The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 06, 1999
Filed:
Jan. 27, 1998
Dennis J Johnson, Salem, NH (US);
Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc., North Salem, NH (US);
Abstract
A sewer inspection device includes a body that has a number of transducers attached to the body. The transducers are attached on pads that can be extended away from the body to enable the transducers to make contact with a sewer wall. The device is lowered into the sewer in the compact, non-extended position of the pads. Subsequently, the pads are extended to make contact with the sewer walls. The body is pulled along the sewer by means of an armored cable extending to the surface. The armored cable includes a conductor or fiber-optic cable for carrying signals between the transducers and a surface controller. In one embodiment, the transducers generate ground penetrating radar (GPR) signals and detect the reflected signals. Defects in the vicinity of the sewer pipe affect the reflected signals. Analysis of the reflected signals provides information about the nature of the defects. Other embodiments of the invention include sonic, gamma ray and electromagnetic induction transducers. The device may also be provided with a supplementary transducer module on the cable that rests on the bottom of the sewer and makes additional measurements relating to the sewer pipe and its immediate surroundings.