 130 of locate receiver 110 constitutes
another type
of input device that provides locate information, and may include any device
that can
determine its geographical location to a certain degree of accuracy. For
example,
location tracking system 130 may include a global positioning system (GPS)
receiver or
a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. A GPS receiver may
provide, for
example, any standard format data stream, such as a National Marine
Electronics
Association (NMEA) data stream, or other data formats. An error correction
component
131 may be, but is not limited to, any mechanism for improving the accuracy of
the
geographic information provided by location tracking system 130; for example,
error
correction component 131 may be an algorithm for correcting any offsets (e.g.,
due to
local disturbances in the atmosphere) in the geo-location data of location
tracking system
130. While shown as part of a local location tracking system of the locate
receiver 110,
error correction component 131 alternatively may reside at a remote computing
device,
such as remote computer 150. In other embodiments, location tracking system
130 may
include any device or mechanism that may determine location by any other
means, such
as performing triangulation by use of cellular radiotelephone towers.
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[00117] In one exemplary implementation, the location tracking system 130 may
include an ISM300F2-C5-V0005 GPS module available from Inventek Systems, LLC
of
Westford, Massachusetts (see www.inventeksys.com/html/ism300f2-c5-v0005.html).
The Inventek GPS module includes two UARTs (universal asynchronous
receiver/transmitter) for communication with the processor 118, supports both
the SIRF
Binary and NMEA-0183 protocols (depending on firmware selection), and has an
information update rate of 5 Hz. A variety of geographic location information
may be
requested by the processor 118 and provided by the GPS module to the processor
118
including, but not limited to, time (coordinated universal time - UTC), date,
latitude,
north/south indicator, longitude, east/west indicator, number and
identification of
satellites used in the position solution, number and identification of GPS
satellites in
view and their elevation, azimuth and SNR values, and dilution of precision
values.
Accordingly, it should be appreciated that in some implementations the
location tracking
system 130 may provide a wide variety of geographic information as well as
timing
information (e.g., one or more time stamps) to the processor 118.
[00118] In another embodiment, location tracking system 130 may not reside
locally
on locate receiver 110. Instead, location tracking system 130 may reside on
any on-site
computer, which serves as a location reference point, to which the location of
locate
receiver 110 may be correlated by any other means, such as, but not limited
to, by a
triangulation technique between the on-site computer and locate receiver 110.
[00119] In some embodiments, control electronics 112 may also include one or
more
of an electronic compass 160, an inclinometer 170, and one or more
accelerometers 172.
An inclinometer is an instrument for measuring angles of slope (or tilt) or
inclination of
an object with respect to gravity. The inclinometer 170 may be any
commercially
available inclinometer device. In one example, inclinometer 170 may be a
digital device
for sensing the inclination of the locate receiver 110 in which it is
installed (i.e., senses
angle of spray). An accelerometer is a device for measuring acceleration and
gravity-
induced reaction forces. A multi-axis accelerometer is able to detect
magnitude and
direction of the acceleration as a vector quantity. The acceleration
specification may be
in terms of g-force, which is a measurement of an object's acceleration. The
accelerometer 172 may be any commercially available accelerometer device,
including,
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for example, Part No. ADXL330 sold by Analog Devices of Wilmington, MA. In one
example, accelerometer 172 may be used for detecting the rate of movement of
the locate
receiver 110 in which it is installed. Electronic compass 160 may be any
commercially
available electronic compass, including, for example, the OS5000-S sold by
OceanServer
Technology, Inc. of Fall River, MA, the SP3002D sold by SPARTON Corporation of
Brooksville, FL, the PNI-PRIME sold by PNI Sensor Corp. of Santa Rosa, CA, the
Revolution GS sold by True North LLC of Maynard, MA, or the HMR3400 sold by
Honeywell International, Inc. of Morristown, NJ.
[001201 With respect to other input devices of the locate receiver 110 that
may
provide locate information, the control electronics 112 may also include a
timing system
128 having an internal clock (not shown), such as a crystal oscillator device,
for
processor 118. Additionally, timing system 128 may include a mechanism for
registering time with a certain degree of accuracy (e.g., accuracy to the
minute, second,
or millisecond) and may also include a mechanism for registering the calendar
date. In
various implementations, the timing system 128 may be capable of registering
the time
and date using its internal clock, or alternatively timing system 128 may
receive its time
and date information from the location tracking system 130 (e.g., a GPS
system) or from
an external timing system, such as a remote computer or network, via
communication
interface 124. In yet other implementations, a dedicated timing system for
providing
timing information to be logged in an electronic record 135 may be optional,
and timing
information for logging into an electronic record may be obtained from the
location
tracking system 130 (e.g., GPS latitude and longitude coordinates with a
corresponding
time stamp). Timing information may include, but is not limited to, a period
of time,
timestamp information, date, and/or elapsed time.
[001211 As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the locate receiver 110 further includes
detection electronics 131, which provides another example of an input device
that may
provide location information to the processor 118. In exemplary
implementations, the
detection electronics 131 in turn includes an RF antenna 127, a detection
circuit 139, and
a processing circuit 133. Each of these components is explained in greater
detail further
below.
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[001221 In one embodiment, information provided by one or more input devices
of the
locate receiver 110 (e.g., the timing system 128, the location tracking system
130, the
detection electronics 131, the user interface 126, the communication interface
124) is
acquired and logged (stored in memory) upon actuation of the actuation system
120 (e.g.,
triggering an actuator). Some embodiments of the invention may additionally or
alternatively acquire/log information from one or more input devices at one or
more
times during or throughout an actuation, such as when a technician is holding
a
mechanical or electrical actuator for some period of time and moving to detect
a presence
of an underground facility. In various aspects of such embodiments, locate
information
derived from one or more input devices may be collected at a start time of an
actuation,
at one or more times during an actuation, and in some cases at regular
intervals during an
actuation (e.g., several times per second, once per second, once every few
seconds).
Further, some locate information may be collected at an end of an actuation,
such as time
information that may indicate a duration of an actuation.
[001231 Additionally, it should be appreciated that while some locate
information may
be received via one or more input devices at the start of each locate
operation and upon
successive actuations of the locate receiver, in other cases some locate
information, as
well as facilities maps information and/or other image information, may be
collected by
or provided to the locate receiver prior to a locate operation (e.g., on power-
up or reset of
the locate receiver, as part of an electronic instruction or dispatch by a
locate company,
and/or in response to a request/query from a locate technician), and stored in
local
memory 122 for subsequent use by the locate receiver (e.g., display of
information via
the user interface display 146, later incorporation into an electronic record,
etc.). For
example, prior to a given locate operation and one or more actuations of the
locate
receiver, one or more of ticket information, service-related information,
facilities maps
information, and other image information, may have already been received
(e.g., via the
communication interface 124 and/or user interface 126) and stored in local
memory 122.
Pursuant to a locate operation (e.g., immediately before, during and/or after
a locate
operation), information previously received via the interface(s) may be
retrieved from the
local memory (if stored there initially), and displayed and/or entered into an
electronic
record as appropriate, in some case together with information collected
pursuant to one
or more actuations of the locate receiver. In some implementations, ticket
information
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and/or service-related information may be received via the interface(s) and
stored in an
entry in the electronic record 135 "directly" in response to one or more
actuations of the
locate receiver (e.g., without being first stored in local memory).
[00124] In sum, according to embodiments of the present invention, various
locate
information from one or more input devices, as well as facilities map
information and/or
other image information, regardless of how or when it is received, may be
displayed in
various manners and/or stored in memory of the locate receiver (e.g., in an
electronic
record of a locate operation), and in some implementations at least some of
the locate
information may be logged pursuant to one or more actuations of the locate
receiver.
[00125] In various implementations, the optional remoter computer 150 of the
data
acquisition system 100 may be any external computer system with which the
locate
receiver 110 communicates (e.g., via the communications interface 124). In one
embodiment, the remote computer 150 may be a centralized computer, such as a
central
server of an underground facility locate service provider. In another
embodiment,
remote computer 150 may be a computer that is at or near the work site (i.e.,
"on-site"),
e.g., a computer that is present in a locate technician's vehicle. The remote
computer
may also or alternatively store one or more of the locate data algorithm 137,
the map
viewer application 113, one or more facilities maps 166 (e.g., a
library/archive of
facilities maps), and one or more images 168. To this end, in some exemplary
implementations, an example of a remote computer 150 may include an image
server or
a facilities maps server to provide facilities maps/images to the locate
receiver 110.
[00126] Whether resident and/or executed on either the locate receiver 110 or
the
remote computer 150, as noted above the locate data algorithm 137 includes a
set of
processor-executable instructions (e.g., stored in memory, such as local
memory 122 of
the locate receiver) that, when executed by processor 118 of the locate
receiver 110 or
another processor, processes information (e.g., various locate information)
collected in
response to (e.g., during) one or more actuations of the locate receiver 110,
and/or in
some cases before or after a given actuation or series of actuations. Locate
data
algorithm 137, when executed by the processor 118, may cause the processor to
perform
collection, logging/storage (creation of electronic records), and in some
instances further
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processing and analysis of various locate information with respect to locate
receiver
actuations.
[00127] While the functionality of various components of the locate receiver
110 was
discussed above in connection with Figure 4, Figure 5 shows some structural
aspects of
the locate receiver 110 according to one embodiment. For example, the locate
receiver
110 may include an elongated housing 136 in which is disposed one or more
elements of
the actuation system 120, one or more elements of the control electronics 112
and the
power source 114. Elongated housing 136 may be hollow or may contain certain
cavities
or molded compartments for installing any components therein, such as the
various
components of locate receiver 110 that are shown in Figure 4. The elongated
housing
136 and other structural elements associated with the housing, as discussed
below, may
be formed of any rigid, semi-rigid, strong, and lightweight material, such as,
but not
limited to, molded plastic and aluminum.
[00128] Incorporated at a proximal end of elongated housing 136 may be a
handle
138, which provides a convenient grip by which the user (e.g., the locate
technician) may
carry the locate receiver 110 during use (i.e., the exemplary locate receiver
depicted in
Figure 5 is intended to be a hand-held device). In one implementation, the
power source
114 may be provided in the form of a removable battery pack housing one or
more
rechargeable batteries that are connected in series or parallel in order to
provide a DC
voltage to locate receiver 110, and disposed within a compartment in the
handle 138.
Such an arrangement facilitates use of conventional removable/rechargeable
battery
packs often employed in a variety of cordless power tools, in which the
battery pack
similarly is situated in a handle of the tool. It should be appreciated,
however, that the
power source 114 in the form of a battery pack may be disposed in any of a
variety of
locations within or coupled to the elongated housing 136.
[00129] As also shown in Figure 5, mounted near handle 138 is user interface
126,
which may include a display 146. The display 146 may be a touch screen display
to
facilitate interaction with a user/technician, and/or the user interface also
may include
one or more buttons, switches, joysticks, a keyboard, and the like to
facilitate entry of
information by a user/technician. One or more elements of the control
electronics 112
(e.g., the processor 118, memory 122, communication interface 124, and timing
system
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128) also may be located in the proximal end of the elongated housing in the
vicinity of
the user interface 126 and display 146. As with the power source 114, it
should be
appreciated that one or more elements of the control electronics 112 may be
disposed in
any of a variety of locations within or coupled to the elongated housing 136.
[00130] In the embodiment of Figure 5, the location tracking system 130
similarly
may be positioned on the proximal end of the elongated housing 136 to
facilitate
substantially unobstructed exposure to the atmosphere; in particular, as
illustrated in
Figure 5, the location tracking system 130 may be situated on an a ground
plane 133
(providing an electrical ground at least at the antenna frequency of the
location tracking
system, e.g., at approximately 1.5 GHz) that extends from the proximal end of
the
housing 136 and is approximately parallel to the ground, surface or pavement
when the
locate receiver is being normally operated by a technician (so as to reduce
signal
modulation with subtle movements of the locate receiver). As also shown in
Figure 5,
incorporated at the distal end of elongated housing 136 is the detection
electronics 131,
including RF antenna 127
[00131] With respect to the actuation system 120, as shown in Figure 5, the
actuation
system 120 includes an actuator 142, which for example may be a mechanical
mechanism provided at the handle 138 in the form of a trigger that is pulled
by a finger
or hand of an user/technician. In response to the signal/stimulus provided by
the actuator
142, as discussed above the actuation system may provide an actuation signal
121 to the
processor 118 to indicate an actuation. As discussed in further detail below,
pursuant to
the execution by the processor 118 of the locate data algorithm 137, the
actuation signal
121 may be used to cause the logging of information that is provided by one or
more
components of the locate receiver 110 so as to generate an electronic record
of the locate
operation.
[00132] In some embodiments, a user may commence a locate operation with the
locate receiver by inputting various information to the locate receiver,
and/or selecting
various operating options, via the user interface. As a non-limiting example,
the user
may select from various menu options (using the user interface and display as
a menu-
driven GUI), and or manually enter via the user interface, the type of target
object/facility to be located, the address of the locate operation, the ground
type (e.g.,
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grass, pavement, etc.), whether or not a separate transmitter is being used,
the mode of
the locate receiver (e.g., Peak v. Null), whether the locate receiver is being
operated in
landmark mode or not (described further below), or any other information of
interest to a
locate operation.
[00133] In one exemplary implementation, the user may first power on the
locate
receiver and log on, for example by entering a user ID. The user may then
navigate
through a menu on a touch screen of the user interface to select the target
object to be
located, for example selecting from among a list of options (e.g., including
facility types
such as gas, sewer, cable, and phone, etc.). Similarly, the user may then
navigate
through a menu to select the ground type in the area of the locate operation
(e.g.,
selecting from a list of options including grass, pavement, dirt, etc.). The
user may then
similarly select or input the frequency of any applied signal provided by a
transmitter, for
example using a keypad of the user interface or a menu-driven GUI. It should
be
provided that these examples of user actions are non-limiting, and furthermore
that in
some embodiments one or more of the pieces of information listed may be
detected
automatically and not be input/selected by the user.
[00134] Once the target object/facility type and any other relevant or desired
information is input and/or selected by the technician, and the applied signal
from the
transmitter is coupled to the target object, the locate receiver may be used
in a variety of
manners by the technician for a locate operation, in which the technician
generally
positions (e.g., sweeps) the locate receiver over an area in which they expect
to detect an
underground facility. More specifically, the technician positions the locate
receiver such
that the RF antenna 127 (which may include more than one antenna, as described
further
below) may receive/detect a magnetic field emitted by the target object (see
underground
facility 1515 in Figure 1 A).
[00135] In some embodiments, the locate receiver 110 is capable of operating
in a null
mode (e.g., capable of detecting a null signal when positioned over an object
(e.g.,
facility) emitting a magnetic field), such that RF antenna 127 may comprise a
null
detection antenna. Alternatively, the locate receiver 110 is capable of
operating in a peak
detection mode (e.g., capable of detecting a peak signal when over an object
(e.g.,
facility) emitting a magnetic field), and the RF antenna 127 comprises two
peak
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detection antennae, which may be positioned substantially parallel to each
other but at
different positions within the locate receiver (e.g., at different heights).
In some
embodiments, the locate receiver 110 is capable of operating in both peak
detection and
null detection modes, and the RF antenna 127 may comprise three antennae,
e.g., one
null detection antenna and two peak detection antennae. However, RF antenna
127 may
comprise any other number, type, and orientation of antennae, as the locate
receivers
described herein are not limited in these respects.
[001361 The RF antenna 127 may be coupled to the detection circuit 139 such
that the
signal(s) received/detected by the RF antenna 127 may be provided to the
detection
circuit 139 as an output signal of the RF antenna. The output signal of the RF
antenna
may be any frequency detectable by the antenna, and in some embodiments may be
between approximately 512 Hz and 1 MHz, although these non-limiting
frequencies are
provided primarily for purposes of illustration. As mentioned, the output
signal of the
RF antenna 127, which in some embodiments is an analog signal, may be provided
to
detection circuit 139, which may perform various functions. For example, the
detection
circuit 139 may perform various "front-end" operations on the output signal of
RF
antenna 127, such as filtering, buffering, frequency shifting or modulation,
and/or pre-
amplifying the output signal. Furthermore, the detection circuit 139 may
perform
additional functions, such as amplifying and/or digitizing the output signal
provided by
RF antenna 127. It should be appreciated, however, that the types of functions
described
as being performed by detection circuit 139 are non-limiting examples, and
that other
functions may additionally or alternatively be performed.
[001371 After detection circuit 139 has operated on the signal from RF antenna
127
(e.g., by filtering, buffering, amplifying, and/or digitizing, among other
possible
operations), it may provide a signal to processing circuit 133. The processing
circuit 133
may process the signal(s) provided by detection circuit 139 in any suitable
manner to
determine any information of interest. For example, according to one
embodiment, the
processing circuit 133 may process the signal(s) from detection circuit 139 to
determine
a magnetic field strength of a magnetic field detected by RF antenna 127. The
processing circuit 133 may process the signal(s) from detection circuit 139 to
determine
an amplitude and/or direction of the electrical current creating the magnetic
field(s)
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detected by RF antenna 127. Processing circuit 133 may perform operations to
calculate,
for example, the depth and location of the target facility based on the
electromagnetic
fields detected by RF antenna 127. Processing circuit 133 may be an analog
circuit or a
digital microprocessor, or any other suitable processing component for
performing one
or more of the operations described above, or any other operations of interest
with
respect to signals detected by RF antenna 127. Also, it should be appreciated
that
processing circuit 133 and processor 118 may be a single processor in some
embodiments, as the illustration of them as distinct in Figure 4 is only one
non-limiting
example.
[00138] According to various embodiments, the manner in which locate
information
derived from one or more exemplary input devices is logged to local memory 122
may
depend at least in part on the type of data being logged, as the operation of
locate
receiver 110 is not limited in this respect.
[00139] For example, data from timing system 128 and/or location tracking
system
130 may be automatically logged continuously (e.g., in the form of streaming
packets
with flag fields, as described below, or in any other continuous form) or
periodically to
the local memory 122, may be logged in response to one or more types of events
(e.g.,
may be logged automatically when a particular event occurs), and/or may be
logged at
any suitable times. In particular, in one implementation, logging may occur at
periodic
intervals during performance of a locate operation, such as every second,
every five
seconds, every minute, or at any other suitable time interval. According to
another
embodiment, timing information and/or geographic information from timing
system 128
and location tracking system 130, respectively, may be logged in response to
particular
types of events, such as detecting an underground facility or detecting the
absence of an
underground facility. Such events may be identified by signals output by
processing
circuit 133 to processor 118. As a non-limiting example, timing information
and/or
geographic information may be logged when a characteristic (e.g., magnetic
field
strength) of a signal detected by RF antenna 127 is greater than a particular
threshold
value, which may be indicated by a signal output from processing circuit 133
to
processor 118, and which occurrence may be indicative of the presence of an
underground facility. Similarly, in some embodiments, timing information
and/or
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geographic information may be logged when a signal detected by RF antenna 127
has a
magnitude above a first threshold and the gain of the locate receiver 110 is
above a
second threshold. It should be appreciated that various combinations of
detected signals
detected by locate receiver 110 may be used to trigger logging of information
(e.g.,
timing information and/or geographic information) to local memory. It should
also be
appreciated that any information available from the location tracking system
130 (e.g.,
any information available in various NMEA data messages, such as coordinated
universal time, date, latitude, north/south indicator, longitude, east/west
indicator,
number and identification of satellites used in the position solution, number
and
identification of GPS satellites in view and their elevation, azimuth and SNR
values,
dilution of precision values) may be included in geographic information
constituting all
or a portion of logged locate information.
[001401 In some embodiments, information (e.g., timing information and/or
geographic information) may be logged in response to detection of a pattern of
events, or
deviation from a pattern of events. For example, a pattern of magnetic field
strength
magnitudes (e.g., a relatively constant magnetic field strength for a given
time, an
increasing magnetic field strength, a decreasing magnetic field strength,
etc.) may be
detected by the locate receiver, which may trigger logging of timing
information and/or
geographic information. Deviation from a pattern, such as a historical pattern
or
expected pattern may also trigger logging of information. For example, a
user's
historical use patterns of a locate receiver may be compared to information
collected
about the use of the locate receiver during a given job, and if a deviation is
detected then
logging of timing and/or geographic information may be triggered. The patterns
or
deviations from patterns may relate to patterns in magnetic field strength,
magnetic field
frequency, signal gain, user operation, any other information described
herein, or any
combination of such information.
[001411 In some embodiments, alternatively or in addition to "automatic"
logging of
locate information based on some condition or event, a user of the locate
receiver 110
may "manually" trigger logging of timing information, geographic information,
and/or
any other data associated with a locate operation or locate receiver (locate
information),
for example by manipulating a control (e.g., button, knob, joystick) of the
user interface
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126 or, as discussed above, by actuating an actuator 142 integrated or
otherwise
associated with the locate receiver (as shown in Figure 5), which may be part
of the
actuation system 120 and which may cause a signal 121 to be sent to the
processor 118 to
initiate logging of locate information. For example, according to some
embodiments a
user may initiate the locate receiver 110 taking a depth measurement by
depressing a
pushbutton of the user interface 126, or pulling/squeezing the actuator 142,
which may
also trigger the logging of timing information and/or geographic information
from timing
system 128 and location tracking system 130. The depth measurement data, time
data,
and/or location data may then be logged in an electronic record 135 in local
memory
122.
[00142] It should be appreciated that while the foregoing discussion focuses
on
logging locate information to local memory 122, the locate information may
also, or
alternatively, be transmitted to remote computer 150 via communication
interface 124.
As with logging locate information to local memory 122, the transmission of
locate
information to remote computer 150 may be performed continuously, periodically
in
response to one or more types of events, in response to user input or
actuation of an
actuator, or in any other suitable manner.
[00143] In yet other embodiments, the locate receiver 110 may be configured
(e.g.,
via particular instructions executing on the processor 118) to operate in
multiple different
modes to collect various information relating not only to a locate operation
(locate
information), but additionally or alternatively various information relating
to the work
site/dig areas in which the locate operation is performed. For example, in one
implementation, the locate receiver may be configured to operate in a first
"locate mode"
which essentially follows various aspects of the operation of the locate
receiver 110
described herein, and also may be configured to operate in a second "landmark
identification mode." When switched into the landmark mode, the locate
receiver may
stop detecting a magnetic field, e.g., the RF antenna of the locate receiver
may be
temporarily disabled in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the locate
receiver
may continue to operate and the landmark mode may represent additional
functionality
added to the locate receiver functionality.
[001441 H. Facilities Maps
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[00145] As noted above and discussed in further detail below, various
embodiments
of the present invention relate to accessing and displaying facilities map
information. A
facilities map is any physical, electronic, or other representation of the
geographic
location, type, number, and/or other attributes of a facility or facilities.
Facilities maps
may be supplied by various facility owners and may indicate the geographic
location of
the facility lines (e.g., pipes, cables, and the like) owned and/or operated
by the facility
owner. For example, facilities maps may be supplied by the owner of the gas
facilities,
power facilities, telecommunications facilities, water and sewer facilities,
and so on.
[00146] As indicated above, facilities maps may be provided in any of a
variety of
different formats. As facilities maps often are provided by facility owners of
a given
type of facility, typically a set of facilities maps includes a group of maps
covering a
particular geographic region and directed to showing a particular type of
facility
disposed/deployed throughout the geographic region. One facilities map of such
a set of
maps is sometimes referred to in the relevant arts as a "plat."
[00147] Perhaps the simplest form of facilities maps is a set of paper maps
that cover
a particular geographic region. In addition, some facilities maps may be
provided in
electronic form. An electronic facilities map may in some instances simply be
an
electronic conversion (i.e., a scan) of a paper facilities map that includes
no other
information (e.g., electronic information) describing the content of the map,
other than
what is printed on the paper maps.
[00148] Alternatively, however, more sophisticated facilities maps also are
available
which include a variety of electronic information, including geographic
information and
other detailed information, regarding the contents of various features
included in the
maps. In particular, facilities maps may be formatted as geographic
information system
(GIS) map data, in which map features (e.g., facility lines and other
features) are
represented as shapes and/or lines, and the metadata that describes the
geographic
locations and types of map features is associated with the map features. In
some
examples, a GIS map data may indicate a facility line using a straight line
(or series of
straight lines), and may include some symbol or other annotation (e.g., a
diamond shape)
at each endpoint of the line to indicate where the line begins and terminates.
From the
foregoing, it should be appreciated that in some instances in which the geo-
locations of
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two termination or end-points of a given facility line may be provided by the
map, the
geo-location of any point on the facility line may be determined from these
two end-
points.
[00149] Examples of a wide variety of environmental landmarks and other
features
that may be represented in GIS facilities map data include, but are not
limited to:
landmarks relating to facilities such as pedestal boxes, utility poles, fire
hydrants,
manhole covers and the like; one or more architectural elements (e.g.,
buildings); and/or
one or more traffic infrastructure elements (e.g., streets, intersections,
curbs, ramps,
bridges, tunnels, etc.). GIS facilities map data may also include various
shapes or
symbols indicating different environmental landmarks relating to facilities,
architectural
elements, and/or traffic infrastructure elements.
[00150] Examples of information provided by metadata include, but are not
limited to,
information about the geo-location of various points along a given line, the
termination
points of a given line (e.g., the diamond shapes indicating the start and end
of the line),
the type of facility line (e.g., facility type and whether the line is a
service line or main),
geo-location of various shapes and/or symbols for other features represented
in the map
(environmental landmarks relating to facilities, architectural elements,
and/or traffic
infrastructure elements), and type information relating to shapes and/or
symbols for such
other features.
[00151] The GIS map data and metadata may be stored in any of a variety of
ways.
For example, in some embodiments, the GIS map data and metadata may be
organized
into files, where each file includes the map data and metadata for a
particular geographic
region. In other embodiments, the GIS map data and metadata may be stored in
database
and may be indexed in the database by the geographical region to which the map
data
and metadata corresponds.
[00152] Facilities maps may include additional information that may be useful
to
facilitate a locate and/or marking operation. For example, various information
that may
be included in a legend of the facilities map, or otherwise associated with
the facilities
map (e.g., included in the metadata or otherwise represented on the map), may
include,
but is not limited to, a date of the facilities map (e.g., when the map was
first
generated/created, and/or additional dates corresponding to
updates/revisions), a number
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of revisions to the facilities map (e.g., revision number, which may in some
instances be
associated with a date), one or more identifiers for a source, creator, owner
and/or
custodian of the facilities map (e.g., the owner of the facility type
represented in the map),
various text information (e.g., annotations to update one or more aspects or
elements of
the map), and any other legend information that may be included or represented
in the
map.
1001531 For facilities maps in electronic form, a variety of digital formats
of facilities
maps may be used including, but not limited to, a vector image format that is
the typical
output format of computer-aided design (CAD) tools. In one example, some
facilities
maps may be in a DWG ("drawing") format, which is a format that used for
storing two
and three dimensional design data and metadata, and is a native used by
several CAD
packages including AutoCAD, Intellicad, and PowerCAD. However, those skilled
in the
art will recognize that facilities maps may be in any of several vector and/or
raster image
formats, such as, but not limited to, DWG, DWF, DGN, PDF, TIFF, MFI, PMF, and
JPG.
[001541 As noted above, in some instances in which facilities maps are in a
vector
image format, a certain line on the facilities map may be represented by a
starting point
geo-location, an ending point geo-location, and metadata about the line (e.g.,
type of line,
depth of line, width of line, distance of line from a reference point (i.e.,
tie-down),
overhead, underground, line specifications, etc.). According to one embodiment
of the
present invention as discussed in greater detail below, to facilitate display
of facilities
map information relating to multiple different types of facilities, each
vector image may
be assembled in layers, in which respective layers correspond, for example, to
different
types of facilities (e.g., gas, water, electric, telecommunications, etc.). In
one aspect of
such an embodiment, each layer is, for example, a set of vector images that
are grouped
together in order to render the representation of the certain type of
facility.
[001551 Figure 6 shows an example of a visual representation of a portion of
an
electronic facilities map 600. In this example, facilities map 600 is a
telecommunications facilities map that is supplied by a telecommunications
company.
Facilities map 600 shows telecommunications facilities in relation to certain
landmarks,
such as streets and roads, using lines and shapes. As discussed above, the
electronic
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facilities map may include metadata indicating what various lines, symbols
and/or shapes
represent, and indicating the geo-location of these lines, symbols and/or
shapes. With
respect to exemplary environmental landmarks and other features, facilities
map 600 may
include both visual information (graphics and text) and metadata relating to
utility poles
602, manhole 604, streets 606, and any of a variety of other landmarks and
features that
may fall within the geographic area covered by the facilities map 600.
[00156] III Other Types of Image Information
[00157] As also noted above and discussed in further detail below, various
embodiments of the present invention relate to accessing and displaying not
only
facilities map information but other types of image information as well and,
as with
facilities map information, different images can be selected for viewing on a
locate
device (e.g., the locate receiver 110) at different times, according to
various criteria. In
some exemplary implementations, an "input image" may be stored in local memory
122
of the locate receiver and/or retrieved from the optional remote computer 150
(e.g., via
the communication interface 124) and then stored in local memory, accessed,
and various
information may be derived therefrom for display (e.g., all or a portion of
the input
image, metadata associated with the input image, etc.).
[00158] For purposes of the present application, an input image is any image
represented by source data that is electronically processed (e.g., the source
data is in a
computer-readable format) to display the image on a display device. An input
image
may include any of a variety of paper/tangible image sources that are scanned
(e.g., via
an electronic scanner) or otherwise converted so as to create source data
(e.g., in various
formats such as XML, PDF, JPG, BMP, etc.) that can be processed to display the
input
image, including scans of paper facilities maps. An input image also may
include an
image that originates as source data or an electronic file without necessarily
having a
corresponding paper/tangible copy of the image (e.g., an image of a "real-
world" scene
acquired by a digital still frame or video camera or other image acquisition
device, in
which the source data, at least in part, represents pixel information from the
image
acquisition device).
[00159] In some exemplary implementations, input images may be created,
provided,
and/or processed by a geographic information system (GIS) that captures,
stores,
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analyzes, manages and presents data referring to (or linked to) location, such
that the
source data representing the input image includes pixel information from an
image
acquisition device (corresponding to an acquired "real world" scene or
representation
thereof), and/or spatial/geographic information ("geo-encoded information").
[001601 In view of the foregoing, various examples of input images and source
data
representing input images, to which the inventive concepts disclosed herein
may be
applied, include but are not limited to:
= Manual "free-hand" paper sketches of the geographic area (which may
include one or more buildings, natural or man-made landmarks, property
boundaries, streets/intersections, public works or facilities such as street
lighting, signage, fire hydrants, mail boxes, parking meters, etc.);
= Various maps indicating surface features and/or extents of geographical
areas, such as street/road maps, topographical maps, military maps, parcel
maps, tax maps, town and county planning maps, call-center and/or facility
polygon maps, virtual maps, etc. (such maps may or may not include geo-
encoded information);
= Architectural, construction and/or engineering drawings and virtual
renditions of a space/geographic area (including "as built" or post-
construction drawings);
= Land surveys, i.e., plots produced at ground level using references to known
points such as the center line of a street to plot the metes and bounds and
related location data regarding a building, parcel, utility, roadway, or other
object or installation;
= A grid (a pattern of horizontal and vertical lines used as a reference) to
provide representational geographic information (which may be used "as is"
for an input image or as an overlay for an acquired "real world" scene,
drawing, map, etc.);
= "Bare" data representing geo-encoded information (geographical data points)
and not necessarily derived from an acquired/captured real-world scene (e.g.,
not pixel information from a digital camera or other digital image acquisition
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device). Such "bare" data may be nonetheless used to construct a displayed
input image, and may be in any of a variety of computer-readable formats,
including XML); and
= Photographic renderings/images, including street level, topographical,
satellite, and aerial photographic renderings/images, any of which may be
updated periodically to capture changes in a given geographic area over time
(e.g., seasonal changes such as foliage density, which may variably impact
the ability to see some aspects of the image).
[001611 It should also be appreciated that source data representing an input
image
may be compiled from multiple data/information sources; for example, any two
or more
of the examples provided above for input images and source data representing
input
images, or any two or more other data sources, can provide information that
can be
combined or integrated to form source data that is electronically processed to
display an
image on a display device.
[001621 Various examples of input images as discussed above are provided in
Figures
7-12. For example, Fig. 7 shows a sketch 1000, representing an exemplary input
image;
Fig. 8 shows a map 1100, representing an exemplary input image; Fig. 9 shows a
construction/engineering drawing 1300, representing an exemplary input image;
Fig. 10
shows a land survey map 1400, representing an exemplary input image; Fig. 11
shows a
grid 1500, overlaid on the construction/engineering drawing 1300 of Fig. 9,
representing
an exemplary input image; and Fig. 12 shows a street level image 1600,
representing an
exemplary input image.
[00163] IV. Displaying Facilities Map Information and/or Other Image
Information
On A Locate Device
[001641 In some embodiments, locate receiver 110 may display various
information
relating to one or more facilities maps or one or more input images on display
146. For
example, processor(s) 118 may access facilities map data (e.g., from a file or
a database)
stored in local memory 122 or may retrieve facilities map data stored on
remote
computer 150 and may display on display 146 facilities maps based on the
facilities map
data.
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[00165] In some embodiments, processor 118 may execute a map viewer
application
113 for displaying facilities maps and/or input images. The map viewer
application 113
may be a custom application or any conventional viewer application that is
capable of
reading in electronic facilities maps data or other input images, and
rendering all or a
portion of the electronic facilities maps data/input images to an image that
can be viewed
on display 146. Examples of conventional map viewer applications suitable for
purposes
of some embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to,
the
Bentley viewer application from Bentley Systems, Inc. (Exton, PA) and the
ArcGIS
viewer application from Environmental Systems Research Institute (Redlands,
CA).
While the discussion below initially focuses on the display of facilities map
information
for purposes of illustrating some of the inventive concepts disclosed herein,
it should be
appreciated that the various concepts discussed below apply generally to the
display of
other types of image information as well.
[00166] Processor 118 may select a map to be displayed on display 146 in any
of
variety of ways. In some embodiments, a technician using the locate receiver
may
manually select a map to be displayed. For example, the technician may access
a list of
facilities maps available in local memory 122 and/or stored on remote computer
using
user interface 126 (e.g., via a menu-driven graphics user interface on the
user interface
126) and may select a desired map from the list. In response, processor 118
may access
the corresponding map data and render an image of the map or a portion of the
map on
display 146 (e.g., using the map viewer application 113). The technician may
then also
adjust the particular portion of the map that is displayed on display 146 by
using user
interface 146 to pan or scroll to the desired portion of the map, and may
additionally
select the desired zoom level at which the portion of the map is displayed.
[00167] In some embodiments, processor 118, in addition to or instead of
providing
the capability for a user/technician to manually select facilities map
information to be
displayed on display 146, may also automatically select a facilities map and
display all or
a portion of the selected facilities map on display 146. A variety of
techniques may be
used to automatically select a facilities map to be displayed on display 146,
as well as a
default pan and/or zoom for the selected map, and the invention is not limited
to any
particular technique.
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[00168] In some embodiments, a facilities map may be automatically selected
for
display based, at least in part, on the type of facility being detected by the
locate receiver
and/or the current location of the locate receiver (e.g., obtained from the
location
tracking system).
[00169] For example, in some embodiments, processor 118 may determine the type
of
facility being detected by the locate receiver (e.g., using ticket information
provided via
the communications interface 124, or information provided by a technician via
the user
interface 126) and select a facilities map based on that facility type.
Additionally, in
some implementations, the locate receive may be in communication with a
marking
device that provides marking information to the locate receiver, including
information
regarding the type of facility being marked. Examples of communicatively
coupled
locate receivers and marking devices are discussed in U.S. non-provisional
application
serial no. 12/571,397, filed September 30, 2009 under attorney docket no.
D0687.70055US00, entitled "Systems and Methods for Generating Electronic
Records of
Locate and Marking Operations," which application is incorporated herein by
reference.
As discussed in this application, a marking material detection mechanism of a
marking
device may determine the type of facility being marked by determining the
color of the
marking material loaded into and/or being dispensed by the marking device.
Because
each marking material color corresponds to a particular type of facility, the
color of the
marking material may be used to select a facilities map. Table 1 shows an
example of the
correspondence of marking material color to the type of facility to be marked.
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Table 1 Correspondence of color to facility type
Marking Facility Type
material color
Red Electric power lines, cables or conduits, and lighting cables
Yellow Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other hazardous liquid or gaseous
materials
Orange Communications, cable TV, alarm or signal lines, cables, or conduits
Blue Water, irrigation, and slurry lines
Green Sewers, storm sewer facilities, or other drain lines
White Proposed excavation
Pink Temporary survey markings
Purple Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
Black Mark-out for errant lines
[00170] Thus, for example, if processor 118 receives a communication from a
marking device, in which the marking device has determined from marking
material
detection mechanism that the color of the marking material loaded into and/or
being
dispensed by the marking device is red, then electric power lines may be
determined as
the type of facility being marked. As another example, if processor 118
determines from
a communication from a marking device that the color of the marking material
loaded
into and/or being dispensed by the marking device is yellow, then gas lines
may be
determined as the type of facility being marked.
[00171] In other implementations, the processor 118 may prompt, via user
interface
126, the technician using the locate receiver to manually input the type of
facility being
marked, and may accept the technician's input as the type of facility being
marked. In
yet another embodiment, facility type information may be derived from the
ticket
information, which typically includes one or more member codes representing
facility
owners of different types of facilities. Available ticket information may be
parsed to
determine relevant facility types based on one or more member codes present in
the
ticket information (e.g., the locate receiver, via the communications
interface, may
receive information from another source in which tickets have been parsed to
provide
facility type information; alternatively, tickets themselves may be received
via the
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communication interface, and the processor 118 may be configured to parse
tickets to
obtain facility type information). Accordingly, in some implementations, one
or more
appropriate facilities maps may be selected, before the locate operation,
based on facility
type information derived from the ticket information.
[001721 In some embodiments, once the type of facility being located has been
determined, processor 118 may select a facilities map, or facilities map data,
to render a
display on display 146 by determining the current geo-location of the locate
receiver and
selecting a facilities map or facilities map data corresponding to the
facility type being
located based on the current location of the locate receiver. Processor 118
may
determine the current geo-location of the locate receiver from location
tracking system
130 and may select a facilities map or facilities map data for the type of
facility being
detected that includes the current geo-location. For example, if the current
location of
the locate receiver is 2650.9348,N,08003.5057,W, and the type of facility is
electric
power lines, processor 118 may access facilities map data that covers an area
including
2650.9348,N,08003.5057,W and includes data indicating the location of electric
power
lines in this area, and may render a map image on display 146 showing the area
and
location of the electric power lines in that area.
[001731 Other techniques for automatically selecting a facilities map or
facilities map
data to render a displayed image may be used. For example, in some
embodiments,
processor 118 may select a facilities map or facilities map data to be
displayed using
information from the ticket for a particular locate operation. For example, an
address
from the ticket may be used to select facilities map data that covers the
geographic area
in which the address is located. In some embodiments, one or more member codes
from
the ticket may be used to determine a facility type that is to be marked and
automatically
select the appropriate facilities map data for that facility type. For
example, if a ticket
includes a member code for the gas company, processor 118 may automatically
select
gas facilities map data. In some situations, a ticket may include multiple
member codes
corresponding to different utility types. In such situations, standard
operating procedure
may be used to determine which facilities map to automatically select first.
For example,
a ticket may include member codes for the gas company and the electric
company.
Standard operating procedure may be specify that gas is to be marked before
electric and,
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as such, processor 118 may automatically select the gas facilities map data to
be
displayed first and, once the gas locate and marking operation is complete,
may
automatically select the electric facilities map to be displayed next.
[00174] In some embodiments, information about the entity that requested that
the
locate operation be performed may be used in automatically selecting
facilities map data.
For example, if the electric company requested that the locate operation be
performed,
processor 118 may automatically select the electric facilities map data to be
visually
rendered and displayed.
[00175] In addition, in some embodiments, facilities map data may be selected
based
on a virtual white line (VWL) image that includes markings imposed on an image
that
delimit an area in which excavation is planned. Thus, for example, processor
118 may
select facilities map data that includes the area indicated by the markings.
[00176] In some embodiments, once facilities map data has been automatically
selected, a portion of the facilities map or facilities map data to render an
image on
display 146 may be identified. That is, the facilities map data that has been
automatically
selected may cover an area significantly larger than the work site/dig area at
which a
locate and/or marking operation is being conducted, and thus only a portion of
the
selected map data needs to be displayed on display 146. Accordingly, in some
embodiments, the map viewer application 113 executing on processor 118 may
display
only a portion of the facilities map data on display 146. The portion of the
facilities map
to be displayed may be selected in a variety of ways. For example, in some
embodiments, a technician may have the ability to manually select the portion
of a
facilities map that is desired to be displayed on display 146. As an example,
once a
particular facilities map has been automatically selected, the facilities map
may be
displayed on display 146 at a default zoom level, centered at the current geo-
location of
the locate receiver. If the technician desires to a view a different portion
of the map or
adjust the zoom level, the technician may pan or scroll to a different part of
the map and
adjust the zoom level using the controls of user interface 126.
[00177] In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of providing a
technician with
the capability to manually select a portion of a facilities map data to be
displayed,
processor 118, may automatically select a portion of the facilities map data
to be
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displayed. For example, in some embodiments, processor 118 may select a
portion of
the selected facilities map data to be displayed based on one or more aspects
of the ticket
information pursuant to which the locate and/or marking operation is being
performed.
In particular, as noted above, the ticket information generally includes some
description
of the work site/dig area (in which excavation, digging or otherwise
disturbing the
ground is anticipated). While conventionally such information about the work
site/dig
area may be included as text comments in the ticket information, in some
instances the
ticket information may include a digital image (e.g., an aerial image) of a
geographic
area surrounding/proximate to the work site, on which are placed (e.g., via an
electronic
drawing tool) one or more dig area indicators to indicate or delimit a dig
area. These
marked-up digital images may be saved together with metadata pertaining to
various
information in the images.
[001781 An example of a drawing application that may be used to create such
marked-
up images including dig area indicators is described in U.S. Patent
Application Serial No.
12/366,853 filed February 6, 2009, entitled "Virtual white lines for
delimiting planned
excavation sites;" U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/475,905 filed June 1,
2009,
entitled "Virtual white lines for delimiting planned excavation sites of
staged excavation
projects;" U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/422,364 filed April 13, 2009,
entitled
"Virtual white lines (VWL) application for indicating a planned excavation or
locate
path." Each of these patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference
herein in its
entirety.
1001791 In one example, the dig area indicators in a marked-up image may
include
two-dimensional (2D) drawing shapes, shades, points, symbols, coordinates,
data sets, or
other indicators to indicate on a digital image the dig area in which
excavation is to occur.
To generate the electronic image having dig area indicators, an image (e.g.,
an aerial
image) of the work site may be sent to an excavator via a network, the
excavator may use
a computing device executing the drawing application to create a marked-up
image by
marking up the image to include one or more dig area indicators precisely
delimiting one
or more dig areas within the work site and, in response, the marked-up image
may be
received from the excavator via the network.
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[00180] As noted above, a marked-up image may include metadata corresponding
to
any markings or content in the image; in particular, geographic information
including
geographic coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude values) for any dig area
indicators on
the marked-up image may accompany or be included in an image file as metadata,
and
these geographic coordinates may be employed in a variety of manners to select
a portion
of the facilities map data to be displayed on display 146.
[00181] For example, in some embodiments, the portion of the facilities map
data to
be displayed may be selected to include all or a portion of the dig area as
indicated on the
marked-up image. In particular, in one exemplary implementation, geographic
coordinates associated with a single dig area indicator may be used to select
facilities
map contents that relates only to a geographic area including the geographic
coordinates
for the dig area indicator, or contents that falls within a predetermined
radius of the
geographic coordinates for the dig area indicator or a polygon-shaped buffer
zone around
the geographic coordinates for the dig area indicator. In yet another example,
geographic
coordinates associated with multiple dig area indicators that delimit a
specific dig are
may be used to select only contents of the facilities map that corresponds to
the delimited
dig area. In yet another embodiment, the contents of the facilities map that
corresponds
to the delimited dig area may be displayed with a "buffer frame" around the
delimited
dig area (e.g., to provide some margins for the viewed subject matter).
Accordingly, it
should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the dig area indicator
coordinates may
identify a plurality of points along a perimeter of the delimited dig area,
and these
coordinates may be used to select specific geographic information from the
facilities
maps (e.g., filter out geographic information outside of the delimited dig
area). In other
embodiments, the dig area indicator coordinates may identify a single point,
in which
case the coordinates may be used to select particular information based at
least in part on
the coordinates for the single point.
[00182] In some embodiments, the map viewer application 113 executing on
processor 118 may automatically select an orientation of the map or portion of
the map
that is displayed on display 146 based on the direction in which a technician
of the locate
receiver is moving. In some conventional techniques for displaying map
information, a
displayed map generally is oriented so that north is at the top of the display
and south is
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at the bottom of the display. However, the inventors have appreciated that
when
displaying a facilities map or portion thereof on a locate receiver during a
locate and/or
marking operation, orienting the map such that the direction in which the
technician is
moving is at the top of the map may aid the technician in identifying the
location of
underground facilities relative to his or her current position. Thus, for
example, if the
technician is walking north, then the map viewer application may display the
selected
portion of the map such that north is at the top of the screen. If the
technician turns left
and is walking west, then the map viewer application may re-orient the
selected portion
of the map such that west is at the top of the screen. In this manner, the map
viewer
application 113 executing on processor 118 may update the portion and/or the
orientation
of the facilities map that is being displayed on display 146 in essentially
real-time (e.g.,
update one or more of pan, zoon, and orientation as the technician moves from
one place
to another during the operation).
[001831 The map viewer application 113 may determine the direction in which a
technician is walking using any of a variety of techniques. For example, in
some
embodiments, processor 118 may monitor the current geo-location of the locate
receiver
as indicated by location tracking system 130, determine the direction in which
the locate
receiver is moving based on changes in the geo-location, and provide this
direction to the
map viewer application. For example, in some embodiments processor 118 may
determine the direction in which the locate receiver is moving by obtaining
the current
heading from the electronic compass.
[001841 In some embodiments, as noted above, the locate receiver 110 may
include
other devices that may be used to determine the direction in which the locate
receiver is
moving, such as a compass, an accelerometer, and/or an inclinometer. Thus, in
some
embodiments, processor 118 may use these devices instead of or in addition to
location
tracking system 130 to determine the direction in which the locate receiver is
moving.
For example, in some embodiments, the compass may be used to determine a
heading in
which the locate receiver is moving. In other embodiments, the accelerometer
and/or
inclinometer may be used to determine the direction in which the locate
receiver is
moving.
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[00185] To demonstrate the concept of automatically orienting and positioning
a
portion of a facilities map based on technician/device movement and heading,
Figure 13
illustrates an example of a video frame sequence 400 that may be displayed on
display
146 of locate receiver 110 as a technician moves the locate receiver to
different geo-
locations during a locate and/or marking operation. To illustrate video frame
sequence
400, Figure 13 shows an example facilities map 410, which is the facilities
map to be
displayed on display 146. Facilities map 410 shows, for example, an
intersection 412 of
Roosevelt Avenue, which runs east and west, and Walnut Street, which runs
north and
south. Installed along Roosevelt Avenue and/or Walnut Street is a first
underground
facility 414 and a second underground facility 416. By way of example, video
frame
sequence 400 shows a frame sequence that is presented on display 146 (e.g., by
the map
viewer application 113) to the technician while in the process of locating
and/or marking
the first underground facility 414. Each frame of video frame sequence 400
represents a
segment of facilities map 410 that is being displayed.
[00186] Referring to Figure 13, as the locate technician moves in a northerly
direction
along Walnut Street, frame 1 of video frame sequence 400 that is displayed on
display
146 shows underground facility 414 at the south end of Walnut Street with
respect to
facilities map 410. Additionally, frame 1 is oriented on display 146 with a
north
heading.
[00187] As the locate technician continues to move in a northerly direction
along
Walnut Street, frame 2 of video frame sequence 400 that is displayed on
display 146
shows underground facility 414 while approaching intersection 412 of
facilities map 410.
Additionally, frame 2 is still oriented on display 146 with a north heading.
[00188] As the locate technician continues to move in a northerly direction
through
intersection 412, frame 3 of video frame sequence 400 that is displayed on
display 146
shows underground facility 414 at intersection 412. Additionally, frame 3 is
still
oriented on display 114 with a north heading.
[00189] As the locate technician changes direction and moves in a westerly
direction
along Roosevelt Avenue, frame 4 of video frame sequence 400 that is displayed
on
display 146 shows underground facility 414 while exiting intersection 412
along
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Roosevelt Avenue. Additionally, frame 4 the orientation of facilities map 410
on display
146 has been updated from a north heading to a west heading.
[00190] As the locate technician continues to move in a westerly direction
along
Roosevelt Avenue, frame 5 of video frame sequence 400 that is displayed on
display 146
shows underground facility 414 at the west end of Roosevelt Avenue with
respect to
facilities map 410. Additionally, frame 5 is still oriented on display 146
with a west
heading.
[00191] The inventors have appreciated that, in some situations where the
locate
technician is moving in a particular direction, the locate technician may
reach a location
that is at the end of a the portion of the map that is currently being
displayed, such that if
the technician were to continue to move along a vector that includes a
component in that
direction, his or her location will no longer be a location on the portion of
the map that is
currently being displayed, but rather may be a location that is in a different
map portion.
[00192] Thus, in some embodiments, when a location technician moves from a
location that is on the map portion currently being displayed to a location
that is not on
the map portion that is currently being displayed, processor 118 may determine
that the
technician has moved off the map portion that is currently being displayed.
Processor
118 may then identify and select additional map data (e.g., stored in the
local memory
122 of the locate receiver, or retrieved from a library/archive stored on
remote computer
150) that includes the location to which the technician has moved and cause
the map
viewer application 113 to display this other map, in a manner similar to that
discussed
above in connection with appropriate selection of maps/images for display.
[00193] In addition, in some embodiments, it may be desired to display a map
such
that the current location of the technician is roughly centered on the
display. In this way,
as the technician moves, the portion of the map that is displayed is adjusted
so that the
geographic location of technician on the map is displayed roughly in the
center of the
display. In such embodiments, the technician may be at a geographic location
that is
near or at the end of the currently displayed map portion. Thus, if the
current location of
the technician were to be displayed at roughly the center of the display, then
a portion of
the display may be left blank because the map data that belongs in that
portion of the
display is not in the map currently being displayed. Thus, in some
embodiments, to
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address this issue, processor 118 may determine when the technician is at a
location that
warrants additional map data to be displayed on the display at the same time,
determine
which additional map data includes the desired data, stitch together a map
image using
the additional map data, and cause this "stitched together" image to be
displayed on the
display.
[00194] While the concepts described immediately above (e.g., updating pan,
zoom
and or orientation of displayed content based on technician/device movement
and
heading) were discussed for purposes of illustration using facilities map
information, it
should be appreciated that the foregoing discussion applies similarly to other
types of
image information (e.g., from one or more of the input images discussed above
in
Section III).
[00195] Figure 14 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 500 for selecting
and
viewing facilities map information or other image information on a locate
device, such as
locate receiver 110, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Process 500
begins at act 512 where the type of facility to be detected is established
manually or
automatically using, for example, any of the techniques discussed above. The
process
then continues to act 514, where the location tracking system of the locate
receiver is
queried for the current geo-location information. The geo-location data from
location
tracking system 158 may be provided, in a variety of different formats,
including for
example, in degrees, minutes, and seconds (i.e., DDD MM' SS.S"), degrees and
decimal
minutes (DDD MM.MMM'), decimal degrees (DDD.DDDDD ), and/or any
combination thereof.
[00196] The process next continue to act 516, where facilities map data that
matches
the determined facility type determined in act 512 and the geo-location
determined in act
514 is identified. The process then continues to act 518, where the map viewer
application reads in the identified facilities map data, preparing to present
an image of
this facilities map on the display of the locate receiver. The processor then
continues to
act 520, where the current heading (i.e., the direction in which the locate
receiver is
moving) is determined from, for example, the location tracking system,
compass,
inclinometer, and/or accelerometer. Once the current heading is determined,
the process
continues to act 522, where a map or map image segment is oriented according
to the
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determined heading and centered according to the current geo-location of the
locate
receiver, and the facilities map image is presented on the display of the
locate receiver.
[00197] In some embodiments, the locate receiver may alert the technician when
he or
she is at a location of a facility line, as indicated by the facilities map
data. Thus, in
some embodiments, the process may continue to act 524, where an alert to the
locate
technician may be generated based on comparing current geo-location of the
locate
receiver to the geo-location of the facilities of the displayed facilities
map. In particular,
in one exemplary implementation, the geo-location of the facilities of the
displayed
facilities map constitutes "reference information," to which "field
information" in the
form of the geo-location of the locate receiver may be compared. Various
methods and
apparatus for comparing field information in the context of locate and marking
operations to reference information derived from facilities maps is discussed
in U.S.
application serial no. 12/571,356, filed September 30, 2009, and entitled,
"Method And
Apparatus For Analyzing Locate And Marking Operations With Respect To
Facilities
Maps," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
[00198] In one example, processor 118 may compare the geo-location data of
location
tracking system 130 to the geo-location information in the displayed
facilities map.
When the two geo-locations substantially match (within a certain acceptable
tolerance),
an audible indicator, such as a buzzer or alarm may be activated, a tactile
indicator such
as a device that vibrates the handle of the locate receiver, and/or a visual
indicator, such
as an LED of user interface 126, may be activated in order to alert the locate
technician
that he or she is at or near the location of the target facility to be
detected.
[00199] In other embodiments, if the location of the locate receiver differs
from the
location at which the facilities map(s) indicate the facility line to be
detected is located
by at least a threshold distance (e.g. six feet or any other suitable
threshold distance),
processor 118 may cause an alert (e.g., an audible indicator, a tactile
indicator, and/or a
visual indicator) to the technician to be activated. In addition, any
discrepancies between
the locations at which location information is logged and the locations of the
facility
lines to be detected as indicated on the facilities map may be logged and
later evaluated
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to determine whether the discrepancy is a result of facilities map inaccuracy
or locate
technician error.
[00200] As shown in Figure 14, the acts of process 500 may repeat any number
of
times and at any programmed frequency (e.g., every 100 milliseconds) until the
locate
operation is complete. With each iteration of the acts of process 500, the map
viewer
application updates (or refreshes) the display with the current facilities map
information
in order to reflect any changing geo-location and/or heading of the locate
receiver as the
technician performs the locate operation.
[00201] IV. Overlay of Locate Information on Displayed Facilities Map
Information
or Other Image Information
[00202] The inventors have appreciated that, as a technician using a locate
receiver
detects one or more underground facilities during a locate operation, it may
be useful to
overlay, on displayed facilities map information or other displayed image
information,
electronic marks (
"electronic detection marks") that indicate where the facility/facilities were
detected.
This provides the locate technician with a visual representation of where
facilities were
detected by the locate receiver relative to the location of facility lines
shown on the
facilities map. In addition, in some situations, it may be desirable to
overlay one or more
indicators, such as a "you are here" icon or a pointer icon on the displayed
facilities map
or other image information, to provide the technician with a visual
representation of his
or her current location on the displayed portion of the map.
[00203] Figure 15 is an example of a process that may be used to overlay data,
such as
electronic detection marks indicative of geo-locations at which underground
facilities
were detected via a locate receiver, a present location indicator or a "you
are here" icon
indicative of the current location of the locate receiver, or any other type
of data, on
displayed facilities map information or other image information, according to
one
embodiment of the present invention.
[00204] The process of Figure 15 begins at act 901, where the geo-location
data of the
locate information to be overlaid (e.g., geo-location data corresponding to a
detected
facility, or current location mark) is determined/collected. For example, if
the
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information to be overlaid is a current location mark or "you are here" icon
indicative of
the current location of the locate receiver, the current location of the
location receiver
may be determined from location tracking system 130. If the information to be
overlaid
is an electronic detection mark indicative of a geo-location at which a
facility is detected,
the geo-location data may be collected from the location tracking system 130
(e.g., in
response to actuation of the locate receiver, or automatic logging of location
information)
and/or determined, for example, from the electronic record 135 generated and
stored by
the locate receiver. That is, as discussed above, in some embodiments, each
time the
locate receiver 110 is actuated, or characteristics of the magnetic field meet
or exceed
certain thresholds, the location tracking system may be polled to provide one
or more
geo-location data points that may be overlaid on displayed facilities map
information or
other image information as an electronic detection mark, essentially in real-
time as the
data is collected; additionally or alternatively, the geo-location data may be
logged as
data event entries in the electronic record 135 and the electronic record 135
may be
accessed thereafter to obtain geo-location data for overlaying on displayed
facilities map
or other image information one or more electronic detection marks.
[002051 Table 2, shown below, lists an example of the contents of an
electronic record
of locate information that may be generated and stored and/or transmitted
relating to
operation of a locate receiver, according to one non-limiting embodiment. The
electronic
record shown in Table 2 includes a record number (record # 1001), an
identification of
the service provider, an identification of the user (i.e., the locate
technician operating the
locate receiver), and an identification of the locate receiver. The mode of
operation of
the locate receiver (e.g., peak) may also be included. Timing information
(timestamp
data) from a timing system of the locate receiver and geographic information
from a
location tracking system of the locate receiver may also be included. The
signal strength
and signal frequency entries of the electronic record indicate characteristics
of a signal
(e.g., a magnetic field) detected by the locate receiver, for example emitted
from an
underground facility. The signal strength is listed in the example of Table 2
as a
percentage of the maximum detectable by the locate receiver, although it
should be
appreciated that other units of measurement may alternatively be used. The
gain entry
indicates the gain setting of the locate receiver. The electronic record also
includes an
entry for the depth of the facility targeted, as may be determined by taking a
depth
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measurement using a locate receiver (e.g., by calculating a difference in
magnetic field
strength detected by two different antennae at two different locations within
a locate
receiver), and for the facility type (e.g., gas, electric, etc.) and ground
type in the area of
the locate operation. The electronic record of Table 2 also includes the
address of the
locate operation and the party requesting the locate operation. Lastly, Table
2 includes
information about the remaining battery life of the locate receiver for those
embodiments
that include a battery.
Table 2 Example Electronic Record For Locate Receiver
Service provider ID 0482
User ID 4815
Receiver ID 7362
Receiver mode Mode=Peak
Timestamp data 12-Jul-2008; 09:35:15
Geo-location data 2650.9348,N,08003.5057,W
Signal strength (% of 85%
Record maximum
1001 Gain 45
Signal frequency 1 kHz
Facility depth 3.4 meters
Facility type Gas (yellow)
Ground type Pavement
Battery strength data 85%
Locate request data Requestor=XYZ Construction Company,
Requested service address=222 Main St, Orlando,
FL
[00206] It should be appreciated that Table 2 represents only one non-limiting
example of an electronic record of locate information which may be generated
in
accordance with the operation of a locate receiver, according to one
embodiment. In
particular, a single electronic record of locate information collected in
connection with
operation of a locate receiver may include multiple entries of a given data
type. For
example, while Table 2 illustrates an electronic record including a single GPS
data point,
it should be appreciated that multiple GPS data points may be taken and stored
within a
single electronic record. The multiple GPS data points may be taken in
response to a
single actuation event (e.g., single actuator pull by a technician), in
response to multiple
actuation events (e.g., multiple actuator pulls by a technician), automatic
logging of data
(e.g., based on magnetic field strength), or in other manners. Thus, multiple
pieces of
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data may be collected for an electronic record of a locate operation, and it
should be
appreciated that any single electronic record may include multiple entries.
[00207] Thus, the geo-location(s) at which one or more facilities are detected
may be
obtained from these electronic records, and/or may be collected essentially in
real-time
as the locate operation is being performed. Once the geo-location data to be
overlaid on
the displayed information is determined, the process continues to optional act
903, where
this geo-location data may be converted, if necessary, to the spatial
reference frame used
by the facilities map (or other image) from which the information displayed on
the
display 146 is derived.
[00208] As known in the relevant art, a geographic or "global" coordinate
system (i.e.,
a coordinate system in which geographic locations on Earth are identified by a
latitude
and a longitude value, e.g., (LAT,LON)) may be used to identify geographic
locations of
detected facilities and a facility line indicated in facilities map
information. In a
"geocentric" global coordinate system (i.e., a coordinate system in which the
Earth is
modeled as a sphere), latitude is defined as the angle from a point on the
surface of a
sphere to the equatorial plane of the sphere, whereas longitude is defined as
the angle
east or west of a reference meridian between two geographical poles of the
sphere to
another meridian that passes through an arbitrary point on the surface of the
sphere.
Thus, in a geocentric coordinate system, the center of the Earth serves as a
reference
point that is the origin of the coordinate system. However, in actuality the
Earth is not
perfectly spherical, as it is compressed towards the center at the poles.
Consequently,
using a geocentric coordinate system can result in inaccuracies.
[00209] In view of the foregoing, the Earth is typically modeled as an
ellipsoid for
purposes of establishing a global coordinate system. The shape of the
ellipsoid that is
used to model the Earth and the way that the ellipsoid is fitted to the geoid
of the Earth is
called a "geodetic datum." In a "geodetic" global coordinate system, the
latitude of a
point on the surface of the ellipsoid is defined as the angle from the
equatorial plane to a
line normal to the reference ellipsoid passing through the point, whereas the
longitude of
a point is defined as the angle between a reference plane perpendicular to the
equatorial
plane and a plane perpendicular to the equatorial plane that passes through
the point.
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Thus, geodetic latitude and longitude of a particular point depends on the
geodetic datum
used.
[002101 A number of different geodetic global coordinate systems exist that
use
different geodetic datums, examples of which include WGS84, NAD83, NAD27,
OSGB36, and ED50. As such, a geographic point on the surface of Earth may have
a
different latitude and longitude values in different coordinate systems. For
example, a
stop sign at the corner Maple St. and Main St. may have a latitude and
longitude of
(LAT1, LON1) in the WGS84 coordinate system, but may have a latitude and
longitude
of (LAT2, LON2) in the NAD83 coordinate system (where LATI :t- LAT2 and/or
LONI ~
LON2). Thus, when comparing one geographic point to another geographic point
to
determine the distance between them, it is desirable to have both geographic
points in the
same global coordinate system.
[002111 Additionally, when determining a geographic location based on
information
derived from a map (e.g., a facilities map), the coordinate system provided by
the map
may not be a global coordinate system, but rather may be a "projected"
coordinate
system. As appreciated in the relevant art, representing the curved surface of
the Earth
on a flat surface or plane is known as a "map projection." Representing a
curved surface
in two dimensions causes distortion in shape, area, distance, and/or
direction. Different
map projections cause different types of distortions. For example, a
projection could
maintain the area of a feature but alter its shape. A map projection defines a
relation
between spherical coordinates on the globe (i.e., longitude and latitude in a
global
coordinate system) and flat planar x,y coordinates (i.e., a horizontal and
vertical distance
from a point of origin) in a projected coordinate system. A facilities map may
provide
geographic location information in one of several possible projected
coordinate systems.
[002121 Thus, to overlay geo-location data (e.g., obtained from the location
tracking
system 130 of the locate receiver) on displayed facilities map information (or
other
image information), it is desirable to have the geo-location data and the
facilities map
information represented in the same geodetic global coordinate system or
projected
coordinate system (projected from the same geodetic geographical coordinate
system).
For example, in some embodiments, the geo-location data points obtained by the
location
tracking system of the locate receiver may be provided as geo-location data in
the
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WGS84 coordinate system (i.e., the coordinate system typically used by GPS
equipment),
whereas the facilities map information may be expressed in the NAD83
coordinate
system. Thus, at act 903, the geo-location data coordinates provided by the
location
tracking system of the locate receiver may be converted to the NAD83
coordinate system
so that they may be appropriately overlaid on the displayed facilities map
information.
[00213] The process next continues to act 905, where the data, converted if/as
appropriate, may be overlaid on the information displayed on display 146, such
that
display 146 displays both the facilities map/image information and the
overlaid data. For
example, if the technician detected an underground facility at
2650.9273,N,08003.5193,W (decimal degrees) in the coordinate system used by
the
facilities map, an electronic detection mark may be overlaid on the displayed
facilities
map at the portion of the facilities map that corresponds to
2650.9273,N,08003.5193,W.
Similarly, if the current location of the locate receiver is
2680.5243,N,08043.4193,W in
the coordinate system used by the facilities map, then a "you are here" icon
may be
overlaid on the displayed facilities map at the portion of the facilities map
that
corresponds to 2680.5243,N,08043.4193, W.
[00214] Any one of a number of different techniques may be used to overlay
data on
the displayed facilities map or image. In some embodiments, the data to be
visually
rendered on the facilities map or image is mapped to a display field of the
display device
to ensure that the geo-location data for the data to be overlaid is displayed
over the
proper place on the displayed facilities map or image. For example, in one
exemplary
implementation, a transformation may be derived using information relating to
the
available display field (e.g., a reference coordinate system using an
appropriate scale for
a given display field of a display device) to map data points in the geo-
location data for
the data to be overlaid to the available display field. Once such a
transformation is
derived, the data to be overlaid may be rendered in the display field by
applying the
transformation to the geo-location data for the data to be overlaid.
[00215] In the illustrative processes of Figures 14 and 15, a separate
facilities map
may be selected for each facility type (or facility company). However, in some
embodiments, rather than using a separate facilities map for each facility
type or facility
company, an aggregated facilities map or facilities map database may be
generated by
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combining data from multiple facilities maps, and data from the aggregated
facilities
map database may be selected and displayed on the display of the locate
receiver. For
example, if gas lines, water lines, and power lines are to be detected during
a locate
and/or marking operation in a particular location, an aggregated facilities
map database
may be generated by accessing the facilities map from the gas company for the
location,
the facilities map from the water company for the location, and the facilities
map from
the electric company from the location, extracting information about the
location of map
features (e.g., facility lines, streets, and/or other map features) from each
of these
facilities maps, converting the locations to a common frame of reference
(e.g., using the
techniques discussed above), and combining the extracted features into a
database (e.g.,
from which a single aggregated map may be derived). Thus, rather than
performing the
process of Figures 14 or 15 three times with three separate facilities maps
(i.e., once
using the gas facilities map, once using the water facilities map, and once
using the
electric facilities map), the aggregated facilities map may be used each time.
[002161 As with a facilities map for a single type of facility, in some
embodiments, an
electronic representation of underground facilities locations detected by a
locate receiver
(one or more electronic detection marks), an electronic representation of the
current
location of the technician (e.g., a you are here icon), or other information
may be
generated and rendered visually (i.e., overlaid) on the aggregated facilities
map.
[002171 In some embodiments, the map or image data and the data to be overlaid
(e.g., the electronic representation of underground facilities locations
detected by a locate
receiver or the electronic representation of the current location of the
technician), may be
displayed as separate "layers" of the visual rendering, such that a viewer of
the visual
rendering may turn on and turn off displayed data based on a categorization of
the
displayed data. For example, all facilities map or image data may be
categorized
generally under one layer designation (e.g., "Reference"), and independently
enabled or
disabled for display (e.g., hidden) accordingly. Similarly, all overlaid data
may be
categorized generally under another layer designation (e.g., "Field") and
independently
enabled or disabled for display accordingly. Respective layers may be enabled
or
disabled for display in any of a variety of manners; for example, in one
implementation,
a "layer directory" or "layer legend" pane may be included in the display
field (or as a
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separate window selectable from the display field of the visual rendering),
showing all
available layers, and allowing a viewer to select each available layer to be
either
displayed or hidden, thus facilitating comparative viewing of layers.
[00218] Furthermore, any of the above-mentioned general categories for layers
may
have sub-categories for sub-layers, such that each sub-layer may also be
selectively
enabled or disabled for viewing by a viewer. For example, under the general
layer
designation of "Field," different facility types that may have been detected
(and indicated
in the field data by utility type/color, for example) may be categorized under
different
sub-layer designations (e.g., "Field - Electric;" "Field - Gas;" etc.); in
this manner, a
viewer may be able to hide the electric field data while viewing the gas field
data, or vice
versa, in addition to having the option to view or hide all field data.
[00219] In some embodiments, a variety of other sub-layers may be used. For
example, sub-layers may be provided for certain types of map metadata. In one
example,
landmarks (e.g., poles, pedestals, curbs, hydrants, street lights, and/or
other types of
landmarks) may be a separate sub-layer that can be toggled on and off from the
display.
In another example, sub-layers for a particular facility type may be provided.
As one ,
example, within the sub-layer "Field - Electric," a sub-layer may be provided
for aerial
electric lines, and another sub-layer may be provided for underground electric
lines. As
another example, for a sub-layer for telephone lines (e.g, "Field -
Telephone"), sub-
layers may be provided for the type of material used. For example, one sub-
layer may be
provided for copper telephone lines, while another sub-layer may be provided
for fiber
lines.
[00220] Similarly, in embodiments in which an aggregated facilities map is
displayed
on the display device, the "Reference" layer may have sub-layers for each
facility type in
the aggregated facilities map. That is, each facility type in the aggregated
facilities map
may have a different sub-layer designation, such that a viewer may be able to
individually select which sub-layers are displayed on the display device. For
example, if
an aggregated facilities map includes information from a gas facilities map,
an electric
facilities map, and a cable TV (CATV) facilities map, the data from the gas
facilities
map, the data from the electric facilities map, and the data from the CATV
facilities may
each be a separate sub-layer. As such, the viewer may be able to select which
of these
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layers he or she wishes to be displayed on the display, and which he or she
wishes to be
hidden. Virtually any characteristic of the information available for display
may serve to
categorize the information for purposes of displaying layers or sub-layers.
[002211 Figure 16 shows a generic display device 3000 having a display field
3005
with exemplary content for purposes of explaining some concepts germane to
display
layers, according to one embodiment. For example, all locate information may
be
categorized generally under one layer designation 3030 ("locate layer") and
independently enabled or disabled for display accordingly, all landmark
information may
be categorized generally under yet another layer designation 3040 ("landmark
layer")
and independently enabled or disabled for display accordingly, and all
reference
information may be categorized generally under yet another layer designation
3050
("reference layer") and independent enabled or disabled for display.
Respective layers
may be enabled or disabled for display in any of a variety of manners; for
example, in
one implementation, a "layer directory" or "layer legend" pane 3010 may be
included in
the display field 3005 (or as a separate window selectable from the display
field of the
visual rendering), showing all available layers, and allowing a viewer to
select each
available layer to be either displayed or hidden, thus facilitating
comparative viewing of
layers.
[002221 Furthermore, any of the above-mentioned general categories for layers
may
have sub-categories for sub-layers, such that each sub-layer may also be
selectively
enabled or disabled for viewing by a viewer. For example, under the general
layer
designation of "locate layer," different facility types that may have been
detected during
a locate and/or marking operation (and indicated in the locate information by
color, for
example) may be categorized under different sub-layer designations (e.g.,
designation
3032 for "locate layer - electric;" designation 3034 for "locate layer - gas;"
etc.); in this
manner, a viewer may be able to hide only the electric locate information
while viewing
the gas locate information, or vice versa, in addition to having the option to
view or hide
all locate information. Under the layer designation of "landmark layer"
different types of
landmarks may be categorized under different sub-layer designations (e.g.,
designation
3042 for water/sewer landmarks, designation 3044 for cable TV landmarks, and
designation 3045 for buildings). Under the layer designation of "reference
layer"
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different types of reference information may be categorized under different
sub-layer
designations (e.g., designation 3052 for base map information, designation
3054 for dig
area indicators, designation 3056 for facility lines).
[00223] As shown in the example of Figure 16, of the locate, landmark, and
reference
layers, only the electric sub-layer of the locate layer and the buildings sub-
layer of the
landmark layer are enabled for display. Accordingly, in Figure 16, only the
electronic
detection marks 1010 indicating where a power line was detected and building
950
appear in the electronic rendering 1000A shown in Figure 16.
[00224] Virtually any characteristic of the information available for display
may serve
to categorize the information for purposes of displaying layers or sub-layers.
In
particular, with respect to information obtained during performance of a
locate and/or
marking operation, any of a variety of exemplary constituent elements of such
information (e.g., timing information, geographic information, service-related
information, ticket information, facility type information) may be categorized
as a sub-
layer, and one or more sub-layers may further be categorized into constituent
elements
for selective display (e.g., as sub-sub-layers). For example, timing
information may be
used to categorize the locate information based on a time at which a
particular facility
line was detected, such that one sub-layer may include an electronic
representation of the
locations at which a facility line was detected during a particular time
window.
Geographic information may be used to categorize the locate information based
on a
location at which a facility line was detected, so that one sub-layer may
include
electronic representations of the locations at which facility lines were
detected for a
particular geographic area.
[00225] Service-related information may include, for example, a service-
provider
identifier indicative of a service-provider overseeing the locate and/or
marking operation,
a technician identifier representing a technician that performs the locate
operation and/or
the marking operation, a device identifier representing a device used by the
technician
during the locate operation and/or the marking operation, and a status
identifier
representing an operating status of the at least one device. Any such service-
related
information may be used to categorize the locate information into one or more
sub-
layers.
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[002261 Ticket information may include a ticket number identifying the ticket,
a party
identifier representing a party requesting the locate and/or the marking
operation, a
facility identifier representing a type and/or number of one or more
facilities to be
detected and/or marked in the locate and/or the marking operation, and/or a
ground type
identifier representing a ground type for a work site and/or dig area at which
the locate
and/or the marking operation is performed. Any such ticket information may be
used to
categorize the marking information into one or more sub-layers.
[002271 Similarly, with respect to the "Reference" layer, virtually any
characteristic of
the information available for display in this layer may serve to categorize
the information
for purposes of displaying sub-layers. For example, landmarks, particular
types of
landmarks, particular types of facility lines, dig area indicators (e.g.,
virtual white lines),
facility lines owned by a particular entity, and/or facility lines in a
particular geographic
area may each be a separate sub-layer.
[002281 In some embodiments, processor 118 may automatically select which sub-
layers in the "Reference" layer and/or the "Field" layer are displayed. For
example, in
some embodiments, processor 118 may automatically select particular sub-layers
to be
displayed based on the type of facility being located. As discussed above,
processor 118
may determine the type of facility being located in a variety of ways,
including for
example, based on user input identifying the type of facility being located.
Thus, on this
basis, processor 118 may automatically select certain sub-layers to be
displayed and may
select certain other sub-layers to not be displayed. For example, if a
technician indicates
that electric lines are being detected, processor 118 may automatically select
sub-layers
related to electric lines to be displayed, and may select sub-layers not
related to electric
lines to not be displayed.
[002291 In general, it should be appreciated that any constituent element of
information from the field (e.g., locate information and/or landmark
information) may be
used as a basis for automatically selecting/enabling for display one or more
sub-layers of
reference/image information. For example, if landmark information indicates
that
acquired landmark geo-location data is associated with a hydrant, a "water
facilities"
sub-layer and/or a "water landmarks" sub-layer may be automatically selected
from the
"Reference" layer for display in the display field. Similarly, if locate
information
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indicates that a gas main is being detected, a "gas facilities" sub-layer
and/or a "gas
landmarks" sub-layer may be automatically selected from the "Reference" layer
for
display in the display field. The foregoing are merely illustrative examples
of automatic
selection/enabling of Reference sub-layers, and the inventive concepts
discussed herein
are not limited in these respects.
V. Conclusion
[00230] While various inventive embodiments have been described and
illustrated
herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of
other means
and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results
and/or one or
more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or
modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments
described
herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that
all parameters,
dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be
exemplary
and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations
will depend
upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive
teachings is/are used.
Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more
than routine
experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments
described
herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are
presented
by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and
equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as
specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present
disclosure are
directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or
method described
herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems,
articles,
materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles,
materials, kits, and/or
methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope
of the
present disclosure.
[00231] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in any of numerous
ways. For example, the embodiments may be implemented using hardware, software
or
a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code can be
executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether
provided in a
single computer or distributed among multiple computers.
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[00232] Further, it should be appreciated that a computer may be embodied in
any of a
number of forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktop computer, a laptop
computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, a computer may be embedded in a
device
not generally regarded as a computer but with suitable processing
capabilities, including
a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a smart phone or any other suitable
portable or fixed
electronic device.
[00233] Also, a computer may have one or more input and output devices. These
devices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface. Examples
of output
devices that can be used to provide a user interface include printers or
display screens for
visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices
for audible
presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user
interface
include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touch pads, and
digitizing tablets.
As another example, a computer may receive input information through speech
recognition or in other audible format.
[00234] Such computers may be interconnected by one or more networks in any
suitable form, including a local area network or a wide area network, such as
an
enterprise network, and intelligent network (IN) or the Internet. Such
networks may be
based on any suitable technology and may operate according to any suitable
protocol and
may include wireless networks, wired networks or fiber optic networks.
[00235] The various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded as
software
that is executable on one or more processors that employ any one of a variety
of
operating systems or platforms. Additionally, such software may be written
using any of
a number of suitable programming languages and/or programming or scripting
tools, and
also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code
that is
executed on a framework or virtual machine.
[00236] In this respect, various inventive concepts may be embodied as a
computer
readable storage medium (or multiple computer readable storage media) (e.g., a
computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs,
magnetic
tapes, flash memories, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate
Arrays or other
semiconductor devices, or other non-transitory medium or tangible computer
storage
medium) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more
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computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various
embodiments of the invention discussed above. The computer readable medium or
media can be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon
can be
loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement
various
aspects of the present invention as discussed above.
[00237] The terms "program" or "software" are used herein in a generic sense
to refer
to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that
can be
employed to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects
of
embodiments as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that
according
to one aspect, one or more computer programs that when executed perform
methods of
the present invention need not reside on a single computer or processor, but
may be
distributed in a modular fashion amongst a number of different computers or
processors
to implement various aspects of the present invention.
[00238] Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program
modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally,
program
modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc.
that
perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
Typically the
functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired
in
various embodiments.
[00239] Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in any
suitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may be shown to
have fields
that are related through location in the data structure. Such relationships
may likewise be
achieved by assigning storage for the fields with locations in a computer-
readable
medium that convey relationship between the fields. However, any suitable
mechanism
may be used to establish a relationship between information in fields of a
data structure,
including through the use of pointers, tags or other mechanisms that establish
relationship between data elements.
[00240] Also, various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more
methods,
of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the
method may
be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in
which
acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include
performing
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some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative
embodiments.
[00241] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to
control
over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by
reference, and/or
ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
[00242] The indefinite articles "a" and "an," as used herein in the
specification and in
the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to
mean "at
least one."
[00243] The phrase "and/or," as used herein in the specification and in the
claims,
should be understood to mean "either or both" of the elements so conjoined,
i.e.,
elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively
present in other
cases. Multiple elements listed with "and/or" should be construed in the same
fashion,
i.e., "one or more" of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may
optionally be
present other than the elements specifically identified by the "and/or"
clause, whether
related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-
limiting
example, a reference to "A and/or B", when used in conjunction with open-ended
language such as "comprising" can refer, in one embodiment, to A only
(optionally
including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally
including
elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally
including other elements); etc.
[00244] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, "or" should be
understood to have the same meaning as "and/or" as defined above. For example,
when
separating items in a list, "or" or "and/or" shall be interpreted as being
inclusive, i.e., the
inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or
list of
elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly
indicated to the
contrary, such as "only one of' or "exactly one of," or, when used in the
claims,
"consisting of," will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a
number or list of
elements. In general, the term "or" as used herein shall only be interpreted
as indicating
exclusive alternatives (i.e. "one or the other but not both") when preceded by
terms of
exclusivity, such as "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one of."
"Consisting
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essentially of," when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as
used in the
field of patent law.
[002451 As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase "at
least
one," in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to
mean at
least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of
elements,
but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element
specifically listed
within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in
the list of
elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present
other than
the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the
phrase "at
least one" refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically
identified.
Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or, equivalently,
"at least one
of A or B," or, equivalently "at least one of A and/or B") can refer, in one
embodiment,
to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and
optionally
including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one,
optionally
including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including
elements other
than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more
than one,
A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally
including other
elements); etc.
[002461 In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional
phrases
such as "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing,"
"involving,"
"holding," "composed of," and the like are to be understood to be open-ended,
i.e., to
mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases "consisting
of' and
"consisting essentially of shall be closed or semi-closed transitional
phrases,
respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent
Examining
Procedures, Section 2111.03.
[002471 What is claimed is:
