METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING AND PROCESSING FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION ON A LOCATE DEVICE

摘要

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).

主权项

1. A locate receiver to detect a presence or an absence of an underground facility, the locate receiver comprising:
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 indicative of the presence or the absence of the underground facility; a display device coupled to the housing; at least one sensor, coupled to the housing, to output geographic information indicative of a geographic location of the locate receiver; 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 digital image that is generated based on first digital image data selected by the at least one processor, wherein:
the at least one processor is configured to select the first digital image data based, at least in part, on:
at least one of facilities map data, survey map data, land survey data, photographic image data, construction drawings, and engineering drawings; andthe geographic information output by the at least one sensor and indicative of the geographic location of the locate receiver; andthe at least one processor is configured to overlay, on the displayed digital image, based at least in part on the magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, at least one electronic marking representing a detected absence of the underground facility.