Coating restoration device, coating restoration method, and program

Abstract

This coating restoration device for restoring a degraded coating of a cable comprises: a control unit that acquires information on the cable and executes control for causing a current to flow through the cable by a current supply method determined on the basis of the information; and a cable pressurization control unit that executes control for pressurizing the cable from the outside.

Description

Coating restoration device, coating restoration method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for restoring deteriorated coatings in metal cables used for communication or power supply.

[0002] The insulation (hereinafter referred to as "coating") covering the cable conductor of a metal cable (hereinafter referred to as "cable") used for communication or power supply deteriorates due to various factors. When the coating of a cable that supplies high voltage deteriorates, dielectric breakdown or the like may occur. Furthermore, when the coating of a cable that transmits electrical signals deteriorates, crosstalk in the electrical signals, noise contamination, or the like may occur, resulting in a decrease in service quality. Therefore, techniques for diagnosing the degree of cable deterioration are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-253416

[0004] However, for example, when using the technology for diagnosing the degree of cable deterioration disclosed in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to determine the deterioration, it is necessary to replace the cable that is found to be deteriorated with a new cable.

[0005] Each time a deteriorated cable is replaced with a new one, service must be stopped for an extended period of time. Also, if service quality deteriorates due to cable deterioration, the deteriorated part of the cable must be investigated and then the cable must be replaced, which takes time to restore service.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a technology that makes it possible to restore the coating of a cable whose coating has deteriorated without replacing the cable.

[0007] According to the disclosed technology, there is provided a coating restoration device for restoring a coating on a cable whose coating has deteriorated, the device comprising: a control unit that acquires information about the cable and executes control to pass a current through the cable using a current flow method determined based on the information; and a cable pressure control unit that executes control to apply pressure to the cable from the outside.

[0008] The disclosed technology provides a technology that makes it possible to restore the coating of a cable whose coating has deteriorated without replacing the cable.

[0009] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cable structure; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cable with a deteriorated coating; FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a coating restoration device in embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coating restoration device in embodiment 1; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating example cable information of a cable with a deteriorated coating; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating example information stored in the restoration condition storage unit 30; FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a coating restoration device in embodiment 2; FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coating restoration device in embodiment 2; FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining whether restoration is complete; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining whether restoration is complete; FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a coating restoration device in embodiment 3; FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coating restoration device in embodiment 3; FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a coating restoration device in embodiment 4; FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coating restoration device in embodiment 4; FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a coating restoration device in embodiment 5; FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram of a coating restoration device in embodiment 6; FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an image of a cable whose coating has been restored by applying pressure; FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coating restoration device in embodiment 6; FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram of a coating restoration device in embodiment 7; FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coating restoration device in embodiment 7; FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a coating restoration device.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0011] (Regarding the Cable) In this embodiment, the deteriorated coating of the cable is restored while the cable is still in its installed state. First, the cable will be described. Fig. 1 shows an example of the structure of a general cable. As shown in Fig. 1, the cable has a structure in which the cable conductor is covered with a coating.

[0012] The cable conductor is made of metal such as copper or aluminum. The covering protects the cable conductor and provides electrical insulation. Examples of covering materials include PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PE (polyethylene), and FEP (Teflon (registered trademark)).

[0013] An example of a cable with deteriorated coating is shown in Figure 2. In the example shown in Figure 2, a crack has occurred in part of the coating, exposing the cable conductor.

[0014] Hereinafter, using embodiments 1 to 7, a technique for restoring a deteriorated coating of a cable to a coating in an undeteriorated state will be described.

[0015] (Embodiment 1) <Device Configuration> First, embodiment 1 will be described. Fig. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a sheath restoration device 200 in embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the sheath restoration device 200 is connected to terminal blocks 1 and 2 by conductors 5 and 6. Cables 3 and 4 are stretched between terminal block 1 and terminal block 2. Current can be passed through the cables 3 and 4 by the conductors 5 and 6.

[0016] In the first embodiment, a current (e.g., an overcurrent) is passed from the power supply circuit 50 to a cable with a deteriorated coating using a predetermined current flow method, thereby heating the cable conductor. This melts the coating in the cable with a deteriorated coating, causing the deteriorated portion (cracks, fissures, pinholes, wear, etc.) to bond with the surrounding coating, or the deteriorated portion to bond with the coating of an adjacent cable, thereby temporarily restoring the deterioration of the coating of the deteriorated cable.

[0017] In the first embodiment (and in the second to seventh embodiments), two cables are shown, but this is because two cables are generally used as a pair for communication or power supply. As will be described later, when a current is passed through the cables to restore the coating, the current may be passed through both cables together, or the current may be passed through only one cable with a deteriorated coating.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3 , the sheath restoration device 200 includes a power supply circuit 50 , a current limiting resistor 60 , an environmental information acquisition unit 20 , a cable information input unit 10 , a restoration condition storage unit 30 , and a power supply circuit control unit 40 .

[0019] Note that some of the "power supply circuit 50, current limiting resistor 60, environmental information acquisition unit 20, cable information input unit 10, restoration condition storage unit 30, and power supply circuit control unit 40" may be located outside the sheath restoration device 200. For example, the power supply circuit 50 and the current limiting resistor 60 may be located outside the sheath restoration device 200. Furthermore, the restoration condition storage unit 30 may be called a database. The functions of each unit are as follows:

[0020] The power supply circuit 50 passes a specified current through the cable conductor of one or more cables whose coating has deteriorated. The current limiting resistor 60 is a resistor that limits the current to ensure a stable current flow from the power supply circuit 50.

[0021] The environmental information acquisition unit 20 acquires environmental information (temperature, humidity, etc.) of the location of the cable with deteriorated coating. The cable information input unit 10 inputs cable information of the cable with deteriorated coating (material of the cable conductor, length of the cable conductor, cross-sectional area of ​​the cable conductor, material of the coating, length of the coating, thickness of the coating, etc.). The environmental information and cable information may be collectively referred to as "information about the cable."

[0022] The restoration condition storage unit 30 stores information on the current application method required to restore the coating of a cable whose coating has deteriorated (current value, voltage value, current application time, current application pattern (DC, AC, rectangular wave, triangular wave, pulse, damped oscillation, etc.) etc.).

[0023] The power supply circuit control unit 40 acquires cable information of the cable with deteriorated coating from the cable information input unit 10, acquires environmental information from the environmental information acquisition unit 20, and based on these, acquires (determines) the current supply method to be applied to restore the deteriorated coating by referring to the restoration condition storage unit 30, and controls the output of the power supply circuit 50 in accordance with the current supply method.

[0024] 3 connects the power supply circuit 50 to the cable conductors of the cables 3 and 4 whose coatings have deteriorated via the terminal blocks 1 and 2. The terminal blocks 1 and 2 electrically connect the conductors 5 and 6 to the cable conductors of the cables 3 and 4.

[0025] <First Embodiment: Example of Operation> The operation of the coating restoration device 200 in the first embodiment will be described in accordance with the procedure of the flowchart in FIG.

[0026] <S101: Obtaining Information> In S101, cable information about a cable with a deteriorated coating is input to the cable information input unit 10. The cable information is sent from the cable information input unit 10 to the power supply circuit control unit 40.

[0027] An example of cable information for a cable with a deteriorated coating is shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the cable information includes, for example, the material of the cable conductor, the length of the cable conductor, the cross-sectional area of ​​the cable conductor, the material of the coating, the length of the coating, and the thickness of the coating. The cable information used to determine the energization method described below includes at least one of "the material of the cable conductor, the length of the cable conductor, the cross-sectional area of ​​the cable conductor, the material of the coating, the length of the coating, and the thickness of the coating." Furthermore, the cable information used to determine the energization method may include information other than "the material of the cable conductor, the length of the cable conductor, the cross-sectional area of ​​the cable conductor, the material of the coating, the length of the coating, and the thickness of the coating."

[0028] For example, the cable information may be identification information (such as a number) that indicates the type of cable. The number or the like may be used to identify the information items shown in FIG.

[0029] In S101, the environmental information acquisition unit 20 acquires environmental information about the surrounding area of ​​the cable where the coating has deteriorated. The environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 20 is transmitted to the power supply circuit control unit 40.

[0030] The environmental information includes, for example, at least one of temperature and humidity. The location of the cable where the coating has deteriorated may be indoors or outdoors. Furthermore, in the case of a long cable, if the environmental information such as temperature varies depending on the position on the cable, the environmental information at the position where the coating has deteriorated may be acquired.

[0031] For example, if the environment in which the cable to be subjected to sheath restoration is placed has a predetermined temperature and humidity that do not change much, environmental information may not be acquired. Also, if the cable to be subjected to sheath restoration is a single predetermined type of cable, cable information may not be acquired.

[0032] <S102: Determining current supply method> In S102, the power supply circuit control unit 40 determines a current supply method for the cable with deteriorated coating based on the cable information acquired from the cable information input unit 10 and the environmental information acquired from the environmental information acquisition unit 20.

[0033] Any method may be used to determine the energization method, but here, as an example, a case will be described in which the energization method is determined using information stored in the restoration condition storage unit 30.

[0034] Fig. 6 shows an example of information stored in the restoration condition storage unit 30. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the restoration condition storage unit 30 stores "voltage value, current value, current application time, and current application timing" used for energization for each "information about a cable with deteriorated coating." In other words, the restoration condition storage unit 30 stores information indicating what type of current should be passed through the cable conductor to melt the coating, corresponding to the conditions of the cable with deteriorated coating.

[0035] For example, if the power supply circuit control unit 40 determines that the “cable information and environmental information” of a cable with deteriorated coating corresponds to the “cable with deteriorated coating (2)” stored in the restoration condition storage unit 30, it obtains “voltage value = 10 V, current value = 25 A, current flow time = 50 seconds, current flow timing = rectangular” from the restoration condition storage unit 30 and determines this as the current flow method for the cable with deteriorated coating.

[0036] Here, the "information about the cable with deteriorated coating" may be any information that can identify an entry from the "cable information and environmental information."

[0037] For example, the information for "Cable (n) with deteriorated coating" is "Material of cable conductor = copper, Length of cable conductor = value in the range of 25 m to 30 m, Cross-sectional area of ​​cable conductor = 0.8 mm ２ ~1.0 mm ２ 5, where the information on the cable with deteriorated coating is the information shown in FIG. 5 and the environmental information is a temperature of 23°C, and the coating material is polyethylene, the coating length is a value in the range of 25 m to 30 m, the coating thickness is a value in the range of 0.09 mm to 0.11 mm, and the temperature is a value in the range of 20°C to 25°C, the power supply circuit control unit 40 determines the current supply method to be used to be the current supply method corresponding to the "cable with deteriorated coating (n)" in the restoration condition storage unit 30.

[0038] When only "cable information" is used to determine the energization method, the "information about the cable with deteriorated coating" may be information that can identify an entry from the "cable information." When only "environmental information" is used to determine the energization method, the "information about the cable with deteriorated coating" may be information that can identify an entry from the "environmental information."

[0039] Furthermore, the power supply circuit control unit 40 may determine a current supply method suitable for the "cable information and environmental information" without referring to the restoration condition storage unit 30. For example, a model is created in advance using machine learning, which takes the "cable information and environmental information" as input and outputs a current supply method suitable for the input. The model is, for example, a neural network. The power supply circuit control unit 40 can determine a current supply method suitable for the "cable information and environmental information" by using the model.

[0040] <S103> In S103, the power supply circuit control unit 50 controls the output of the power supply circuit 50 in accordance with the current application method determined in S102. In accordance with this control, the power supply circuit 50 applies current to the cable conductor. This melts the coating around the deteriorated portion, and the deteriorated portion (the portion where the conductor is exposed) is covered with the coating, thereby eliminating the deteriorated portion. By stopping the application of current, the coating hardens and the restoration is completed.

[0041] As mentioned above, when restoring a deteriorated coating, current may be passed through both cable conductors simultaneously, or through each cable conductor individually. When current is passed through both cable conductors simultaneously, the coatings of the two conductors melt (fuse) together, thereby restoring the coating.

[0042] Note that the example of targeting two cables as shown in Fig. 3 is an example. Only one cable may be targeted, or three or more cables may be targeted.

[0043] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described, focusing mainly on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0044] <Device Configuration> Fig. 7 shows an example configuration of a coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 7, the coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 2 has a configuration in which a restoration status monitoring unit 100 is added to the coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 1.

[0045] The restoration status monitoring unit 100 has a restoration status transmission unit 70 and an NWA (Network Analyzer) function unit 110. The NWA function unit 110 has a signal transmission unit 80 and a signal reception unit 90.

[0046] The restoration status transmission unit 70 is connected to the power supply circuit control unit 40. The signal transmission unit 80 is connected to the conductor 6 via a coupling circuit 8. The signal reception unit 90 is connected to the conductor 5 via a coupling circuit 7. The coupling circuits 7 and 8 are circuits that prevent current from flowing from the power supply circuit 50 into the restoration status monitoring unit 100, and are, for example, capacitors or filters. Fig. 7 shows an example in which capacitors are used as the coupling circuits 7 and 8.

[0047] The signal transmitting unit 80 transmits signals to the cables with deteriorated coatings (either one at a time or two at a time). The signal receiving unit 90 receives the signals transmitted by the cables with deteriorated coatings. The restoration status transmitting unit 100 estimates the restoration status of the coating based on the signals transmitted and received by the signal transmitting unit 80 / signal receiving unit 90, and instructs the power supply circuit control unit 40 to stop supplying power when it determines that the coating has melted and the deteriorated portion of the coating has been restored.

[0048] The restoration status transmission unit 70 (function for determining restoration completion) may be provided within the power supply circuit control unit 40 .

[0049] <Second Embodiment: Example of Operation> The operation of the coating restoration device 200 in the second embodiment will be described in accordance with the procedure of the flowchart in FIG.

[0050] <S201, S202> S201 and S202 are the same as S101 and S102, respectively, in embodiment 1. However, in embodiment 2, a cable with a deteriorated coating is energized and the restoration status of the coating is monitored, so that a predetermined energization method may be used without performing S201 and S202.

[0051] Alternatively, S201 and S202 may use a simpler method (rough information) than S101 and S102 of embodiment 1. For example, the energization method may be determined based only on information about the cable (such as the length and thickness of the cable conductor) without acquiring environmental information.

[0052] Furthermore, in addition to or instead of the information described in the first embodiment, the restoration condition storage unit 30 may store pre-measured transmission characteristics (such as frequency characteristics) of the cable under normal conditions for each cable (or each type of cable), and these transmission characteristics may be used for the restoration judgment described below.

[0053] <S203: Start of monitoring> In S203, before current is passed from the power supply circuit 50, the signal transmitting unit 80 in the restoration status monitoring unit 100 starts transmitting a signal to the cable with a deteriorated coating. This signal has, for example, a band with the characteristics of an electrical signal that can originally be transmitted by the cable with a deteriorated coating.

[0054] The signal receiving unit 90 receives the signal transmitted through the cable with deteriorated coating, and transmits the received signal to the restoration status transmitting unit 70. The restoration status transmitting unit 70 monitors the restoration status of the coating of the cable based on the signal.

[0055] <S204> In S204, the power supply circuit control unit 50 starts to control the output of the power supply circuit 50 in accordance with the current supply method determined in S202. In accordance with this control, the power supply circuit 50 starts to supply current to the cable conductors.

[0056] <S205, S206> The monitoring signal transmission started in S203 continues even while the power is on. In S205, the restoration status transmission unit 70 determines whether the coating has melted and the coating of the deteriorated portion has been restored. For example, the restoration status transmission unit 70 determines whether the coating of the deteriorated portion has been restored based on whether the characteristics of the cable with deteriorated coating have returned to the characteristics that allow for original transmission.

[0057] If the determination in S205 is Yes, in S206, the restoration status transmission unit 70 instructs the power supply circuit control unit 40 to stop the flow of current. The power supply circuit control unit 40 controls the power supply circuit 50 to stop the flow of current, thereby stopping the flow of current. In this way, in the second embodiment, the flow of current is stopped after it is confirmed that the coating has been restored, so that the coating can be reliably restored.

[0058] <Regarding the restoration determination method in S205> In the second embodiment, the restoration status monitoring unit 100 (specifically, the restoration status transmission unit 70) may use any method to determine the completion of restoration of the coating in the portion where the coating has deteriorated, but for example, the following method may be used.

[0059] The transmission characteristics (e.g., frequency characteristics) of the cable under normal conditions are stored in advance for each target cable (or each type of cable) in a storage unit such as a memory (which may be the restoration condition storage unit 30) provided in the sheath restoration device 200.

[0060] When current is applied to a cable with a deteriorated coating, the restoration status transmission unit 70 measures the transmission characteristics of the cable in real time using signals transmitted to and received from the cable by the NWA function unit 110. The restoration status transmission unit 70 compares the measurement result with the normal transmission characteristics read from the storage unit, and if the measurement result falls within a predetermined range for the normal transmission characteristics, determines that restoration is complete and issues an instruction to the power supply circuit control unit 40 to stop the application of current. Note that the characteristic measured by the NWA function unit 110 is, for example, the S parameter S21.

[0061] Regarding the timing of measuring the transmission characteristics, the transmission characteristics may be measured in real time as in the example flow described above, or the power supply may be temporarily stopped, the transmission characteristics may be measured after the cable temperature has dropped, and the results may be compared with the transmission measurements taken under normal conditions, and this process may be repeated until restoration is complete.

[0062] A specific example of the restoration completion determination method will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 shows an image of the transmission characteristics under normal conditions. As shown in Figure 9, if the transmission characteristics of a cable with deteriorated coating fall within a predetermined range, it is determined that restoration is complete.

[0063] Figure 10 shows an image of how the transmission characteristics of a cable with a deteriorated coating improve. As shown in Figure 10(a), the transmission characteristics are reduced before restoration. As shown in Figure 10(b), by applying current, the coating gradually restores to its original state in the area where the cable conductor was previously exposed, improving the transmission characteristics. Then, as shown in Figure 10(c), the restoration is complete when the transmission characteristics of the cable with a deteriorated coating fall within a predetermined range.

[0064] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below.

[0065] <Device Configuration> Fig. 11 shows a configuration example of a coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 11 , the coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 3 has a configuration in which a hardness measurement unit 140 is added to the coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 1.

[0066] The hardness measurement unit 140 has a hardness information transmission unit 120 and a hardness sensor 130. The hardness information transmission unit 120 is connected to the power supply circuit control unit 40. The hardness sensor 130 measures the hardness of the coating of a cable whose coating has deteriorated, and the measurement result is notified to the power supply circuit control unit 40 from the hardness information transmission unit 120.

[0067] The hardness sensor 130 may measure the hardness of the coating of each cable whose coating has deteriorated, or may measure the hardness of two (or three or more) cables together when two (or three or more) cables are used as a pair, etc. Fig. 11 shows an example of measuring the hardness of the coating of two cables together.

[0068] The power supply circuit control unit 40 estimates the restoration status of the coating (the degree to which the coating has dissolved) based on the measurement results of the hardness of the coating, and also adjusts the degree to which the coating has dissolved as necessary, and stops the supply of electricity to the power supply circuit 50 at the time when it is estimated that the coating has been restored.

[0069] <Third Embodiment: Example of Operation> The operation of the coating restoration device 200 in the third embodiment will be described in accordance with the procedure of the flowchart in FIG.

[0070] <S301, S302> S301 and S302 are the same as S101 and S102, respectively, in embodiment 1. However, in embodiment 3, a cable with a deteriorated coating is energized and the hardness of the coating is monitored, so that a predetermined energization method may be used without performing S301 and S302.

[0071] Alternatively, S301 and S302 may use a simpler method (rough information) than S101 and S102 of embodiment 1. For example, the energization method may be determined based only on information about the cable (such as the length and thickness of the cable conductor) without acquiring environmental information.

[0072] Furthermore, in addition to or instead of the information described in the first embodiment, the restoration condition storage unit 30 may store hardness information (reference hardness information) to be used for restoration judgment for each cable (or each type of cable).

[0073] <S303: Start of monitoring> In S303 before current is passed from the power supply circuit 50, the hardness measurement unit 140 starts measuring the hardness of the coating using the hardness sensor 130. The measurement result is notified to the power supply circuit control unit 40, for example, at regular time intervals.

[0074] <S304> In S304, the power supply circuit control unit 50 starts controlling the output of the power supply circuit 50 in accordance with the current supply method determined in S302. In accordance with this control, the power supply circuit 50 starts supplying current to the cable conductors.

[0075] <S305, S306> The hardness measurement started in S303 continues while the power is being supplied. In S305, the power supply circuit control unit 40 determines whether the coating has melted and the coating of the deteriorated portion has been restored.

[0076] If the determination in S305 is Yes, in S306, the power supply circuit control unit 40 performs control to stop the supply of current to the power supply circuit 50. In this way, in the third embodiment, the supply of current is stopped after it is confirmed that the coating has been restored, so that the coating can be reliably restored.

[0077] <Regarding the restoration determination method in S305> In the third embodiment, the timing of measuring the hardness of the coating may be measured in real time as in the example of the flow described above, or the current may be temporarily stopped, and the hardness may be measured after the cable temperature has dropped, and this process of comparing with a certain hardness may be repeated until restoration is complete. Below, a case where hardness measurement is performed in real time will be described as Example 1, and a case where hardness measurement is performed after the cable temperature has dropped will be described as Example 2.

[0078] (1) Example 1 When using a method for measuring hardness in real time, the hardness (referred to as a reference hardness) at which the cable coating melts and the deteriorated portion (the portion where the cable conductor is exposed) is covered with the coating (i.e., the coating is restored) for each target cable (or each type of cable) is stored in advance in a storage unit such as a memory (which may be the restoration condition storage unit 30) provided in the coating restoration device 200.

[0079] When current is applied to a cable with a deteriorated coating, the power supply circuit control unit 40 compares the hardness of the coating of the cable measured in real time (measurement result) with the reference hardness read from the memory unit, and when the measurement result becomes the reference hardness, it determines that restoration is complete and issues an instruction to the power supply circuit control unit 40 to stop the application of current.

[0080] (2) Example 2 When using a method in which the current supply is temporarily stopped and the hardness is measured after the cable temperature has dropped, the current supply is stopped after the cable coating has melted and the deteriorated portion (the portion where the cable conductor is exposed) has been covered with the coating, and the hardness (reference hardness) after the cable temperature has dropped is stored in a storage unit such as a memory (which may be the restoration condition storage unit 30) provided in the coating restoration device 200 in advance for each cable (or each type of cable) to be measured.

[0081] When current is applied to a cable with a deteriorated coating, the power supply circuit control unit 40 compares the hardness (measurement result) of the coating of the cable measured after temporarily stopping the current application with the reference hardness read from the memory unit, and when the measurement result becomes the reference hardness, it determines that restoration is complete and issues an instruction to the power supply circuit control unit 40 to stop the current application.

[0082] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0083] <Device Configuration> Fig. 13 shows a configuration example of a coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 4. As shown in Fig. 13, the coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 4 has a configuration in which a temperature measurement unit 170 is added to the coating restoration device 200 according to embodiment 1.

[0084] The temperature measurement unit 170 has a temperature information transmission unit 150 and a temperature sensor 160. The temperature information transmission unit 150 is connected to the power supply circuit control unit 40. The temperature sensor 160 measures the temperature of the coating of the cable whose coating has deteriorated, and the measurement result is notified to the power supply circuit control unit 40 from the temperature information transmission unit 150.

[0085] The temperature sensor 160 may measure the temperature of the coating of each cable whose coating has deteriorated, or may measure the temperature of two (or three or more) cables together when two (or three or more) cables are used in pairs, etc. Fig. 13 shows an example of measuring the temperature of the coating of two cables together.

[0086] The power supply circuit control unit 40 estimates the restoration status of the coating (degree of melting of the coating) based on the measurement results of the temperature of the coating, and also adjusts the degree of melting of the coating as necessary, and stops the supply of electricity to the power supply circuit 50 at the time when it is estimated that the coating has been restored.

[0087] <Fourth Embodiment: Example of Operation> The operation of the coating restoration device 200 in the fourth embodiment will be described in accordance with the procedure of the flowchart in FIG.

[0088] <S401, S402> S401 and S402 are the same as S101 and S102, respectively, in embodiment 1. However, in embodiment 4, since current is applied to a cable with a deteriorated coating and the temperature of the coating is monitored, a predetermined current application method may be used without performing S401 and S402.

[0089] Alternatively, S401 and S402 may use a simpler method (rough information) than S101 and S102 of embodiment 1. For example, the energization method may be determined based only on information about the cable (such as the length and thickness of the cable conductor) without acquiring environmental information.

[0090] Furthermore, in addition to or instead of the information described in the first embodiment, the restoration condition storage unit 30 may store temperature and time information (reference temperature and time information) to be used for restoration judgment for each cable (or each type of cable).

[0091] <S403: Start of monitoring> In S403 before current is passed from the power supply circuit 50, the temperature measurement unit 170 starts measuring the temperature of the coating using the temperature sensor 160. The measurement result is notified to the power supply circuit control unit 40, for example, at regular time intervals.

[0092] <S404> In S404, the power supply circuit control unit 50 starts controlling the output of the power supply circuit 50 in accordance with the current supply method determined in S402. In accordance with this control, the power supply circuit 50 starts supplying current to the cable conductors.

[0093] <S405, S406> The temperature measurement started in S403 continues even while the power is being supplied. In S405, the power supply circuit control unit 40 determines whether the coating has melted and the coating of the deteriorated portion has been restored.

[0094] If the determination in S405 is Yes, in S406, the power supply circuit control unit 40 controls the power supply circuit 50 to stop the current supply, thereby stopping the current supply. In this way, in the fourth embodiment, the current supply is stopped after it is confirmed that the coating has been restored, so that the coating can be reliably restored.

[0095] <Regarding the restoration determination method in S405> The restoration determination method in S405 is not limited to a specific method, but the following method can be used, for example.

[0096] For each target cable (or each type of cable), the temperature and time (reference temperature and reference time) at which the cable coating melts and the deteriorated portion (the portion where the cable conductor is exposed) is covered with the coating (i.e., the coating is restored) are stored in advance in a storage unit such as a memory (which may be the restoration condition storage unit 30) provided in the coating restoration device 200.

[0097] The reference temperature may be, for example, a range of temperatures, and the coating is assumed to be restored when the measured temperature reaches this range and is maintained at this temperature for a reference time.

[0098] When current is applied to a cable with a deteriorated coating, the power supply circuit control unit 40 compares the temperature of the cable measured in real time (measurement result) with the reference temperature read from the memory unit, and if the reference time has elapsed while the measurement result is within the reference temperature range, it determines that restoration is complete and issues an instruction to the power supply circuit control unit 40 to stop the application of current.

[0099] Fifth Embodiment It is possible to carry out any combination of the first to fourth embodiments. As the fifth embodiment, Fig. 15 shows the configuration of a coating restoration device 200 in which the first to third embodiments are combined.

[0100] In FIG. 15, instead of the hardness measuring unit 140 (or in addition to the hardness measuring unit 140), the temperature measuring unit 170 described in the fourth embodiment may be provided.

[0101] In the fifth embodiment, too, while a cable with a deteriorated coating is being energized, if the power supply circuit control unit 40 determines that restoration is complete, the power supply circuit 50 is stopped. The determination of whether restoration is complete may be made when it is determined that restoration is complete by the determination method of the second embodiment (transmission characteristics) and also by the determination method of the third embodiment (hardness), or when it is determined that restoration is complete by the determination method of the second embodiment (transmission characteristics) or when it is determined that restoration is complete by the determination method of the third embodiment (hardness). It may also be determined that restoration is complete by other logic.

[0102] The logic for determining whether restoration is complete may be any of the following. Hereinafter, determining that restoration is complete using the determination method of embodiment 2 (transmission characteristics) will be referred to as "embodiment 2." The same applies to other determination methods.

[0103] (1) "Embodiment 2" AND "Embodiment 3" (2) "Embodiment 2" OR "Embodiment 3" (3) "Embodiment 2" AND "Embodiment 4" (4) "Embodiment 2" OR "Embodiment 4" (5) "Embodiment 3" AND "Embodiment 4" (6) "Embodiment 3" OR "Embodiment 4" (7) "Embodiment 2" AND "Embodiment 3" AND "Embodiment 4" (8) "Embodiment 2" OR "Embodiment 3" OR "Embodiment 4"

[0104] (Embodiment 6) In the embodiments 1 to 5 described so far, a current is passed through the cable conductor, and the current applies heat to the coating, melting the coating and fusing the surrounding melted coating together, thereby restoring the deteriorated coating.

[0105] However, the coating has the property of shrinking when heated, and depending on the extent of the cracks in the coating, applying heat may actually cause deterioration to occur.

[0106] Therefore, in the sixth embodiment, a technique for restoring the coating regardless of the degree of cracking in the coating will be described. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0107] <Device Configuration> Fig. 16 shows an example of the configuration of a sheath restoration device 200 in embodiment 6. As shown in Fig. 16, the sheath restoration device 200 in embodiment 3 has a configuration in which a cable pressurizing unit 300 is added to the sheath restoration device 200 in embodiment 1. In other words, in embodiment 6, the sheath restoration device 200 includes the cable pressurizing unit 300. However, it is also possible for the sheath restoration device 200 to include a cable pressurizing control unit 320 and not include the pressurizing unit 310.

[0108] The cable pressure applying unit 300 includes a pressure applying unit 310 that comes into contact with the cable and applies pressure to the cable from the outside, and a cable pressure applying control unit 320 that controls the pressure of the pressure applying unit 310. The cable pressure applying control unit 320 is connected to the power supply circuit control unit 40.

[0109] In the sixth embodiment, the cable pressure applying unit 300 is provided, so that the cable coatings can be reliably bonded together by applying external pressure to the cable while passing a current through the cable conductor. This makes it possible to restore the coating to its original condition regardless of the degree of cracking in the coating. Note that "bonding the coatings together" may refer to bonding the coating of one cable to the coating of another cable, or bonding one portion of the coating of one cable to the coating of another portion of the same cable (for example, restoring the torn coating of one cable).

[0110] The pressure applying unit 310 may apply pressure from the outside to each cable whose coating has deteriorated, or may apply pressure from the outside to two (or three or more) cables collectively when two (or three or more) cables are used as a pair, etc. Fig. 16 shows an example of applying pressure from the outside to two cables.

[0111] Here, the object to be pressurized will be referred to as a "cable" whether pressure is applied to one cable at a time or to a group of multiple cables.

[0112] The pressure applied to the "cable" by the pressure applying unit 310 may be from two directions (e.g., pressure from above and below, or pressure from the right and left), may be from three directions, may be from four directions (e.g., pressure from above and below, and pressure from the right and left), may be from N directions (N≧5), may be pressure that surrounds the "cable", or may be pressure other than these. Figure 16 shows an example of pressure being applied to two cables from above and below.

[0113] Figure 17 shows an image of the case where current is passed through the cable conductors of four cables and pressure is applied to the four cables from all around (for example, from four directions). As shown in Figure 17, the coatings can be reliably fused together.

[0114] 16 is a configuration in which the cable pressure applying unit 300 is added to the configuration of embodiment 1 (FIG. 3), but is not limited to this configuration. The cable pressure applying unit 300 may be added to the configuration of any of embodiments 2 to 5. In other words, embodiment 6 can be implemented in combination with any of embodiments 2 to 5.

[0115] <Sixth Embodiment: Example of Operation> The operation of the coating restoration device 200 in the sixth embodiment will be described in accordance with the procedure of the flowchart in FIG.

[0116] <S501, S502> S501 and S502 are basically the same as S101 and S102 in embodiment 1. However, in S502, the power supply circuit control unit 40 may determine a pressure application method in addition to a current application method.

[0117] For example, the power supply circuit control unit 40 may determine the amount of pressure to be used to apply pressure to the “cable” based on the cable information acquired from the cable information input unit 10 and the environmental information acquired from the environmental information acquisition unit 20.

[0118] <S503> In S503, the power supply circuit control unit 50 controls the output of the power supply circuit 50 in accordance with the current application method determined in S502. The power supply circuit control unit 50 also notifies the cable pressure control unit 320 of the pressure application method (e.g., the magnitude of pressure) determined in S502. This allows the cable pressure control unit 320 to instruct the pressure unit 310 to apply pressure at the notified pressure.

[0119] The power supply circuit 50 energizes (flows current through) the cable conductors in accordance with the energization method determined in S502.

[0120] When the temperature of the cable rises during current flow and the coating melts, the cable pressure control unit 320 instructs the pressure unit 310 to apply pressure. This causes the pressure unit 310 to apply pressure from the outside of the "cable" to forcibly bond the coatings of the "cable" together. While applying pressure, the current is stopped. This makes it possible to reliably restore the deterioration when the current is stopped. It is also possible to apply pressure before the coating melts.

[0121] Regarding the "timing at which the coating melts," for example, the power supply circuit control unit 50 or the cable pressure control unit 320 estimates the timing at which the coating melts based on the information collected in S501.

[0122] Furthermore, by combining embodiment 3 (hardness measurement) or embodiment 4 (temperature measurement), the cable pressure control unit 320 may instruct the pressure unit 310 to apply pressure when it confirms that the coating has melted based on the hardness or temperature.

[0123] (Embodiment 7) Next, embodiment 7 will be described. In embodiment 7, as in embodiment 6, a technique for restoring the coating regardless of the degree of cracking in the coating will be described. Below, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described. Note that embodiment 7 is a form in which the cable pressurizing unit of embodiment 6 is provided with a heating function, so the cable pressurizing / heating unit described later may also be called a cable pressurizing unit. Furthermore, the cable pressurizing / heating control unit described later may also be called a cable pressurizing control unit.

[0124] <Device Configuration> Fig. 19 shows an example of the configuration of the sheath restoration device 200 in embodiment 7. As shown in Fig. 19, the sheath restoration device 200 in embodiment 3 has a configuration in which a cable pressurizing / heating unit 330 is added to the sheath restoration device 200 in embodiment 1. In other words, in embodiment 7, the sheath restoration device 200 includes the cable pressurizing / heating unit 330. However, it is also possible for the sheath restoration device 200 to include a cable pressurizing / heating control unit 350 and not include the pressurizing / heating unit 340.

[0125] The cable pressurizing / heating unit 330 has a pressurizing / heating unit 340 that applies pressure and heat to the cable from the outside, and a cable pressurizing / heating control unit 350 that controls the pressure and temperature (amount of heat) of the pressurizing / heating unit 310. The cable pressurizing / heating control unit 350 is connected to the power supply circuit control unit 40.

[0126] In the seventh embodiment, the cable pressurizing and heating unit 330 is provided, and the cable can be pressurized and heated from the outside while current is passed through the cable conductor, thereby reliably bonding the cable coating together. This makes it possible to restore the deteriorated coating regardless of the degree of cracking in the coating.

[0127] The pressure and heat unit 340 may apply pressure and heat from the outside to each cable whose coating has deteriorated, or may apply pressure and heat from the outside to two (or three or more) cables collectively when two (or three or more) cables are used as a pair. Fig. 19 shows an example of applying pressure and heat from the outside to two cables.

[0128] Here, in both cases where pressure and heat are applied to individual cables or to a group of multiple cables, the object to be pressurized and heated will be referred to as a "cable."

[0129] The pressure and heat applied to the "cable" by the pressure / heat unit 340 may be pressure and heat from two directions (e.g., pressure and heat from above and below, or pressure and heat from the right and left), pressure and heat from three directions, pressure and heat from four directions (e.g., pressure and heat from above and below, or pressure and heat from the right and left), pressure and heat from N (N≧5) directions, pressure and heat surrounding the "cable", or pressure and heat other than these. Figure 19 shows an example of pressure and heat applied to two cables from above and below.

[0130] 19 is a configuration in which the cable pressurizing / heating unit 330 is added to the configuration of embodiment 1 (FIG. 3), but is not limited to this configuration. The cable pressurizing / heating unit 330 may be added to the configuration of any of embodiments 2 to 5. In other words, embodiment 7 can be implemented in combination with any of embodiments 2 to 5.

[0131] Seventh Embodiment: Example of Operation The operation of the coating restoration device 200 in the seventh embodiment will be described in accordance with the steps of the flowchart in FIG.

[0132] <S601, S602> S601 and S602 are basically the same as S101 and S102 in embodiment 1. However, in S602, the power supply circuit control unit 40 may determine the pressurizing and heating methods in addition to the current application method.

[0133] For example, the power supply circuit control unit 40 may determine the amount of pressure and the heating temperature to be used to apply pressure and heat to the "cable" based on the cable information acquired from the cable information input unit 10 and the environmental information acquired from the environmental information acquisition unit 20.

[0134] <S603> In S603, the power supply circuit control unit 50 controls the output of the power supply circuit 50 in accordance with the current application method determined in S602. The power supply circuit control unit 50 also notifies the cable pressure / heat control unit 350 of the pressure and heating method (e.g., the magnitude of pressure and the heating temperature) determined in S602. This allows the cable pressure / heat control unit 350 to instruct the pressure / heat unit 340 to apply pressure and heat at the notified pressure and temperature.

[0135] The power supply circuit 50 energizes (flows current through) the cable conductors in accordance with the energization method determined in S602.

[0136] When the temperature of the cable rises during current flow and the coating melts, the cable pressure / heat control unit 350 instructs the pressure / heat unit 340 to apply pressure and heat. As a result, the pressure / heat unit 340 applies pressure and heat from the outside of the "cable" to forcibly bond the cable coatings together. The current is stopped while pressure and heat are being applied. This makes it possible to reliably restore the deterioration when current flow is stopped. It is also possible to apply pressure and heat before the coating melts.

[0137] Regarding the "timing at which the coating melts" mentioned above, for example, the power supply circuit control unit 50 or the cable pressure / heat control unit 350 estimates the timing at which the coating melts based on the information collected in S601.

[0138] Furthermore, by combining embodiment 3 (hardness measurement) or embodiment 4 (temperature measurement), the cable pressure / heat control unit 350 may instruct the pressure / heat unit 340 to apply pressure and heat when it confirms that the coating has melted based on the hardness or temperature.

[0139] (Hardware Configuration Example) In the first to seventh embodiments, the "environment information acquisition unit 20, cable information input unit 10, restoration condition storage unit 30, power supply circuit control unit 50, and restoration status monitoring unit 100" can be realized, for example, by causing one or more computers to execute a program. This computer may be a physical computer or a virtual machine on the cloud. Hereinafter, a device including at least one of the "environment information acquisition unit 20, cable information input unit 10, restoration condition storage unit 30, power supply circuit control unit 50, and restoration status monitoring unit 100" will be referred to as a sheath restoration device.

[0140] For example, the sheath restoration device may be a device that includes the power supply circuit control unit 50 and does not include the "environment information acquisition unit 20, cable information input unit 10, restoration condition storage unit 30, and restoration status monitoring unit 100." The power supply circuit control unit 50 may also be referred to as a control unit.

[0141] The sheath restoration device realized by a computer may also include the cable pressure control unit 320 or the cable pressure and heating control unit 350 .

[0142] That is, the coating restoration device can be realized by executing a program corresponding to the processing performed by the coating restoration device using hardware resources such as a CPU and memory built into a computer. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (such as a portable memory) and stored or distributed. The program can also be provided via a network such as the Internet or email.

[0143] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer. The computer in Fig. 21 includes a drive device 1000, an auxiliary storage device 1002, a memory device 1003, a CPU 1004, an interface device 1005, a display device 1006, an input device 1007, an output device 1008, and the like, all of which are interconnected by a bus BS. The computer may further include a GPU.

[0144] The program that realizes the processing on the computer is provided by a recording medium 1001, such as a CD-ROM or a memory card. When the recording medium 1001 storing the program is set in the drive device 1000, the program is installed from the recording medium 1001 to the auxiliary storage device 1002 via the drive device 1000. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 1001, but may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 1002 stores the installed program as well as necessary files, data, etc.

[0145] The memory device 1003 reads and stores the program from the auxiliary storage device 1002 when an instruction to start the program is received. The CPU 1004 realizes functions related to the coating restoration device in accordance with the program stored in the memory device 1003. The interface device 1005 is used as an interface for connecting to a network, etc. The display device 1006 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like according to the program. The input device 1007 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, buttons, a touch panel, etc., and is used to input various operation instructions. The output device 1008 outputs the calculation results.

[0146] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the technique described in the present embodiment makes it possible to restore the coating of a cable whose coating has deteriorated without replacing the cable.

[0147] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments.

[0148] <Additional Notes> (Additional Item 1) A coating restoration device that restores the coating of a cable whose coating has deteriorated, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor connected to the memory, wherein the processor acquires information about the cable, and executes control to apply current to the cable using a current-flow method determined based on the information, and executes control to externally pressurize the cable. (Additional Item 2) The coating restoration device according to Additional Item 1, wherein the processor issues a pressure instruction to a pressurizing unit that contacts the cable and applies pressure to the cable. (Additional Item 3) The coating restoration device according to Additional Item 2, wherein the pressurizing unit externally pressurizes the cable and externally heats the cable. (Additional Item 4) The coating restoration device according to Additional Item 1, wherein after current begins to flow through the cable, the processor applies pressure to the cable when the coating melts or before the coating melts. (Supplementary Item 5) A coating restoration method for restoring a coating of a cable whose coating has deteriorated, the method comprising the steps of: acquiring information about the cable, and applying current to the cable by a current-flow method determined based on the information; and applying pressure to the cable from the outside. (Supplementary Item 6) A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the coating restoration device described in any one of Supplementary Item 1 to 4.

[0149] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

[0150] 1, 2 Terminal block 3, 4 Cable 5, 6 Conductor 7, 8 Coupling circuit 10 Cable information input unit 20 Environmental information acquisition unit 30 Restoration condition storage unit 40 Power supply circuit control unit 50 Power supply circuit 60 Current limiting resistor 70 Restoration status transmission unit 80 Signal transmission unit 90 Signal reception unit 100 Restoration status monitoring unit 110 NWA function unit 120 Hardness information transmission unit 130 Hardness sensor 140 Hardness measurement unit 150 Temperature information transmission unit 160 Temperature sensor 170 Temperature measurement unit 200 Coverage restoration device 300 Cable pressure unit 310 Pressure unit 320 Cable pressure control unit 330 Cable pressure and heating unit 340 Pressure and heating unit 350 Cable pressure and heating control unit 1000 Drive device 1001 Recording medium 1002 Auxiliary storage device 1003 Memory device 1004 CPU 1005 Interface device 1006 Display device 1007 Input device 1008 Output device

Claims

1. A coating restoration device for restoring a deteriorated coating on a cable, comprising: a control unit that acquires information about the cable and executes control to pass current through the cable using a current flow method determined based on the information; and a cable pressure control unit that executes control to apply pressure to the cable from the outside.

2. The sheath restoration device according to claim 1, wherein the cable pressure control unit issues a pressure command to a pressure unit that contacts the cable and applies pressure to the cable.

3. The sheath restoration device according to claim 2, wherein the pressure applying section applies pressure to the cable from outside and heats the cable from outside.

4. A coating restoration device as described in claim 1, wherein after current is started to flow through the cable, the cable pressure control unit applies pressure to the cable when the coating melts or before the coating melts.

5. A coating restoration method for restoring a deteriorated coating on a cable, comprising the steps of acquiring information about the cable, and passing a current through the cable using a current-flow method determined based on the information, and applying pressure to the cable from the outside.

6. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the coating restoration device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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