A system and method suitable for cable trench water fire gas monitoring

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of system and method suitable for cable trench water fire gas monitoring, wherein control box is installed inside cable trench, and the information collected by multiple sensors installed in channel is collected;Monitoring sensor is composed of liquid level sensor, temperature sensor, smoke sensor, toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor;Adapter box is composed of charging port, communication module, control box power switch, etc., and is installed in the neighborhood of control box outside channel;Handheld terminal is composed of display screen, communication module, running module, power module, etc., and information interaction with control box is realized through the communication module in adapter box;The present application disperses multiple environmental parameter acquisition sensors, centrally collects and analyzes data, cooperates with external control box, so that operation and inspection personnel do not need to enter channel to continuously power supply control box and monitoring sensor, efficiently and conveniently master various parameter information in channel, and improve cable operation reliability and personal safety when personnel enter channel to work.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cable trench environmental monitoring technology, specifically to a system and method for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches. Background Technology

[0002] With increasingly stringent requirements from power users for power supply reliability and the ever-increasing environmental demands of urbanization, power cables, with their advantages of high reliability and minimal impact on environmental aesthetics, are increasingly being replaced by cable trenches and direct burial methods instead of overhead transmission lines. However, cable trenches are not enclosed spaces; due to factors such as terrain, construction, and maintenance, gaps and openings exist in different locations, inevitably leading to water accumulation, especially during the summer flood season. This water accumulation not only affects cable insulation but also causes debris within the trench to decompose, producing various toxic gases. The inspection and management of water accumulation in cable trenches has become an important and demanding daily maintenance task for power supply departments, drawing attention from various power companies. The power system has long been a focus of attention; however, due to the characteristics of power system cable usage locations, such as large coverage areas, large numbers, dense laying, and the fact that power cables are in a heated state during operation, coupled with the special structure and relative concentration of cables in cable trenches, when one cable fails, it often causes a major fire accident in other surrounding cables. Because cables in cable trenches are underground, when a cable failure causes a fire, it is difficult for staff to detect it. This means that once a cable trench fire occurs, if the circuit cannot be controlled, the accident may escalate and even damage the main equipment. Furthermore, cable fires are difficult to recover from and repair. Therefore, fire prevention in the operating environment of cable trenches has always been one of the key tasks for various power supply companies.

[0003] Currently, the existing cable trench water accumulation, fire monitoring, and toxic gas monitoring are conducted separately. Each device has a single function and low integration. Furthermore, the large number and variety of monitors deployed in the trenches increase the workload and cost of operation and maintenance. At the same time, most of the existing monitors do not have the function of assessing and classifying the water level, fire hazard, and toxic gas concentration for early warning. This prevents maintenance personnel from rationally allocating maintenance resources based on the assessment results, and easily leads to blind "firefighting" scenarios.

[0004] In the prior art, Chinese invention patent CN 113553982B discloses an intelligent monitoring system for cable trench status, including a data acquisition module, a cable trench image capturing module, a monitoring simulation test module, a remote control center, an anomaly alarm module, a wireless transmission module, a monitoring terminal, a monitoring data memory module, and an image capturing adjustment module. The data acquisition module collects data on the limit shooting range of the cable trench inspection robot's camera when it is not rotating, as well as the width data of the cable trench. The monitoring simulation test module simulates the cable trench monitoring environment and measures the water level, temperature, and gas data in the cable trench. The cable trench image capturing module controls the inspection robot to capture images of the cables in the cable trench. The remote control center controls the inspection robot to move according to the adjusted travel distance each time and automatically controls the opening and closing of the camera, which improves monitoring efficiency while reducing the power consumption of the inspection robot. This patent uses a robot to measure the water level, temperature and gas data inside the cable trench and take pictures to transmit to a remote control center. This allows personnel to understand the environmental conditions inside the trench from a distance. However, cable trenches are mostly narrow and fireproof walls are set up at certain intervals. In addition, various debris will accumulate in the trench during long-term operation. Therefore, the application scenarios of this patent using the robot control mode are limited and the cost is high.

[0005] In the prior art, Chinese invention patent CN103713593A discloses a substation cable trench monitoring device, including a monitoring terminal, a local workstation, a monitoring video hard disk server, and an application server. The monitoring terminal includes a monitoring box, a monitoring camera installed outside the monitoring box, monitoring sensors and an information acquisition unit installed inside the monitoring box, and the information acquisition unit is connected to the local workstation via a 485 bus. The monitoring sensors include a temperature and humidity sensor, a smoke sensor, and a liquid level sensor. The video communication line and control line of the monitoring camera are connected to the monitoring video hard disk server. The local workstation and the monitoring video hard disk server communicate with the application server via Ethernet. This invention provides a layered, classified, and modular technical solution for the monitoring and protection of substation cable trenches. However, this patent is mainly applied to the monitoring of cable trenches inside substations and is not suitable for cable trenches deployed in large numbers outside substations, thus limiting its application scenarios.

[0006] In the prior art, Chinese invention patent CN107727156A discloses a cable trench monitoring and early warning device. This device allows for comprehensive real-time monitoring of smoke, gas concentration, temperature, and liquid level within the cable trench, facilitating substation management and maintenance. The device includes a housing with a monitoring unit and an RS485 communication interface. The monitoring unit includes at least a Pt100 temperature sensor, an LDK insertion-type liquid level sensor, an HLPLANAR infrared gas concentration sensor, an STP-MW168-9V smoke sensor, a processing unit, and a power module. The RS485 communication interface connects the monitoring unit to a monitoring terminal at the control end and transmits abnormal data and early warning information to the monitoring terminal based on the enable signal generated by the monitoring unit. This device integrates the functions of monitoring smoke, gas concentration, temperature and liquid level in cable trenches, making up for the shortcomings of the single function of cable trench fire alarm system. However, the device provided by this patent can only be limited to a certain location and cannot simultaneously monitor and collect data on multiple temperature rise points and possible water accumulation points of the cable. Since there are usually many cable temperature rise points in cable trenches and their locations are scattered, such as cable taps and dense cable areas, the device provided by this patent has significant limitations.

[0007] Therefore, considering the challenges posed by cable trenches during operation, especially in the summer high temperatures and flood season, where factors such as power load, construction techniques, terrain, and cover plates can easily lead to rapid temperature increases at joints and branches, as well as water accumulation within the trench, thus affecting cable reliability, and the long-term operation of cables and water accumulation within the trench can generate large amounts of various toxic gases, creating potential hazards for maintenance personnel conducting operations within the trench, it is essential to design a system that integrates cable trench water immersion detection, temperature monitoring, and toxic gas detection. This system monitors water immersion within the trench, the temperature of multiple easily heated parts of the cable, and the concentration of various toxic gases within the trench, and then performs graded assessments and alarms. This allows maintenance personnel to promptly understand the cable operating environment within the trench and to take initial preventative measures against fires when the cable temperature rises above a set threshold. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a system and method for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches. It mainly collects and analyzes data on water levels, fires, and toxic gases in cable trenches from multiple locations, solving the problems of existing devices having dispersed functions, low integration, inability to simultaneously collect data from multiple key points at different locations, and limited application scenarios.

[0009] The objective of this invention is achieved as follows: a system suitable for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches, comprising a control box, monitoring sensors, an adapter box, and a handheld terminal; the control box integrates an operation control module, a communication module, a power supply module, a storage module, and a terminal block, wherein the operation control module, communication module, and storage module are integrated on a single PCB circuit board; the monitoring sensors consist of a liquid level sensor, a temperature sensor, a smoke sensor, and a toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor, and are deployed in multiple locations within the cable trench as needed for the monitoring scenario; the monitoring sensors receive power from the control box and transmit the collected data to the communication module inside the control box, wherein the liquid level sensor uses low-power wireless LoRa communication, and the temperature sensor uses 433 MHz... The system features a wireless CT sensor with a clamp-type power supply. The smoke sensor uses RS485 communication, and the toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor uses LoRa wireless communication. The power module consists of a rechargeable explosion-proof lithium battery, a mounting base, and a charging adapter. The adapter box comprises a charging port, a communication module, a control box power switch, a waterproof housing, and a terminal block. The charging port connects to the rechargeable battery and charging adapter inside the control box, allowing charging of the battery. The internal communication module connects to the control box's internal operating control module via a communication cable. The internal control box power switch connects to the control box via a wire, used to start and stop the control box's power. The handheld terminal consists of a display screen, a communication module, an operating module, and a power module, and interacts with the control box via the internal communication module.

[0010] Furthermore, the control box has an IP68 protection rating, is connected to various sensors via wires, collects the liquid level, temperature, and gas concentration data, and supplies power to each sensor.

[0011] Furthermore, the lead wires of the rechargeable explosion-proof lithium battery are connected to the charging adapter and supply power to various sensors and other modules in the control box.

[0012] Furthermore, the operation control module includes an Arduino processor, and multiple automatic start-up and sleep periods of the control box can be set using a handheld terminal.

[0013] Furthermore, the adapter box has an IP68 protection rating and is deployed outside the cable trench near the control box. It can be installed inside the ground or on the ground and is connected to the control box via a bus.

[0014] Furthermore, the adapter box is equipped with a rotary switch, which, when opened, can be used to start or stop the power supply of the control box and connect an external power source to charge the rechargeable battery inside the control box.

[0015] Furthermore, after the handheld terminal is connected to the control box, it can set various parameters of the control box and query and browse information at different times.

[0016] Furthermore, the communication module inside the adapter box consists of a 4G and a 2.4 GHz band wireless module, wherein the 4G module is used for communication with a remote terminal, and the 2.4 GHz band wireless module is used for communication between the field control box and the handheld terminal.

[0017] The present invention also provides a method for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches, specifically including the following steps: S1: Deploy multiple monitoring sensors at the locations requiring monitoring within the cable trench, and deploy a junction box near the control box outside the trench; S2: Connect and communicate with each sensor, adapter box and control box; S3: Connect the handheld terminal to the communication module inside the adapter box to enable information exchange with the control box; S4: Set multiple time periods for starting and stopping the control box via a handheld terminal, as well as the liquid level alarm value L0, temperature alarm value T0, smoke alarm value Y0, and toxic gas concentration alarm value X0; S5: During normal inspection periods, when the inspection personnel arrive at the cable trench control box installation location, if the control box is not started, open the adapter box, operate the power switch inside the adapter box to start the control box, and wirelessly communicate with the control box via the handheld terminal to query and browse the monitoring information in the cable trench and understand the operating environment status of the cables in the trench; if the control box is already started, directly communicate with the control box via the handheld terminal to query and browse the monitoring information in the cable trench and understand the operating environment status of the cables in the trench. S6: During normal inspection periods, if inspection personnel need to enter the cable trench to carry out operations, they can use the handheld terminal to wirelessly connect with the control box to query the concentration of toxic gases in the trench in real time. When the concentration of any toxic gas X1 in the trench is greater than the set alarm threshold X0, the control box sends alarm and data information to the handheld terminal on site to remind the inspection personnel to take timely measures to avoid personal poisoning accidents. S7: When the control box is in the open state, if any liquid level monitoring value L1, temperature monitoring value T1, or smoke detection value Y1 exceeds the set alarm value, the control box will send alarm information to the on-site handheld terminal and other remote terminals through the adapter box communication module, reminding personnel to take timely measures.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. Based on the modular design concept, this invention proposes a system suitable for monitoring water, fire and gas in cable trenches. It disperses and deploys multi-location data acquisition sensors for cable trench liquid level, smoke, cable temperature and toxic gas concentration, and centrally collects and analyzes the collected data. This can meet the requirement of comprehensive data collection in the trench and overcome the shortcomings of existing monitoring devices that integrate functions and sensors. 2. This invention addresses the challenges of cable trenches being mostly enclosed, making it difficult to enter and exit, posing difficulties in selecting power supplies for devices, and causing significant internal electromagnetic interference and poor wireless communication signals. It proposes placing the control box communication module and rechargeable battery charging port outside the trench, enabling maintenance personnel to ensure continuous power supply to the control box and monitoring sensors without entering the trench, and improving the reliability of on-site and remote wireless communication. 3. This invention proposes to enable information interaction between an external handheld terminal and the control box installed inside the cable trench, allowing maintenance personnel to view and browse various monitoring information without entering the trench. At the same time, by setting multiple monitoring alarm thresholds, the efficiency and convenience of personnel's cable trench inspection work are further improved. 4. This invention monitors the concentration of toxic gases in the cable trench in real time before personnel enter the trench for work, and sends an alarm to the handheld terminal on site when the concentration of any toxic gas exceeds the alarm threshold, which effectively improves the safety of the personnel's working environment and reduces the risk of personal poisoning accidents. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cable trench water, fire, and gas monitoring system of the present invention; Figure 2 This is an external view of the control box of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a diagram of the internal structure of the control box of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the internal structure of the adapter box of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the cable trench water, fire and gas monitoring system of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the cable trench water, fire and gas monitoring method of the present invention; The following are labeled in the diagram: 1 Control box; 2 Vertical mounting bracket; 3 Waterproof cover for running light; 4 Waterproof cable inlet; 5 Horizontal mounting bracket; 6 Top panel; 7 Base; 8 PCB circuit board; 801 Running light; 802 Communication module; 803 Storage module; 804 Running control module; 9 Terminal block; 10 Lithium battery; 11 Battery base; 12 Charging adapter; 13 Adapter box; 14 Rotary switch; 15 Switch connector; 16 Communication module; 17 Control box power switch; 18 Charging port; 19 Toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor; 20 Smoke sensor; 21 Temperature sensor; 22 Liquid level sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation of the invention; unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0022] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments of the present invention; as used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise; furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0023] Example 1: As Figures 1-4 As shown in the figure, this invention discloses a system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches, including a control box, monitoring sensors, an adapter box, and a handheld terminal. The control box integrates an operation control module, a communication module, a power supply module, a storage module, and a terminal block, wherein the operation control module, communication module, and storage module are integrated on a single PCB circuit board. The monitoring sensors consist of a liquid level sensor, a temperature sensor, a smoke sensor, and a toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor, and are deployed in multiple locations within the cable trench depending on the monitoring scenario. The monitoring sensors receive power from the control box and send the collected data to the communication module inside the control box. The liquid level sensor uses low-power LoRa wireless communication, and the temperature sensor uses 433 MHz. The system includes a wireless CT sensor with inductive power supply, a smoke sensor using RS485 communication, and a toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor using wireless LoRa communication. The power module consists of a rechargeable explosion-proof lithium battery, a mounting base, and a charging adapter. The adapter box comprises a charging port, a communication module, a control box power switch, a waterproof housing, and a terminal block. The adapter box's charging port connects to the rechargeable battery adapter inside the control box, allowing charging of the battery. The adapter box's internal communication module connects to the control box's internal operating control module via a communication cable. The adapter box's internal control box power switch connects to the control box via a wire, used to start and stop the control box's power. The handheld terminal consists of a display screen, a communication module, an operating module, and a power module, and interacts with the control box via the adapter box's internal communication module.

[0024] The control box has an IP68 protection rating and is connected to various sensors via wires. It collects the liquid level, temperature, and gas concentration data and supplies power to each sensor. The rechargeable explosion-proof lithium battery leads are connected to the charging adapter and power various sensors and other modules in the control box. The operation control module includes an Arduino processor, and multiple automatic start-up and sleep periods of the control box can be set using a handheld terminal; The junction box has an IP68 protection rating and is deployed outside the cable trench near the control box. It can be installed inside the ground or on the ground and is connected to the control box via a bus. The adapter box is equipped with a rotary switch, which can be opened to start and stop the power supply of the control box and connect an external power source to charge the rechargeable battery inside the control box. After the handheld terminal is connected to the control box, it can set various parameters of the control box and query and browse various information at different times. The internal communication module of the adapter box consists of a 4G and a 2.4 GHz band wireless module. The 4G module is used for communication with remote terminals, and the 2.4 GHz band wireless module is used for communication between the field control box and the handheld terminal.

[0025] like Figure 5 As shown, the cable trench water, fire, and gas monitoring system can be installed on the side wall of the cable trench using vertical mounting components, or it can be installed horizontally on the cable support of the cable trench. It is connected to each sensor through wires to acquire the information collected by the sensors wirelessly or via wires, and then analyze and process it. The adapter box can be installed near the ground control box or buried underground to reduce the impact on the surrounding environment.

[0026] Example 2: As Figure 6 As shown, this invention discloses a method for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches, used in the aforementioned cable trench water, fire, and gas monitoring system, specifically including the following steps: S1: Deploy multiple monitoring sensors at the locations that need to be monitored within the cable trench, deploy the monitoring system control box at a suitable location within the trench, and deploy a junction box near the control box outside the trench. S2: Connect and communicate with each sensor, adapter box and control box; S3: Connect the handheld terminal to the communication module inside the adapter box to enable information exchange with the control box; S4: Set multiple time periods for starting and stopping the control box via a handheld terminal, as well as the liquid level alarm value L0, temperature alarm value T0, smoke alarm value Y0, and toxic gas concentration alarm value X0; S5: During normal inspection periods, when the inspection personnel arrive at the cable trench control box installation location, if the control box is not started, open the adapter box, operate the power switch inside the adapter box to start the control box, and wirelessly communicate with the control box via the handheld terminal to query and browse the monitoring information in the cable trench and understand the operating environment status of the cables in the trench; if the control box is already started, directly communicate with the control box via the handheld terminal to query and browse the monitoring information in the cable trench and understand the operating environment status of the cables in the trench. S6: During normal inspection periods, if inspection personnel need to enter the cable trench to carry out work, they can wirelessly connect with the control box via a handheld terminal to query the concentration of toxic gases in the trench in real time. When the concentration of any gas X1 in the trench is greater than the set alarm threshold X0, the control box sends an alarm and data information to the handheld terminal on site to remind the inspection personnel to take timely measures to avoid personal poisoning accidents. S7: When the control box is in the open state, if any liquid level monitoring value L1, temperature monitoring value T1, or smoke detection value Y1 exceeds the set alarm value, the control box will send alarm information to the on-site handheld terminal and other remote terminals through the adapter box communication module, reminding personnel to take timely measures.

[0027] The above provides specific implementation methods, but the present invention is not limited to the described implementation methods. The basic idea of ​​the present invention lies in the above basic scheme. For those skilled in the art, designing various modified models, formulas, and parameters based on the teachings of the present invention does not require creative labor. Changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations made to the implementation methods without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches, characterized in that: The system includes a control box, monitoring sensors, an adapter box, and a handheld terminal. The control box houses a built-in operation control module, communication module, power supply module, storage module, and terminal block. The operation control module, communication module, and storage module are integrated onto a single PCB circuit board. The monitoring sensors consist of a liquid level sensor, a temperature sensor, a smoke sensor, and a toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor, and are deployed in multiple locations within the cable trench as needed for the monitoring scenario. The monitoring sensors receive power from the control box and transmit the collected data to the communication module inside the control box. The liquid level sensor uses low-power LoRa wireless communication, and the temperature sensor uses 433MHz... The system features a wireless CT sensor with a clamp-type power supply. The smoke sensor uses RS485 communication, and the toxic gas concentration monitoring sensor uses LoRa wireless communication. The power module consists of a rechargeable explosion-proof lithium battery, a mounting base, and a charging adapter. The adapter box comprises a charging port, a communication module, a control box power switch, a waterproof housing, and a terminal block. The charging port connects to the rechargeable battery and charging adapter inside the control box, allowing charging of the battery. The internal communication module connects to the control box's internal operating control module via a communication cable. The internal control box power switch connects to the control box via a wire, used to start and stop the control box's power. The handheld terminal consists of a display screen, a communication module, an operating module, and a power module, and interacts with the control box via the internal communication module.

2. The system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control box has an IP68 protection rating and is connected to various sensors via wires. It collects data on liquid level, temperature, and gas concentration and provides power to each sensor.

3. The system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rechargeable explosion-proof lithium battery leads are connected to the charging adapter and supply power to various sensors and other modules in the control box.

4. A system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operation control module includes an Arduino processor, and multiple automatic start-up and sleep periods can be set for the control box using a handheld terminal.

5. A system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adapter box has an IP68 protection rating and is deployed outside the cable trench near the control box. It can be installed inside the ground or on the ground and is connected to the control box via a bus.

6. A system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adapter box is equipped with a rotary switch, which can be turned on or off to connect an external power source to charge the rechargeable battery inside the control box.

7. A system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the handheld terminal is connected to the control box, it can set various parameters of the control box and query and browse information at different times.

8. A system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication module inside the adapter box consists of a 4G and a 2.4 GHz band wireless module. The 4G module is used for communication with remote terminals, and the 2.4 GHz band wireless module is used for communication between the field control box and the handheld terminal.

9. A method for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches, characterized in that: The system for monitoring water, fire, and gas in cable trenches as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises: S1: Deploy multiple monitoring sensors at the locations requiring monitoring within the cable trench, and deploy a junction box near the control box outside the trench; S2: Connect and communicate with each sensor, adapter box and control box; S3: Connect the handheld terminal to the communication module inside the adapter box to enable information exchange with the control box; S4: Set multiple time periods for starting and stopping the control box via a handheld terminal, as well as the liquid level alarm value L0, temperature alarm value T0, smoke alarm value Y0, and toxic gas concentration alarm value X0; S5: During normal inspection periods, when the inspection personnel arrive at the cable trench control box installation location, if the control box is not started, open the adapter box, operate the power switch inside the adapter box to start the control box, and wirelessly communicate with the control box via the handheld terminal to query and browse the monitoring information in the cable trench and understand the operating environment status of the cables in the trench; if the control box is already started, directly communicate with the control box via the handheld terminal to query and browse the monitoring information in the cable trench and understand the operating environment status of the cables in the trench. S6: During normal inspection periods, if inspection personnel need to enter the cable trench to carry out operations, they can use the handheld terminal to wirelessly connect with the control box to query the concentration of toxic gases in the trench in real time. When the concentration of any toxic gas X1 in the trench is greater than the set alarm threshold X0, the control box sends alarm and data information to the handheld terminal on site to remind the inspection personnel to take timely measures to avoid personal poisoning accidents. S7: When the control box is in the open state, if any liquid level monitoring value L1, temperature monitoring value T1, or smoke detection value Y1 exceeds the set alarm value, the control box will send alarm information to the on-site handheld terminal and other remote terminals through the adapter box communication module, reminding personnel to take timely measures.

Images