Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to object detection. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method and a system for detecting subsurface assets.

BACKGROUND
[0002] The following description of the related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section is used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as an admission of the prior art.
[0003] Subsurface detection is a system to detect concealed objects on or under the surface. Such systems are employed in various applications such as archaeology, geology, metallic or non-metallic land mines, deep structures, etc. The systems for subsurface detection are mainly employed to detect objects present or concealed on or under the surface.
[0004] The methods for detection of subsurface assets can be based on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), which utilizes active electromagnetic sources, or passive metal detector probes to detect metallic objects. However, these systems may have a high false alarm rate, can be expensive, or be large and heavy, and difficult for handheld detection systems. GPR may be unable to distinguish between an object of interest and other subsurface assets. Metal detectors also fail to distinguish between object of interest and any other metallic item present in close proximity.
[0005] Efforts have been made in related art to address above stated problem. For instance, some solutions involve the use of a first pair of polarization orientation components and a second recorder of an orthogonal component of the electromagnetic field in a region of interest, and use processors to derive a pair of transfer functions and simulate them to infer a subsurface impedance map. These techniques are usually expensive and can have high false alarm rate and cannot be used in handheld scenarios.
[0006] The existing techniques also do not employ any methods to detect a known object which has been placed previously below the surface. Efforts have been made in related art to address above stated problem by using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. However, RFID technology inherently has limitations like limited coverage range and privacy concern as RFID tags can be easily tapped and intercepted. Also, liquids (such as water) and metals near the object can impact the RFID signal.
[0007] There is no system, device or method available for identifying a known subsurface asset in all surface conditions. Further, there does not exist detection systems with secure communication modes such that only a known locator can detect the subsurface asset. As such, there exists a need for an improved system to detect surface or subsurface assets in all surface conditions that is safe, secure, convenient, and inexpensive.
[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a method and a system for solving the shortcomings of the existing solutions.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are listed herein below.
[0010] A general object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for detecting subsurface assets.
[0011] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for detecting objects that locate known assets that are on or buried in a surface.
[0012] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that have drifted from its known location.
[0013] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that have drifted to depth that cannot be detected by passive tags and sensors.
[0014] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that can be used to detect one or more objects present in the vicinity from a distance.
[0015] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets where the subsurface asset only responds to signals from known authentic locator devices.
[0016] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets by using a sweeping mechanism that can be manual or motorized.
[0017] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that is easy to use, easy to implement and is cost effective.
[0018] The other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated for illustration of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.

SUMMARY
[0019] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0020] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to object detection. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method and system for detecting subsurface assets.
[0021] In an aspect, a system for detecting subsurface assets may include an active marker unit configured to each of one or more subsurface assets, the active marker unit being configured to receive a first set of signals and transmit a second set of signals based on the first set of signals, a handheld unit having a roving locator unit configured to operably broadcast the first set of signals over an area of interest and receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit. The handheld unit may also have a location determination module configured to determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets based on the second set of signals.
[0022] In an embodiment, the active marker unit configured to said each of the one or more subsurface assets has a unique identity attribute that allows each of the one or more subsurface assets to be distinctly identified.
[0023] In an embodiment, the one or more subsurface assets within the detection range of the roving locator unit may be detected remotely. In an embodiment, the one or more subsurface assets may respond to signals from known authentic roving locator units. In an embodiment, the active marker unit may include a first set of antennae, a key storage unit having one or more keys corresponding to authenticated roving locator units, and a first processor coupled to a first memory having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the first processor to receive, by the first set of antennae, the first set of signals by periodically listening for signals broadcasted by the roving locator unit. The first processor may then determine whether the first set of signals may be broadcasted from an authenticated roving locator unit by comparing a key associated with the roving locator unit in the first set of signals with said one or more keys in a key storage unit, and transmit a second set of signals, by the first set of antennae, to the roving locator unit, the second set of signals having a unique identity attribute associated with the active marker unit.
[0024] In an embodiment, the active marker unit may be configured to be periodically brought to an activated mode from an inactivated mode, to check if the first set of signals has been broadcasted near the active marker unit.
[0025] In an embodiment, the roving locator unit may include a second set of antennae, and a second processor coupled to a second memory having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the second processor to broadcast, by the second set of antennae, the first set of signals over the area of interest, the first set of signals having a key associated with the roving locator unit. The second processor may then receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit, identify the active marker unit from which the second set of signals was received using a unique identify attribute provided in the second set of signals, and redirect the second set of signals to the location determination module in the handheld unit.
[0026] In an embodiment, the active marker unit and the roving locator unit may be configured to transmit and receive sub-GHz radio wave signals.
[0027] In an embodiment, the location determination module may be coupled to a third memory having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the location determination module to, receive a second set of signals from the active marker unit associated with each of the one or more subsurface assets, and determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets based on any one or more of angle, direction, range and strength of the second set of signals received and identity of the active marker unit.
[0028] In an embodiment, the handheld unit may include one or more interfaces indicative of any one or combination of a display unit and an audio unit, the one or more interfaces configured to provide an alert indicating the location of the active marker units corresponding to each of the one or more subsurface assets to an operator of the handheld unit.
[0029] In an embodiment, the handheld unit provides a list of the identified active marker units in the area of interest, and visually or audibly indicates to the operator the location of each of the identified active marker units.
[0030] In an aspect, a method for detecting subsurface assets may include providing a handheld unit having a roving locator unit configured to operable broadcast a first set of signals and receive a second set of signals from an active marker unit configured to each of one or more subsurface assets to be detected, the handheld unit also having a location determining module configured to determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets. Further, the method includes broadcasting, by the roving locator unit, the first set of signals having a key associated with the roving locator unit over the area of interest such that the active marker unit corresponding to each of the one or more subsurface assets in the area of interest transmits a second set of signals in response to the first set of signals. Then the method may include receiving, by the roving locator unit, the second set of signals from the active marker unit and identifying the active marker unit based on a unique identity attribute provided in the second set of signals. Further, the method may include redirecting the second set of signals received the second set of signals to the location determining module and determining the location of the one or more subsurface assets based on any one or more of angles, directions, range and strength of the second set of signals received and identity of the active marker unit. Then the method may include alerting and indicating the determined location of the one or more subsurface assets to an operator through an interface associated with the handheld unit.
[0031] In an embodiment, the active marker unit on each of the one or more subsurface assets may be configured to, receive the first set of signals broadcasted by the roving locator unit, determine whether the first set of signals may be broadcasted from the roving locator unit may be an authenticated roving locator unit by comparing a key associated with the roving locator unit in the first set of signals with one or more keys of authenticated roving locator units in a key storage unit coupled to the active marker unit, and transmit the second set of signals in response to the first set of signals.
[0032] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0034] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the proposed system, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of an active marker unit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a roving locator unit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method for receiving requests and sending response by the active marker unit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0038] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method for sending requests to active marker unit by roving locator unit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method for providing an alert received from the roving locator unit on a handheld unit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0040] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0041] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practised without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address all of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.
[0042] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.
[0043] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practised without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.
[0044] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.
[0045] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word—without precluding any additional or other elements.
[0046] As used herein, “connect,” “configure,” “couple,” and their cognate terms, such as “connects,” “connected,” “configured,” and “coupled” may include a physical connection (such as a wired/wireless connection), a logical connection (such as through logical gates of semiconducting device), other suitable connections, or a combination of such connections, as may be obvious to a skilled person.
[0047] As used herein, “send,” “transfer,” “transmit,” and their cognate terms like “sending,” “sent,” “transferring,” “transmitting,” “transferred,” “transmitted,” etc. include sending or transporting data or information from one unit or component to another unit or component, wherein the content may or may not be modified before or after sending, transferring, transmitting.
[0048] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”, or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0049] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed products.
[0050] Throughout this specification, the term “subsurface assets” may refer to including, but not limited to, assets that are fully or partially buried or immersed on a surface, assets that are placed on the surface, or the like.
[0051] Embodiments explained herein relate generally to object detection. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method and system for detecting and locating surface or subsurface assets.
[0052] In an aspect, a system for detecting subsurface assets may include an active marker unit configured to each of one or more subsurface assets, the active marker unit being configured to receive a first set of signals and transmit a second set of signals based on the first set of signals, a handheld unit having a roving locator unit configured to operably broadcast the first set of signals over an area of interest and receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit. The handheld unit may also have a location determination module configured to determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets based on the second set of signals.
[0053] In an aspect, a method for detecting subsurface assets may include providing a handheld unit having a roving locator unit configured to operable broadcast a first set of signals and receive a second set of signals from an active marker unit configured to each of one or more subsurface assets to be detected, the handheld unit also having a location determining module configured to determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets. Further, the method includes broadcasting, by the roving locator unit, the first set of signals having a key associated with the roving locator unit over the area of interest such that the active marker unit corresponding to each of the one or more subsurface assets in the area of interest transmits a second set of signals in response to the first set of signals. Then the method may include receiving, by the roving locator unit, the second set of signals from the active marker unit and identifying the active marker unit based on a unique identity attribute provided in the second set of signals. Further, the method may include redirecting the second set of signals received the second set of signals to the location determining module and determining the location of the one or more subsurface assets based on any one or more of angles, directions, range and strength of the second set of signals received and identity of the active marker unit. Then the method may include alerting and indicating the determined location of the one or more subsurface assets to an operator through an interface associated with the handheld unit.
[0054] Other like benefits and advantages are provided by the disclosed solution, which will be discussed in detail throughout the disclosure. The various embodiments throughout the disclosure will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGs. 1-6.
[0055] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the proposed system, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0056] As shown, the system 100 may include one or more active marker units 200-1…200-N (collectively referred to as active marker unit 200) configured to each of one or more subsurface assets 105-1…105-N (collectively referred to as subsurface assets 105). The system 100 may also include a roving locator unit 300 configured to a handheld unit 101 using a connecting means 109. In an embodiment, the roving locator unit 300 may have a first set of antennae 308. In an embodiment, the roving locator unit 300 may be configured to the first set of antennae 308 with a USB cable 108. In an embodiment, the system 100 may be used to detect the one or more subsurface assets on the surface or fully or partially buried in the surface 107. In an embodiment, the surface 107 may be indicative of the ground.
[0057] In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may be configured to each of one or more subsurface assets 105. In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may receive the first set of signals and transmit the second set of signals based on the first set of signals. In the embodiment, the active marker unit 200 configured to each of the one or more subsurface asset 105 may have a unique identity attribute that allows each of the one or more subsurface asset 105 to be distinctly identified.
[0058] In the embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may include the first set of antennae 208, the key storage unit 203 having one or more keys corresponding to authenticated roving locator units 300, and the first processor 202 coupled to the first memory 205 having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the first processor to, receive, by the first set of antennae 208, the first set of signals by periodically listening for signals broadcasted by the roving locator unit 300. In an embodiment, the first processor 202 may then determine whether the first set of signals may be broadcasted from the authenticated roving locator unit by comparing the key associated with the roving locator unit 300 in the first set of signals with one or more keys in the key storage unit 203. In an embodiment, the first processor 202 may then transmit, by the first set of antennae 208 the second set of signals to the roving locator unit 300, the second set of signals having the unique identity attribute associated with the active marker unit 200.
[0059] In the embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may be configured to be periodically brought to the activated mode from the inactivated mode, to check if the first set of signals has been broadcasted near the active marker unit 200.
[0060] In an embodiment, the system 100 may include a handheld unit 101 having the roving locator unit 300 configured to operably broadcast the first set of signals over the area of interest and receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit 200. In an embodiment, the handheld unit 101 may be hovered over the area of interest on the surface 107 to detect assets therein. In an embodiment, the handheld unit 101 may also have a location determination module 150 configured to determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets 105 based on the second set of signals.
[0061] In the embodiment, the roving locator unit 300 may include the second set of antennae, and the second processor 302 coupled to the second memory 305 having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the second processor 302 to, broadcast, by the second set of antennae, the first set of signals over the area of interest, the first set of signals having the key associated with the roving locator unit 300, receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit 200. In an embodiment, the second processor 302 may identify the active marker unit 200 from which the second set of signals was received using the unique identify attribute provided in the second set of signals. In an embodiment, the second processor 302 may redirect the second set of signals to the location determination module 605 in the handheld unit 101.
[0062] In the embodiment, the active marker unit 200 and the roving locator unit 300 are configured to transmit and receive sub-GHz radio wave signals.
[0063] In the embodiment, the location determination module 150 may be coupled to the third memory having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the location determination module 150 to, receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit 200 associated with each of the one or more subsurface assets. In an embodiment, the location determination module 150 may determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets 105 based on any one or more of angle, direction, range and strength of the second set of signals received and identity of the active marker unit 200.
[0064] In an embodiment, the handheld unit 101 may be including, but is not limited to, a mobile device, a smart-phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a phablet computer, a wearable computing device, a Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) device, a laptop, a desktop, a server, and the like. The connecting means 109 between the handheld unit 101 to the roving locator unit 300 may be indicative of including, but not limited to, Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable, wires, cables, and a wireless connection. In an embodiment, the first set of antennae 104 may be including, but not limited to, a directional antenna, an omnidirectional antenna, a helical antenna, a bi-quadratic antenna, a horn antenna, a patch antenna, a conical antenna, a sector antenna, a dipole antenna, an end-fire antenna, an array antenna, a yagi antenna, a log-periodic antenna, and the like.
[0065] In the embodiment, the handheld unit 101 may include one or more interfaces indicative of any one or combination of the display unit and the audio unit, the one or more interfaces may be configured to provide the alert indicating the location of the active marker units 200 corresponding to each of the one or more subsurface assets 105 to the operator of the handheld unit 101.
[0066] In the embodiment, the handheld unit 101 provides the list of the identified active marker units 200 in the area of interest, and visually or audibly indicates to the operator the location of each of the identified active marker units 200. In an embodiment, the one or more subsurface assets 105 within the detection range of the roving locator unit 300 may be detected remotely. In an embodiment, the one or more subsurface assets 105 may respond to signals from known authentic roving locator units 300.
[0067] In an embodiment, the system 100 may be to detect concealed objects on or under the surface 107. The system 100 may be advantageously employed in various applications including, but not limited to, archaeology, geology, metallic or non-metallic land mines, deep structures, and the like.
[0068] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of an active marker unit 200, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0069] In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may include a first processor 202 operable to execute processor-executable instructions in a memory 205. In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may include a first battery 204, a key storage unit 203, an antenna matching circuitry 207 and a first set of antennae 208. In an embodiment, the first battery may provide the active marker unit 200 with electrical power. In an embodiment, the first internal storage 206 may allow the first processor 202 to store data received from the first set of signals, and transmit data from the first internal storage through the second set of signals. In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may include a boot loader, an operating system, and a file system to receive and process the first set of signals and transmit the second set of signals. In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may be configured inside a protective housing 210.
[0070] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a roving locator unit 300, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0071] In an embodiment, roving locator unit 300 may include a second processor 302 operable to execute processor-executable instructions in a second memory 305. In an embodiment, the roving locator unit 300 may include a USB interface 304, an identity storage unit 303, antenna matching circuitry 307 and a second set of antennae 308. In an embodiment, the system 300 can include a boot loader; an operating system; and a file system. In an embodiment, the identity storage unit 303 may include a database of unique identity attribute associated with each active marker unit 200.
[0072] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method for receiving requests and sending responses by the active marker unit 200, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0073] In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may be configured to, at step 401, periodically awaken into an activated mode from an inactivated mode and, at step 402, set a wake-up interval after which the active marker unit 200 would wake-up once it returns to the inactivated mode. When the active marker unit 200 may be in the activated mode, the active marker unit 200 will listen for first set of signals from the roving locator unit 300 using the first set of antennae. In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may listen for the first set of signals from the roving locator unit 300, at step 403, and then sleep for the time that may be set during step 402. In an embodiment, if the first set of signals is received at step 404, the first processor 202 in the active marker unit 200 may use a key associated with the roving locator unit 300 provided in the first set of signals to determine if said roving locator unit is an authorized or authenticate unit to broadcast the first set of signals at step 405. In an embodiment, the key may be compared with the one or more keys in the key storage unit 203. In an embodiment, at step 406, the first processor 202 may be configured to transmit a second set of signals to the roving locator unit 300 via the first set of antennae 208. In an embodiment, the second set of signals may include a message secured through including, but not limited to, encryption using the key. Further, the first processor 202 may include a unique identity attribute associated with the active marker unit 200 in the second set of signals. In an embodiment, the active marker unit 200 may wait for other signals broadcasted by the roving locator unit 300. In an embodiment, at step 407, the first processor 202 may change the wake-up interval attribute. In an embodiment, at step 408, a counter may be actuated and incremented periodically by the first processor 202 at step 409. In an embodiment, at step 410, if the counter expires 410, i.e. becomes equivalent to the wake-up interval attribute, the active marker unit 200 may repeat the method 400 from step 402.
[0074] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method 500 for sending requests to the active marker unit 200 with the roving locator unit 300, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, at step 501, the roving locator unit 300 may operably broadcast the first set of signals over the area of interest. In an embodiment, the second processor 302 may include a secure key generated using the key storage 303 the first set of signals. In an embodiment, the active marker units 200 in each of the one or more subsurface assets 105 in the area of interest may receive the first set of signals through the first set of antennae 208. In an embodiment, the first processor 202 in the active marker unit 200 may process the key in the first set of signals and determine if the first set of signals was transmitted by an authentic roving locator unit 300. In an embodiment where the first set of signals is transmitted by an authenticated roving locator unit 300, the first processor 202 may be configured to transmit the second set of signals through the first set of antennae 208. In an embodiment, at step 503, the roving locator unit 300 may be configured to receive the second set of signals via the second set of antennae 308. In an embodiment, at step 504, the second processor 302 may identify the active marker unit 200 using the unique identity attribute in the second set of signals, and redirect the second set of signals to the handheld unit 101. In an embodiment, the second processor 302 may redirect an unsecured or decrypted second set of signals to the handheld unit 101.
[0075] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of method 600 for providing an alert received from the roving locator unit on a handheld unit, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0076] In an embodiment, at step 602, the handheld unit 101 may connect to the roving locator unit 300. In an embodiment, at step 603, the handheld unit 101 may wait for the second set of signals from the active marker unit 200 via roving locator unit 300. In an embodiment, at step 604, the location determining module 150 may determine the location of the active marker unit 200 based on including, but not limited to, angle, direction, range and strength of the second set of signals received. In an embodiment, at step 606, the determined location may be provided as an alert on an interface associated with the handheld unit 101. In an embodiment, at step 606, if the location of the active marker units 200 from which the second set of signals were received is less than a predetermined threshold value, then an audio alert may be provided at step 607 to the operator of the handheld unit 101.
[0077] In an embodiment, the interface may include a variety of input/output devices that allow users to exchange data packets with the system 100. In an embodiment, interface 106 may be implemented as including, but not limited to, a Graphical User Interface (GUI), an Application Programming Interface (API), a Command Line Interface (CLI), and the like. In an embodiment where the interface is implemented as a GUI, the system 100 may also include a display device including, but not limited to, a monitor, projector, touch-screen display, and the like. In such embodiments, the GUI may include one or more of graphical elements such as input forms, including, but not limited to, windows, dialog boxes, drop-down menus, clickable buttons, text-fields, animations, images, videos, icons, and the like, which may be arranged, sized, and positioned in different configurations. In other embodiment, the interface may include an audio unit configured to provide audio prompts, receive audio responses, and the like. In an example, the interface may display the locations of the identified active marker units 200 in the area of interest superimposed on a geographical map resembling said area of interest. In other examples, the interface may provide audio alerts to the operator of the handheld unit 101 if the distance between the operator and the active marker unit 200 is below a predetermined threshold. In an embodiment, the interface may also be configured to change the frequency of the audio alerts as the operator approaches the active marker unit 200.
[0078] In an embodiment, the first processor 202, the second processor 302 and the location determination module 250 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the first processor 202, the second processor 302 and the location determination module 250 may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the first memory 205, the second memory 305 and a third memory 155 respectively. The first memory 205, the second memory 305 and the third memory 155 may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service or wired communication means. The first memory 205, the second memory 305 and the third memory 155 may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like. The disclosed system 100 may also include the first internal storage 206 and second internal storage 306indicative of databases that may be operatively coupled to the first processor 202 and the second processor 302 respectively.
[0079] It may be appreciated that the order in which the methods 400, 500 and 600 are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method steps may be combined or otherwise performed in any order to implement the methods400, 500 and 600, or an alternate method. Additionally, individual steps may be deleted from the methods 400, 500 and 600 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure described herein. Furthermore, the methods 400, 500 and 600 may be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof, that exists in the related art or that is later developed. The methods 400, 500 and 600 describe, without limitation, the implementation of the system 100. Those skilled in the art will understand that methods 400, 500 and 600 may be modified appropriately for implementation in various manners without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0080] The present disclosure, therefore, solves the need for a method and a system for detecting subsurface assets.
[0081] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the disclosure is determined by the claims that follow. The disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions, or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the disclosure when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0082] The present disclosure provides a system and method for detecting subsurface assets.
[0083] The present disclosure provides a system and method for detecting objects that locate known assets that are on or buried in a surface.
[0084] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that have drifted from its known location.
[0085] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that have drifted to depth that cannot be detected by passive tags and sensors.
[0086] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that can be used to detect one or more objects present in the vicinity from a distance.
[0087] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets where the subsurface asset only responds to signals from known authentic locator devices.
[0088] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets by using a sweeping mechanism that can be manual or motorized.
[0089] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for detecting subsurface assets that is easy to use, easy to implement and is cost effective.
, Claims:1. A system (100) for detecting subsurface assets, the system (100) comprising:
an active marker unit (200) configured to each of one or more subsurface assets (105), the active marker unit (200) being configured to receive a first set of signals and transmit a second set of signals based on the first set of signals;
a handheld unit (101) having a roving locator unit (300) configured to operably broadcast the first set of signals over an area of interest and receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit (200), the handheld unit (101) also having a location determination module (150) configured to determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets (105) based on the second set of signals.
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active marker unit (200) configured to said each of the one or more subsurface assets (105) has a unique identity attribute that allows each of the one or more subsurface assets (105) to be distinctly identified.
3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more subsurface assets (105) within the detection range of the roving locator unit (300) are detected remotely, and wherein the one or more subsurface assets (105) respond to signals from known authentic roving locator units (300).
4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active marker unit (200)comprises a first set of antennae (208), a key storage unit (203) having one or more keys corresponding to authenticated roving locator units (300), and a first processor (202) coupled to a first memory (205) having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the first processor (202) to:
receive, by the first set of antennae (208), the first set of signals by periodically listening for signals broadcasted by the roving locator unit (300);
determine whether the first set of signals is broadcasted from an authenticated roving locator unit (300) by comparing a key associated with the roving locator unit (300) in the first set of signals with said one or more keys in the key storage unit (203); and
transmit, by the first set of antennae (208), the second set of signals to the roving locator unit (300), the second set of signals having a unique identity attribute associated with the active marker unit (200).
5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active marker unit (200) is configured to be periodically brought to an activated mode from an inactivated mode, to check if the first set of signals have been broadcasted near the active marker unit (200).
6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roving locator unit (300) comprises a second set of antennae (308), and a second processor (302) coupled to a second memory (305) having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the second processor (302) to:
Broadcast, by the second set of antennae (308), the first set of signals over the area of interest, the first set of signals having a key associated with the roving locator unit (300);
receive the second set of signals from the active marker unit (200);
identify the active marker unit (200) from which the second set of signals was received using a unique identify attribute provided in the second set of signals; and
redirect the second set of signals to the location determination module (150) in the handheld unit (101).
7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active marker unit (200) and the roving locator unit (300) are configured to transmit and receive sub-GHz radio wave signals.
8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location determination module (150) is coupled to a third memory having processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the location determination module (150) to:
receive a second set of signals from the active marker unit (200) associated with each of the one or more subsurface assets (105); and
determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets (105) based on any one or more of: angle, direction, range, and strength of the second set of signals received, and identity of the active marker unit (200).
9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handheld unit (101) comprises one or more interfaces indicative of any one or combination of a display unit and an audio unit, the one or more interfaces configured to provide an alert indicating the location of the active marker units (200) corresponding to each of the one or more subsurface assets (105) to an operator of the handheld unit (101).
10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handheld unit (101) provides a list of the identified active marker units (200) in the area of interest, and visually or audibly indicates to an operator the location of each of the identified active marker units (200).
11. A method for detecting subsurface assets, the method comprising:
providing a handheld unit (101) having a roving locator unit (300) configured to operable broadcast a first set of signals and receive a second set of signals from an active marker unit (200) configured to each of one or more subsurface assets (105) to be detected, the handheld unit (101) also having a location determining module (150) configured to determine the location of the one or more subsurface assets (105);
broadcasting, by the roving locator unit (300), the first set of signals having a key associated with the roving locator unit (300) over the area of interest such that the active marker unit (200) corresponding to each of the one or more subsurface assets (105) in the area of interest transmit a second set of signals in response to the first set of signals;
receiving, by the roving locator unit (300),the second set of signals from the active marker unit (200) and identifying the active marker unit (200) based on a unique identity attribute provided in the second set of signals;
redirecting the second set of signals received the second set of signals to the location determining module (150);
determining a location of the one or more subsurface assets (105) based on any one or more of angle, direction, range and strength of the second set of signals received and identity of the active marker unit (200); and
alerting and indicating the determined location of the one or more subsurface assets (105) to an operator through an interface associated with the handheld unit (101).
12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the active marker unit (200) on each of the one or more subsurface assets (105) is configured to:
receive the first set of signals broadcasted by the roving locator unit (300),
determine whether the first set of signals is broadcasted from the roving locator unit (300) is an authenticated roving locator unit (300) by comparing a key associated with the roving locator unit (300) in the first set of signals with one or more keys of authenticated roving locator units (300) in a key storage unit (203) coupled to the active marker unit (200); and
transmit the second set of signals in response to the first set of signals.