JP2007322388A - Water leak detection system using tag for water leak detection, and water leak detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use an inexpensive tag for water leak detection that can reduce the cost for water leak inspection. <P>SOLUTION: This water leak detection system for detecting water leak from a pipe 2 or the like is equipped with a plurality of tags 10 for water leak detection, equipped respectively with a coil and a capacitor having respectively different first communication frequency P1; and a reader/writer 20 having the second communication frequency P2, changeable so as to match the first communication frequency P1 of each tag 10 for water leak detection, for detecting communication with each tag 10 for water leak detection. The reader/writer 20 is brought close to the plurality of tags 10 for water leak detection mounted on a water leak detection spot A, and the presence of communication, when the second communication frequency P2 of the reader/writer 20 is allowed to match the first communication frequency P1 of each tag 10 for water leak detection, is detected by the reader/writer 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a water leakage detection system and a water leakage detection method using a water leakage detection tag when inspecting water leakage such as piping.

Conventionally, as a method for inspecting leakage of piping such as plumbing equipment in buildings such as buildings and plants, and water and sewers buried underground, wireless IC tags ( There is a method in which a detection sensor is attached and measurement is performed at a position away from the detection sensor using a reader (detector) such as a reader / writer (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In Patent Document 1, a wireless tag including a detection sensor is attached to a pipe, and piping data (inspection information) such as vibration, elongation, and pipe pressure obtained by the detection sensor is stored in the wireless tag. The data is read from a remote place using a reader / writer (detector). And it is a test | inspection method which determines the presence or absence of water leak from the information of the obtained data.
Thus, in the method of detecting the detection sensor with a detector in a non-contact manner, for example, even when a heat insulating material is wound around the pipe, a water leak test can be performed.
JP-A-11-287866

  However, in the water leakage inspection method using the conventional wireless tag described above, the water leakage inspection is performed by reading the information recorded on the wireless tag with a reader / writer or by communicating the wireless tag and the reader / writer with each other. Is. Therefore, it is necessary to record the mounting position information, identification information, inspection information, etc. of the wireless tag in the wireless tag, and there is a disadvantage that an expensive wireless IC tag incorporating an IC chip is used. . For example, in a large-scale piping facility such as a building or a plant, the number of inspection points increases and the number of wireless IC tags to be attached is also large. Therefore, the cost for water leakage inspection increases, and the entire water leakage detection system increases. There was a problem that economy was bad.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and a water leakage detection system and a water leakage using a water leakage detection tag that can use an inexpensive water leakage detection tag and reduce the cost of water leakage inspection. An object is to provide a detection method.

In order to achieve the above object, a water leakage detection system using a water leakage detection tag according to the present invention includes a plurality of water leakage detection tags each having a coil and a capacitor, each having a different first communication frequency, and water leakage detection. A reader / writer having a second communication frequency that can be changed to match the first communication frequency of the tag for water leakage, and detecting communication with the water leakage detection tag. The reader / writer is configured to detect the presence or absence of communication when the second communication frequency of the writer is matched.
In the water leakage detection method using the water leakage detection tag according to the present invention, a plurality of water leakage detection tags each having a coil and a capacitor and having different first communication frequencies, and the first of the water leakage detection tags A water leakage detection method using a water leakage detection tag having a second communication frequency that can be changed to match the communication frequency, and having a reader / writer that detects communication with the water leakage detection tag. The reader / writer detects the presence or absence of communication when the reader / writer is brought close to the multiple water leak detection tags attached to the location and the second communication frequency of the reader / writer matches the first communication frequency of the water leak detection tag. It is characterized by doing so.
In the present invention, the reader / writer is brought close to the water leakage detection tag, and the second communication frequency of the reader / writer is within a predetermined frequency range including the first communication frequency P1 so as to match the first communication frequency of each of the water leakage detection tags. It is possible to perform a water leak test by scanning automatically or manually and detecting a current of the water leak detection tag generated by communication with the water leak detection tag by a reader / writer.
In other words, if the leak detection tag is normal and not flooded, the first communication frequency of the leak detection tag matches the second communication frequency of the reader / writer to generate a current in the leak detection tag. By detecting with a reader / writer, it is determined that there is no water leakage. If the leak detection tag is submerged, the coil and capacitor provided in the leak detection tag will not function, and the communication function of the first communication frequency will be lost or deteriorated. The communication with the second communication frequency scanned by the reader / writer is not performed, and it is determined that there is water leakage.
Further, by storing the first communication frequency of each leakage detection tag to be attached in advance in the reader / writer, each leakage detection tag can be individually recognized, and the submerged leakage detection tag that is not resonated is specified (identified). be able to.

In the water leakage detection method using the water leakage detection tag according to the present invention, the water leakage detection in which communication is detected by the reader / writer with respect to the quantity of water leakage detection tags attached to the water leakage inspection location that can be communicated by the reader / writer. It is preferable to detect the presence or absence of water leakage by comparing the number of tags for use.
In the present invention, the number of water leakage detection tags installed in a range that can be communicated by the reader / writer is compared with the number of water leakage detection tags detected by the reader / writer, and the compared number is the same. If it is determined that there is no water leakage and the number of detected water leakage detection tags is small, it can be determined that there is water leakage.

  According to the water leakage detection system and the water leakage detection method using the water leakage detection tag of the present invention, the water leakage detection tag having a different first communication frequency is used, and the water leakage detection tag is individually recognized by the reader / writer. It can be carried out. Therefore, it is not necessary to use an IC tag equipped with a readable / writable IC chip that incorporates the identification information of the water leakage detection tag as in the conventional case, and is used for, for example, an electronic merchandise monitoring device. The cheap tag that is being used can be used. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the costs for the water leakage detection system and the water leakage inspection, and increase the cost even when there are a large number of inspection points and water leakage detection tags in large-scale piping facilities such as buildings and plants. Can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, a water leakage detection system and a water leakage detection method using a water leakage detection tag according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an entire water leakage detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a water leakage detection tag, and FIG. 3 shows a communication state between the water leakage detection tag attached to a pipe and a reader / writer. It is explanatory drawing shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the water leakage detection system and the water leakage detection method using the water leakage detection tag according to the present embodiment, for example, for inspecting the water leakage of the pipe 2 in piping equipment of buildings such as buildings and plants. It is.
This water leakage detection system 1 includes a water leakage detection tag 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) attached in a state of being attached to a water leakage inspection location A (A1, A2, A3) such as a connection portion in a pipe 2, and water leakage detection. And a reader / writer 20 that detects communication of the communication tag 10. Here, it is assumed that the leak detection tags 10A, 10B, and 10C attached to the three locations can communicate simultaneously with one reader / writer 20 at a predetermined communication distance.
In addition, the pipe 2 and the water leak detection tag 10 are covered with the heat insulating material 4 (two-dot chain line shown in FIG. 1) at the time of a water leak test described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the water leak detection tag 10 has a thin plate shape and can employ a non-contact type wireless tag, and a coil 11 wound inside the coil 11 along a flat plate surface. And a capacitor 12 connected to one end 11 a of the coil 11.
The shape of the leak detection tag 10 is not particularly limited. For example, a card type, a label type, a coin type, etc. can be used, and it can be easily attached to the pipe 2 that is the target of the water leak test. It is preferable that the size and shape have no problem when the heat insulating material 4 is wound around the pipe 2.

  The water leakage detection tag 10 has a predetermined communication frequency (hereinafter referred to as a first communication frequency P1) according to the winding shape of the coil 11 built in the water leakage detection tag 10 and the capacity of the capacitor 12. have. That is, by changing the shape of the coil 11 and the capacity of the capacitor 12, the leak detection tag 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) having a different first communication frequency P1 for each of the plurality of leak inspection points A (A1, A2, A3). Can be provided (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 3, the water leak detection tag 10 brings the reader / writer 20 close to the radio wave or magnetic field transmitted by the reader / writer 20 (hereinafter referred to as the second communication frequency P2), When the first communication frequency P1 of the water leakage detection tag 10 coincides, rectification (in the case of radio waves) or resonance (in the case of a magnetic field) is generated, and a current is generated in the water leakage detection tag 10. By detecting this current by the reader / writer 20, the water leakage detection tag 10 and the reader / writer 20 are in a normally communicated state.
Here, the communication between the water leakage detection tag 10 and the reader / writer 20 includes a radio wave system and an electromagnetic induction system. In the present embodiment, the electromagnetic induction system is unified and described below.

  In the water leakage detection tag 10 shown in FIG. 2, when the internal coil 11 and the capacitor 12 are immersed in water due to water leakage, the first communication frequency P1 is not generated, and the communication function with the reader / writer 20 is lost or deteriorated. . Therefore, it is preferable to adopt a non-waterproof structure so that water can easily enter the leak detection tag 10. For example, it is possible to have a structure in which water can enter inside by covering with a protective layer (not shown) made of paper or release paper and providing an opening in the protective layer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reader / writer 20 includes a communication antenna 21 and is a small and light handy type that is easy to carry. The second communication frequency P2 of the reader / writer 20 can be arbitrarily changed. Therefore, at the time of water leakage inspection, the second communication frequency P2 of the reader / writer 20 is automatically set in a predetermined frequency range including the first communication frequency P1 so as to match (resonate) with the first communication frequency P1 of the water leakage detection tag 10. Or scan manually. Then, by detecting the current (details will be described later) of the water leakage detection tag 10 generated by resonance (communication) with the water leakage detection tag 10 by the reader / writer 20, a water leakage inspection can be performed.
That is, the leakage detection tag 10 whose communication function has been lost or decreased is not in resonance with the second communication frequency P2 scanned by the reader / writer 20 because the first communication frequency P1 is not generated. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, both communication frequencies between the reader / writer 20 and the water leakage detection tag at the time of water leakage inspection with respect to the quantity of the plurality of water leakage detection tags 10, 10,. The quantity (resonance quantity) at which P1 and P2 resonate is compared, and when the compared resonance quantity is small, it can be determined that the pipe 2 has water leakage.

  Furthermore, for example, the first communication frequency P1 of each leakage detection tag 10 to be attached is stored in the reader / writer 20 in advance, whereby the leakage detection tag 10 that is not resonated can be specified (identified). Thus, the reader / writer 20 can individually recognize each water leakage detection tag 10 by communicating with the water leakage detection tag 10 having a different first communication frequency P1, and can detect it as detection information. .

Next, the operation of the water leakage detection system 1 and the water leakage detection method will be described in more detail based on the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the water leakage detection method by the water leakage detection system 1, first, the water leakage detection tags 10 (10 </ b> A, 10 </ b> B, 10 </ b> C) are respectively attached to the water leakage inspection points A (A <b> 1, A <b> 2, A <b> 3) in the pipe 2. For example, it is pasted by an adhering means such as an adhesive. The attachment position at this time is preferably attached to, for example, the lower surface of the pipe 2 so that water leaked from the connection portion of the pipe 2 can easily enter the inside of the leak detection tag 10.
Then, after the water leak detection tag 10 is installed, a work for winding the heat insulating material 4 around the pipe 2 is performed.

Next, after the heat insulating material 4 is installed, a water flow inspection and a water leakage inspection of the pipe 2 are performed.
As shown in FIG. 1, the reader / writer 20 is set so that a plurality of water leak detection tags 10 (10A, 10B, 10C) are within a predetermined communication distance (for example, about 0.1 to 0.15 m). Move closer. Subsequently, the second communication frequency P2 of the reader / writer 20 is automatically set in a predetermined frequency range including the first communication frequency P1 so as to coincide with the first communication frequency P1 of each of the water leak detection tags 10A, 10B, and 10C. Or scan manually.
At this time, when each water leakage detection tag 10 is in a normal state without being submerged, communication with the reader / writer 20 is possible, so the second communication frequency P1 of the water leakage detection tag 10 is set to the second communication frequency P1 of the reader / writer 20. The communication frequency P <b> 2 coincides to generate a current, and the current can be detected by the reader / writer 20.

  Further, when the pipe 2 leaks and the leak detection tag 10 is submerged, the coil 11 and the capacitor 12 (see FIG. 2) in the leak detection tag 10 do not function as described above, and the first communication frequency The communication function of P1 is lost or deteriorated. Therefore, the water leak detection tag 10 does not resonate with the second communication frequency P <b> 2 scanned by the reader / writer 20. That is, the communication between the reader / writer 20 and the water leakage detection tag 10 is interrupted, and the communication with the water leakage detection tag 10 cannot be recognized by the reader / writer 20.

The resonance quantity of the leakage detection tag 10 whose resonance (communication) is detected by the reader / writer 20 with respect to the quantity of the leakage detection tag 10 at the leakage inspection point A installed in a range where communication with the reader / writer 20 is possible. Compare. As a result, if the compared resonance numbers are the same, it is determined that there is no water leak in the pipe 2, and if the number of water leak detection tags 10 that can be recognized is small, it is determined that there is water leak in the pipe 2. .
Then, the first communication frequency P1 of each water leakage detection tag 10 to be attached as described above is stored in the reader / writer 20 in advance, so that each water leakage detection tag 10 can be individually recognized, and the water leakage detection that has not been resonated is submerged. The tag 10 can be specified (identified).
When water leakage is confirmed at the water leakage inspection location A, the heat insulating material 4 at the inspection location may be removed to repair the piping 2 at the water leakage location.

As described above, since the water leakage inspection can be performed by a simple method of bringing the reader / writer 20 close to the water leakage inspection location A, for example, the inspection time is significantly shortened as compared with an inspection method such as inspection by visual inspection or palpation.
And according to this water leak detection system 1, since each of the some water leak detection tags 10 makes the different 1st communication frequency P1, it uses two or more water leak detection tags 10 as a reader | leader, for example. The writer 20 is not confused and recognized and a highly accurate water leak test can be realized.

Moreover, in this water leak detection system 1, in the case of the construction which winds the heat insulating material 4 around the piping 2 like this Embodiment, since the heat insulation work can be preceded before performing a water leak inspection, there is a restriction on the process. This will reduce the work period and improve the productivity of piping construction.
Furthermore, since it is possible to detect from a place away from the water leakage inspection point A, for example, it is not necessary to perform work at a high place, safety is improved, and temporary equipment and lifting equipment for going to the place become unnecessary. .

  As described above, the water leakage detection system and the water leakage detection method using the water leakage detection tag according to the present embodiment use the water leakage detection tag 10 having a different first communication frequency P1 and the reader / writer 20 uses the water leakage detection tag 10. It is possible to perform a water leak inspection by recognizing the individual. For this reason, it is not necessary to use the IC tag with the read / write IC chip incorporated in the water leak detection tag 10 in the conventional manner, for example, in an electronic merchandise monitoring device. The cheap tag currently used can be used. Therefore, the cost for the water leakage detection system 1 and the water leakage inspection can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced even when there are a large number of inspection points and water leakage detection tags 10 to be attached in large-scale piping facilities such as buildings and plants. Can be suppressed.

As described above, the embodiments of the water leakage detection system and the water leakage detection method using the water leakage detection tag according to the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and does not depart from the spirit of the present invention. It can be changed as appropriate.
For example, in the present embodiment, the leak detection tags 10A, 10B, and 10C are attached to the three leak inspection points A. However, the number and position of the leak detection tags 10 are not limited to this and are arbitrarily set. Can be provided. For example, when the installation location of the water leak detection tag 10, that is, the inspection location covers a wide range, a plurality of water leak detection tags 10 in a range that can be communicated by the reader / writer 20 are classified as detection units. What is necessary is to detect sequentially.
Further, in this embodiment, the target of the water leakage inspection of the pipe 2 is a building or a plant, but it is not limited to this application, and can also be applied to, for example, a pipe buried underground. It is.
Further, the water leakage detection system 1 may be provided with a computer that communicates data with the reader / writer 20. As a result, the detection information accumulated by the reader / writer 20 can be taken into the computer and organized, for example, in a list, or the inspection result can be output.

It is a schematic diagram showing the whole of a water leak detection system by an embodiment of the invention. It is a top view of the tag for water leak detection. It is explanatory drawing which shows the communication state of the tag for water leak detection attached to piping, and a reader / writer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water leak detection system 2 Piping 4 Thermal insulation material 10 Water leak detection tag 11 Coil 12 Capacitor 20 Reader / writer A Water leak inspection location P1 1st communication frequency P2 2nd communication frequency

Claims (3)

A plurality of water leakage detection tags each having a coil and a capacitor and each having a different first communication frequency;
A reader / writer having a second communication frequency that can be changed to match the first communication frequency of the water leakage detection tag, and detecting communication with the water leakage detection tag;
With
The reader / writer is configured to detect the presence / absence of communication when the second communication frequency of the reader / writer is matched with the first communication frequency of the water leak detection tag. Water leakage detection system using a water leakage detection tag. A plurality of water leakage detection tags each having a coil and a capacitor and each having a different first communication frequency;
A reader / writer having a second communication frequency that can be changed to match the first communication frequency of the water leakage detection tag, and detecting communication with the water leakage detection tag;
A water leakage detection method using a water leakage detection tag comprising:
The reader / writer is brought close to the plurality of water leakage detection tags attached to the water leakage inspection point,
The water leakage detection tag, wherein the reader / writer detects the presence or absence of communication when the second communication frequency of the reader / writer is matched with the first communication frequency of the water leakage detection tag. Water leakage detection method using   The presence or absence of water leakage is determined by comparing the number of water leakage detection tags detected by the reader / writer with respect to the number of water leakage detection tags attached to a water leakage inspection location that can be communicated with the reader / writer. The water leakage detection method using the water leakage detection tag according to claim 2, wherein the water leakage detection tag is detected.

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