JPH11248035A - Coupling for pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To certainly confirm contents of pipe members of pipings, etc., and specifications of service conditions, etc., by installing an IC tag storing information concerning pipes on a proper position of a coupling main body for a long term. SOLUTION: A coupling 1 on which a disc type IC tag T is previously installed is, for example, to connect pipes 3a and 3b to be pipes in concrete to each other. The IC tag T is installed on the inside of an elbow 1, a mount 4 an upper surface of which is flat is fastened on the coupling side with resin, etc., and the IC tag T is installed on this mount 4 with an adhesive, etc., Required information concerning the pipes to be connected is memorized in a memory part of this IC tag T, and this information is used for confirmation and control at the time of construction thereafter by reading it by a reader/ writer 5 and adding the latest information in case. Consequently, it is possible to constantly and precisely grasp a status of the pipes being used and to facilitate judgement of maintenance, scrapping and renewal time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe joint used as a means for connecting pipes to each other, and more particularly, to a method for simply and surely contacting detailed information relating to a pipe already installed and used in a non-contact manner when necessary. It relates to a readable joint.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a pipe (including not only a metal but also a non-metal such as a synthetic resin) is used by connecting a plurality of products having a specified length manufactured at a factory or using a specified length. These pipes are cut to a predetermined length, and these are appropriately connected for use. As a method of connecting (fastening) the pipes, there is a method in which the pipes are directly butt-welded to each other, but the connection is generally performed using a dedicated joint. Even in the case of the above welding, a joint is not required when connecting the pipes in a straight line, but when connecting pipes having different diameters or bending or branching pipes, elbows, tees, and reducers are used. Various joints called are used. Therefore, since pipes are usually installed through joints every certain length,
The display section of the information on the pipe in use does not necessarily need to be attached to the pipe main body, and it is sufficiently possible to substitute at the joint position.

[0003] Usually, pipes are used for underground and building walls and ceilings.
In many cases, the pipes are used or laid in a part that is difficult for the human eyes to directly touch. In particular, in the case of piping, a plurality of pipes are often laid side by side. If these pipes are in use, perform proper maintenance, avoid misuse (in the case of piping, do not allow anything other than specific ones to flow into the pipes), Judgment such as closing the valve of the piping is required on a daily basis. Because the information on the pipes was ambiguous, it is easy to see that if the pipes for oil, organic solvent, etc. were blown by mistake, a major accident would occur. Also, it is obvious that if maintenance is not performed at an appropriate frequency, the pipe will be broken due to corrosion or the like, which will have a great effect over a wide area around the pipe.

[0004] Therefore, in order to properly cope with the above-mentioned situation, information on the individual pipes laid, for example, use, construction date and time, builder, size, material, processing specifications, connection / fastening means, etc. It is extremely important that the information is clearly defined in advance. Conventionally, such information is usually displayed directly on the surface of the pipe or the surface of the coating material outside the pipe using characters and symbols. In addition, papers and nameplates on which information is written have been attached to the pipe itself or a building approaching the pipe.

[0005] Also, recently, the above information is stored in the vicinity of a buried pipe so that information on a pipe buried underground (accurate burial place, use, owner, etc.) can be read on the ground. It has been proposed to install tags. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-39483, a wireless response tag storing management information is attached to the surface of various pipes buried underground, or a tag is directly embedded in the pipe, and the tag is read from the tag by a reading device when necessary. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 7-43459 discloses that a transponder having an element for storing information is installed near an underground object, and a computer for displaying the information of the transponder on a display on the ground is provided. It is disclosed. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-134032 discloses a buried marker in which a tag storing necessary data relating to an underground buried object is enclosed in a main body of the marker. A device for managing an underground buried object when it is provided has been proposed.

[0006]

However, as the life of pipes is relatively long, a long period of time has passed since construction, and new facilities are being built near the pipe laying site, Information written in characters becomes difficult to distinguish. In addition, there is no possibility that the nameplate or the like will be removed at the time of new construction. Further, means for installing tags in a part of or near the buried pipe and reading out the information in a non-contact manner is also troublesome and costly, and is not practically practical. The fact is that it has not been reached.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation. Therefore, the specification of the contents of pipes such as pipes in practical use and the conditions of use are stabilized over a long period of time beyond the life of the pipe. It is an object to realize means that can be surely confirmed in a state and is useful for information management.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pipe joint for storing information on a pipe at an appropriate position of a joint body and reading or reading the information in a non-contact manner. -A readable and writable IC tag is attached. It is preferable that the IC tag is embedded in a thick portion of the joint body or is externally attached to an outer surface portion of the joint body.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a joint on which an IC tag according to the present invention is mounted and an example of an actual use thereof. As shown in the figure, a joint (elbow) 1 to which a disk-shaped IC tag T is attached in advance connects, for example, pipes 3a and 3b that are piped in a concrete wall 2. I
The C tag T is attached to the inside of the elbow 1. However, since the disk-shaped one cannot be directly aligned with the outer shape of the joint, the mounting base 4 having a flat upper surface is fixed to the joint side with resin or the like. The IC tag T may be mounted on the mounting table 4 with an adhesive or the like. At least necessary information on a pipe to be connected is stored in the storage unit of the IC tag T. After the construction, the information is read by the reader / writer 5, the latest information may be added, or another content may be added. It is useful for confirmation and management at the time of subsequent construction.

[0010] Pipes are often used connected via joints. Therefore, a non-contact IC must
If a tag is attached, joints will be arranged at appropriate intervals in a pipe constructed using the joint. By storing information such as attribute information and use conditions of the pipe in the IC tag attached to the joint after the completion of the construction, necessary information can be read out whenever necessary. Here, the storage of information in the IC tag is not necessarily limited to after the pipe is constructed, and the pipe construction may be performed after the necessary information is stored in advance for a single joint, and in some cases, It is also possible to memorize separately before and after construction. The information to be stored includes the material of the joint itself, the standard, the date of production, the name of the producer, the manufacturing location, the person in charge of inspection, etc., and information related to pipe construction performed using the joint, that is, construction. The user, date and time of construction, construction method, anticorrosion method, and the like, as well as the use of the pipe and maintenance information.

[0011] There are two types of IC tags to be used, mainly a system using electromagnetic induction for exchanging information with a reader / writer, and a type using microwaves. The former has no battery on the IC tag side and operates by receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted from a reader / writer, so maintenance is not required, whereas the latter has a power supply on the IC tag side as well. Since communication is performed with the reader / writer by transmitting microwaves, the communication distance becomes longer. Also, IC
The tag incorporates an IC memory, but a tag with a memory capacity of several hundreds to several thousand bits, which is generally commercially available, is used in consideration of the application, various usage conditions, the target pipe, etc.
Just choose. Further, although the shape and size of the IC tag are also various, as the shape used in the present invention, any commercially available shape such as a disk shape, a card shape, a chip shape or a rod shape may be used.
It is desirable that the size be as small as possible.

As described above, in the present invention, both the electromagnetic induction type and microwave type IC tags can be used. However, considering the fact that a battery is not required and the compact size, the electromagnetic induction type can be used. Although the IC tag is easier to use, the microwave method has a feature that it can communicate with a reader / writer from a remote place, and the feature that the function does not decrease even if it is close to a metal. In some cases, a microwave method is required.

In any case, it is important to attach the IC tag so that it does not project much from the outer surface of the joint. If the joint material is non-metal (made of synthetic resin or the like), the joint may be attached to a concave portion on the outer surface of the joint which is not easily damaged during transportation by an adhesive. On the other hand, in the case of a metal joint,
If the C tag is too close to the metal surface, it may interfere with the communication of information by the reader / writer, so make the mounting table with resin or the like so that it can be mounted a few mm away from the joint surface. It is appropriate to fix on top. This table is effective for fixing an IC tag having a generally flat or rod-like appearance to a curved joint surface.

Furthermore, in the case of a metal joint having a small size, if it is fixed to the surface by the above-mentioned method, there may be a case where it interferes with transportation and work. In such a case,
Make a thicker part than the specified value at an appropriate position on the joint surface,
An IC tag can be embedded therein. However, in this case, it is necessary to insert a soft magnetic material such as amorphous or ferrite between the IC tag and the peripheral metal portion so as not to hinder writing and reading of information.

If the IC tag is attached to the joint before the installation of the piping, and there is a problem in transportation or the installation, the IC tag may be attached to the surface of the joint after the installation of the piping. In addition, in order to use an IC tag, it is necessary to receive and transmit an electromagnetic wave with a reader / writer.
There is no problem even if the direction is fixed in any direction as long as the direction does not hinder the formation of the magnetic circuit between the IC tag to be used and the reader / writer.

[0016]

(Example 1) Fig. 2 shows a flange type joint for piping (for SGP, size 300A, both of which are JIS standards).
(A) is a tee, (b) is an elbow, and these joints are mainly used for water supply piping mainly installed outdoors. The used IC tag is an electromagnetic induction type batteryless type, and is a disk having a diameter of 25 mmφ and a thickness of 3 mm. Since the flat IC tag T has a curved joint surface at the fixing point, an acrylic resin is raised on the outer surface of the joint so that the upper surface is flat, and the IC tag is adhered thereon using an adhesive. The storage capacity of the IC tag is 20
With 48 bits, information stored and read by a reader / writer could be read and written from a position 100 mm away.

(Example 2) In a rigid vinyl chloride pipe joint (size 100A) of JIS K 6743, IC tags T were fixed at respective positions shown in FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (d). The IC tag is in the form of a card (54 x 85 x 1 mm)
The card was curved along the curved surface of each joint and fixed with an adhesive. In the case of the elbow joint shown in FIG.
Since the mounting surface has a complicated curved surface, a gap is likely to be formed when the flat card is curved and fixed. Therefore, the gap is filled with an adhesive. The storage capacity of the IC tag was 256 bits, and the reader / writer could read and write information from about 50 mm away.

(Embodiment 3) A JIS 80A size is often used as a communication cable protection tube. The features of the cable protection tube are that it is installed underground and that it is a straight construction using only socket type joints. Therefore, a simple joint having a characteristic is used. FIG. 4 shows an example of a joint for a cable protection tube made of malleable cast iron. The position indicated by T in FIG. 4 shows a state in which the cable protection tube is partially embedded in the embedding thick portion of the IC tag. The embedding portion had a hole shape of 5 mmφ and a depth of 5 mm, into which a small disc-shaped IC tag magnetically shielded with ferrite was embedded. The IC tag is a batteryless electromagnetic induction tag having a storage capacity of about 1900 bits. It is preferable to spray a red paint on the part to which the IC tag is attached so that the attachment place can be clearly identified.

When the IC tag is fixed by such a method,
Even if the joints touch each other during transportation, there is no risk of damage to the tag, and the operation can be performed with peace of mind. However, when writing or reading information, it was necessary to bring the reader / writer close to the IC tag by several mm.
The red display indicating the attachment location was effective.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 5 shows an example in which a rod-shaped (4 mmφ × 32 mm) IC tag (memory capacity: 1024 bits) is attached to a butt-weld pipe joint of 200 A size.
In the case of the 90 ° bend shown in FIG.
In the case of the 180 ° bend in (b), the inner curved surface position is the same, in the case of the tee of (c), at the root position branched at a right angle, and in the case of the reducer of (d), in the step position where the diameter is different, Each IC tag was fixed.

Since the bar-shaped tag is sealed in a glass tube, it is inserted into a hard silicon carbide resin block as it is and fixed with an adhesive, and the external shape of the silicon carbide resin block conforms to the curved surface of the joint. And bonded and fixed to the joint surface. An amorphous foil having a diameter of 35 mm is sealed in the vicinity of the bottom surface (the side facing the joint surface) of the silicon carbide resin block so that communication of information by a reader / writer is not hindered. If this block is fixed to the joint surface, it will protrude from the joint surface by about 15 mm at the highest part, but since both are attached to the concave part of the joint, there will not be much trouble in transportation and handling. Was. When welding is performed on site, the IC tag is covered with a wet cloth for safety, and the heat of welding is
The C tag was not heated above 100 ° C.

Example 5 A microwave type IC tag was attached to a steel pipe flange joint (pipe size: 300 A) to be piped along a ceiling in a factory related to a chemical plan. The installation location and the fixing method are the same as those in Example 1 (FIG. 2). However, since the joint is large and may be damaged during transportation during construction, the IC tag was fixed to the surface after the construction of the pipe. The battery used is 1 under normal conditions.
They only need to be exchanged about once a year. Since the signal transmitted from the IC tag side is read by the reader / writer using this battery, the information on the piping at a height of 7 to 8 m could be confirmed from above the floor.

[0023]

According to the pipe joint according to the present invention described above, the following effects can be expected. Even if the pipe surface becomes dirty or the installation environment changes during long-term use, necessary information on the pipe can always be read accurately. In addition, even when the stored information is read, when new important information is generated, the information can be additionally stored in the memory of the IC tag. Since the information stored in the IC tag can be read out from a location far away using a reader / writer,
Necessary information can be easily taken out even in a place where pipes are densely constructed or where it is difficult for workers to enter. Also, even if the pipes (and the joints) are buried underground, it can be read from the ground up to a certain depth. Since the IC tag does not need to be attached to the pipe, handling becomes easy. Even if you try to attach an IC tag to a pipe, if it is attached to the outer surface, it will be easily damaged during transportation and construction,
If it is attached to the inner surface, communication with a reader / writer becomes impossible in the case of a metal pipe, and depending on the use of the pipe, it may obstruct the passage of fluid flowing inside the pipe,
Problems such as corrosion from the fluid occur. In this regard, the joint has a curved shape called an elbow, a three-pronged shape called a tooth, and a shape with a variable outer diameter called a reducer. Thus, an IC tag can be attached to such a portion without requiring a tag, and an effect equivalent to attaching to an pipe can be obtained without attaching a tag to the pipe side. Since the status of the pipes being used is always accurately grasped, it becomes easy to determine the maintenance and the time of disposal / renewal.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a pipe joint according to the present invention and a use state thereof.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the present invention is applied to a flange joint for piping.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the case where the present invention is applied to various hard PVC pipe fittings.

FIG. 4 is a front view when the present invention is applied to a communication cable protection tube.

FIG. 5 is a front view when the present invention is applied to various butt-weld pipe joints.

[Explanation of symbols]

 T IC tag 1 Flange joint (elbow) 2 Wall 3a, 3b Pipe 4 Mounting stand 5 Reader / writer

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuo Niwa 2-3-13 M & C Building, Kanda Ogawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Awaji Sangyo Co., Ltd. Tokyo branch office (72) Inventor Naofumi Suzuki 3-19 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo No. 2 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Yukio Shimo 3-19-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (2)

[Claims] In a pipe joint for connecting pipes, information on a pipe is stored at an appropriate position of a joint body and the information is read or read without contact.
A pipe joint having a readable and writable IC tag attached thereto. 2. The pipe joint according to claim 1, wherein the IC tag is embedded in a thick portion of the joint body or externally attached to an outer surface of the joint body.