Monitoring systems and methods for sewer and other conduit systems

• US 8,220,484 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of North Carolina At Charlotte (University of North Carolina System)
• Original Assignee: University of North Carolina At Charlotte (University of North Carolina System)
• Inventors: Howitt, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/399,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20090250125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 340/605, 340/603, 137/551
• US Class Current: 137/551
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 7/00 Other installations or implements for operating sewer systems, e.g. for preventing or indicating stoppage; Emptying cesspools
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/22 Arrangements for detecting or reporting faults, outages or leaks
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/243 for pipes
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8158 With indicator, register, recorder, alarm or inspection means

Abstract

The present invention provides a monitoring system for a conduit network including one or more conduit sections joined at one or more conduit nodes, including: one or more sensor devices disposed at selected ones of the one or more conduit nodes, wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for sensing a blockage or breakage in an associated conduit section, and wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for communicating blockage or breakage information to a central location. Optionally, each of the sensor devices includes one of an audio sensor device and a radio frequency sensor device. Each of the sensor devices is operable for sensing the blockage or breakage in the associated conduit section by measuring an attribute of a transmitted/received signal, alone or in combination with another sensor device. Each of the sensor devices is operable for communicating the blockage or breakage information to the central location via a wireless link.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for a conduit network comprising one or more conduit sections joined at one or more conduit nodes, comprising:

one or more sensor devices disposed at selected ones of the one or more conduit nodes, wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for sensing a blockage or breakage in an associated conduit section by one or more of transmitting a signal that is affected by the blockage or breakage to another sensor device that measures a transmitted signal after it has passed through or by the blockage or breakage and transmitting a signal that is reflected by the blockage or breakage back to itself with both the transmitted signal after it has passed through or by the blockage or breakage and a reflected signal after it has been reflected by the blockage or breakage being measured, wherein the signal is transmitted in a direction that is substantially parallel to an intended fluid flow direction in the associated conduit section, and wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for communicating blockage or breakage information to a central location.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensor devices comprises one of an audio sensor device and a radio frequency sensor device.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensor devices is operable for sensing the blockage or breakage in the associated conduit section by measuring an attribute of a transmitted/received signal, alone or in combination with another sensor device.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each of the sensor devices is operable for communicating the blockage or breakage information to the central location via a wireless link.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a conduit network predictive model provided at the central location and operable for processing the blockage or breakage information to form a dynamic predictive maintenance policy that dictates a maintenance action.

6. The monitoring system of claim 5, further comprising a historical database that informs the conduit network predictive model.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising an alarm mechanism that is triggered at the central location by the blockage or breakage information if a predetermined blockage or breakage threshold is crossed.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the conduit network comprises a sewer line network, the conduit sections comprise sewer line sections, and the conduit nodes comprise manholes.

9. A monitoring method for a conduit network comprising one or more conduit sections joined at one or more conduit nodes, comprising:

disposing one or more sensor devices at selected ones of the one or more conduit nodes, wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for sensing a blockage or breakage in an associated conduit section by one or more of transmitting a signal that is affected by the blockage or breakage to another sensor device that measures a transmitted signal after it has passed through or by the blockage or breakage and transmitting a signal that is reflected by the blockage or breakage back to itself with both the transmitted signal after it has passed through or by the blockage or breakage and a reflected signal after it has been reflected by the blockage or breakage being measured, wherein the signal is transmitted in a direction that is substantially parallel to an intended fluid flow direction in the associated conduit section, and wherein each of the one or more sensor devices is operable for communicating blockage or breakage information to a central location.

10. The monitoring method of claim 9, wherein each of the sensor devices comprises one of an audio sensor device and a radio frequency sensor device.

11. The monitoring method of claim 9, wherein each of the sensor devices is operable for sensing the blockage or breakage in the associated conduit section by measuring an attribute of a transmitted/received signal, alone or in combination with another sensor device.

12. The monitoring method of claim 9, wherein each of the sensor devices is operable for communicating the blockage or breakage information to the central location via a wireless link.

13. The monitoring method of claim 9, further comprising providing a conduit network predictive model at the central location operable for processing the blockage or breakage information to form a dynamic predictive maintenance policy that dictates a maintenance action.

14. The monitoring method of claim 13, further comprising providing a historical database that informs the conduit network predictive model.

15. The monitoring method of claim 9, further comprising providing an alarm mechanism that is triggered at the central location by the blockage or breakage information if a predetermined blockage or breakage threshold is crossed.

16. The monitoring method of claim 9, wherein the conduit network comprises a sewer line network, the conduit sections comprise sewer line sections, and the conduit nodes comprise manholes.

17. A monitoring and maintenance method for a conduit network comprising one or more conduit sections joined at one or more conduit nodes, comprising:

assessing a blockage or breakage state of each of the one or more conduit sections by measuring an attribute of a transmitted audio or radio frequency signal after it has passed through or by a blockage or breakage at each of the one or more conduit nodes, wherein the transmitted audio or radio frequency signal is transmitted in a direction that is substantially parallel to an intended fluid flow direction in each of the one or more conduit sections; and

maintaining each of the one or more conduit sections responsive to the assessed blockage or breakage state.

18. The monitoring and maintenance method of claim 17, wherein the blockage or breakage state is assessed at a central location.

19. The monitoring and maintenance method of claim 18, wherein the blockage or breakage state is assessed at the central location using a conduit network predictive model operable for processing blockage or breakage information to form a dynamic predictive maintenance policy that dictates a maintenance action.

20. The monitoring and maintenance method of claim 17, wherein the conduit network comprises a sewer line network, the conduit sections comprise sewer line sections, and the conduit nodes comprise manholes.