Tube placement verifier system

Claim 1

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising; (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency, attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a probe adapted to be positioned outside the body including at least one transmitting coil and first and second receiver coils, said first receiver coil providing signals indicative of the position of said object relative to a first axis and said second receiver coil providing signals indicative of the position of said object relative to a second axis, said first and second axes being substantially mutually orthogonal, said probe further including a sensing coil for providing a signal indicative of the relative proximity of the object to the receiver means, wherein said first ad second receiver coils each include a pair of coils situated side-by-side in the same plane and connected in series-opposed fashion.

Claim 2

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising; (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency, attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a probe adapted to be positioned outside the body including at least one transmitting coil and first and second receiver coils, said first receiver coil providing signals indicative of the position of said object relative to a first axis and said second receiver coil providing signals indicative of the position of said object relative to a second axis, said first and second axes being substantially mutually orthogonal, said probe further including a sensing coil for providing a signal indicative of the relative proximity of the object to the receiver means, wherein said first ad second receiver coils each include a pair of coils situated side-by-side in the same plane and connected in series-opposed fashion.

Claim 9

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency, attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a probe adapted to be positioned outside the body containing said transmitter means and said receiver means, further including switching means for energizing said transmitter means for a first predetermined period of time and said receiver means for a second predetermined period of time; and (e) display means for indicating the location of the probe relative to said object.

Claim 10

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency, attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a probe adapted to be positioned outside the body containing said transmitter means and said receiver means, further including switching means for energizing said transmitter means for a first predetermined period of time and said receiver means for a second predetermined period of time; and (e) display means for indicating the location of the probe relative to said object.

Claim 12

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising: (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a movable probe coupled to said receiver means having a first visual display for indicating the direction that the probe should be moved to center it over the object, wherein said movable probe includes a second visual display for indicating when the probe is centered on the object.

Claim 13

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising: (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a movable probe coupled to said receiver means having a first visual display for indicating the direction that the probe should be moved to center it over the object, wherein said movable probe includes a second visual display for indicating when the probe is centered on the object.

Claim 16

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising: (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency, attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a probe adapted to be positioned outside the body including at least one transmitting coil and first and second receiver coils, said first coil providing signals indicative of the position of said object relative to a first axis and said second coil providing signals of the position of said object relative to a second axis, said first and second axes being substantially mutually orthogonal, said probe further including a sensing coil for providing a signal indicative of the relative proximity of the object to the receiver means, said receiver means including read circuit means for periodically sampling signals present on said sensing coil and on said first and second receiver coils over discrete time frames.

Claim 17

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass, comprising: (a) at least one resonant circuit, having a resonant frequency, attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; (d) a probe adapted to be positioned outside the body including at least one transmitting coil and first and second receiver coils, said first coil providing signals indicative of the position of said object relative to a first axis and said second coil providing signals of the position of said object relative to a second axis, said first and second axes being substantially mutually orthogonal, said probe further including a sensing coil for providing a signal indicative of the relative proximity of the object to the receiver means, said receiver means including read circuit means for periodically sampling signals present on said sensing coil and on said first and second receiver coils over discrete time frames.

Claim 18

A system for detecting the position of an object within a body or mass comprising: (a) a tube adapted to be inserted into said body containing said object at approximately a first end thereof; (b) a search head for scanning an outside surface of said body and having a first indicator associated therewith for indicating the direction that the search head should be moved to center it over the object wherein said object means contains resonant circuit means for ringing in response to electromagnetic energy transmitted by said search head, and wherein sad object comprises two targets, each having a resonant circuit with a different resonant frequency.

Claim 19

A system for detecting the position of an object within a body or mass comprising: (a) a tube adapted to be inserted into said body containing said object at approximately a first end thereof; (b) a search head for scanning an outside surface of said body and having a first indicator associated therewith for indicating the direction that the search head should be moved to center it over the object wherein said object means contains resonant circuit means for ringing in response to electromagnetic energy transmitted by said search head, and wherein sad object comprises two targets, each having a resonant circuit with a different resonant frequency.

Claim 23

The system of clam 17 herein said first and second indicators are located on the search head and provide a visual display.

Claim 24

The system of clam 17 herein said first and second indicators are located on the search head and provide a visual display.

Claim 25

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass comprising: (a) at least one resonant circuit having a resonant frequency attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; and (d) a movable probe having a first user perceptible display means for indicating the direction the probe should be moved to center it over the object.

Claim 26

A system for detecting the position of an object located within a body of material or a mass comprising: (a) at least one resonant circuit having a resonant frequency attached to said object; (b) transmitter means adapted to be located outside the body for transmitting inductive energy; (c) receiver means in operative association with said transmitter means for detecting the ringing of the resonant circuit in response to said inductive energy; and (d) a movable probe having a first user perceptible display means for indicating the direction the probe should be moved to center it over the object.