Locating and/or marking equipment, such as a locate transmitter or locate receiver, a marking device, or a combined locate and marking device, may be communicatively coupled to and/or equipped with a mobile/portable device (e.g., a mobile phone, personal digital assistant or other portable computing device) that provides processing, electronic storage, electronic display, user interface, communication facilities and/or other functionality (e.g., GPS-enabled functionality) for the equipment. A mobile/portable device may be mechanically and/or electronically coupled to the equipment, and may be programmed so as to log and generate electronic records of various information germane to a locate and/or marking operation (e.g., locate information, marking information, and/or landmark information). Such records may be formatted in various manners, processed and/or analyzed on the mobile/portable device, and/or transmitted to another device (e.g., a remote computer/server) for storage, processing and/or analysis. The mobile/portable device also may provide redundant, shared and/or backup functionality for the equipment to enhance robustness.

Locating equipment communicatively coupled to or equipped with a mobile/portable device

A locate device for a locate operation to detect a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the locate operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of an appropriate “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of an appropriate pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; appropriately updating displayed facilities map information while a locate device is used during a locate operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information locate information and/or landmark information relating to the locate operation; and storing locally on the locate device, and/or transmitting from the locate device, facilities map information and/or overlaid locate/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display).

Methods and apparatus for overlaying electronic locate information on facilities map information and/or other image information displayed on a locate device

Exemplary apparatus include locate devices that generate, store and/or transmit electronic records of locate information relating to detection of underground facilities. An exemplary method for analyzing and processing locate information includes a computer-implemented method for visually rendering (e.g., in a display field of a display device) various aspects of locate operations. In one implementation, an output stream of data packets may be provided, wherein each data packet includes one or more flag fields that are set or reset upon at least one actuation of an actuation system of a locate device, and wherein at least some of the data packets include locate information relating to a locate operation.

Methods and apparatus for generating electronic records of locate operations

Marking information relating to use of a marking device to perform a marking operation may be acquired from one or more input devices, logged/stored in local memory of a marking device, formatted in various manners, processed and/or analyzed at the marking device itself, and/or transmitted to another device (e.g., a remote computer/server) for storage, processing and/or analysis. In one example, a marking device may include one or more environmental sensors and/or operational sensors, and the marking information may include environmental information and operational information derived from such sensors. Environmental and/or operational information may be used to control operation of the marking device, assess out-of-tolerance conditions in connection with use of the marking device, and/or provide alerts or other feedback. Additional enhancements are disclosed relating to improving the determination of a location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of a dispensing tip of the marking device during use, a group/solo mode, and tactile functionality of a user interface.

Marking apparatus having enhanced features for underground facility marking operations, and associated methods and systems

Locate information relating to use of a locate device to perform a locate operation may be acquired from one or more input devices, logged/stored in local memory of a locate device, formatted in various manners, processed and/or analyzed at the locate device itself, and/or transmitted to another device (e.g., a remote computer/server) for storage, processing and/or analysis. In one example, a locate device may include one or more environmental sensors and/or operational sensors, and the locate information may include environmental information and operational information derived from such sensors. Environmental and/or operational information may be used to control operation of the locate device, assess out-of-tolerance conditions in connection with use of the locate device, and/or provide alerts or other feedback. Additional enhancements are disclosed relating to improving the determination of a location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of a detecting tip of the locate device during use, a group/solo mode, and tactile functionality of a user interface.

Locate apparatus having enhanced features for underground facility locate operations, and associated methods and systems

An apparatus to acquire 3-dimensional geographical information of an underground pipe includes an in-pipe transfer unit which moves along the inside of the underground pipe, a sensing unit which senses 3-dimensional location information of the in-pipe transfer unit, and an information storage unit which stores a value measured by the sensing unit. Accordingly, the depth at which the underground pipe is located as well as 2-dimensional location information of the underground pipe is stored in the information storage unit so that maintenance and repair of the underground pipe can be carried out with greater efficiency.

Apparatus for acquiring 3-dimensional geomatical information of underground pipes and noncontact odometer using optical flow sensor and using the same

An apparatus for photographing a pipe without suspension of water supply and a system for controlling the same are disclosed. According to present invention, the interior of the pipe can be photographed by inserting the camera into the pipe and moving and rotating the camera without halting water supply, and information about the movement and rotation of the camera can be produced. A problem of discontinuance of using the whole pipe due to photographing of the interior of the pipe can be prevented. The camera can accurately photograph respective portions in the pipe by precisely moving forward/backward and rotating left/right or up/down. Since information about a practical position in the pipe with respect to the photographed image is provided, a user can accurately grasp a defect-position in the pipe, and can easily control the camera.

Apparatus for photographing pipe without suspension of water supply and system for controlling the same

This paper analyzes the motion of a crawler type in-pipe robot which has three driving module. The analogousness between the crawler in-pipe robot and parallel manipulator was analyzed, and then the instantaneous kinematic of the robot is derived using the screw theory. The in-pipe robot used in this paper, called PAROYS-II, consists of three driving parts and mechanism parts which are adaptable to various pipe diameters. The navigation method using Jacobian is suggested and verified by simulation and experiment.

Instantaneous kinematic analysis for a crawler type in-pipe robot

PURPOSE: A water leakage detecting device is provided to mark a water leakage point of a pipe accurately on a 3D conduit line map so that a user can directly and easily grasps the water leakage point of the pipe CONSTITUTION: A water leakage detecting device(10) comprises a housing(110), a mapping data collector(120), a sound detector(131), a controller(150), and a storage unit(160) The housing is floated along the inside of a pipe buried in the underground The mapping data collector is arranged in the inner side of the housing The mapping data collector detects 3D mapping data of the pipe The sound detector is installed in the housing, thereby obtaining water leakage sounds generated by the leakage of the pipe The controller receives analog data collected by the data collector and sound detector, thereby converting into digital data The storage unit receives the digital data from the controller, thereby storing

Leakage inspecting apparatus

Disclosed is an apparatus for detecting water leakage, which detects the locations of leaks while moving along the interior of an underground pipeline. The apparatus for detecting water leakage according to the present invention comprises: a housing which floats along a pipeline; a mapping-data-collecting unit arranged in the housing so as to collect three-dimensional mapping data of the pipeline; a sound-sensing unit arranged in the housing to acquire leakage sounds generated by water leakage in the pipeline; a control unit which receives analog data collected by the mapping-data-collecting unit and the sound-sensing unit, and which converts the received analog data into digital data; and a storage unit for storing the digital data transferred from the control unit.

Park Hyuk-Sung

Papers

Apparatus for acquiring 3-dimensional geomatical information of underground pipes and noncontact odometer using optical flow sensor and using the same

Apparatus for photographing pipe without suspension of water supply and system for controlling the same

Instantaneous kinematic analysis for a crawler type in-pipe robot

Leakage inspecting apparatus

Apparatus for detecting water leakage