SE1950155A1 - Computerized method and system for producing a customized digital instruction manual for a cable, pipe or wire transit - Google Patents

Abstract

A computerized method of producing a customized digital instruction manual for a cable, pipe or wire transit is disclosed. A database (50) of transit components (210) and associated (214) instruction manual sections (220) for the respective transit components is provided. In the method, an image (70) of a group of transit component is received (410) and analyzed (420) to identify individual transit components (218) of the group. The method then retrieves (460), from the database (50), instruction manual sections (222) for the identified transit components (218), and compiles (470) the retrieved instruction manual sections (222) into a customized digital instruction manual (80) for a transit (1) that comprises the identified transit components (218) and forms a sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or wires (2).

Description

COMPUTERIZED METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING A CUSTOMIZEDDIGITAL INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR A CABLE, PIPE OR WIRE TRANSIT Technical Field The present invention generally relates to the field of sealed installations ofcables, pipes or Wires, and more particularly to a Computerized method of producing acustomized digital instruction manual for a cable, pipe or Wire transit, the customizeddigital instruction manual offering assistance to an installer When building a sealedinstallation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires using a number of transit components to form a transit, or to maintenance personnel for an existing transit.

Background Sealed installations of cables, pipes or Wires are commonly used in manydifferent environments, such as for cabinets, technical shelters, junction boxes andmachines. They are used in a variety of different industries, such as automotive,telecom, power generation and distribution, as Well as marine and offshore. The sealedinstallations serve to seal effectively against fluid, gas, fire, rodents, terrnites, dust,moisture, etc., and may involve cables for electricity, communication, computers, etc.,pipes for different gases or liquids such as Water, compressed air, hydraulic fluid andcooking gas, and Wires for load retention.

The present applicant is a global leader in the development of cable, pipe orWires transits for sealing purposes. A transit, Which may also be referred to as a lead-through, is made up of one or more transit components, typically a plurality of differenttransit components Which upon installation at a site are assembled into a sealedinstallation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires, thereby forrning the transit. Onecommonly used transit type has an essentially rectangular frame, inside of Which anumber of modules are arranged to receive cables, pipes or Wires. The modules aremade of an elastic material, such as rubber or plastics, and are thus compressible andmoreover adaptable to different outer diameters of the cables, pipes or Wires. Themodules are typically arranged side by side in one or more roWs together With somekind of compression unit. The compression unit is placed between the frame and themodules in such a Way that When the compression unit is expanded, the compressiblemodules Will be compressed around the cables, Wires or pipes. For ease of description, the term "cable" Will be mainly used in this document, but it should be construed P48420556 broadly and a person skilled in the art will realise that it norrnally also covers pipes orwires, or is an equivalent thereof.

Another type of transit has an essentially cylindrical forrn and is to be receivedin a sleeve, also known as a pipe sleeve, in a wall or an opening in a wall. To function inthe desired way, the transit is adapted to fit snugly into the sleeve or the opening of thewall in which it is received, and the transit is adaptable to the actual mountingdimension. The mounting dimension is dictated by the inner diameter of the sleeve orthe opening. The transit has a cylindrical compressible body, which is compressedaxially between fittings at the opposite ends of the compressible body. By the axialcompression the cylindrical body will expand radially both inwards and outwards.Furthermore, the cables received may have different outer diameters, and, thus, themodule is adaptable to cables having different outer diameters.

Other types of transits are also known in the technical field, as the skilledperson is well aware of per se.

When a new transit is required for a sealed installation of cables, wires or pipesat a site, a suitable number of transit components of suitable types, sizes, dimensions,etc., are typically ordered from a vendor, supplier or distributor of such transitcomponents. The constitution and nature of the order will, of course, largely depend onthe needs and requirements of the installation to be made, in terms of size, layout,grading, etc. Because of this, and because of the diversity of different types of transitcomponents available on the market, it may be a challenging task for the installer tobuild the sealed installation from the ordered transit components by assembling theminto a complete transit.

The installer might rely on own prior experience of similar installation work, orask a senior colleague for help and assistance. However, there will be a risk forinstallation flaws particularly if the installer lacks experience from the particular kind ofinstallation to be built. A senior colleague might not always be available.

The prior art approach of addressing these issues is to include a pre-made (e. g.printed) assembly manual in the package with the ordered transit components, which isshipped to the installer or the site. However, there are disadvantages with this approach.One disadvantage is that a very large number of assembly manuals will have to beprepared and kept in stock (again because of the aforementioned considerable diversityin installation requirements, transit types and types of transit components). This, in tum,poses a problem in waste of resources. Also, an order for a particular installation is often tailor-made to be adapted to the exact, individual needs and requirements at the P48420556 site in question, so there Will always be a noticeable risk that there is no pre-madeassembly manual available to include With the delivery.

An additional complication is the risk of pre-made assembly manualsbecoming outdated because of changes in any of the transit components involved. It isrecalled that continuous development Work is going on in the field of sealedinstallations of cables, pipes or Wires.

Similar problems can be seen When service, repair or inspection personnel areto perform maintenance of a transit and its transit components at an existing installation.

The present inventors have identified the problems referred to above and realized, by inventive activity, that there is room for improvements.

Summary It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide one or moreimprovements in the field of cable, pipe or Wire transits When it comes to installation ormaintenance assistance.

A first aspect of the present invention therefore is a computerized method ofproducing a customized digital instruction manual for a cable, pipe or Wire transit. Themethod comprises providing a database of transit components and associated instructionmanual sections for the respective transit components, receiving an image of a group oftransit components, and analyzing the received image to identify individual transitcomponents of the group.

The method further comprises retrieving, from the database, instruction manualsections for the identified transit components, and compiling the retrieved instructionmanual sections into a customized digital instruction manual for a transit that comprisesthe identified transit components and forms a sealed installation of one or more cables,pipes or Wires.

A second aspect of the present invention is a system for producing acustomized digital instruction manual for a cable, pipe or Wire transit. The systemcomprises a database of transit components and associated instruction manual sectionsfor the respective transit components.

The system also comprises a computerized image analyzing module configuredfor receiving an image of a group of transit components, and analyzing the receivedimage to identify individual transit components of the group. The system moreovercomprises a computerized digital instruction manual generating module configured for retrieving, from the database, instruction manual sections for the identified transit P48420556 components, and compiling the retrieved instruction manual sections into a customizeddigital instruction manual for a transit that comprises the identified transit componentsand forms a sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or wires.

One advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that a customizeddigital instruction manual can be tailor-made for every individual transit to be installedor given maintenance. This improves user experience and reduces the risk forinstallation or maintenance errors. Also, there is no need for bulk installation ormaintenance manuals, which will avoid waste of resources.

Another advantage made possible thanks to embodiments of the presentinvention is that the digital instruction manual may be compiled very close in time tothe actual transit installation or maintenance work at the site. This means that up-to-dateinstallation or maintenance instructions may be provided; recent technical designupdates to transit components, or new support information about them, may be reflectedin the digital instruction manual which can be generated "on the fly".

Additional features of the method and system according to the first and secondaspects, as well as their functionality and structure, together with problems solved andadvantages obtained, will be described in the detailed description section, defined in theappended claims and illustrated in the drawings.

It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising" when used inthis specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, orcomponents, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more otherfeatures, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. All terms used in the claims areto be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unlessexplicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the [element, device,component, means, step, etc]" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least oneinstance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly statedotherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

Brief Description of the DrawingsObjects, features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will appearfrom the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

P48420556 Figure 1 is a schematic isometric view of a transit comprising a plurality ofdifferent transit components which upon installation at a site have been assembled into asealed installation of a plurality of cables.

Figure 2A is a schematic isometric view of a first type of transit component inthe forrn of an essentially rectangular frame.

Figure 2B is a schematic isometric view of a second type of transit componentin the forrn of a compressible module.

Figure 2C is a schematic isometric view of a third type of transit component inthe forrn of a stayplate.

Figure 2D is a schematic isometric view of a fourth type of transit componentin the forrn of a wedge or compression unit.

Figure 2E is a schematic isometric view of a f1fth type of transit component inthe forrn of a wedge clip.

Figure 3 is a schematic isometric view of a more complex transit.

Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a computing device used inembodiments of the invention.

Figure 5 schematically illustrates a technical context in which embodiments ofthe invention may be exercised.

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of the composition of a database included inembodiments of the invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a system for producing a customizeddigital instruction manual for a cable, pipe or wire transit in accordance withembodiments of the invention, the drawing also illustrating a method of producing acustomized digital instruction manual for a cable, pipe or wire transit in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.The terrninology used in the detailed description of the particular embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

P48420556 Figure 1 schematically illustrates a transit 1, also known as a lead-through,comprising a plurality of different transit components 10, 20, 30, 40, 42 which uponinstallation at a site have been assembled into a sealed installation of a plurality ofcables 2. Generally, the transit components which make up a transit may be of differenttypes, sizes, dimension, grades, etc., and may exist as a single instance or as multipleinstances, depending on implementation.

As seen in Figure 1, the transit 1 comprises a frame 10, inside of which aplurality of compressible modules are arranged in different sizes and numbers (onlythree of the compressible modules being indicated as 201, 202 and 203 in Figure 1). Theframe 10 of the transit 1 is mounted by means of a gasket, sealing or weld joint 12.

A compressible module 20 is shown in Fig 2B. The compressible module 20has a box-shaped body which is divided into two halves 22, 24. A number of layers 26of elastic material are concentrically arranged in the body 22, 24 around a center core28. By removing the core 28 and peeling off a suitable number of layers 26 atinstallation, the compressible module 20 may be adapted to securely engage a cable 2among cables of different diameters. In the example seen in Figure 1, only two cables 2are mounted in two respective modules 20; the remainder of the modules 20 in Figure 1are currently not used for cable lead-through and therefore still have the respective cores28 in place.

As is clear from Figure 1, a (main) transit component type (such as acompressible module 20) may in tum appear in different (sub) types, for instancedifferentiated by size (see modules 202 and 203 in Figure 1).

Figure 2C illustrates a third type of transit component in the form of a stayplate30 which, as is seen in Figure 1, is used to separate different rows of compressiblemodules 20 in the frame 10.

Figure 2D illustrates a fourth type of transit component in the form of a wedgeor compression unit 40. A f1fth type of transit component in the form of a wedge clip 42is seen in Figure 2E. The compression unit 40 is placed between the frame 10 and themodules 20, or between individual modules 20, in such a way that when thecompression unit is expanded, the compressible modules will be compressed around thecables 2 such that a sealed installation is achieved. When the compression unit has beensufficiently expanded, its tightening members (bolts or screws) 41 will protrude farenough for the wedge clip 42 to be attached onto them. Hence, when the wedge clip 42 is attached, it is an indication that the compression unit has been sufficiently expanded.

P48420556 Altematively or additionally, the wedge clip 42 may serve to prevent accidentalloosening (de-expansion) of the compression unit 40.

It is to be noticed that different transits may vary considerably in size andcomplexity, depending on the nature and implementation requirements at theinstallation site in question. Figure 3 shows an example of a more complex transit 1".

Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a computing device 100 which is usedin embodiments of the invention by a person faced with the task of building a sealedinstallation of one or more cables, pipes or wires at a site by using a number of transitcomponents and assembling them to form a transit. The context in which the computingdevice 100 may be used by such a person - who will be referred to as an installer in thisdocument- when embodiments of the invention are exercised will be further describedlater with reference to Figure 5.

The computing device 100 in Figure 4 may also be used in embodiments of theinvention by personnel faced with the task of performing maintenance, i.e. service,repair or inspection, of an existing transit having a number of transit componentsassembled into a sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or wires at a site. Thecontext in which the computing device 100 may be used by such personnel- who willbe referred to as personnel for service, repair or inspection, or simply maintenancepersonnel, in this document- when embodiments of the invention are exercised will befurther described later with reference to Figure 5.

As seen in Figure 4, the computing device 100 comprises a controller 102, amemory 106, a user interface 108 towards the installer 3, a network communicationinterface 110, an image sensor 112, and, optionally, a short-range communicationinterface 104.

The controller 102 may, for instance, be implemented as a central processingunit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or generally by any electronic circuitrycapable of performing the functionalities as described herein, in any number orcombination.

When applicable, the short-range communication interface 104 may, forinstance, be implemented as NFC, RFID or Bluetooth.

The memory 106 may, for instance, be implemented in any commonly knowntechnology for electronic memories, such as ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM, CMOS,FLASH, DDR or SDRAM.

P48420556 The network communication interface 110 may, for instance, be implementedas TCP/IP, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, ZigBee, WirelessHART, WiFi, Bluetooth,WCDMA, HSPA, GSM, UTRAN, UMTS, LTE, LTE +, LTE Advanced, D-AMPS,CDMA2000, FOMA, TD-SCDMA ASI, CANbus, Prof1Bus, Modbus, or as LoRa orother low frequency wireless data communication technology, or combinations thereof.

The image sensor 112 may be implemented as a digital camera or generally as,for instance, a semiconductor charge-coupled device (CCD), an active pixel sensor incomplementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, or an active pixelsensor in N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS, Live MO S) technology.

In some embodiments, the computing device 100 may be implemented as atablet computer (also known as surfpad), as a personal digital assistant or as asmartphone or other mobile terminal, wherein the user interface 108 advantageouslycomprises a touch-sensitive display screen, or as a smart watch or smart glasses withtheir typical respective user interface 108.

Reference is now made to Figure 5 which schematically illustrates a technicalcontext in which embodiments of the invention may be exercised.

A server computer resource 52 and a database 50 are provided for allowing auser 4 to order a customizable transit 1 comprising selected transit components, forcausing delivery of the selected transit components to a site 6, for generating acustomized digital instruction manual 80 for the ordered transit, and for allowing aninstaller 3 to retrieve the customized digital instruction manual 80 when building asealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or wires 2 by assembling the deliveredtransit components to form the transit 1 at the site 6.

Altematively or additionally, the server computer resource 52 and the database50 may be provided for allowing a user 4 to order maintenance for an existing transit 1comprising a number of transit components, for generating a customized digitalinstruction manual 80 for the transit 1, and for allowing maintenance personnel 3 toretrieve the customized digital instruction manual 80 when performing maintenance ofthe transit 1 at the site 6.

The server computer resource 52 can be a physical service computer device(server computer hardware) or a logical, cloud-based server computer function.Likewise, the database 50 may be a physical database device or a logical, cloud-baseddatabase function. In the former case, the physical database device 50 may be includedin/implemented by the physical service computer device 52, or these devices may be interconnected for communication as seen at 56.

P48420556 In the latter case, the cloud-based server computer function 52 and the cloud-based database function 50 may communicate over a communication network 60, whichmay be compliant with, for instance, TCP/IP, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, ZigBee,WirelessHART, WiFi, Bluetooth, WCDMA, HSPA, GSM, UTRAN, UMTS, LTE, LTE+, LTE Advanced, D-AMPS, CDMA2000, FOMA, TD-SCDMA ASI, CANbus,ProfiBus, Modbus, or as LoRa or other low frequency wireless data communicationtechnology, or combinations thereof. Such communication is seen at 53 and 51.

The user 4 may use a computer 54 for the purposes described above. Thecomputer 54 is communicatively connected with the server computer resource 52 andthe database 50 via the communication network 60, as seen at 55. The computer 54may, for instance, be implemented as a workstation computer, personal computer,laptop computer, tablet computer, personal digital assistant, smartphone or other mobileterminal, having an operating system and being appropriately programmed to performthe functionalities described in this document.

The composition of the database 50 in one or more exemplifying embodimentsis shown in Figure 6.

The database 50 comprises a transit components repository 210 which containsdefinitions of a variety of transit components, such as for instance any or all of thetransit components described above for Figures 1 and 2A-2E. Each transit component inthe transit components repository 210 has a unique component ID 212 and componentdata 214 defining the particulars of the transit component in terms of technicalparameters, design, requirements, etc. There may also be metadata 216 which defineshow different transit components are interrelated, for instance how they may or may notbe used in combination, or in what order they need to be installed or given maintenance.

The database 50 also comprises an instruction manual sections repository 220which contains instruction manual sections for the different transit components in thetransit components repository 210. Each instruction manual section has a uniqueinstruction section ID 222, as well as instruction section data 224 in the form ofexplanatory or inforrnative text, image(s), video or audio, in any combination ornumber. Metadata 226 may also be provided for the instruction manual sections.

The instruction manual sections in the instruction manual sections repository220 are associated, as seen at 214, with the relevant transit components in the transitcomponents repository 210. The associations 214 may be one-to-one, as seen in Figure6 where instruction manual section #1 is associated with transit component #1. The associations 214 may also be one-to-many, as seen for instruction manual section #2 P48420556 which is associated with transit components #2 and #3. Moreover, the associations 214may be many-to-one, as can be seen for instruction manual sections #4 and #5 which areassociated with transit component #4. The associations 214 may be represented by themetadata 226 and/or 216, or as separate pointer data in the database 50.

The database 50 further comprises a transit representation repository 250,which will be explained in more detail below.

Reference is now made to Figure 7, illustrating a system 300 for producing acustomized digital instruction manual 80 for a cable, pipe or wire transit 1 in accordancewith embodiments of the invention.

The system 300 comprises the database 50 as described above for Figure 6.The system 300 further comprises a computerized image analyzing module 310 and acomputerized digital instruction manual generating module 330. The modules 310 and330 may be software being executable by the server computer resource 52 in Figure 4.

The computerized image analyzing module 310 is conf1gured for receiving animage 70 of a group of transit components This is seen at 410 in Figure 7. Typically, theremote computing device 100 captures 402 the image 70 of the group of transitcomponents and sends 404 the captured image 70 to be received 410 and analyzed 420(see further below) by the image analyzing module 310.

The computerized image analyzing module 310 is further conf1gured foranalyzing the received image 70 to identify individual transit components 218 of thegroup. This can be seen at 420 in Figure 7. As can be seen at 430, the identifiedindividual transit components 218 are stored as a transit representation record 260 in thetransit representation repository 250 (see Figure 6). The transit representation record260 contains a unique transit ID 252 and transit representation data 254. As is shown inthe upper rightmost part of Figure 6, the transit representation data 254 of the transitrepresentation record 260 comprises the components ID:s 262 of the identifiedindividual transit components 218, the number 264 of such transit components in theparticular transit, their location 266 within the transit, as well as other relevant data 268obtained by the image analyzing module 310 about individual transit components orinterrelations by them.

In the example situation shown in Figure 6, a transit having transit ID #1 havebeen found by the image analyzing module 310 to comprise two (2) occurrences of thecomponent having component ID #1, one (1) occurrence of the component havingcomponent ID #4, and eight (8) occurrences of the component having component ID #6.

Component ID #1 may, for instance, be the compressible modules being indicated as P48420556 ll 201, 202 for the transit 1 in Figure 1. Component ID #4 may, for instance, be the Wedge40 for the transit 1 in Figure 1. Component ID #6 may, for instance, be the eight smallercompressible modules Which are arranged in a 4 x 2 layout in the transit 1 in Figure 1.

After the analyzing 420 of the received image 70, a digital instruction manualrequest 440 may be generated. The digital instruction manual request 440 Will containinformation identifying the analyzed transit 1, typically the transit ID 252 in the transitrepresentation repository 250. Advantageously, the request 440 may be generatedautomatically by the image analyzing module 310 upon successful analysis of thereceived image 70 and identification of the individual transit components 218.Altematively, the request may be generated offline (i.e. at a moment in time notfollowing right after the activity of the image analyzing module 310), either by theremote computing device 100, or by another device or functionality. This possibility isindicated by the dashed arrow 440" in Figure 7.

The computerized digital instruction manual generating module 330 isconfigured for receiving 442 the digital instruction manual request 440 or 440".Triggered by this request, the computerized digital instruction manual generatingmodule 330 is configured for retrieving 460 instruction manual sections 222 from thedatabase 50 for the identified transit components 218. To this end, the computerizeddigital instruction manual generating module 330 Will search 450 the database 50 todetermine the transit components 218 associated With the digital instruction manualrequest. The computerized digital instruction manual generating module 330 thusqueries the transit representation repository 250 to retrieve the transit representationrecord 260 of the transit identified by the transit ID 252 (in the example situation inFigure 7, this Will be transit ID #1).

The computerized digital instruction manual generating module 330 then readsthe retrieved transit representation record 260 and finds that the identified transitcomponents 218 are the ones that are represented by component IDs #1 , # 4 and #6 inthe transit components repository 210.

The computerized digital instruction manual generating module 330 is thusconfigured for retrieving 460, from the database 50, instruction manual sections 222 forthe identified transit components 218. The computerized digital instruction manualgenerating module 330 deterrnines the instruction manual sections 222 in the instructionmanual sections repository 220 that are associated 214 With the identified transitcomponents 218, i.e. the ones being represented by component IDs #1, # 4 and #6 in the transit components repository 210 in the example of Figure 6. Continuing With the P48420556 12 example of Figure 6, the computerized digital instruction manual generating module330 thus identifies the instruction manual sections 222 as those having instructionmanual section IDs #1, #2, #4 and #5.

The Computerized digital instruction manual generating module 330 is thenconf1gured for compiling 470 the retrieved instruction manual sections 222 into acustomized digital instruction manual 80 for a transit 1 that comprises the identifiedtransit components 218 and forms a sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes orwires 2.

The customized digital instruction manual 80 thus compiled may be madeavailable to the installer or maintenance personnel 3 in different appropriate ways.Preferably, however, the installer or maintenance personnel 3 uses the computing device100 as a means for receiving 480 and presenting 490 the customized digital instructionmanual 80, using a connection 61 to the communication network 60 in Figure 5, andpreferably by showing the customized digital instruction manual 80 in the user interface108 (see Figures 4 and 5).

In some embodiments, the group of transit components may be comprised in adelivery of transit components to the site 6. A typical situation will be when the user 4(Figure 5) has ordered transit components for a new transit to be installed at the site 6.The installer 3 will thus capture 402 the image 70 of the delivered transit components,either already when they are in a delivery package, or once they have been picked fromthe package. In such cases, the generated digital instruction manual 80 will preferablycomprise an installation guide for building the sealed installation of one or more cables,pipes or wires 2 by assembling the delivered group of transit components to form thetransit 1. The remote computing device 100 will thus be configured for presenting 490the received installation guide 80 to the installer 3 at the site 6.

In other embodiments, the transit 1 may constitute an existing sealedinstallation of one or more cables, pipes or wires 2 at the site 6. In other words, thegroup of transit components are operationally in place in the transit 1 when the remotecomputing device 100 captures 402 the image 70. In such cases, the digital instructionmanual 80 will typically comprise a maintenance guide 80 for servicing, repairing orinspecting the transit 1 with its group of transit components. The remote computingdevice 100 will thus be configured for presenting 490 the received maintenance guide80 to service, repair or inspection personnel 3 at the site 6.

In altemative embodiments, a second remote computing device 120 may be used together with the computing device 100 by the installer or maintenance personnel P48420556 13 3, as is indicated by dashed lines in Figure 5. The second computing device 120 may,for instance, be a laptop computer connectable to the communication network 60 asseen at 61b. The computing device 100 and the second computing device 120 maycommunicate by short-range data communication, as seen at 61a in Figure 5 (cf short-range communication interface 104 in Figure 4). In such cases, the computing device100 may be used merely as a camera for capturing the image 70, which will then beconveyed to the second computing device 120 over the short-range communication 61a.The second computing device 120 may perform the rest of the functionality of thecomputing device 100 in the previously described embodiments.

In further altemative embodiments, development server functionality 90 maybe interfaced with the system 300 via the communication network 60, as seen at 91 inFigure 5. The development server functionality 90 may have an associated developmentdatabase 92, as seen at 93 in Figure 5. By interfacing with the development serverfunctionality 90, the system 300 may automatically update any of the definitions thetransit components in the transit components repository 210. For instance, thecomponent data 214 may be updated to reflect an update made at the developmentserver functionality 90 to the particular design of individual transit components, or toreflect the addition of new transit components to the database 50 as they have beendeveloped at the development server functionality.

Likewise, the system 300 may update any of the instruction manual sections222 in the instruction manual sections repository 220 to account for changes made toindividual transit components, or new transit components added to the database 50.New or updated support information may also be provided for the transit components tobetter support the installer or maintenance personnel 3.

This will allow the customized digital instruction manuals 80 provided by thepresent invention to be up-to-date and continuously ref1ned and improved, and this is assuch a considerable improvement over the prior art approaches described in thebackground section of this document.

The invention has been described above in detail with reference toembodiments thereof. However, as is readily understood by those skilled in the art,other embodiments are equally possible within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

P48420556

Claims (22)

1. A Computerized method of producing a customized digital instructionmanual for a cable, pipe or Wire transit, the method comprising: providing a database (50) of transit components (210) and associated (214)instruction manual sections (220) for the respective transit components; receiving (410) an image (70) of a group of transit components; analyzing (420) the received image (70) to identify individual transitcomponents (218) of the group; retrieving (460), from the database (50), instruction manual sections (222) forthe identified transit components (218); and compiling (470) the retrieved instruction manual sections (222) into acustomized digital instruction manual (80) for a transit (1) that comprises the identifiedtransit components (218) and forms a sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires (2).

2. The computerized method as defined in claim 1, Wherein the method furthercomprises: a remote computing device (100) capturing (402) the image (70) of the groupof transit components; and the remote computing device (100) sending (404) the captured the image (70)to be received (410) and analyzed (420) as defined in claim 1.

3. The computerized method as defined in claim 1 or 2, Wherein the methodfurther comprises: the remote computing device (100) receiving (480) the customized digitalinstruction manual (80); and the remote computing device (100) presenting (490) the received customized digital instruction manual (80).4. The computerized method as defined in claim 2 or 3, Wherein: the group of transit components are comprised in a delivery of transit components (218) to a site (6); and

4. P48420556 the digital instruction manual (80) comprises an installation guide (80) forbuilding the sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires (2) by assembling the delivered group of transit components (218) to forrn the transit (1).

5. The Computerized method as defined in claim 3 and 4, Wherein the remotecomputing device (100) presents (490) the received instruction manual (80) to aninstaller (3) at the site (6).

6. The computerized method as defined in claim 2 or 3, the transit (1)constituting an existing sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires (2) at asite (6), and the group of transit components being operationally in place in said transit(1) When the remote computing device (100) captures (402) the image, Wherein thedigital instruction manual (80) comprises a maintenance guide (80) for servicing, repairing or inspecting the transit (1) With its group of transit components.

7. The computerized method as defined in claim 3 and 6, Wherein the remotecomputing device (100) presents (490) the received instruction manual (80) to service, repair or inspection personnel (3) at the site (6).

8. The computerized method as defined in any of claims 1-7, Wherein eachinstruction manual section of the customized digital instruction manual (80) comprisesexplanatory or inforrnative text, image(s), video or audio, in any combination or number.

9. The computerized method as defined in any of claims 1-8, furthercomprising, after said analyzing (420) of the received image (70): receiving (442) a digital instruction manual request (440); and in response triggering said retrieving (460), from the database (50), of instruction manual sections (222) for the identified transit components (218).10. The computerized method as defined in any of claims 1-9, further comprising interfacing With development server functionality (90) to update transit components (210) and/or instruction manual sections (220) in the database (5 0).

10. P48420556 16

11. The computerized method as defined in any of claims 1-10, furthercomprising interfacing With development server functionality (90) to add new transit components (210) and/or instruction manual sections (220) to the database (5 0).

12. A system (3 00) for producing a customized digital instruction manual for acable, pipe or Wire transit, the system comprising:a database (50) of transit components (210) and associated (214) instructionmanual sections (220) for the respective transit components;a computerized image analyzing module (310) configured for:receiving (410) an image (70) of a group of transit components, andanalyzing (420) the received image (70) to identify individual transitcomponents (218) of the group; anda computerized digital instruction manual generating module (330) configuredfor:retrieving (460), from the database (50), instruction manual sections(222) for the identified transit components (218); andcompiling (470) the retrieved instruction manual sections (222) into acustomized digital instruction manual (80) for a transit (1) that comprises theidentified transit components (218) and forms a sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires (2).

13. The system (300) as defined in claim 12, further comprising a remotecomputing device (100), Wherein the remote computing device (100) is configured for: capturing (402) the image (70) of the group of transit components; and sending (404) the captured the image (70) to be received (410) and analyzed(420) as defined in claim 12.

14. The system (300) as defined in claim 12 or 13, Wherein the remotecomputing device (100) is further configured for:receiving (480) the customized digital instruction manual (80); and presenting (490) the received customized digital instruction manual (80).15. The system (300) as defined in claim 13 or 14, Wherein: the group of transit components are comprised in a delivery of transit components (218) to a site (6); and

15. P48420556 17 the digital instruction manual (80) comprises an installation guide (80) forbuilding the sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires (2) by assembling the delivered group of transit components (218) to forrn the transit (1).

16. The system (300) as defined in claim 14 and 15, Wherein the remotecomputing device (100) is further configured for: presenting (490) the received instruction manual (80) to an installer (3) at thesite (6).

17. The system (300) as defined in claim 12 or 13, the transit (1) constitutingan existing sealed installation of one or more cables, pipes or Wires (2) at a site (6), andthe group of transit components being operationally in place in said transit (1) When theremote computing device (100) captures (402) the image, Wherein the digital instructionmanual (80) comprises a maintenance guide (80) for servicing, repairing or inspecting the transit (1) With its group of transit components.

18. The system (300) as defined in claim 14 and 17, Wherein the remotecomputing device (100) is further configured for:presenting (490) the received instruction manual (80) to service, repair or inspection personnel (3) at the site (6).

19. The system (300) as defined in any of claims 12-18, Wherein eachinstruction manual section of the customized digital instruction manual (80) comprisesexplanatory or inforrnative text, image(s), video or audio, in any combination or number.

20. The system (300) as defined in any of claims 12-19, further configured for,after said analyzing (420) of the received image (70):receiving a digital instruction manual request (440); andin response triggering said retrieving (460), from the database (50), of instruction manual sections (222) for the identified transit components (218).21. The system (300) as defined in any of claims 12-20, further configured for interfacing With development server functionality (90) to update transit components(210) and/or instruction manual sections (220) in the database (5 0).

21. P48420556 18

22. The system (300) as defined in any of clainis 12-21, further configured forinterfacing With development server functionality (90) to add new transit components(210) and/or instruction manual sections (220) to the database (5 0). P48420556