Patent Grant
10823705
The present application is a national stage application of International Application No. PCT/JP2015/003818 entitled “Diagnostic Device, Diagnostic System, Diagnostic Method, and Computer-Readable Recording Medium” filed on Jul. 29, 2015, which claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. JP2014-154522, filed on Jul. 30, 2014, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto.
The present invention relates to a diagnostic device, a diagnostic system, a diagnostic method, and a computer-readable recording medium.
Structures such as pipes and bridges pose various problems resulting from deterioration. For example, pipes may crack due to deterioration, resulting in leakage of fluids flowing through them. For structures such as pipes, the state of deterioration is desirably detected before problems arise resulting from deterioration.
Structures such as pipes often have a large scale. It is not always easy to detect the state of deterioration for these structures because, for example, pipes are buried underground. Therefore, to efficiently diagnose deterioration of structures such as pipes, detection devices such as various sensors that detect the condition of the structures such as pipes may desirably detect the condition of wide areas of the structures easily.
PTL 1 discloses a pipe inspection method for measuring the thickness of a pipe on the basis of the time to propagate ultrasonic wave to inspect two pipes for abnormalities in their bonding.
PTL 2 discloses a pipe inspection method for obtaining the thickness of a pipe on the basis of the difference in appearance time between a dispersive signal element and a non-dispersive signal element that propagate through two spots.
PTL 3 discloses a pipe inspection method for using a plurality of ultrasonic wave probes arranged in the circumferential direction of a pipe to obtain the waveform of a guide wave in the circumferential mode of the pipe and, in turn, obtain the depth of a thin portion in the pipe on the basis of the amplitude of this waveform.
PTL 4 discloses a gas meter that calculates the speed of sound in a gas on the basis of the time to propagate ultrasound exchanged between an ultrasound transmitter/receiver located with spacings between them in the gas route of a conduction path, and issues an alarm upon detection of an abnormality in the speed of sound in the gas.
PTL 5 discloses a pipe damage probing device that probes a pipe such as a gas pipe or a water pipe as a target using a sound wave for the position of damage inflicted on it.
[PTL 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-130854
[PTL 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-003537
[PTL3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-064540
[PTL 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-108720
[PTL 5] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-061361
The pipe inspection method disclosed in PTL 1 may be used to inspect only the thickness of the pipe around the sensor mount portion. Therefore, the pipe inspection method disclosed in PTL 1 may not be used to inspect the thickness of the pipe in the pipe axial direction.
The pipe inspection method disclosed in PTL 2 requires directly locating the element in the pipe. It is, therefore, sometimes difficult to use the pipe inspection method disclosed in PTL 2 in inspecting a pipe buried underground. The pipe inspection method disclosed in PTL 2 further requires exciting a non-dispersive elastic wave and a dispersive elastic wave and thus uses a complicated configuration.
The pipe inspection method disclosed in PTL 3 requires a plurality of sensor groups and thus uses a complicated device configuration. The method disclosed in PTL 3 may be used to identify the position of a thin portion having a relatively small thickness, but is irrelevant to how the depth of the thin portion is obtained.
The gas meter disclosed in PTL 4 requires calculating the speed of sound in a gas flowing through the gas conduction path. The technique disclosed in PTL 4, in turn, requires locating an ultrasound transmitter/receiver inside the gas conduction portion.
In other words, the techniques disclosed in PTLs 1 to 5 may be used to diagnose only deterioration within a limited range of the structure such as a pipe, or use a complicated structure.
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and has as its main object to provide a diagnostic device that may, with a simple design, diagnose the condition of a wide area of a structure such as a pipe, and the like.
A diagnostic device in an aspect of the present invention includes a determining means for determining a condition of a pipe based on a sound speed of vibration propagating through a structure.
A diagnostic system in an aspect of the present invention includes the above-mentioned diagnostic device, and at least one vibration detection unit that detects vibration of a structure.
A diagnostic method in an aspect of the present invention includes determining a condition of a structure based on a speed of sound in the structure.
A computer-readable recording medium in an aspect of the present invention non-transitorily stores a program for causing a computer to perform a process of determining a condition of a structure based on a speed of sound in the structure.
The present invention may provide a diagnostic device that may, with a simple design, diagnose the condition of a wide area of a structure such as a pipe, and the like.
Each example embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each example embodiment of the present invention, components constituting each device represent functional unit blocks. Components constituting each device may be implemented by any combination of software and an information processing device 500 as illustrated in, for example,
Each example embodiment of the present invention are explained using an examples that the structure to be determined by a diagnostic device and the like is a pipe through which a fluid flows, such as water supply pipes or gas pipes.
A first example embodiment of the present invention will be described first.
As illustrated in
The determination unit 110 determines the condition of the structure such as a pipe based on the speed of sound (the speed of propagation of an elastic wave) in the structure. As an example, the determination unit 110 may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the structure such as a pipe when the speed of sound in the pipe or the like is lower than a reference threshold. The determination unit 110 may even determine that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like when the speed of sound in the pipe is higher than a reference threshold. In other words, the threshold used by the determination unit 110 represents the upper limit or lower limit of the speed of sound in the structure or the like when no abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like (that is, the pipe is normal). The determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the structure such as the pipe when the speed of sound in the pipe or the like exceeds the threshold (the speed of sound in the structure such as the pipe is higher or lower than the threshold). The determination unit 110 may determine the condition of the structure using either the threshold representing the upper limit or the threshold representing the lower limit described above, or determine the condition of the structure using both the threshold representing the upper limit and the threshold representing the lower limit described above.
In this case, the threshold is determined on the basis of the material and thickness of a pipe to be determined, surrounding conditions of the pipe (the soil surrounding the pipe when it is buried underground) and the like. The threshold may be determined in a single step or multiple steps for the upper limit or the lower limit as described above. When the threshold is determined in multiple steps, the determination unit 110 may determine the degree of abnormality in the structure such as a pipe, in accordance with any of the multiple-step thresholds when the speed of sound in the pipe or the like is higher or lower than this threshold.
Next, an exemplary operation of the diagnostic device 100 according to the present example embodiment will be described below with reference to
In the diagnostic device 100, the determination unit 110 first determines a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe (step S101). In this case, the determination unit 110 may obtain an externally calculated speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe, or may obtain externally obtained information regarding the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe and calculate a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the information obtained.
The determination unit 110 determines, for example, whether the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe that is determined exceeds a reference threshold speed of sound (that is, the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe is higher or lower than the threshold) (step S102). When the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe exceeds the threshold (Yes in step S102), the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe to be determined. In this case, the diagnostic device 100 may notify the external that an abnormality has occurred, for example. The diagnostic device 100 may identify the position at which an abnormality has occurred, using a known method or the like.
When the derived speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe does not exceed the predetermined threshold in step S102 (No in step S102), the determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe to be determined. In this case, the diagnostic device 100 returns to step S101, and obtains a speed of sound.
The principle of determining the condition of the structure such as a pipe based on the speed of sound in the pipe or the like will be described herein. The speed of sound propagating through the pipe is determined in a manner that depends on the mechanical propagation property of the structure such as a pipe determined by the factors associated with the pipe or the like including the material and shape of the pipe, and the surrounding environments such as the soil surrounding the pipe. The pipe may corrode with time, or deteriorate due to rust, change in thickness, or become cracked or scratched as a fluid flows through the pipe, for example. In this manner, when the pipe changes in thickness and the like, its mechanical propagation property changes. Changes in mechanical propagation property of the pipe results in change of the speed of sound in the pipe. More specifically, the speed of sound may decrease or increase due to changes in the mechanical propagation property of the pipe with time and the like, as described above. Therefore, when the speed of sound in the pipe decreases or increases in excess of a certain threshold, for example, it may be determined that the deterioration of the pipe has worsened.
The diagnostic device 100 may thus determine the condition of the pipe and the occurrence of an abnormality on the basis of the speed of sound in the pipe. The diagnostic device 100 may also determine temporal changes in condition of the pipe on the basis of temporal changes in speed of sound in the pipe.
An example of a diagnostic system 10 including the diagnostic device 100 according to the present example embodiment will be described below with reference to
The vibration detection unit 101 detects vibration propagating through the pipe. The vibration detection unit 101 may use, for example, a piezoelectric vibration sensor, but not limited to this. Information regarding the detected vibration propagating through the pipe is sent to the diagnostic device 100 by a communication means (not illustrated), for example. When vibration propagating through the pipe 170 is detected by the vibration detection unit 101, the speed of sound in the pipe may be obtained from the relation between the position of the source of the vibration and the position at which vibration of the pipe 170 is detected by the vibration detection unit 101, and the time taken for the vibration to propagate. In other words, in the diagnostic device 100, the determination unit 110 may determine the condition of the pipe based on the speed of sound obtained from the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101. The speed of sound obtained using the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101 is the speed of sound of the pipe 170 between the position of the source of the vibration and the position at which vibration is detected by the vibration detection unit 101. The determination unit 110 may determine the condition of the pipe 170 not only at the position where vibration is detected by the vibration detection unit 101 but also at a position away from the position where the vibration is detected by the vibration detection unit 101, based on the speed of sound which is obtained.
The vibration detection unit 101 need only to be capable of detecting vibration of the pipe, and may be set at any location that allows detection of vibration of the pipe. As an example, the vibration detection unit 101 is attached to an ancillary equipment 171 such as a fire hydrant or a water stop valve mounted on the pipe, as illustrated in
In the diagnostic system 10, at least one vibration detection unit 101 is provided, as illustrated in
As described above, the diagnostic device 100 according to the present example embodiment determines the condition of the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the speed of sound. Thus, the diagnostic device 100 according to the present example embodiment may determine the condition of the pipe or the like, its changes, and the occurrence of an abnormality in the pipe or the like. The speed of sound is derived based on vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101 in the diagnostic system 10, for example. The vibration detection unit 101 need not always be directly attached to the pipe as long as it may detect vibration of the pipe. The speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe is easily determined using information regarding the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101. The speed of sound obtained from the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101 is the speed of sound between the position of the source of the vibration and the position where the vibration of the pipe is detected by the vibration detection unit 101. Therefore, the diagnostic device 100 according to the present example embodiment may determine the condition of a wide area of the pipe by determining the condition of the pipe based on the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe.
In other words, the diagnostic device 100 according to the present example embodiment and the diagnostic system 10 including the diagnostic device 100 may determine the condition of a wide area of the structure such as a pipe with a simple configuration.
Next, a second example embodiment of the present invention will be described next.
A diagnostic device 200 according to the second example embodiment of the present invention includes a sound speed derivation unit 120 and a determination unit 110, as illustrated in
In other words, the diagnostic device 200 according to the present example embodiment is different from the diagnostic device 100 according to the first example embodiment of the present invention in that the former includes the sound speed derivation unit 120. Other than that, the configuration of the diagnostic device 200 is the similar to that of the diagnostic device 100 according to the first example embodiment of the present invention.
A diagnostic system 20 that uses the diagnostic device 200 according to the second example embodiment of the present invention may be implemented similarly to the diagnostic system 10 that uses the diagnostic device 100 in the first example embodiment of the present invention. The diagnostic system 20 that uses the diagnostic device 200 in the second example embodiment of the present invention includes the diagnostic device 200 and at least one vibration detection unit including vibration detection units 101-1 to 101-n.
The sound speed derivation unit 120 determines a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on the vibration of the pipe or the like. The sound speed derivation unit 120 derives a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on the vibration of the pipe detected by at least one of the vibration detection units 101 that detect vibration of the pipe, for example. A specific procedure for determining the speed of sound by the sound speed derivation unit 120 will be described later.
An exemplary operation of the diagnostic device 200 in the present example embodiment will be described below with reference to
In the diagnostic device 200, the sound speed derivation unit 120 first obtains information regarding vibration of the pipe or the like (step S201). In this case, the sound speed derivation unit 120 may directly obtain information regarding vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101, for example. The sound speed derivation unit 120 may obtain information having undergone predetermined processing, such as removal of vibration in frequency bands unnecessary to determine the speed of sound on the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101. Next, the sound speed derivation unit 120 then determines the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on the information regarding vibration obtained in step S201 (step S202).
Then, the determination unit 110 determines whether the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe which is determined exceeds a threshold that is a reference speed of sound (step S203), for example. When the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe exceeds the threshold (Yes in step S203), the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe to be determined.
When the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe which is derived does not exceed the predetermined threshold (No in step S203), the determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like to be determined. In this case, the diagnostic device 200 returns to step S201, and obtains the information regarding vibration.
In the present example embodiment, some exemplary procedures for deriving a speed of sound by the sound speed derivation unit 120 will be described below.
In an example, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives the speed of sound in the pipe on the basis of vibration detected by one vibration detection unit 101, as illustrated in
Vibration of the pipe 170 used to determine the speed of sound in the pipe by the sound speed derivation unit 120 may be generated by, for example, externally applying an impact to the location of the vibration source position 172 in the pipe 170 or its vicinity. For example, directly vibrating the pipe 170 may apply an impact to the pipe 170. When the pipe 170 is buried underground, an impact may be applied to the pipe 170 by vibrating the ground surface close to the position where the pipe 170 is buried. In addition, the sound speed derivation unit 120 may derive the speed of sound in the pipe using vibration generated in the pipe 170 when an impact is applied to the pipe 170 due to any factor, such as when an automobile passes through the ground surface near the position where the pipe 170 is buried. In this example, further, the sound speed derivation unit 120 preferably accurately identifies the time at which vibration has occurred to obtain the difference in vibration reaching time.
In another example, as in the foregoing example, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives the speed of sound in the pipe based on vibration detected by one vibration detection unit 101, as illustrated in
Under the circumstances, the sound speed derivation unit 120 focuses attention on predetermined frequencies f1 and f2, for example. The sound speed derivation unit 120 determines times t1 and t2 at which f1 and f2 of interest respectively satisfy a predetermined condition (for example, the vibration acceleration reaches a peak). For example, the vibration acceleration for the frequency f1 reaches a peak at the time t1, as illustrated in
Δt=t2−t1 (1)
The sound speed derivation unit 120 derives a speed of sound based on Δt obtained by equation (1) and the above-mentioned distance D. In this way, the sound speed derivation unit 120 may accurately derive a speed of sound even when the time at which vibration has occurred may not be identified.
When the vibration source position 172 is the same, the speed of sound changes in accordance with changes in Δt. In this example, when the detection device 200 in the present example embodiment determines temporal changes in condition of the pipe based on the vibration generated at the same vibration source position 172, the determination unit 110 may determine the condition of the pipe on the basis of Δt.
Vibration of the pipe 170 used by the sound speed derivation unit 120 to derive the speed of sound in the pipe may be generated as in the foregoing example.
In still another example, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives the speed of sound in the pipe based on vibrations detected by the two vibration detection units 101-1 and 101-2, as illustrated in
When the vibration source position 172 is outside the interval between the vibration detection units 101-1 and 101-2, the sound speed calculation unit 120 may derive the speed of sound even when no definite vibration source position 172 may be identified. In this case, the area outside the interval between the vibration detection units 101-1 and 101-2 is represented in
In either case, vibration of the pipe 170 used to derive a speed of sound in the pipe by the sound speed derivation unit 120 may be generated as in the foregoing example.
Although some exemplary procedures for deriving a speed of sound by the sound speed derivation unit 120 have been described above, the sound speed measurement unit 120 may derive the speed of sound using a procedure different from the above-mentioned procedures. The sound speed measurement unit 120 may derive the speed of sound in the pipe using an appropriate procedure for the pipe or the like targeted for condition determination, the required accuracy, and the like.
As described above, the diagnostic device 200 in the present example embodiment includes the sound speed derivation unit 120. The sound speed derivation unit 120 derives the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on vibration of the structure such as a pipe. A speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe may be easily accurately derived on the basis of vibration of the pipe or the like. Therefore, the diagnostic device 200 in the present example embodiment may determine the condition of the structure easily and accurately. The diagnostic system 20 including the diagnostic device 200 in the present example embodiment has the similar advantageous effect as that of the diagnostic device 200.
A third example embodiment of the present invention will be described next.
The diagnostic device 300 according to the third example embodiment of the present invention includes a sound speed derivation unit 120, a sound speed prediction unit 130, and a determination unit 110, as illustrated in
In other words, the diagnostic device 300 in the present example embodiment is different from the diagnostic device 200 in the second example embodiment of the present invention in that the former includes the sound speed prediction unit 130. Other than that, the configuration is the same as that of the diagnostic device 200 in the second example embodiment of the present invention and the like.
A diagnostic system 30 that uses the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as in the first or second example embodiment of the present invention. The diagnostic system 30 that uses the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention includes the diagnostic device 300 and vibration detection units 101-1 to 101-n as at least one vibration detection unit.
The speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe changes, for example, due to aging, or as a fluid flows through the pipe. When the change in the speed of sound falls within a range predicted from aging and the like, this change in the speed of sound may be considered to result from normal aging and the like. For example, the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe gradually decreases or increases due to aging and the like. However, when the change in the speed of sound falls outside the predicted range (for example, the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe rapidly decreases), any abnormality such as cracks or bores, may be considered to have occurred in the pipe or the like.
When it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the case where the speed of the sound in the structure such as a pipe exceeds a predetermined threshold, the threshold changes in a manner that depends on the mechanical propagation property of the pipe or the like, and the surrounding environments such as the soil surrounding the pipe or the like. Thus, it is difficult to uniformly set such a threshold. In contrast to this, in the present example embodiment, the predicted value is obtained for the speed of sound on the basis of at least the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe. The predicted value is thus obtained in consideration of the influence of the above-mentioned factors associating with the speed of sound.
Therefore, the diagnostic device 300 in the present example embodiment may accurately determine the condition of the pipe in accordance with its property or environments by predicting the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe and comparing the predicted value obtained by prediction with the speed of sound derived by, for example, detecting vibration of the pipe to.
Next, components constituting the diagnostic device 300 in the present example embodiment will be described below. The sound speed prediction unit 130 first predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe. The sound speed prediction unit 130 obtains a predicted value by predicting the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe at any point in time after a predetermined point in time, based on at least the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe at the predetermined point in time. The predetermined point in time as mentioned above is not limited to one specific point in time, and the sound speed prediction unit 130 may predict based on the speeds of sound in the structure such as a pipe at a plurality of points in time. The sound speed prediction unit 130 may take other factors that influence the speed of sound into consideration in obtaining the predicted value.
The determination unit 110 determines the condition of the structure such as a pipe, on the basis of the value of the speed of sound predicted by the sound speed prediction unit 130 and the speed of sound in the structure derived by the sound speed derivation unit 120. The determination unit 110 may determine the condition of the pipe by, for example, comparing the value of the speed of sound predicted by the sound speed prediction unit 130 with the speed of sound derived by the sound speed derivation unit 120. In this case, the determination unit 110 may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe when the speed of sound derived by the sound speed derivation unit 120 is different (for example, the speed of sound is lower) than the value of the speed of sound predicted by the sound speed prediction unit 130 beyond a predetermined range.
The determination unit 110 determines the condition of the pipe preferably on the basis of the speed of sound at a point in time different from that for the speed of sound used to obtain the predicted value of the speed of sound as mentioned above and the predicted value of the speed of sound. Further, the speed of sound in the pipe and its predicted value used in determination by the determination unit 110 are preferably speeds of sound in the same range of the extending pipe. For example, when the speed of sound is derived on the basis of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101, the speed of sound in the pipe used in determination and its predicted value in the determination unit 110 are preferably based on vibration detected by the same vibration detection unit 101. In this case, the number of vibration detection units 101 is not limited to one.
Next, an exemplary operation of the diagnostic device 300 in the present example embodiment will be described below with reference to
In the diagnostic device 300, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe (step S301). In this case, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101, for example. Next, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of at least the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe derived in step S301 (step S302). Next, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe again (step S303). The speed of sound derived in this case is the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe at a point in time after that for the speed of sound derived in step S301.
Then, the determination unit 110 determines whether the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe derived in step S303 and the like is lower than the predicted value of the speed of sound obtained in step S302 (step S304). When the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe is lower than the predicted value (Yes in step S304), the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like to be determined.
When the derived speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe is higher than the predicted value in step S304 (No in step S304), the determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like to be determined. In this case, the diagnostic device 300 returns to step S302, and predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the speed of sound derived in step S303.
As described above, the diagnostic device 300 according to the present example embodiment includes the sound speed prediction unit 130. The sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on at least the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe. The determination unit 110 determines the condition of the structure such as a pipe based on the predicted value of the speed of sound obtained by the sound speed prediction unit 130 and the speed of sound in the structure. In other words, the determination unit 110 may determine the condition of the structure such as a pipe in consideration of aging. Further, the determination unit 110 may more appropriately determine the condition of the pipe or the like in consideration of the environments under which the pipe or the like to be determined is located, variations in performance for each individual vibration detection unit 101 used to derive a speed of sound and the like, than in the case where such determination is done using a threshold. Therefore, the diagnostic device 300 in the present example embodiment may accurately determine the condition of the structure according to the individual conditions of the pipe or the like to be determined. The diagnostic system 30 including the diagnostic device 300 in the present example embodiment has similar advantageous effect as that of the diagnostic device 300.
A fourth example embodiment of the present invention will be described next.
A diagnostic device 400 in the fourth example embodiment of the present invention includes a sound speed derivation unit 120, a sound speed prediction unit 130, a sound speed storage unit 121, and a determination unit 110, as illustrated in
In other words, the diagnostic device 400 in the present example embodiment is different from the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention in that the sound speed prediction unit 130 included in the former predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the speeds of sound in the structure such as a pipe at a plurality of points in time. Further, the diagnostic device 400 in the present example embodiment includes a sound speed storage unit 121 that stores the speeds of sound in the structure such as a pipe at a plurality of points in time described earlier. Other than that, the configuration is the same as that of the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention, and the like.
A diagnostic system 40 that uses the diagnostic device 400 in the fourth example embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as in the first to third example embodiments. The diagnostic system 40 that uses the diagnostic device 400 in the fourth example embodiment of the present invention includes the diagnostic device 400 and at least one vibration detection unit including vibration detection units 101-1 to 101-n.
In the present example embodiment, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the speeds of sound at a plurality of points in time. In this way, the sound speed prediction unit 130 may improve the accuracy of the predicted value. This, as a result, may improve the determination accuracy of the condition of the pipe or the like in the determination unit 110. In this case, the sound speed prediction unit 130 may use a plurality of speeds of sound during any period for prediction. The sound speed prediction unit 130 may use the plurality of speeds of sound at any interval for prediction.
As an example, the sound speed prediction unit 130 may predict a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe by obtaining a prediction expression representing a change in the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on the speeds of sound at a plurality of points in time, as illustrated in each of
More specifically, referring to
In this case, the determination unit 110 uses, as a predicted value, the speed of sound in the pipe obtained from the prediction expression at a time after time t3.
The determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe when the speed of sound in the pipe derived at time t4 falls within a predetermined range from the value obtained from the prediction expression at the time t4. This applies when the speed of sound in the pipe derived at time t4 is indicated by a dotted circle in
An exemplary operation of the diagnostic device 400 in the present example embodiment will be described below with reference to
The sound speed derivation unit 120 included in the diagnostic device 400 derives the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe (step S401). In this case, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101, for example. The speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe which is derived is stored in the sound speed storage unit 121. Then, the sound speed derivation unit 120 then determines whether speeds of sound sufficient in number to predict the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe have been derived (step S402). The sound speed derivation unit 120 determines whether, speeds of sound necessary in number to obtain a prediction expression have been derived for example. In step S402, when the sound speed derivation unit 120 determines that insufficient numbers of speeds of sound have been derived to predict the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe, the sound speed derivation unit 120 returns to step S401, in which it repeats derivation of a speed of sound.
In step S402, when the sound speed derivation unit 120 determines that speeds of sound sufficient in number to predict the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe have been derived, the diagnostic device 400 advances to the operation in step S403. In step S403, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the speeds of sound in the structure such as a pipe at a plurality of points in time derived in step S401. As described above, the sound speed prediction unit 130 may predict the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe by, for example, generating the prediction expression representing a change in speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe.
Next, the determination unit 110 analyzes the condition of the pipe by determining whether the speed of sound derived at a point in time after that used for prediction in step S403, for example, is lower than the predicted value (step S404). When the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe is lower than the predicted value (Yes in step S404), the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe to be determined.
When the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe which is derived is higher than the predicted value in step S404 (No in step S404), the determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe to be determined (step S406). In this case, the diagnostic device 400 returns to step S401, and derives the speed of sound.
As described above, the diagnostic device 400 according to the present example embodiment uses the sound speed prediction unit 130 to predict a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the speeds of sound in the structure such as a pipe at a plurality of points in time. More specifically, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe by obtaining a prediction expression regarding the speed of sound on the basis of the speeds of sound in the structure such as a pipe at a plurality of points in time. The determination unit 110 determines the condition of the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the predicted value of the speed of sound obtained by the sound speed prediction unit 130, and the speed of sound in the structure. In other words, the determination unit 110 may determine the condition of the structure such as a pipe in consideration of aging of the structure to be determined. Therefore, the diagnostic device 400 in the present example embodiment may accurately determine the condition of the structure according to the individual conditions of the pipe or the like to be determined, like the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention. The diagnostic device 400 in the present example embodiment may more accurately determine the condition of the structure such as a pipe than the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention, using a prediction expression regarding the speed of sound in predicting a speed of sound in the structure and determining the state. The diagnostic system 40 including the diagnostic device 200 in the present example embodiment has similar advantageous as that of the diagnostic device 400.
Some modifications may be applied to the diagnostic device 400 in the present example embodiment. As a modification, the determination unit 110 may predict a period during which an abnormality is determined to have occurred in the pipe by obtaining a period during which the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe predicted from the prediction expression satisfies a predetermined condition to.
As an example, referring to
As another modification, the determination unit 110 may determine that an abnormality will occur in the pipe or the like on the basis of the prediction expression itself obtained by the sound speed prediction unit 130.
As an example, referring to
As still another modification, the diagnostic device 400 may change the frequency of derivation of the speeds of sound in the structure such as a pipe used to obtain the predicted value for the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe by the sound speed prediction unit 130, or the frequency of determination by the determination unit 110, on the basis of the determination result obtained by the determination unit 110. For example, when the determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like, but the speed of sound at the point in time in question meets the predetermined condition, the diagnostic device 400 may operate to enhance the frequency of derivation of speeds of sound in steps S401 and S402 of
When the determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like but the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe at the time of determination is close to a reference for determining by the determination unit 110 that an abnormality has occurred, it may be considered that an abnormality will occur in the pipe in the near future. In such a case, the diagnostic device 400 may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe by enhancing the frequency of derivation of speeds of sound and the like at early stage.
A fifth example embodiment of the present invention will be described next.
A diagnostic device 500 according to the fifth example embodiment of the present invention includes a sound speed derivation unit 120, a sound speed prediction unit 130, and a determination unit 110, as illustrated in
In other words, the diagnostic device 500 in the present example embodiment is different from the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention in that, the sound speed prediction unit 130 included in the former predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe further on the basis of a physical quantity associated with the pipe or the like. Other than that, the configuration is the same as that of the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention, and the like.
A diagnostic system 50 that uses the diagnostic device 500 in the fifth example embodiment may be implemented as illustrated in
In the present example embodiment, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe, and the physical quantity associated with the pipe or the like. The structure such as a pipe may vary in degree of worsening of deterioration according to the surrounding conditions. For the pipe, the pressure, flow rate, temperature, and the like of a fluid flowing through it act as factors that influence deterioration of the pipe in this manner. The speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe is influenced by its material, shape, and installation environment, and factors other than its deterioration condition. In other words, when the structure is the pipe, the speed of sound in the pipe is further influenced by factors such as the pressure, flow rate, temperature, and the like of a fluid flowing through the pipe. In predicting the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe, the prediction accuracy of the speed of sound in the pipe or the like may be improved by taking these factors that influence the speed of sound into consideration.
As an example, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe from the speed of sound at a particular point in time, and the physical quantity associated with the pipe or the like at that point in time. In the example illustrated in
In the above-mentioned case, the determination unit 110 may determine that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like when the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe falls within the range of speed of sound predicted by the sound speed prediction unit 130. The determination unit 110 may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like when the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe falls outside the range of speed of sound predicted by the sound speed prediction unit 130.
An exemplary operation of the diagnostic device 500 in the present example embodiment will be described below with reference to
In the diagnostic device 500, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe (step S501). In this case, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of, for example, vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 101.
Then, the sound speed prediction unit 130 measures a predetermined physical quantity associated with the pipe (step S502). In this case, the sound speed prediction unit 130 measures a physical quantity using the physical quantity measuring unit 102. Next, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe on the basis of the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe derived in step S501, and the physical quantity associated with the pipe measured in step S502 (step S503).
Then, the sound speed derivation unit 120 derives the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe again (step S504). The speed of sound derived in this case is the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe at the point in time at which a predicted value has been calculated in step S503.
Then, the determination unit 110 determines whether the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe or the like derived in step S504 falls outside the range of predicted value of the speed of sound obtained in step S503 (step S505). When the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe falls outside the range of predicted value (Yes in step S505), the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like to be determined.
When the derived speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe falls within the range of predicted value in step S505 (No in step S505), the determination unit 110 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the pipe to be determined. In this case, the diagnostic device 300 returns to step S502, and measures the physical quantity associated with the pipe again. In step S503, the sound speed prediction unit 130 predicts a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on the previous speed of sound derived in step S504, and the physical quantity associated with the pipe measured again in step S502.
As described above, the diagnostic device 500 according to the present example embodiment uses the sound speed prediction unit 130 to predict the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe based on the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe, and the physical quantity associated with the structure such as a pipe. The speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe may change in a manner that depends on the physical quantity associated with the pipe or the like. Thus, using the physical quantity associated with the pipe or the like, the sound speed prediction unit 130 may more accurately predict a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe according to the individual conditions of the pipe or the like. The determination unit 110 determines the condition of the structure such as a pipe, based on the predicted value of the speed of sound obtained by the sound speed prediction unit 130 and the speed of sound in the structure. The diagnostic device 500 in the present example embodiment may more accurately determine the condition of the structure than the diagnostic device 300 in the third example embodiment of the present invention.
The configuration of the diagnostic device 500 in the fifth example embodiment may be used in combination of the diagnostic device 400 in the fourth example embodiment of the present invention where necessary.
Some modifications may be made to the diagnostic device 500 in the present example embodiment. As a modification, the determination unit 110 may determine that an abnormality will occur in the pipe by determining whether the range of the speed of sound in the pipe predicted by the sound speed prediction unit 130 exceeds a predetermined threshold.
As an example, referring to
In this case, the determination unit 110 may determine that an abnormality will occur in the pipe when the predicted range of speed of sound is lower or higher than the predetermined threshold. When the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe in the case where, for example, the speed of sound in the pipe reaches the value indicated by an alternate long and short dashed line illustrated in
As another modification, the diagnostic device 500 may be configured to control controllable ones of physical quantities used to predict a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe by the sound speed prediction unit 130 when the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like. For example, when the pressure in the pipe is used to predict the speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe by the sound speed prediction unit 130, the diagnostic device 500 may perform control to lower the pressure in the pipe when the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like. In addition, when the pressure in the pipe is used to predict a speed of sound in the structure such as a pipe by the sound speed prediction unit 130, the diagnostic device 500 may perform control to reduce the flow rate in the pipe when the determination unit 110 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like. In this case, the diagnostic device 500 may control the physical quantity not only by directly controlling it but also by controlling it using other devices. Thus, the diagnostic device 500 may not only simply determine the condition of the pipe or the like but also suppress worsening of an abnormality in the pipe or the like when the abnormality has occurred in the pipe or the like.
Each example embodiment of the present invention has been described above, including a description of the diagnostic device and the like in this example embodiment assuming, as an example, that the structure to be determined is a pipe. However, the structure to be determined by the diagnostic device and the like in each example embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a pipe. The diagnostic device and the like in each example embodiment of the present invention may be applicable to, for example, a bridge or a building as a structure to be determined.
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to example embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example embodiments. Various changes that would be understood by those skilled in the art may be made to the configurations and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the configurations in the respective example embodiments may be combined with each other without departing from the gist of the present invention.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-154522 filed on Jul. 30, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-154522 | Jul 2014 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2015/003818 | 7/29/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/017168 | 2/4/2016 | WO | A |
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