Pipe network leak detection tracking device

Abstract

The application provides a pipe network pipeline leak detection tracking device, which comprises a mobile main body and a positioning member; the positioning member is installed in the inner cavity of the mobile main body and is switched between an open state and a closed state; a leak stopping material is installed on the outer surface of the mobile main body; in the open state, the positioning member fixes the leak stopping material and the mobile main body; in the closed state, the positioning member separates the leak stopping material from the mobile main body; and a driving part is installed on the mobile main body to drive the mobile main body to move away from the pipe network. The application utilizes the characteristics of medium flow to push the mobile main body to move and monitor the leak point, and utilizes the attached leak stopping material to complete the sealing of the leak point, thereby solving the problems of leak point monitoring and leak repairing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of leak detection equipment, and in particular to pipeline leak detection and tracking equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Pipeline network refers to a system of interconnected pipelines and their ancillary facilities within a specific area, designed according to a specific plan, used to transport fluid media.

[0003] Including water supply networks, heating networks, gas supply networks, etc., when leaks occur in current networks, it is difficult to monitor and seal the leak points due to the diversity of their burial locations.

[0004] Currently, leak detection equipment includes listening rods for sound-based leak detection, but this method is affected by factors such as terrain and noise, making it difficult to accurately detect leaks. Mechanical leak detection uses the principle of emitting sound waves and collecting and analyzing the echoes, but this method is affected by the depth of the pipeline and environmental noise. Another method involves mechanically injecting gas into the pipeline, which then radiates outwards from the leak point. However, this method is affected by the pipeline being buried under the road surface, and the emitted mist leaks out from other parts of the road, making it impossible to accurately identify the leak point and leading to difficulties in leak detection and repair.

[0005] Therefore, how to design a device that facilitates leak detection and repair has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0006] This application provides a pipeline leak detection and tracking device to at least solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] Pipeline leak detection and tracking equipment was provided, including a moving body and positioning components; The positioning element is installed in the inner cavity of the moving body and switches between open and closed states; A leak-sealing material is installed on the outer surface of the moving body. In the open state, the positioning component fixes the leak-sealing material to the moving body; in the closed state, the positioning component separates the leak-sealing material from the moving body. A drive unit is mounted on the swimming body to drive the swimming body away from the pipeline network.

[0008] In one embodiment, the positioning element includes a power supply, a central control unit, and an electromagnetic adsorption element, wherein the power supply and the electromagnetic adsorption element are both electrically connected to the central control unit.

[0009] In one embodiment, the sealing material includes a flexible skeleton and ferromagnetic particles, wherein the flexible skeleton and the ferromagnetic particles are fixed together by an adhesive.

[0010] In one embodiment, the flexible skeleton is one of flexible steel wire mesh or flexible fiber mesh.

[0011] In one embodiment, the ferromagnetic particles are selected from iron particles and alloy particles.

[0012] In one embodiment, a plurality of magnetic sheets are laid on the flexible skeleton, and the magnetic sheets are fixed to the flexible skeleton by an adhesive.

[0013] In one embodiment, the moving body includes an adsorption part and a counterweight part, the leak-sealing material is installed on the adsorption part, and the positioning member and the driving part are disposed on the counterweight part.

[0014] In one embodiment, the adsorption part is provided with a monitoring window, and an audio-visual monitoring device is provided inside the monitoring window. The audio-visual monitoring device is electrically connected to the central control unit. The sealing material is provided with an avoidance opening, and the monitoring window is located at the avoidance opening.

[0015] In one possible implementation, a water-touch switch is also included, which is electrically connected to the central control unit. This solution can be used in metal pipe environments.

[0016] In one embodiment, the system further includes a sealing plate for sealing the tail opening of the counterweight, the drive unit includes a drive motor and a blade, the drive motor is fixedly mounted on the sealing plate, the blade is electrically connected to the output end of the drive motor, and the drive motor is electrically connected to the central control unit.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, the pipeline leak detection and tracking device of this application has the following advantages: This application involves placing the mobile body into the pipeline network through the inlet. At this time, the positioning device is in the open state and fixes the sealing material to the outer surface of the mobile body. The medium in the pipeline flows towards the leak point, thereby pushing the mobile body to move within the pipeline network. When the mobile body reaches the leak point, the positioning device releases the suction of the sealing material, allowing the sealing material to seal the leak. After the leak point is sealed, the drive unit pushes the mobile body away from the leak point and out of the pipeline network. This application utilizes the pressure inside the pipeline and the suction characteristics of the leak point to attract the mobile body to the leak point. The mobile body can receive remote positioning signals to locate the leak point. The environment inside the pipeline can be transmitted to the terminal through an audio-visual monitoring device to observe and listen to the size of the leak. The mobile body releases the sealing material it carries through the positioning device, and the sealing material automatically adheres to the leak point on the inner wall of the pipeline, thus completing the sealing of the leak in a timely manner. This reduces the use of manpower and resources when dealing with leaks and reduces the amount of water or gas leakage during the leak repair stage.

[0018] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this application. Other features of this application will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of this application will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of this application are illustrated in the drawings by way of example and not limitation, in which: In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of this application is shown; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the unfolded structure of this application is shown; Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the leak-sealing material of this application is shown; Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of this application is shown; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the sealing material of this application is shown.

[0021] Explanation of the labels in the diagram: 1. Swimming body; 11. Adsorption unit; 111. Monitoring window; 112. Limiting ring; 12. Counterweight unit; 121. Counterweight ring; 2. Positioning component; 21. Power supply; 22. Central control unit; 23. Electromagnetic adsorption component; 3. Leak-sealing material; 31. Flexible skeleton; 32. Ferromagnetic particles; 33. Adhesive; 34. Circumvention opening; 35. Magnetic sheet; 4. Drive unit; 41. Drive motor; 42. Blade; 5. Audiovisual monitoring equipment; 6. Anti-loss device; 7. Water contact switch; 8. Sealing plate; 9. Pressure plate. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] This application is mainly used in water supply or gas supply networks to monitor and seal leaks in the pipelines. It is worth noting that the leak detection and tracking device in this application can move under the influence of the medium within the pipeline network to locate the leak point; the outer diameter of the leak detection and tracking device is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipeline network but larger than the diameter of the leak hole to prevent the device from flowing out of the leak hole.

[0024] The following embodiments use a water supply network as an example for description; when there is no leak in the pipeline, the pressure inside the pipeline is constant. When a leak occurs, the medium flows out from the leak, thus realizing the flow of the medium.

[0025] The flexibility in this application refers to the ability to be bent.

[0026] Example 1: like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the leak detection and tracking device includes a moving body 1 and a positioning component 2 installed in the inner cavity of the moving body 1. The positioning component 2 is used to adsorb the leak-sealing material 3 onto the outer surface of the moving body 1 so as to realize that the leak-sealing material 3 moves synchronously with the moving body 1, thereby transferring the leak-sealing material 3 to the leak point of the pipeline.

[0027] In this embodiment, the positioning component 2 uses magnetic attraction to fix the leak-sealing material 3 to the surface of the moving body. The moving body 1 has an anti-loss device 6 in its inner cavity. The anti-loss device 6 has its own micro power supply and can be connected to an external mobile terminal to locate the leak detection and tracking device.

[0028] Furthermore, the moving body 1 is also provided with a drive unit 4, which can drive the moving body 1 to move inside the pipe, so as to further assist the moving body 1 in separating from the sealing material 3, so that the moving body 1 can drive out of the pipeline.

[0029] In this embodiment, the swimming body 1 has a built-in positioning system, navigation system and remote control system. The positioning system, navigation system and remote control system are all existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0030] With the above setup, when the moving body 1 carrying the sealing material 2 enters the pipeline, the positioning component 2 fixes the sealing material to the moving body 1. At this time, the medium inside the pipeline flows out from the leak hole to make the medium flow, thereby pushing the moving body 1 to move towards the leak hole. When the moving body 1 moves to the leak hole, the positioning component 2 releases the sealing material 3 from the moving body 1. At this time, the sealing material 3 adheres to the leak hole under the pressure inside the pipeline and the suction of the leak hole, thereby completing the sealing of the leak hole. At this time, the drive unit 4 operates to provide thrust to the moving body 1, so that the sealing material 3 separates from the moving body 1. At this time, the leak hole is sealed by the sealing material 3, and the medium inside the pipeline stops flowing. At this time, the thrust provided by the drive unit 4 makes the moving body 1 move inside the pipeline. Combined with the positioning system and navigation system inside the moving body 1, the moving body 1 moves out of the pipeline.

[0031] Example 2: This embodiment is an improvement based on Embodiment 1, mainly involving the fixing of the sealing material 3 and the moving body 1.

[0032] Specifically, in this embodiment, such as Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the positioning component 2 includes a power supply 21, a central control unit 22, and an electromagnetic adsorption component 23. The power supply 21 and the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 are both electrically connected to the central control unit 22. The electromagnetic adsorption component 23 is disposed in the inner cavity of the moving body 1. The central control unit 22 controls the power supply to the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 to either connect or disconnect it, thereby controlling the presence or absence of the magnetic force of the electromagnetic adsorption component 23.

[0033] In order to enable the adsorption of the sealing material 3, in this embodiment, as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the sealing material 3 includes a flexible skeleton 31 and ferromagnetic particles 32. The flexible skeleton 31 and the ferromagnetic particles 32 are fixed by an adhesive 33. After the adhesive 33 dries, the sealing material 3 has a certain degree of flexibility and can adhere to the inner wall of the pipe to seal the leak point. When the sealing material 3 is adhered to the leak point, a pressure difference is formed between the pressure inside the pipe and the outside of the pipe, thereby squeezing the sealing material 3 onto the inner wall of the pipe.

[0034] With the above setup, the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 generates a magnetic field when it is energized. When the sealing material 3 is attached to the moving body 1, the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 adsorbs the ferromagnetic particles 32 in the sealing material 3, thereby fixing the sealing material 3 to the moving body 1.

[0035] Specifically, the ferromagnetic material 32 can be made of iron blocks or alloy particles.

[0036] The flexible skeleton 31 can be made of flexible steel wire mesh or flexible fiber mesh; in this embodiment, the flexible skeleton 31 uses flexible steel wire mesh to improve the strength of the overall sealing material 3.

[0037] In this embodiment, adhesive 33 is a silicone adhesive.

[0038] Example 3: This embodiment is a further improvement on the plugging material 3 based on embodiment 2, which strengthens the bond between the plugging material and the pipeline.

[0039] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, the pipeline uses steel or iron pipes. Ferromagnetic particles 32 are mixed with adhesive 33 and laid on the flexible skeleton 31. Then, the adhesive 33 is dried to form a sealing material 3. Subsequently, magnetic sheets 35 are laid on both sides of the sealing material 3. The magnetic sheets 35 are adsorbed onto the surface of the ferromagnetic particles 32. Then, the adhesive 33 is coated on the surface of the magnetic sheets 35 to fix the magnetic sheets 35 to the surface of the sealing material 3. The silicone adhesive seals the magnetic sheets 35, forming another protective layer, which can effectively prevent the medium from passing through the sealing material 3.

[0040] When the moving body 1 reaches the leak point, the magnetic force of the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 disappears, and the magnetic force of the magnetic sheet 35 is adsorbed on the inner wall of the pipe. If the moving body 1 is supported by iron or steel materials, the thrust applied by the drive part 4 will separate the moving body 1 from the sealing material 3.

[0041] Example 4: In this embodiment, the use of ferromagnetic particles 32 can increase the tension of the adhesive 33, thereby increasing the strength of the sealing material 3.

[0042] It is worth noting that after the adhesive 33 fixes the ferromagnetic particles 32 to the flexible skeleton 31, no chemical change occurs; it merely mixes and fixes the materials to obtain a flexible sealing material 3.

[0043] In order to improve the accuracy of leak point location, in this embodiment, such as Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, it also includes an audio-visual monitoring component 5, wherein a monitoring window 111 is provided on the outer surface of the moving body 1, the audio-visual monitoring component 5 is installed in the monitoring window 111, and the audio-visual monitoring component 5 is electrically connected to the central control unit 22.

[0044] With the above setup, the sealing material 3 is attached to the outer surface of the moving body 1. The central control unit 22 supplies power to the electromagnetic adsorption component 23, which generates magnetic force to fix the sealing material 3 to the moving body 1. When the leak detection and tracking device enters the pipeline network from the corresponding pipe interface, the medium flows towards the leak hole, thus pushing the leak detection and tracking device towards the leak hole. The anti-loss device 6 can record the movement route of the leak detection and tracking device and display the movement route on the device terminal. When the leak detection and tracking device moves to the leak hole, it stops moving. The audio-visual monitoring component 5 collects the noise of the surrounding medium flow, observes the leakage situation inside the pipeline, and feeds back to the central control unit 22 to determine whether the leak point has been accurately reached. When the leak point is reached, the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 is de-energized. At this time, the sealing material 3 separates from the moving body 1 and seals the leak hole.

[0045] By combining navigation and positioning systems, the movement of leak detection and tracking equipment can be controlled remotely.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the drive unit 4 is electrically connected to the central control unit 22. The drive unit 4 is installed at the tail of the moving body 1 and is remotely controlled. When the sealing material 3 separates from the moving body 1 and seals the leak hole, the drive unit 4 operates, and the top leak tracking device moves inside the pipeline and leaves the pipeline network from the nearest outlet.

[0047] Specifically, such as Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the drive unit 4 includes a drive motor 41 and a blade 42. The drive motor 41 is fixedly installed in the inner cavity of the moving body 1, and the inner cavity of the moving body 1 is sealed by a sealing plate 8 to prevent the medium in the pipeline from entering the inner cavity of the moving body 1. The output end of the drive motor 41 is fixedly connected to the blade 42. The drive motor 41 is electrically connected to the central control unit 22 to control the opening or closing of the drive motor 41.

[0048] When the drive motor 41 is in operation, the blades 42 rotate at high speed, thereby enabling the leak detection and tracking device to move inside the pipe.

[0049] To enable the leak detection and tracking device to be turned on when placed in the water supply pipe, a water-touch switch 7 is also included. The water-touch switch 7 is electrically connected to the central control unit 22. When the water-touch switch 7 comes into contact with water, the power supply 21 starts to supply power and opens the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 to complete the adsorption of the leak-sealing material 3. If the medium in the pipe is gas, the leak detection and tracking device can be turned on manually or remotely.

[0050] To improve the smoothness of the movement of the leak detection and tracking device, in this embodiment, as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the moving body 1 includes an adsorption part 11 and a counterweight part 12. The adsorption part 11 is elliptical and eggshell-shaped. The electromagnetic adsorption component 23 is installed in the inner cavity of the adsorption part 11. The leak-sealing material 3 is attached to the outer surface of the adsorption part 11. The special design of the adsorption part 11 can reduce the resistance of the leak detection and tracking device moving inside the pipe. The monitoring window 111 is set on the adsorption part 11.

[0051] When the sealing material 3 covers the outer surface of the adsorption part 11, in order to reduce the interference of the sealing material 3 on the audiovisual monitoring component 5, in this embodiment, as follows: Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the sealing material 3 has two sets of symmetrical clearance openings 34, which are aligned with the monitoring window 111. Furthermore, the clearance openings 34 are positioned so that the sealing material 3 connects at the tip of the adsorption section 11, as shown... Figure 5 As shown, the sealing material 3 is in the form of two connected sheets so that the sealing material 3 can be detached from the surface of the adsorption part 11.

[0052] The sealing cap 8 seals the tail opening of the counterweight part 12, and a counterweight ring 121 is provided at the counterweight part 12 to counterweight the tail of the moving body 1, thereby reducing the risk of the adsorption part 11 tilting up during the movement and improving the stability of the moving body 1 moving inside the pipe.

[0053] In order to fix the electromagnetic adsorption component 23, in this embodiment, as follows: Figure 4 As shown, a limiting ring 112 is fixedly provided in the inner cavity of the adsorption part 11. When the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 is installed in the inner cavity of the adsorption part 11, the end wall of the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 abuts against the limiting ring 112. It also includes a pressure plate 9, wherein the pressure plate 9 is fixedly connected to the adsorption part 11 by screws, and clamps the electromagnetic adsorption component 23 between the limiting ring 112 and the pressure plate 9.

[0054] The power supply 21, central control unit 22, drive unit 4 and water contact switch 7 are all installed on the sealing plate 8.

[0055] It is worth noting that the audio-visual monitoring component 5, the anti-loss device 6, the water-touch switch 7, and the central control unit 22 are all existing components on the market. This application does not improve the navigation system and the positioning system, so the above-mentioned contents will not be elaborated here.

[0056] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to rearrange, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this disclosure can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution disclosed in this application can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0057] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0058] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A pipeline leak detection and tracking device, characterized in that, Includes the main body of the swimming unit (1) and the positioning component (2); The positioning element (2) is installed in the inner cavity of the moving body (1) and switches between open and closed states; Leak-stopping material (3) is installed on the outer surface of the moving body (1). In the open state, the positioning member (2) fixes the leak-stopping material (3) to the moving body (1); in the closed state, the positioning member (2) separates the leak-stopping material (3) from the moving body (1). A drive unit (4) is installed on the moving body (1) to drive the moving body (1) away from the pipeline.

2. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning component (2) includes a power supply (21), a central control unit (22), and an electromagnetic adsorption component (23). The power supply (21) and the electromagnetic adsorption component (23) are both electrically connected to the central control unit (22).

3. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sealing material (3) includes a flexible skeleton (31) and ferromagnetic particles (32), and the flexible skeleton (31) and the ferromagnetic particles (32) are fixed by an adhesive (33).

4. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flexible skeleton (31) is made of either flexible steel wire mesh or flexible fiber mesh.

5. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ferromagnetic particles (32) are selected from iron particles and alloy particles.

6. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A plurality of magnetic sheets (35) are laid on the flexible skeleton (31), and the magnetic sheets (35) are fixed to the flexible skeleton (31) by adhesive (33).

7. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 3, 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that, The swimming body (1) includes an adsorption part (11) and a counterweight part (12). The leak-sealing material (3) is installed on the adsorption part (11), and the positioning part (2) and the driving part (4) are disposed on the counterweight part (12).

8. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The adsorption part (11) is provided with a monitoring window (111), and an audio-visual monitoring device (5) is provided inside the monitoring window (111). The audio-visual monitoring device (5) is electrically connected to the central control unit (22). The leak-sealing material (3) is provided with an avoidance opening (34), and the monitoring window (111) is located at the avoidance opening (34).

9. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes a water-touch switch (7), which is electrically connected to the central control unit (22).

10. The pipeline leak detection and tracking device according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a sealing plate (8) for sealing the tail opening of the counterweight (12), the drive unit (4) includes a drive motor (41) and a blade (42), the drive motor (41) is fixedly mounted on the sealing plate (8), the blade (42) is electrically connected to the output end of the drive motor (41), and the drive motor (41) is electrically connected to the central control unit (22).

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