Marking Device Color Detection Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inaccurate locating and marking of underground facilities during excavation operations can lead to physical damage, property damage, and personal injury, making it difficult to determine whether facilities were properly located and marked, which can result in legal liabilities for facility owners and contractors.
Innovation Solution
A marking device equipped with mechanisms for indicating and detecting marking material information, such as color, to enhance the accuracy and documentation of marking operations, including a housing for dispensing marking material, a marking dispenser holder, an actuator for dispensing the material, a marking material selector, a sensor to detect the color of the dispenser cap, and a processing device to log this information for later reference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional marking devices are used without color detection mechanisms, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision of marking material information is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection of marking material color with an automated optical sensor system. The sensor detects the color of the marking material through optical measurement, substituting the mechanical/manual process with an automated optical field-based system, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring complex mechanical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an electronic record (digital copy) of the marking material information detected by the sensor. This digital representation stores the color and other characteristics of the marking material, providing a permanent and accurate record that can be reviewed later, thus improving measurement precision while keeping the physical device relatively simple.
2Reliability
If manual recording of marking material color is used, then the device complexity remains low, but the reliability of marking operations is reduced due to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The marking device performs self-measurement of the marking material color through the integrated sensor system. The device automatically detects and records its own operating parameters without requiring external manual verification, thereby improving reliability by eliminating human error in the recording process while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor provides real-time feedback on the marking material color and characteristics to the device's control system. This feedback mechanism ensures accurate recording of marking material information and can trigger alerts or corrections if deviations are detected, thereby improving reliability through automated monitoring and verification.
3Loss of time
If no electronic record of marking material information is maintained, then the loss of information is minimal, but the loss of time in liability assessment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the action of recording marking material information electronically during the marking operation itself. By capturing and storing the color and other characteristics of the marking material at the time of application, the system prepares advance evidence that can be immediately accessed during liability assessment, thereby reducing the time required for investigations while maintaining accurate information records.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces uncertainties in locate and marking operations by providing a comprehensive electronic record of marking material information, ensuring the accuracy of marking operations and facilitating liability assessment in case of damage or injury.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor to detect the color of the dispenser cap
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and marking devices for indicating and/or detecting a color of marking material used in performance of a marking operation to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility are described. Information about the color of the marking material may optionally be logged or stored by a marking device and/or transmitted to an external device.