Importance

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Abstract

A locator is described for tracking the position of a boring tool and/or one or more buried lines within a region. A flux plane is used to establish a flux vector to guide the portable locator to locate points in a dipole field. A locate line is located in the dipole field by determining a predicted locate line angular orientation based upon horizontal flux vector determinations. The predicted angular orientation limits possible directions to and orientations of a predicted locate line relative to the portable locator. Cable line locating measures a local flux intensity of the locating signal using the portable locator. A cable line angular orientation limits the possible directions to the cable line. A display is configured for periodic updates such that displayed positional relationships are essentially continuous, including accommodation of positional and/or orientation changes seen by the portable locator in dipole or cable line tracking.

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First Claim