Sensor waterproofing device and sensor waterproofing device control method

Abstract

Disclosed are a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure and a method for controlling the sensor waterproofing device. The disclosed sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure comprises: a housing having an inner space in which at least one sensor is disposed, the lower portion of the housing being open such that an air pocket is formed in the inner space if the underground structure is submerged; and a fan installed in the inner space to circulate air in the inner space.

Description

Sensor waterproof device and control method of sensor waterproof device

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor waterproofing device and a method for controlling the sensor waterproofing device, and more particularly, to a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure and a method for controlling the sensor waterproofing device.

[0002]

[0003] Underground structures are installed for various purposes. For example, manholes, underground power lines, and other underground structures are installed. Underground power lines, which carry power equipment buried underground, contain equipment that requires periodic inspection and response to abnormal situations. Due to the nature of underground power lines, which support power transmission and distribution routes, inspection areas for underground power lines are typically arranged in a continuous series.

[0004] Workers enter underground power lines to inspect equipment and other facilities. However, various disasters such as hazardous gases, flooding, and fires can occur in underground power lines. However, workers often struggle to easily identify and evacuate. Therefore, methods are being developed to support worker safety by installing various sensors in underground power lines to monitor their condition.

[0005] However, because these underground structures are installed below ground, they are highly vulnerable to flooding. Therefore, methods are needed to prevent damage or malfunction of sensors installed in underground structures due to flooding.

[0006]

[0007] The present invention provides a sensor waterproofing device capable of preventing water from flowing into a sensor installed in an underground structure and a method for controlling the sensor waterproofing device.

[0008] In addition, the present invention provides a sensor waterproofing device and a control method of the sensor waterproofing device that can improve the sensing accuracy of a sensor installed in an underground structure.

[0009]

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure is provided, comprising: a housing having an open bottom, an internal space in which at least one sensor is arranged, an air pocket is formed in the internal space when the underground structure is flooded; and a fan installed in the internal space to circulate air in the internal space.

[0011] In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose, a method for controlling a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure is provided, comprising: a step of confirming the activation time of a sensor installed in an internal space of a housing having an open lower portion; and a step of controlling the operation of a fan for circulating air in the internal space according to the activation time of the sensor.

[0012]

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, by using a housing in which an air pocket can be formed in a space where a sensor is placed, water can be prevented from flowing into the sensor even if an underground structure is flooded.

[0014] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by circulating air in the interior space of a housing with a closed top and sides using a fan, a sensor placed in the interior space of such a housing can collect environmental data more accurately.

[0015] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when an underground structure is flooded, the sensor and fan are deactivated, thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption.

[0016]

[0017] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 is a drawing for explaining a housing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a control method of a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020]

[0021] The present invention is susceptible to various modifications and embodiments. Specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but rather to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Throughout the description of each drawing, similar reference numerals have been used to designate similar components.

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0023]

[0024] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining a housing according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground power tunnel among underground structures is explained as one embodiment.

[0025] At least one sensor (160) for collecting environmental data of the underground power tunnel (100) may be installed in an underground power tunnel (100) in which a power cable (101), such as a three-phase cable, is installed. This sensor (160) detects the temperature, humidity, or harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and methane of the underground power tunnel (100). A waterproof device for a sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention prevents water from flowing into the sensor (160) even if the underground power tunnel (100) is submerged. In particular, one embodiment of the present invention provides a waterproof device for a sensor that can efficiently prevent water from flowing into the sensor (160) without using a waterproof structure of the sensor itself, which requires high manufacturing cost and manufacturing time.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a sensor waterproof device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing (110) and a fan (120), and may further include a motor (130), a water immersion detection sensor (150), a processor, a battery, etc., depending on the embodiment.

[0027] The housing (110) has an internal space (111) in which at least one sensor (160) is installed, and has an open bottom (112). The shape of the housing (110) is not important as long as it has a shape in which the internal space (111) can be provided, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, the housing (110) may be, for example, a hexahedral shape in which the top and side surfaces are both closed and the bottom (112) is open. That is, the housing (110) may be formed of an upper wall and a side wall without a lower wall, and the top and side surfaces of the housing (110) may be closed structures so that air cannot flow in or out, and the bottom (112) of the housing (110) may be open structures so that air can flow in or out.

[0028] The upper wall of the housing (110) may, as an example, include at least one wall inclined relative to the floor surface of the underground structure. For example, the upper wall of the housing (110) may be formed as a single wall with one end positioned higher than the other, or may be formed in a triangular shape by combining two walls. By arranging the upper wall of the housing (110) to be inclined, water such as dew formed on the inner wall surface of the upper wall may not fall directly downward, but may flow down along the inner wall surface of the housing (110), and thus the sensor arranged in the inner space (111) of the housing may be protected from water.

[0029] And as an example, the housing (110) may be installed in the underground power grid (100) by fixing a portion of the side surface of the housing (110) to the inner wall surface of the underground power grid (100). In addition, the sensor (160) may be fixed to the inner wall surface of the housing (110) or may be mounted in the inner space (111) by being spaced apart from the inner wall surface of the housing (110) by a separate mounting means. This mounting means may be installed on the inner wall surface of the housing (110) or the bottom surface of the underground power grid (100). One end of the rod-shaped mounting means installed on the bottom surface of the underground power grid (100) may be positioned in the inner space (111), and the sensor (160) may be placed on one end of this mounting means. Since the sensor (160) is positioned away from the inner wall of the housing (110), the sensor (160) can be protected from water flowing along the inner wall of the housing (110).

[0030] Since the sensor (160) must detect harmful gases, etc., in the underground power plant (100), the housing (110) needs to have a partially open shape so that air can enter the interior of the housing (110). In order to prevent water from entering the interior of the housing (1110) under these conditions, one embodiment of the present invention uses a housing (110) with an open lower portion (112).

[0031] When an underground structure, i.e., an underground power plant (110), is flooded, water rises from the bottom of the underground power plant (110). When the rising water reaches the lower part of the housing (110), air existing in the internal space (111) of the housing cannot escape to the outside of the housing (110), so an air pocket may be formed in the internal space (111) of the housing, and ultimately, water may be prevented from flowing into the sensor (160) placed in the internal space (111) of the housing.

[0032] The fan (120) is installed in the internal space (111) of the housing and circulates the air in the internal space (111) of the housing by being rotated by the motor (130). As described above, the sensor (160) is placed in the internal space (110) of the housing. However, since the housing (110) has a structure in which both the top and the side are closed, it may be difficult for the sensor (160) to accurately measure harmful gases, etc., in the underground power grid (110) in the internal space (111) of the housing. However, when the fan (120) circulates the air in the internal space (111) of the housing, the sensor (160) can accurately measure harmful gases, etc., in the underground power grid (110).

[0033] The sensor (160) can collect environmental data of the underground power grid (100) according to a preset activation time, and the fan (120) can circulate the air of the internal space (111) of the housing according to the activation time of the sensor (160), that is, the operation time of the sensor (160). At this time, before the sensor (160) collects the environmental data, the air of the internal space (111) must be circulated in advance so that the sensor (160) can measure the environmental data more accurately, and therefore, the fan (120) can circulate the air of the internal space (111) of the housing a preset time before the activation time of the sensor (160).

[0034] The fan (120) may start operating before the sensor (160) operates, operate for a preset period of time, and then be deactivated. The operating time of the fan (120) may be adjusted by the performance of the motor (130), the volume of the internal space (111) of the housing, etc. As an example, the operating time of the fan (120) may be determined in proportion to the volume of the internal space (111) of the housing, and as the volume of the internal space (111) of the housing increases, the operating time of the fan (120) may increase.

[0035] The fan (120) can circulate the air in the internal space (111) of the housing by moving the air outside the housing (110) into the internal space (111) of the housing. In order for the fan (120) to circulate the air in the internal space (111) of the housing more efficiently, the rotation axis (121) of the fan can be arranged parallel to the height direction (113) of the housing. By arranging the rotation axis (121) of the fan, which is vertically coupled to the fan (120), parallel to the height direction (113) of the housing, air outside the housing (110) can be introduced into the internal space (111) of the housing through the lower part (112) of the open housing. Here, the height direction (113) of the housing can correspond to the direction looking from the upper part of the housing toward the lower part (112).

[0036] The fan (120) can be installed in the internal space (111) of the housing while being coupled with the motor (130), and a support member (140) can be installed on the internal wall surface of the housing (110) for installation of the fan. The fan (120) can be installed in the internal space (111) of the housing while being coupled with the motor (130) by being fixed on the support member (140).

[0037] The flood detection sensor (150) is attached to the housing (110) to detect flooding of the underground structure, i.e., the underground power grid (100). More specifically, the flood detection sensor (150) can be attached to the housing (110) so as to detect whether water rising from the bottom of the underground structure, i.e., the underground power grid (100), comes into contact with the housing (110). There is no limitation on the attachment position of the flood detection sensor (150), but since the amount of power consumption can be increased only when it is detected as quickly as possible whether water rising from the bottom comes into contact with the housing (110), the flood detection sensor (150) is preferably placed close to the bottom of the housing (110). The flood detection sensor (150) can transmit the detection result to the processor wirelessly or by wire.

[0038] The sensor (160) and the fan (120) can be deactivated according to the detection result of the flood detection sensor (150). When an underground structure, i.e., an underground power grid (100), is flooded, the operation of the sensor (160) and the fan (120) is unnecessary, so the sensor (160) and the fan (120) can be deactivated when the underground structure is flooded. Unnecessary power consumption can be prevented by deactivating the sensor (160) and the fan (120).

[0039] The battery supplies power to the motor (130), processor, sensor (160), etc., and the processor can control the operation of the fan (120) by controlling the motor (130) to which the fan (120) is connected. The battery and processor can also be placed in the internal space (111) of the housing.

[0040] In this way, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by using a housing in which an air pocket can be formed in a space where a sensor is placed, water can be prevented from flowing into the sensor even if an underground structure is flooded.

[0041] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by circulating air in the interior space of a housing with a closed top and sides using a fan, a sensor placed in the interior space of such a housing can collect environmental data more accurately.

[0042] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when an underground structure is flooded, the sensor and fan are deactivated, thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption.

[0043]

[0044] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a control method of a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, and this control method can be performed in a processor of the sensor waterproofing device.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 3, a sensor waterproofing device according to one embodiment of the present invention checks the activation time of a sensor installed in the internal space of a housing with an open bottom (S310), and controls the operation of a fan that circulates air in the internal space based on the activation time of the sensor (S320). As described above, when an underground structure is flooded, an air pocket may be formed in the internal space of the housing.

[0046] In one embodiment, the sensor may be activated at preset intervals, and the sensor waterproofing device may control the operation of the fan based on the sensor activation cycle. For example, if the sensor is activated at 10-minute intervals to collect environmental data from an underground structure, the fan may also operate at 10-minute intervals. The sensor waterproofing device may control the fan operation cycle using a timer.

[0047] In step S320, the sensor waterproof device can activate the fan a preset time prior to the sensor activation time. That is, the sensor waterproof device can operate the fan in advance before the sensor is activated to circulate the air in the internal space of the housing, thereby increasing the accuracy of the environmental data collected by the sensor. In this case, the sensor waterproof fan is activated for a preset operation duration, and the operation duration can be determined to be proportional to the volume of the internal space of the housing.

[0048] Meanwhile, as described above, when an underground structure is flooded, the sensor and fan operation is unnecessary, so the sensor waterproofing device can deactivate the fan regardless of the sensor activation time when the underground structure is flooded. Flooding of an underground structure can be detected by the flood detection sensor described above.

[0049]

[0050] The technical contents described above may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, etc., alone or in combination. The program commands recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments, or may be those known to and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program commands, such as ROMs, RAMs, and flash memories. Examples of program commands include not only machine language codes generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. The hardware devices may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

[0051]

[0052] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific details such as specific components and limited embodiments and drawings, these have been provided only to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and variations based on these descriptions. Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and all things that are equivalent or equivalent to the following claims as well as the claims are considered to fall within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a sensor waterproofing device installed in an underground structure, A housing having an open bottom, wherein an internal space is provided in which at least one sensor is placed, and an air pocket is formed in the internal space when the underground structure is flooded; and A fan installed in the above internal space to circulate the air in the above internal space A waterproof sensor device comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, The above fan Depending on the activation time of the above sensor, the air in the internal space is circulated. Sensor waterproof device.

3. In paragraph 2, The above fan Before a preset time from the activation point of the above sensor, the air in the internal space is circulated. Sensor waterproof device.

4. In paragraph 1, The above sensor waterproof device It further includes a submergence detection sensor attached to the housing to detect submergence of the underground structure, The above sensors and fans Deactivated according to the detection result of the above immersion detection sensor Sensor waterproof device.

5. In paragraph 4, The above immersion detection sensor Detecting whether water rising from the bottom of the above-mentioned underground structure comes into contact with the above-mentioned housing Sensor waterproof device.

6. In paragraph 1, The above fan Moving the air outside the housing to the internal space through the lower part of the housing Sensor waterproof device.

7. In paragraph 6, The rotation axis of the above fan is Positioned parallel to the height direction of the above housing Sensor waterproof device.

8. In paragraph 1, The upper wall of the above housing At least one wall inclined with respect to the floor surface of the above underground structure A waterproof sensor device comprising:

9. In paragraph 8, The above sensor Placed apart from the inner wall of the above housing Sensor waterproof device.

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