A novel magnetic method for active underground cable localization using three-component sensors

A novel magnetic method for active underground cable localization on bias of three-component induction coils is introduced. A brief positioning formula derived from the Faraday's law and Biot-Savart law is given and verified by numerical simulation with the theorem of Mathematical geometry. The simulation results are highly coherent with the assumed unknown position and promising to determine the current in cables. The calculated results show that the method is capable to localize the cable 5 meters beneath the ground surface with localization error is less than 10 % when the resolution of the sensor is 0.1 nT.