RFID Tag Centering Plate for Utility Marker Posts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marker posts for underground assets lack efficient integration of RFID technology, requiring additional manufacturing steps and potentially compromising the integrity of the post with slots or breaches.
Innovation Solution
A radio-transparent thermoplastic marker post system with a centering plate and transponder support tab that automatically orients and positions an RFID tag, allowing for easy installation and retrofitting without ancillary manufacturing steps, and featuring a cap that captures the centering plate to secure the RFID tag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If RFID technology is integrated into marker posts, then data logging efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The RFID integration is segmented into a separate carrier assembly that can be independently manufactured and then installed in the marker post. This allows the RFID components to be produced separately from the post structure, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining data logging efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier is pre-assembled with the RFID tag and centering plate before installation in the marker post. This preliminary preparation of the RFID assembly simplifies the final integration step and reduces manufacturing complexity at the post assembly stage.
2Ease of manufacture
If slots or breaches are added to the post for RFID integration, then RFID tag installation is enabled, but post integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The RFID tag is nested within a carrier that is itself nested within the marker post structure. The centering plate with downwardly extending tab holds the RFID tag within the post cavity, eliminating the need for slots or breaches in the post while maintaining both installation ease and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier acts as an intermediary component between the RFID tag and the marker post. It provides a dedicated mounting structure inside the post that eliminates the need to modify the post structure itself, thereby preserving post integrity while enabling RFID installation.
3Ease of operation
If RFID tag orientation is manually positioned, then installation flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centering plate with its downwardly extending tab automatically orients and positions the RFID tag in the correct orientation within the post. The tab structure self-aligns the RFID tag during installation, eliminating the need for manual positioning while maintaining installation flexibility and reducing manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The centering and orientation functions are merged into the carrier assembly structure itself. The centering plate and tab are integrated components that simultaneously provide both centering and orientation, eliminating separate positioning steps and reducing overall manufacturing time.
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
Enables efficient and predictable RFID data logging with minimal additional manufacturing steps, maintaining the post's integrity and improving data logging efficiency by ensuring proper RFID tag orientation and alignment.
Implementation Method 1
The post and carrier are constructed of a radio-transparent thermoplastic material to eliminate the need for slots or other breaches in the integrity of the post
Data Source
AI summary
A carrier for installing an RFID tag in a utility marker tube provides a centering plate fitting against an upper edge of the tube and oriented and positioned either by inner tube walls and/or the outer tube wall periphery to locate a downwardly extending transducer support tab holding the transducer within the tube. The centering plate may be held in place by a separate or integrated cap retaining the centering plate while sealing the tube against environmental contamination.