TMR-Array-Based Pipeline Location Method and Its Realization

Pipeline inspection is important to ensure the safe operation of pipelines. Obtaining the location of an underground pipeline is a prerequisite for most inspection technologies. Existing pipeline location methods can find a pipeline’s location, but they require multiple measurements and cannot be used by automatic inspection robots. In this paper, a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR)-sensor-array-based pipeline location method is proposed to solve this problem. Firstly, a detection probe is designed using a TMR sensor array. It is calibrated by the improved ellipsoid fitting method to measure the magnetic field around the pipeline accurately. Secondly, a relative pipeline-position-locating method is proposed by detecting the phases of the magnetic induction signals at different frequencies. Thirdly, a three-dimensional pipeline location method is proposed. The horizontal and vertical distances and the angle between the pipeline and the probe are calculated by measuring the magnetic induction amplitude. Finally, a simulation model and a test platform are established, and the experimental results illustrate that, by adopting the TMR array, the three-dimensional pipeline location method can locate a pipeline in real time in three dimensions with good accuracy.