1129 results about "Above ground" patented technology

An underground radio communications and personnel tracking system uses a portable communications device worn by a miner when underground in a mine. A cap-lamp transceiver provides voice and text communication on ultra-low frequency (ULF) to ultra-high frequency (UHF) carrier frequencies and modulation adapted by programming of a software defined radio to making selective and agile radio contacts via through-the-earth, conductor / lifeline, coal seam, tunnel, and ionosphere / earth-surface waveguides for transmission of electromagnetic waves. These waveguides comprise layered earth coal and mineral deposits, and manmade mining complex infrastructures which serendipitously form efficient waveguides. Ultra-Low Frequency F1 / F1 repeaters are placed underground in the mine, and providing for extended range of communication of the cap-lamp transceiver with radios and tracking devices above ground of the mine.

A combination of SAGD with cogeneration technology for exploiting shallow heavy oil and bitumen reservoirs under primary, secondary and tertiary thermal recovery. Superheated steam is generated by the heat recovery from the exhaust of an above-ground hydrocarbon powered turbine driven electric generator cogeneration plant and is injected through well bores into the hydrocarbon bearing reservoir that is traversed by at least one horizontal producing well bore and one injection well bore to heat the reservoir formation and to induce gravity drainage of the hydrocarbons and allowing their recovery from the horizontal producing well bore. Electrical power that is generated is sold to the electric grid and can be used to offset the fuel costs for the above ground hydrocarbon turbine-driven elector generators.

Multi functional sensors are described. A silicon based sensor utilizes metal layers arranged as resistors around a central pair if resistors separated by a humidity sensitive polymer with one of the central resistors being a heater. This enables temperature humidity wind speed and direction to be measured. In another embodiment an array of resistors is printed onto a flexible substrate to form the basis of an array of sensors. A soil moisture sensor, which is also useful as a leaf wetness sensor, incorporates a novel self calibrating capacitive sensor structure. The flexible substrate is rolled into a stake that can be inserted in the soil so that below ground sensors measure soil moisture and above ground sensors measure temperature, light, humidity, wind speed and direction.

Receiving units with inputs that may be ground-terminated and with inputs that are selectively ground-terminated or non-ground terminated are enabled with signal level shifting and a termination mode selection input. In a first exemplary implementation, a receiving unit is capable of having ground-terminated inputs. However, common mode voltage of the signal that is input to decoding data recovery circuitry is above ground because the input signal may be level shifted in between the ground-terminated inputs and the decoding data recovery circuitry. In a second exemplary implementation, a mode selection is accomplished by switching a voltage divider into operation and bypassing a level shifter for a non-ground terminated mode. For a ground terminated mode, the voltage divider is switched out of operation and the level shifter is switched into operation for its signal output to be decoded. Pre-amplification may also be employed to improve signal strength.

The present invention provides cement compositions that comprise water, high alumina cement, a soluble phosphate, and cement kiln dust. The cement compositions optionally may be foamed with a gas. Methods of cementing also are provided that comprise: providing the cement composition; introducing the cement composition into a location to be cemented; and allowing the cement composition to set therein. The location to be cemented may be above ground or in a subterranean formation.

A hybrid energy system comprised of methods that work in conjunction with multiple kinetic energy turbine types, valves, solar power panels, piezoelectric devices and also element force. Hybrid energy powers electrical devices on site and extra power is also consigned off site. A network control system shunts surplus energy to the utility grid via above ground and underground cable. An on site power system charges a parked vehicle battery. A utility service vehicle is employed to deliver charged battery banks to on and off grid customers. A hybrid energy system integrates on rooftops, skyscrapers, bridges, tunnels, and aqueducts, as well as infrastructure on and off shore. A hybrid energy system integrates in various vehicle types and the power is managed accordingly by the vehicle control system.

An apparatus for drilling underground having at least one optical fiber for transmitting light energy from a laser energy source disposed above ground to an underground drilling location and a mechanical drill bit having at least one cutting surface and forming at least one light transmission channel aligned to transmit light from the at least one optical fiber through the mechanical drill bit by way of the at least one light transmission channel.

Treatment fluids containing biodegradable chelating agents and methods for use thereof are described. The methods can comprise providing a treatment fluid that comprises an aqueous base fluid and a chelating agent composition, and introducing the treatment fluid into at least a portion of a subterranean formation. The treatment fluids can also be used for treatment of pipes or tubing such as, for example, well bore pipes or tubing penetrating a subterranean formation and above-ground pipelines. Illustrative biodegradable chelating agents include, but are not limited to, glutamic acid diacetic acid, methylglycine diacetic acid, β-alanine diacetic acid, S,S-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid, iminodisuccinic acid, hydroxyiminodisuccinic acid, any salt thereof, any derivative thereof, and any combination thereof. The treatment fluids can optionally comprise an acid, which can include hydrofluoric acid or a hydrofluoric acid generating compound.

System and method for cleaning rows of solar panels. Each solar row has an upper edge elevated above ground level and a lower edge to provide an inclination of the solar row. A cleaning assembly cleans the solar panel surfaces. A support frame supports the cleaning assembly and enables upward and downward motion in the width and length directions of the solar row. Operation and movement of the cleaning assembly is controlled so as to clean a surface of the solar panels during downward movement. The cleaning assembly is preferably not operative during upward movement. During downward movement, the cleaning assembly removes dirt, debris and dust from the surface of the solar panels and generates an air stream to blow off the dirt, debris, and dust. The system further includes a guide system for moving the cleaning assembly to align with successive solar panel rows.

A method for determining a height (i.e., elevation above ground level) at which a communication device having an electronic processor and a sensor is located may include obtaining a reference height of a first location, the reference height being a known height relative to ground level, the reference height having a corresponding reference pressure; obtaining, with the sensor, a pressure measurement at a second location; and calculating, with the electronic processor, a height at the second location based on the pressure measurement, the reference height, and the reference pressure. The height may also be based on temperature data, location data, motion data, and / or the like.

An apparatus and method for treating and reusing the wastewater discharged from agricultural animal farms. The apparatus and method of the present invention is designed to be a zero discharge system in which no wastewater will be discharged or spray irrigated. The wastewater effluent is first passed through a mechanical screen were bulk solids are separated and partially de-watered. The screened effluent is then directed to a primary plastic-lined earthen lagoon where it undergoes aerobic digestion utilizing specially selected bacteria. After treatment in the primary lagoon, the wastewater effluent is used to wash the floors of the hog houses or undergoes a purification phase including solids separation / denitrification, filtration and sterilization. The solids separation / denitrification phase (clarification) preferably takes place in an anoxic environment in preferably above-ground tanks where suspended solids removal will occur as well as denitrification for nitrate reduction. The clarification process may be facilitated through use of polymer addition. The majority of solids will be sent to a plurality of drying beds for de-watering and subsequent removal.

The security manhole insert cover relates to a locking manhole insert to prevent ingress or egress to a manhole from above or below the manhole to prevent access to underground utilities, tunnels and underneath buildings and metropolitan areas to eliminate security intrusions and terrorist attacks by underground access, which would otherwise go undetected if access to the underground utility passages were not secured. The manhole insert cover has a cylindrical locking insert barring access to the engaging and disengaging mechanism required to remove the manhole insert cover and an integrated lower cover to prevent access to the engaging and disengaging mechanism from below, the insert cover adapted to fit within a manhole without required modification of the manhole and without detection of the insert cover having been installed from above ground levels.

The present invention provides a method of combining various types of data and software in order to arrive at a composite graphical representation of a construction site, including surface and subsurface features. A 2-D or 3-D graph of subsurface contoured surfaces is created. A 3-D wire-frame model of surface and subsurface features is created. Aerial photographs of the site can be incorporated and the aerial photographs contoured surfaces and wire-frame model are to produce a complete Visual Reduction Modeling Language (VRML) model of both surface and subsurface features. The VRML model allows the user to identify and visualize a relationship between sub-surface features and above ground features.

An above-ground sprinkler may have a head that rotates about an angle determined by the relative angles between a pair of arc adjustment rings. Rotation of the head may be driven by a drive mechanism with a rotor rotationally driven by fluid flowing to the head. The drive mechanism may have a valve disposable in two positions to control flow to the rotor to determine the direction in which the rotor rotates. A reduction gear drive may transmit torque from the rotor to the head to cause the head to rotate. The head may have a cover with an outlet aperture and a flow control member that rotates within the cover to dispose any of a plurality of nozzles in alignment with the outlet aperture. A deflection screw or a slider with a plurality of deflectors may be used to provide variable deflection of water sprayed from the outlet aperture.

Improvements in present day fire hydrants are presented. The improvement relates to a fire hydrant where the above ground structure is essentially removed and is replaced with an adaptable connection. The connection uses the same mounting hole pattern as used in the above ground hydrant. In operation, the adaptable connection is protected by a hinged cover that is opened to provide access to the adaptable connection. The adaptable connection includes a bayonet type connection where a portable fire hydrant is secured and rotated to start the flow of water. The adapter includes an electronic communication device that transmits real-time information on connection and flow characteristics. The adaptable fire connection eliminates the appearance of the fire hydrant, the potential of a vehicle hitting a fire hydrant and the material cost associated with above ground fire hydrants.

A rotary sprinkler having an adjustable arc segment whose angular extent and absolute direction relative to the ground are represented by an arc indicator, which arc indicator may comprise a band whose visible length represents the angular extent and whose position on the sprinkler points to the direction. The sprinkler may have the arc segment adjusted by a movable arc limit stop that is coupled to a toggle member only at drive reversal, and the sprinkler may be converted to full circle operation by raising the arc limit stop relative to a cooperating trip tab. A buckling spring assembly used to shift the drive comprises a compression spring held between two spaced pivot members, and the drive can be built in continuous and intermittent drive versions by replacing a few normal rotary gears with multilated gears. A friction clutch having asymmetric teeth for smooth operation prevents damage to the drive during forced nozzle rotation. A nozzle assembly includes a pivotal nozzle that carries a radius adjustment screw with the head of the screw received on top a flexible portion of a top cover, which top cover has laser etched indicia relating to various adjustments of the sprinkler. A flow shut off valve includes stream straightening vanes and a collar may be used to support the sprinkler on a stake or post for above ground installation.

An animal feed support stand includes a plurality of elongated support legs. A protective housing is mounted on the legs, and defines an open bottom adapted for receiving an above-ground feed container for storing and dispensing animal feed. A carriage carries the feed container. A hoist cable moves the carriage vertically between a lowered fill position, whereby the feed container is located beneath the protective housing for filling, and a raised feed-dispensing position, whereby the feed container is located within the protective housing for dispensing feed to a ground surface below.

A display control device, having a processor structured for receiving terrain elevation information and samples of current position and altitude above ground data; and one or more algorithms resident on the processor for generating, as a function of the current position and altitude above ground data, one or more display control signals for causing a display device to display, in a monochromatic scale graduated as a function of terrain elevation relative to mean sea level, a strategic portion of the terrain elevation information extending between a minimum elevation of the strategic portion of the terrain elevation information and a pre-selected strategic altitude threshold less than the altitude above ground data.

System and method for diffusing gas bubbles into a pond, lagoon or basin that is used for fish farming or other form of aquaculture. A small amount of water is continuously removed from the bottom of the body of water by one or more counterflow gas lift diffusers. This small amount of water is flowed down underground, has gas bubbles introduced into it, and is then returned to the body of water. The quantity of water removed and treated in this way is a small fraction of the total body of water in the pond, lagoon or basin. The ratio of (1) the total volume of the channels below ground through which the water flows downward, and then back up into the body of water, to (2) the volume of the body of water above ground is at all times less than about 1:100. In the broadest form of the invention, a gas diffuser introduces gas bubbles into the water in the return channel at a level at least about 2 feet below the bottom of the body of water, and no more then about 50 feet below the surface of the body of water being treated. The downflow and return channels and the space joining them at their bottom ends extend no more than about 50 feet below the surface of the water being treated.

Devices for sensing at an underground drilling device in communication with an above-ground locator involve transmitting a radar probe signal from the underground drilling device. A radar return signal is received at the underground drilling device. The radar return signal is processed at the underground drilling device to produce sensor data. The sensor data is transmitted in a form suitable for reception by the above-ground locator.

Sonic excitation is used to locate, without contact, an object or defect beneath a surface. Defects may include, for example, damage and flaws in load bearing concrete structures wrapped in plastic, fiberglass or composite sheathing, while buried objects amenable to detection include landmines or above-ground mines.

When an underground pipe carrying a fluid, such as a buried water-pipe, develops a leak the leak must first be located before it can be repaired. One common location method makes use of the fact that the leaking fluid often creates a noise, typically a hissing sound, which is transmitted through the ground, and although rapidly attenuated can be heard with suitable highly sensitive ground microphones and is therefore useful to field crews as a means of locating leaks. Unfortunately, the sound levels can be grossly distorted by underground heterogenities, and can easily be confused or even swamped by other sound sources above ground, and in general ground microphones used like this do not seem to be effective. The invention deals with the problems entailed in this technique by a method-and apparatus -which involves using semi-automated equipment to listen (either simultaneously or sequentially) to the leak sound source (1) from a multiplicity of different positions (as 3) spaced all around the sound source, and by then suitably combining and processing the received signals to provide the desired indication of the source's location.

Described is a system for filtering, segmenting and recognizing objects. The system receives a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud having a plurality of data points in 3D space and down-samples the 3D point cloud to generate a down-sampled 3D point cloud with reduced data points in the 3D space. A ground plane is then identified and removed, leaving above-ground data points in the down-sampled 3D point cloud. The above-ground data points are clustered to generate a plurality of 3D blobs, each of the 3D blobs having a cluster size. The 3D blobs are filtered based on cluster size to generate a set of 3D candidate blobs. Features are extracted from each 3D candidate blob. Finally, at least one of the 3D candidate blobs is classified as a pre-defined object class based on the extracted features.

A system and method for creating an enhanced virtual top-down view of an area in front of a vehicle, using images from left-front and right-front cameras. The enhanced virtual top-down view not only provides the driver with a top-down view perspective which is not directly available from raw camera images, but also removes the distortion and exaggerated perspective effects which are inherent in wide-angle lens images. The enhanced virtual top-down view also includes corrections for three types of problems which are typically present in de-warped images—including artificial protrusion of vehicle body parts into the image, low resolution and noise around the edges of the image, and a “double vision” effect for objects above ground level.

A transition for electrical well cable through the wellhead barrier of an underground well leads to an electrical power cable connected to an above-ground electrical power source, where the only connection between the electrical well cable and the electrical power cable is formed inside the wellhead barrier, between approved primary and secondary seals. A drain or vent to the atmosphere is also located between the seals.

A composite dual SCR circuit that acts to protect the Vcc node as well as an I / O node or pin. The dual SCR uses the Vcc to control or program the triggering point of the SCR connected to an I / O node. When Vcc is low, the SCR protecting an I / O node triggers a few volts above ground, but when Vcc is high the trigger point of the SCR protecting the I / O node is much higher. The dual SCR incorporates added diffusions to an existing first SCR structure between the power node and the ground node thereby forming a second SCR. The first and second SCRs share a common cathode transistor. In one illustrative embodiment, only one SCR is constructed incorporating the Vcc to control the triggering of the SCR.

The invention discloses a steel cover board covered excavation foundation ditch structure and construction method thereof, belonging to the constructional engineering technical field and comprising a foundation ditch enclosure wall, a construction upright column, an upright column pile, a transverse horizontal bracing, a plurality of longitudinal horizontal bracings, a screens steel board and a steel cover board, wherein, the foundation ditch enclosure wall is positioned on the out edge of an inner construction site foundation ditch, the upright column pile is vertically arranged at the bottom of the foundation ditch and inlayed into the ground bottom, the construction upright column is sheathed in the upright column pile, the transverse horizontal bracing and a plurality of longitudinal horizontal bracings are orthogonally arranged as box type structure, the screens steel board is vertically arranged on the plane surface formed by the transverse horizontal bracing and the longitudinal horizontal bracing and fixed on the crossing point of the transverse horizontal bracing and the longitudinal horizontal bracing, and the steel cover board is arranged on the screens steel board and is in the same plane with the construction site surface. The invention has the advantages of effectively easing the contradiction of occupying sites of foundation ditch construction with the traffic above-ground, increasing the recycling rate of structure material and minishing the influence to environment caused by structure waste material.