High Redundancy Code Tags for Pipe Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tracking technologies for Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) pipes, such as 1D and 2D barcodes, RFID, and color-based systems, fail to provide effective individual pipe-level tracking due to harsh environments, ovality of pipes, and lack of error-correction, leading to inaccuracies and corruption of tracking information.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of High Redundancy Codes (HRC) using pattern-filled or color-coded bars and characters on OCTG pipes, which include calibration patterns for orientation and error detection, enabling active and passive tracking, and are customizable for the specific industrial use-case.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If 2D barcodes are printed directly on pipes, then tracking information can be attached to the pipe itself, but the ovality of pipes causes misalignment and makes the barcode unreadable
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking tag is divided into multiple independent segments (individual characters or groups of characters) rather than a continuous 2D pattern. Each segment can be independently aligned and read, making the system tolerant to misalignment caused by pipe ovality. The segmentation allows the code to be read in parts rather than requiring perfect whole-image alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the tag have different functional qualities - certain areas contain alignment references while others contain data characters. The alignment references are specifically designed to be readable at various orientations, while data characters are arranged to be read sequentially. This local differentiation allows the system to compensate for ovality-induced misalignment.
2Measurement precision
If 2D barcodes are printed in large size on small diameter pipes, then the barcode features become readable, but the full barcode cannot be visible in the camera view
Solution Approach 1:
The barcode is segmented into multiple lines or groups of characters that can be read sequentially rather than requiring simultaneous visibility of the entire code. The reading system can capture and process each segment separately, allowing readable features to be smaller while the complete information is assembled from multiple readings.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system transitions from requiring 2D spatial visibility of the entire barcode to using a temporal dimension - reading characters or segments sequentially over time. This allows the use of smaller, more compact features that fit within camera view while still encoding the same amount of information through sequential reading.
3Device complexity
If standard barcodes are used without error-correction, then the tracking system is simple to implement, but the tracking information is prone to corruption in harsh environments
Solution Approach 1:
Error-detection and error-correction capabilities are built into the tag structure during the design and printing phase, rather than requiring complex post-reading processing. The tag includes redundant information, checksums, or validation patterns that automatically verify and correct errors, providing robustness against environmental degradation without adding significant system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tagging system incorporates redundancy and error-correction mechanisms in advance to cushion against the harsh environmental conditions pipes will encounter. This includes using fonts and patterns that remain readable despite corrosion, fading, or physical damage, and implementing verification protocols that detect and correct errors before they compromise tracking integrity.
4Ease of manufacture
If RFID tags or 2D barcode stickers are attached to end-caps and thread protectors, then tracking can be implemented, but the tags are prone to breakage and replacement which corrupts tracking information
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking tag is merged with the pipe itself through direct printing or marking on the pipe surface, rather than being a separate attachable component. This integration ensures the tag moves with the pipe throughout its lifecycle and cannot be separated or replaced, maintaining continuous and reliable tracking information.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using physical stickers or tags that can be detached, the tracking information is copied directly onto the pipe surface through printing or marking processes. This creates a permanent record that is integral to the pipe and survives the pipe's entire service life without risk of separation or replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
Example implementations described herein are directed to a tag using a color/pattern coding scheme for better use in industrial settings which may involve curved objects such as pipes. The tag can include one or more anchors indicative of an orientation of the tag; a calibration pattern mapping each of a plurality of colors/patterns to one or more values; and encoded information provided on the tag in one or more of the plurality of colors/patterns. The tag may be printed directly on the object to ensure longevity and readability, or attached as a sticker or printed label depending on the desired implementation.