The invention relates to, without being limited to, an early detection of deformation of utility pipes and culverts which may be indicative of their pending catastrophic failure. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatuses and methods for detecting and analyzing any of various conditions of such pipes and culverts prior to such failure.
The apparatus of the invention includes a sensing device mounted inside a utility pipe or culvert. The device may be connected to a communication device to relay the sensor information to a monitoring station.
A pipe or culvert equipped with the sensing device is configured to alert the monitoring station of a deformation exceeding a predefined threshold level. Optionally, the sensing device may be configured to acquire and send information quantifying the degree of such deformation. The detection of an early stage of the deformation of a pipe or a culvert afforded by the sensing device would be designed to allow timely and targeted application of available technical remedies to the affected site, preventing a possible structural collapse and the resulting material losses.
The sensing device is a common distance laser sensor and two or more distance targets placed in and near the optical path of the distance sensor's laser beam. The distance laser sensor may be equipped with a power supply, a control unit, and an interface to the communication device.
In a particular non-limiting embodiment, the distance sensor can be positioned inside a straight, or substantially straight, section of a utility pipe or a culvert near the upper side of the pipe or culvert, with the laser beam direction being parallel, or substantially parallel, to the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The distance sensor can be mounted with a certain predetermined clearance between the laser beam and the inside surface of the pipe.
The first distance target, henceforth referred to as a primary target, is firmly placed in the laser beam's path at the farthest practical distance from the laser sensor; this distance would be determined either by the sensor's maximum range or by the length of the section of the pipe in need of being instrumented, or by the geometry of the pipe, as the laser beam of the sensor needs to hit the primary target and detect its distance correctly for the sensor to operate.
The distance target could be any piece of opaque material of sufficient reflectivity and size for the distance sensor to register the range. In a non-limiting embodiment, the target can be a brightly painted rigid tab of some arbitrary shape with its flat surface perpendicular to the laser beam.
Further, at least because the invention is disclosed herein in a manner that enables one to make and use it, by virtue of the disclosure of particular exemplary embodiments of the invention, the invention can be practiced in the absence of any additional element or additional structure that is not specifically disclosed herein.
This application is based upon U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/271,069, filed Dec. 22, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority of which is claimed under 35 USC §119(e).
Number | Date | Country | |
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62271069 | Dec 2015 | US |