Detector for detecting a current carrying conductor and a method of validating operation of the detector

1. A system for detecting a buried conductor, comprising:

a detector, including:

a plurality of antennas for detecting an electromagnetic field,

a plurality of windings, each wound around a respective antenna, each winding being connected to a current source for providing a predefined current in the winding to generate an electromagnetic field at the antenna, thereby inducing a test current in the antenna,

a memory for storing calibration data of the antennas,

a processor configured to process the test currents in the antennas to determine if the test currents are within predetermined limits of the calibration data, and

a communications module for transmitting calibration test results; and

a microprocessor-controlled device for receiving the calibration test results from the detector.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined limits for each antenna are the calibration data ±0.01%.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to disable the detector if one of the test currents is outside the predetermined limits of the calibration data.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antennas comprise two parallel antennas which in use are oriented horizontally and spaced vertically.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antennas comprise three parallel antennas which in use are oriented horizontally and spaced vertically.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to store results of the test in the memory.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the detector further comprises a user interface for conveying the calibration test results to a user.

8. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a transmitter for generating an alternating current test signal in said conductor.

9. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a server connected to a network, wherein the microprocessor-controlled device transmits the calibration test results to the server over the network.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the server is configured to generate a calibration certificate if the test results indicate that said detector is operating within predetermined limits.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the calibration certificate is downloadable from the server to the microprocessor-controlled device.

12. A method of validating the operation of a detector for detecting a buried conductor, the detector including a plurality of antennas, a plurality of windings, each winding wound around a respective antenna and connected to a current source, a memory, a processor and a communications module, the method comprising:

providing a predefined current in the winding to generate an electromagnetic field at each antenna, thereby inducing a test current in each antenna;

processing the test currents to determine if the test currents are within predetermined limits of the calibration data; and

transmitting calibration test results from the detector to a microprocessor-controlled device.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined limits for each antenna are the calibration data ±0.01%.

14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising disabling the detector if one of the test currents is outside the predetermined limits of the calibration data.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the plurality of antennas comprise two parallel antennas which in use are oriented horizontally and spaced vertically.

16. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising storing the calibration test results in the memory.

17. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising conveying the calibration test results to a user via a user interface.

18. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

transmitting the calibration test results from the microprocessor-controlled device to a server over a network.

19. The method according to claim 18 , further comprising:

generating a calibration certificate at the server if the calibration test results indicate that the detector is operating within predetermined limits.

20. The method according to claim 19 , further comprising:

downloading the calibration certificate from the server to the microprocessor-controlled device.