Pipe Arrangement With Internal Identification Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe arrangements face challenges in identifying and monitoring their contents after being laid underground, leading to costly and time-consuming excavation work for modifications or damage assessment, as external markings become illegible and incomplete information in municipal plans hinders accurate pipe system connections and inspections.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating identification elements detectable from the lumen, such as coatings, RFID chips, or bar codes, which can be applied during manufacturing and remain legible and functional over time, allowing for camera inspections and data retrieval without additional maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If external markings are applied to the outside of pipes, then identification information can be provided during manufacturing, but the markings become illegible and inaccessible after the pipes are laid underground
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by placing identification markings on the inner surface of the pipe instead of the outer surface. This allows camera systems to access the markings from within the pipe after installation, making the information readable and accessible despite the pipe being buried underground.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces camera systems as intermediary devices that can be inserted into the pipe to capture images of the inner surface markings. This mediator enables remote access to identification information without requiring excavation or direct visual contact with the pipe exterior.
2Measurement precision
If complete pipe system information is documented in municipal plans, then accurate connections and inspections can be performed, but the plans do not provide complete information requiring costly excavation for verification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by embedding identification markings with complete pipe system information on the inner surface during manufacturing. This pre-prepared information allows for immediate verification during installation and future inspections without requiring time-consuming excavation to confirm pipe locations and connections.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional external markings are used on pipes, then manufacturing is simple, but identification after installation requires complex and costly excavation work
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of external surface markings with an internal surface marking system that can be accessed optically through camera systems. This substitution allows simple application methods (such as printing or embossing on the inner surface) while enabling complex information storage and retrieval through digital imaging and analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
The pipe arrangement (1) for carrying fluids and/or gaseous media, in which the pipe arrangement consists of at least one layer encompassing the lumen, has at least one identification element (3) shown from the lumen. The identification element is located on the surface of the layer pointing into the lumen of the pipe arrangement, or may be located in the layer. The identification element may be formed as a coating, an embossing, a memory element, or a bar code. The identification unit may have a color which differs from the layer of the pipe arrangement.