JP2007218839A - Leakage-detection type pipe joint - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and inexpensively construct without using leads, and to reduce the running cost, and to detect surely at all times at an early occurrence of leakage of water, at an early stage. <P>SOLUTION: A pipe joint 1 is equipped with pipe connecting flanges 7 and 7 at both ends in the pipe axial direction of a pipe peripheral wall 6, consisting of an elastic layer 4 and a reinforcing layer 5. At least one non-contacting wireless IC sensor 8 is provided in the pipe axial direction in the thickness of the elastic layer 4 of the pipe peripheral wall 6, which has an IC chip for recording data, including own identification code and an antenna for transmitting and outputting the data via electric wave of a predetermined frequency and is structured to stop the wave transmission function, when it comes into contact with water or to have its transmission function hindered. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is, for example, various types of water supply / drainage pipes such as horizontal pipes that are laid in a horizontal or substantially horizontal posture on the ground or in the ground, or in a vertical or almost vertical posture with respect to the ground. The present invention relates to a water leak detection type pipe joint that can be used to detect water leakage at an early stage when water leaks from a damaged portion of the pipe peripheral wall portion or a connection portion with a pipe in a pipe joint used for connection to a vertical pipe.

  This type of pipe joint requires displacement characteristics such as flexibility and flexibility in addition to pressure resistance in view of its use and usage, and rubber or elastomer is used to provide the displacement characteristics. A pipe peripheral wall portion is formed from the elastic layer used and a reinforcing layer using a reinforcing fiber such as a synthetic fiber or steel cord, and pipe connecting flange portions are provided at both ends of the pipe peripheral wall portion in the pipe axis direction. . And in such a pipe joint, when the elastic layer and reinforcement layer which comprise a pipe surrounding wall part generate | occur | produce a water leak by damage or a tear, it is important to be able to detect it at an early stage. If water leakage cannot be detected at an early stage, the degree of damage and damage to the laceration will rapidly expand and eventually the pipe wall will burst and a large amount of water will overflow, and the overflowed water will cause It may cause unexpected malfunctions such as submerged equipment in the lower place.

  In order to detect the occurrence of water leakage as early as possible in order to avoid the occurrence of such unexpected malfunctions, water leakage occurs by installing a humidity sensor or temperature sensor between the pipe peripheral wall and the heat insulating material covering it. Is detected by these sensors, and a leak detection system is proposed in which the detection signal is transmitted to a leak detection device installed separately from the pipe joint through a lead wire (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a conductor is embedded within the thickness of the elastic layer of the pipe peripheral wall, the lead wire connected to this conductor is led out of the pipe peripheral wall, and the lead wire thus connected is connected to a metal pipe. In addition, a closed circuit is configured by connecting to a power supply and another lead wire via an alarm device such as a buzzer or a lamp, and a crack or the like occurs in the pipe peripheral wall portion, and water leaks through the gap between the cracks. In such a case, a water leakage detection type pipe joint has been proposed in which the electrical conductor and the internal water are electrically connected to each other due to the conductivity of the leaked water so that the alarm device is activated to generate an alarm (for example, Patent Document 2). reference).

JP-A-8-285717 JP-A-7-103377

  In the case of the conventional water leak detection system shown in Patent Document 1 and the water leak detection type pipe joint shown in Patent Document 2, the occurrence of water leak can be detected at an early stage, but in any case, the water leak detection signal Is necessary to transmit to the leak detection device or alarm device. For this reason, when the pipe axis length is long, not only does it take a lot of labor and cost to construct a lead wire of a corresponding length, but if the lead wire breaks even at one place, the expected water leakage Since the detection function cannot be performed, a sufficient protective structure is generally required so that the thin lead wire is not broken, and the construction cost tends to increase more and more. In addition, since it is necessary to monitor the presence or absence of disconnection, the lead wires must be energized at all times, and an increase in running cost is inevitable. In addition, there is a problem that it is very difficult or impossible to implement in the case of a pipe joint that requires hermeticity so that the lead wire cannot be led out.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to easily and inexpensively install lead wires without using any lead wires, and to reduce running costs. And it aims at providing the water leak detection type pipe joint which can be detected at an early stage.

  In order to achieve the above object, a water leakage detection type pipe joint according to the present invention is a pipe joint in which pipe connection flange portions are provided at both ends in the pipe axis direction of a pipe peripheral wall portion made of an elastic layer and a reinforcing layer. An IC chip that records data including its own identification code within the thickness of the elastic layer of the tube peripheral wall portion or outside the tube peripheral wall portion, and an antenna that transmits and outputs the data by radio waves of a predetermined frequency, It is characterized in that at least one non-contact type wireless IC sensor configured to stop the transmission function of radio waves when in contact with water or to be damaged by the transmission function is provided in the tube axis direction.

  According to the present invention having the above-described characteristic configuration, when the elastic layer or the reinforcing layer constituting the pipe peripheral wall portion is damaged or lacerated to cause water leakage, or until the possibility of water leakage is high. When the peripheral wall portion is damaged, the leaked water or the internal water comes into contact with the wireless IC sensor and the function of transmitting radio waves from the wireless IC sensor is stopped, or the function is damaged. As a result, radio waves for transmitting data such as identification codes recorded in the wireless IC sensor do not reach the reader / writer that exchanged data with each wireless IC sensor. Easy operation such as constantly monitoring the operation of the reader / writer with a computer such as a personal computer connected to the reader / writer via a controller, or preparing a portable reader and moving it along the outer surface of the hose during daily inspection By carrying out appropriate inspection work, it is possible to detect in real time the occurrence of leakage or the possibility of leakage and the location of the leakage, and replace or repair pipe fittings before the pipe peripheral wall bursts. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an unexpected failure.

In addition, in the present invention, since a wireless IC sensor that does not require a lead wire is used, the construction can be easily performed and the construction cost can be reduced. In addition, the displacement characteristics such as flexibility are not impaired, and there is no fear of loss of the water leakage detection function due to disconnection of the lead wire, etc., so there is no need to monitor disconnection by constantly energizing, reducing running cost In addition, it is possible to remarkably increase the reliability of monitoring the expected water leakage and grasping the replacement time of the pipe joint.

  When the water leakage detection type pipe joint according to the present invention is used for connection to a horizontal pipe laid in a horizontal or substantially horizontal posture as described in claim 2, it is provided outside the pipe peripheral wall portion of the pipe joint. A water collecting means for collecting water leaked to the outside from a damaged portion generated in the pipe peripheral wall portion or a pipe connection portion by the damaged portion and the flange portion, and the wireless IC sensor is installed at a water collecting location by the water collecting means It is desirable to do. In this case, it is possible to detect not only water leakage from the damaged portion or the like occurring in the pipe peripheral wall portion, but also water leakage occurring at the pipe connection portion at an early stage, for example, water loss due to water leakage from the pipe connection portion or The adverse effects on peripheral equipment can be quickly resolved.

  In addition, when the water leakage detection type pipe joint according to the present invention is used for connection to a vertical pulling pipe laid in a vertical or substantially vertical posture as described in claim 3, the lower flange portion of the pipe joint is used. The wireless IC sensor is installed on the upper surface so as to come into contact with water that leaks to the outside from the pipe connection portion by the damaged portion and the upper flange portion generated in the pipe peripheral wall portion and flows down through the outer surface of the pipe peripheral wall portion. As in the case of the horizontal piping described above, it is possible to detect not only water leaked from the damaged portion generated in the pipe peripheral wall portion but also water leak generated in the pipe connecting portion at an early stage, for example, the pipe connecting portion. Water loss caused by water leakage and adverse effects on surrounding facilities can be quickly resolved.

  In particular, when used in connection with a vertical pipe, as described in claim 4, an annular water storage step is formed at an upper and lower intermediate portion of the pipe peripheral wall, and the water stored in the water storage step is It is desirable to form a water flow groove on the outer surface of the pipe peripheral wall portion that guides the flow toward the wireless IC sensor installed on the inner surface side of the lower flange portion. In this case, the water leakage from the damaged portion generated in the pipe peripheral wall portion and the water leakage generated at the pipe connection portion are stored (accumulated) in the step, and can be guided to flow toward the wireless IC sensor through the water flow groove. Therefore, even if the amount of water leakage is small, the water leakage detection performance can be further improved by bringing the water leakage into contact with the wireless IC sensor reliably and quickly.

  In addition, in the case of connecting to the vertical piping, as described in claim 5, an annular water storage step is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lower pipe connected to the lower flange portion of the pipe joint. On the upper surface of the step for use so as to leak to the outside from both the upper and lower pipe connecting portions by the upper flange portion and the lower flange and to contact the water flowing down along the outer surface of the pipe peripheral wall portion. By installing the wireless IC sensor on the pipe joint, it is possible to detect not only water leakage from the damaged part on the pipe peripheral wall but also water leakage from both the upper and lower pipe connections in the pipe joint. The entire joint can be expanded.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a half-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a water leak detection type pipe joint according to the present invention. The water leak detection type pipe joint 1 includes an inner rubber layer 2 and an outer rubber molded from natural rubber or synthetic rubber. The elastic layer 4 made of the layer 3 and the intermediate reinforcing layer 5 made of a reinforcing fiber such as a synthetic fiber or a steel cord and interposed between the outer rubber layers 2 and 3 in the elastic layer 4 have a pressure resistance and good resistance. A tube peripheral wall portion 6 to which displacement characteristics such as flexibility and flexibility are imparted is formed, and annular seal portions 6a projecting radially outward at both ends of the tube peripheral wall portion 6 in the tube axis direction. 6a, and flanges 7 and 7 for connecting pipes made of high-hardness steel or the like are integrally provided on the inner surfaces of the annular seal portions 6a and 6a.

  In the pipe joint 1 having the basic configuration as described above, on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate reinforcing layer 5 which is a boundary surface between the inner rubber layer 2 and the outer rubber layer 3 of the elastic layer 4 constituting the pipe peripheral wall portion 6. Thus, a non-contact type wireless IC sensor (referred to as a wireless IC tag or RFID tag) 8 to be described later is provided at a substantially intermediate portion in the tube axis direction with an appropriate pitch interval in the circumferential direction of the tube peripheral wall portion 6. A plurality are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the wireless IC sensors 8 includes an IC chip 8a in which components such as a memory for recording data such as its own identification code (ID) and a capacitor for keeping the power supply voltage are incorporated, and a spiral shape. An antenna 8b which is composed of a wire wound around and which transmits and outputs the data such as the ID to the outside by radio waves of a predetermined frequency is applied to a thin label 8c (this may be a card or a stick). Built-in. The radio wave transmitted and output from the wireless IC sensor 8 is received by the antenna 9a of the reader / writer 9 provided separately from the wireless IC sensor 8, and the data is read. The read data is sent to the reader / writer 9. It is configured to be input to a computer 11 such as a personal computer connected via the controller 10 for identification management. The wireless IC sensor 8 is configured such that when the IC chip 8a or the antenna 8b comes into contact with water, the radio wave transmission function is stopped or the transmission function is disturbed.

The wireless IC sensor 8 has a radio wave reach distance, that is, a communication distance of a proximity type with a use frequency of 13.56 MHz and a minimum pitch of about 10 cm. May be set to about 20 cm. In addition, the wireless IC sensor 8 has various frequencies such as 13.56 MHz, 2.45 MHz, and 950 GHz. From the viewpoint of being easily affected by moisture, the wireless IC sensor 8 has a frequency of 2.45 MHz and 950 GHz. Is most effective.

As shown in FIG. 3, the water leakage detection type pipe joint 1 configured as described above includes flange portions 7, 7 at both ends in the tube axis direction and flange portions 13, 13 on the pipes 12, 12 side such as a water supply / drain pipe. The flanges 7, 7 and 13, 13 are tightened with bolts and nuts 14, 14 with the annular seal portions 6 a, 6 a interposed between the opposing surfaces of the pipes 12, 12, thereby providing a watertight state between the pipes 12, 12. It is used by connecting and fixing to.

In such a usage mode, when the inner rubber layer 2 in the elastic layer 4 is torn, after a part of the internal water flowing through the pipe peripheral wall portion 6 reaches the intermediate reinforcing layer 5 through the gap of the torn portion x. Then, the fibers forming the intermediate reinforcing layer 5 are infiltrated and come into contact with the wireless IC sensor 8, whereby the function of transmitting radio waves from the wireless IC sensor 8 is stopped or the function of transmitting is disturbed. It will be.

Along with this, radio waves for sending data such as IDs recorded in the wireless IC sensor 8 do not reach the reader / writer 9, and therefore, the computer that constantly monitors the operation of the reader / writer 9 11, the wireless IC sensor 8 that has stopped transmission or has a transmission failure is confirmed and displayed, thereby reliably detecting in real time that there is a high possibility of leakage due to damage to the pipe wall 6. can do.

Further, instead of the continuous monitoring system as described above, a portable reader is prepared, and a simple inspection work such as moving the reader along the outer surface of the pipe peripheral wall 6 is the same as described above. Thus, it is possible to reliably detect (detect) that the elastic layer 4 is damaged to a state where the possibility of water leakage is high, and to prevent the occurrence of an unexpected failure such as a burst. it can.

4 and 5 show a second embodiment in which the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the present invention is used while being connected and fixed in a watertight state to horizontal pulling pipes 12H and 12H laid in a horizontal or substantially horizontal posture. FIG. 4 is an external side view, and in the second embodiment, a single wireless IC sensor 8 is attached and fixed to the lower outer peripheral surface portion of the tube axial direction intermediate portion of the outer peripheral surface of the tube peripheral wall portion 6. is there. Since other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the case of the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the second embodiment, when the elastic layer 4 of the pipe peripheral wall portion 6 has a laceration or the like and the internal water leaks to the outside from the lace portion x, the leaked water Will flow along the outer peripheral surface of the tube peripheral wall portion 6 and flow down to the radio IC sensor 8 to stop the function of transmitting radio waves from the radio IC sensor 8. Only by using it, the occurrence of water leakage can be detected immediately and reliably.

  FIG. 6 is an external side view showing a third embodiment in the case where the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the present invention is used by being connected and fixed in a watertight state to horizontal pulling pipes 12H and 12H laid in a horizontal or substantially horizontal posture. In this third embodiment, the tube peripheral wall portion 6 is formed in a substantially convex shape so that the diameter gradually increases from both ends in the tube axis direction to the intermediate portion, of which the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 6c having the maximum diameter A single wireless IC sensor 8 is affixed and fixed to the lower portion of the device. Since other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the third embodiment, the occurrence of water leakage can be detected using the single wireless IC sensor 8 as in the second embodiment. The leaked water can be easily collected at the wireless IC sensor 8, and even when the amount of water leakage is small, the transmission function stoppage of the wireless IC sensor 8 can be speeded up to improve the expected leakage detection performance.

  FIG. 7 is an external side view showing a fourth embodiment in the case where the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the present invention is used by being connected and fixed in a watertight state to horizontal pulling pipes 12H and 12H laid in a horizontal or substantially horizontal posture. In this fourth embodiment, a dish-like water basin 15 having a width slightly longer than the length in the tube axis direction of the pipe joint 1 is disposed as water collecting means on the lower outside of the pipe peripheral wall portion 6. The single wireless IC sensor 8 is installed on the upper surface of the central portion in the water storage jig 15. The water reservoir jig 15 may be fixedly supported on, for example, both end flange portions 7 and 7 on the pipe joint 1 side, and may be fixedly supported on the flange portions 13 and 13 on the side pulling pipes 12H and 12H. . Since other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the occurrence of water leakage can be detected using the single wireless IC sensor 8 as in the second embodiment. Since not only the leaked water but also the leaked water from the connecting portion with the horizontal pipes 12H and 12H by the flange portions 7 and 7 at both ends can be collected and stored in the water reservoir 15 and brought into contact with the wireless IC sensor 8. In addition, it is possible to detect water leakage from the entire pipe joint 1 at an early stage, and it is possible to quickly eliminate the adverse effects on water loss and peripheral equipment caused by water leakage.

8, 9, and 10 show a fifth case in which the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the present invention is used by being connected and fixed in a watertight state to the vertical pulling pipes 12 </ b> V and 12 </ b> V laid in a vertical or substantially vertical posture. It is an external appearance side view which shows each of 6th, 7th Example.
In the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 8, one or more of the wireless IC sensors 8 are installed in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of the lower flange portion 7d of the pipe joint 1 arranged in the vertical orientation. Since other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the case of the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the fifth embodiment, when the elastic layer 4 of the pipe peripheral wall portion 6 is lacerated or the like and internal water leaks from the lace portion x to the outside, and the upper flange When the internal water leaks to the outside from the pipe connection portion by the portion 7u, the leaked water flows down along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe peripheral wall portion 6 and collects on the upper surface of the lower flange portion 7d. The occurrence of water leakage can be detected early and reliably by contact with the wireless IC sensor 8.

In the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 9, as in the fifth embodiment, the single wireless IC sensor 8 is installed on the upper surface of the lower flange portion 7d of the pipe joint 1, and the pipe peripheral wall portion 6 An annular water storage step 16 is formed at the upper and lower intermediate portions, and a water flow groove 17 that guides the leaked water stored on the upper surface of the water storage step 16 toward the wireless IC sensor 8 is formed in the pipe peripheral wall portion 6. Since the outer surface, specifically, the outer surface of the outer rubber layer 3 constituting the elastic layer 4 is formed in a straight shape, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the detailed description thereof is as follows. Omitted.

In the case of the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the sixth embodiment, when the elastic layer 4 of the pipe peripheral wall portion 6 has a laceration or the like, the internal water leaks from the lace portion x to the outside, and the upper flange. When internal water leaks to the outside from the pipe connection portion by the portion 7u, the leaked water is stored (stored) on the upper surface of the step 16, and then flows down toward the wireless IC sensor 8 through the water flow groove 17. Therefore, even when the amount of water leakage is small, the wireless IC sensor 8 can be reliably contacted with water to further improve the water leakage detection performance.

In the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 10, an annular water storage step 18 is formed on the outer peripheral portion slightly below the flange portion 13 of the lower longitudinal pipe 12V connected to the lower flange portion 7d of the pipe joint 1. The wireless IC sensor 8 is provided on the upper surface of the step 18 or a plurality of the wireless IC sensors 8 in the circumferential direction, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Omitted.

In the case of the leak detection type pipe joint 1 according to the seventh embodiment, when the elastic layer 4 of the pipe peripheral wall portion 6 is lacerated, internal water leaks from the lace portion x to the outside, and the upper flange When the internal water leaks to the outside from the pipe connection part by the part 7u and the pipe connection part by the lower flange part 7d, the leaked water is stored (reserved) on the upper surface of the step 18 and wirelessly stored in the accumulated water. The contact of the IC sensor 8 makes it possible to detect the occurrence of water leakage early and reliably. In particular, in the case of the seventh embodiment, the water leakage detection range can be expanded to the entire area of the pipe joint 1.

In each of the above embodiments, the inner rubber layer 2 and the outer rubber layer 3 are both molded from natural rubber or synthetic rubber. However, the inner rubber layer 2 and the outer rubber layer 3 are formed from various elastomers such as soft vinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Also good.

In addition, as the non-contact type wireless IC sensor (wireless IC tag or RFID tag) 8 used in the present invention, either an active type or a passive type may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a half-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a water leakage detection type pipe joint according to the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of a wireless IC sensor and an identification management system using the same. It is an expanded sectional view of the principal part explaining the usage condition and water leak detection state of the water leak detection type pipe joint of 1st Example. It is an external appearance side view which shows 2nd Example in the case of using the leak detection type pipe joint which concerns on this invention by connecting and fixing to horizontal drawing piping. It is an external appearance side view which shows the water leak detection state in the case of 2nd Example. It is an external appearance side view which shows 3rd Example in the case of using the leak detection type pipe joint which concerns on this invention by connecting and fixing to horizontal drawing piping. It is an external appearance side view which shows 4th Example in the case of using the leak detection type pipe joint which concerns on this invention by connecting and fixing to horizontal drawing piping. It is an external appearance side view which shows 5th Example in the case of using the leak detection type pipe joint which concerns on this invention by connecting and fixing to vertical piping. It is an external appearance side view which shows 6th Example in the case of using the leak detection type pipe joint which concerns on this invention by connecting and fixing to vertical piping. It is an external appearance side view which shows the 7th Example in the case of using the leak detection type pipe joint which concerns on this invention by connecting and fixing to vertical piping.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water leak detection type pipe joint 2 Inner surface rubber layer 3 Outer surface rubber layer 4 Elastic layer 5 Intermediate reinforcement layer 6 Pipe peripheral wall part 7,7u, 7d Flange part 8 Non-contact type wireless IC sensor 12 Pipe 12H Horizontally drawn pipe 12V Vertically drawn pipe 15 Reservoir jig (an example of water collecting means)
16, 18 Annular water storage step 17 Water channel

Claims (5)

In the pipe joint in which the pipe connecting flange portions are provided at both ends in the pipe axis direction of the pipe peripheral wall portion made of the elastic layer and the reinforcing layer,
An IC chip for recording data including its own identification code and an antenna for transmitting and outputting the data by radio waves of a predetermined frequency, within the thickness of the elastic layer of the tube peripheral wall or outside the tube peripheral wall, Water leakage detection type characterized in that at least one non-contact type wireless IC sensor configured to stop the transmission function of radio waves or to be damaged by the transmission function is provided in the tube axis direction. Pipe fittings. When the pipe joint is used in connection with a horizontal pipe that is laid in a horizontal or substantially horizontal posture, a damaged part generated in the pipe peripheral wall part or the damaged part is provided below the pipe peripheral wall part of the pipe joint. And a water collecting means for collecting water leaked to the outside from a pipe connection portion by the flange portion, and the wireless IC sensor is installed at a water collecting location by the water collecting means. Pipe fittings.   When the pipe joint is used for connection to a vertical pipe that is laid in a vertical or almost vertical position, the upper surface of the lower flange portion of the pipe joint is caused by a damaged portion and an upper flange portion generated in the pipe peripheral wall portion. The water leakage detection type pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the wireless IC sensor is installed so as to leak to the outside from the pipe connection portion and to contact water flowing down along the outer surface of the pipe peripheral wall portion.   An annular water storage step is formed at the upper and lower intermediate portions of the pipe peripheral wall portion, and the water stored in the water storage step is guided toward the wireless IC sensor installed on the upper surface of the lower flange portion. The water leakage detection type pipe joint according to claim 3, wherein a water flow groove to be formed is formed on an outer surface of the pipe peripheral wall portion. When the pipe joint is used for connection to a vertical pipe laid in a vertical or almost vertical position, an annular water storage step is formed on the outer periphery of the lower pipe connected to the lower flange of the pipe joint. The upper surface of the step for water storage leaks to the outside from the damaged part generated in the pipe peripheral wall part and the upper and lower pipe connecting parts by the upper flange part and the lower flange and contacts the water flowing down along the outer surface of the pipe peripheral wall part. The water leakage detection type pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the wireless IC sensor is installed.

Images