Ducts with information modules and methods of use and manufacture thereof

Abstract

The present inventive concept includes a duct system and method for using same to map and locate ducts. A preferred embodiment of the duct system includes a duct, a plurality of electronic information modules and an oversheath at least partially covering the plurality of information modules and fixing the information modules to the duct. The plurality of information modules are configured to emit a positional signal to enable location of the information modules and associated duct(s) and/or mapping of the duct system.

Claims

1. A duct system comprising: a duct; a plurality of information modules, wherein each of the information modules is configured to emit a positional signal; and an oversheath covering the information modules and the duct such that an open space is defined via the duct, the information modules, and the oversheath, while fixing each of the information modules to the duct, wherein the open space contains a fluid which is able to cool the information modules as the fluid flows through the open space.

2. The duct system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the information modules is configured to emit a duct properties signal relating to at least one of i) a condition of the duct, or ii) a content of the duct.

3. The duct system of claim 1, wherein the information modules include five information modules arranged in a network, and a first information module of the five information modules is within a positional signal range of remaining of the five information modules.

4. The duct system of claim 3, wherein the five information modules are configured to bypass a malfunctioning information module to pass signal information.

5. A method of mapping a duct system, the method comprising: providing at least two information modules each fixed to a duct, wherein at least one of the at least two information modules is configured to emit a positional signal, wherein the at least two information modules and the duct are covered by an oversheath such that the at least two information modules are interposed between the duct and the oversheath and such that an open space is defined via the duct, the oversheath, and the at least two information modules, wherein the open space contains a fluid which is able to cool the at least two information modules as the fluid flows through the open space; receiving the positional signal from the at least one of the at least two information modules; and plotting the positional signal on at least two axes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the at least two information modules is configured to emit a duct properties signal relating to at least one of i) a condition of the duct, or ii) a content of the duct, and further comprising receiving, via a receiver, the duct properties signal.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the at least two information modules is configured to include a receiver, and wherein the receiving the positional signal is performed by the receiver.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising associating the duct properties signal with the positional signal.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the at least two information modules is fixed to the duct using the oversheath.

10. A duct system comprising: a duct; a plurality of information modules arranged in a network, wherein each of the information modules is configured to emit a positional signal; and an oversheath covering the information modules and the duct such that an open space is defined via the duct, the information modules, and the oversheath, while fixing each of the information modules to the duct, wherein at least one of the information modules is within a positional signal range of another of the information modules in the network, wherein the open space contains a fluid which is able to cool the information modules as the fluid flows through the open space.

11. A device comprising: a duct; a plurality of information modules; and an oversheath covering the duct and the information modules such that each of the information modules is positioned between the duct and the oversheath and such that the duct, the information modules, and the oversheath define an open space, wherein the open space contains a fluid which is able to cool the information modules as the fluid flows through the open space.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the duct includes a longitudinal axis, wherein the information modules are positioned along the longitudinal axis such that the oversheath includes a trough between the information modules.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the information modules are rectilinearly positioned along the longitudinal axis.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the oversheath is buried in a soil.

15. The device of claim 11, where at least one of the information modules is configured for wireless communication.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein two of the information modules are configured to communicate with each other.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the two information modules are consecutive.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the two information modules are non-consecutive.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the open space is a first open space, wherein the fluid is a first fluid, wherein the duct, the information modules, and the oversheath define a second open space, wherein the second open space contains a second fluid which is able to cool the information modules as the second fluid flows through the second open space, wherein the first open space opposes the second open space.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the duct is a single duct.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the present inventive concept are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is an enlarged front cross sectional perspective of the embodiment of FIG. 2 illustrating an information module attached to a duct using an oversheath.

(3) FIG. 2 is a side view of a duct system according to an embodiment of the present inventive concept including multiple information modules secured along the length of a duct by an oversheath.

(4) The drawing figures do not limit the present inventive concept to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

(6) In this description, references to one embodiment, an embodiment, or embodiments mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to one embodiment, an embodiment, or embodiments in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

(7) Turning to FIG. 1, a single electronic information module 10 is illustrated from a front cross sectional perspective at line 1 of the embodiment of FIG. 2. The information module 10 is fixed to an exterior surface of a duct 12 using an oversheath 14. The information module 10 abuts the exterior surface of the duct 12 but is not embedded in the duct 12, thus preserving the structural integrity of the duct 12. The methods of installing information modules onto a duct or series of ducts of the present inventive concept may vary. In the preferred installation method, information modules are attached to the exterior of the duct at desired increments along its length using an adhesive or heat treatment. This assembly is processed through a die that applies an oversheath around the duct and information module assembly.

(8) Though the material and thickness used for an oversheath may vary, the oversheath is preferably composed primarily of plastic such as a polyethylene plastic and is anywhere between 0.5-0.7 in thickness. Such thickness may be decreased for improved signal strength or smaller effective bulk of the duct, or increased to improve durability, e.g., in rough or rockier terrains. The oversheath may be heated prior to application to the information module and duct assembly to increase elasticity. Once applied to the assembly, the oversheath may be allowed to cool and constrict, thereby securing the information modules against the exterior of the duct.

(9) Returning to FIG. 1, the information module 10 and duct 12 are surrounded by an oversheath 14 that wraps around a substantial portion of the exterior of the duct 12. On a portion of the duct's 12 surface that faces the information module 10, the oversheath 14 raises off from the exterior of the duct 12 to wrap around the exterior of the information module 10 and fix the information module 10 to the duct 12. In embodiments where the oversheath does not settle flush against the exterior of the duct and information module at the point where they interface, like in FIG. 1, pockets may form and provide additional benefits in the system, for example by providing space through which air or other fluids may flow to enhance cooling of the information modules. In other embodiments, the oversheath may contact an even greater proportion of the exterior of the duct, for example in embodiments where the oversheath is composed at least partially of heated plastic which is allowed to settle along the contours of the information module during construction of the apparatus, and which thereafter cools to secure the information module against the duct.

(10) Turning now to FIG. 2, a duct system of an embodiment of the present inventive concept is shown from a side perspective. The system includes multiple information modules 10 spaced linearly along the length of a duct 12. The upper and lower extremities of the duct 12 are illustrated using broken lines in FIG. 2. An oversheath 14 wraps around the exteriors of the information modules 10 and duct 12, and secures the information modules 10 to the exterior of the duct 12. Depending on the conditions during installation in various embodiments, including the incremental spacing of the information modules along the duct, the thickness of the information modules, and other factors, this method of installing the information module housing apparatus onto a duct will produce troughs between the information modules, such as the troughs 16 illustrated in FIG. 2. The troughs 16 may be utilized in handling the duct 12 during installation, and may contribute to the electromagnetic characteristics of the assembled duct system, such as those characteristics that are detected as part of the transmission of signals from the information module to a receiver. Further, though the embodiment of FIG. 2 is illustrated with information modules 10 arranged linearly along the exterior of the duct 12, it is foreseen that the information modules 10 may be alternatively placed along the outer surface of the duct 12, for example in a non-patterned fashion at different points on the circumference of the duct, without departing from the spirit of the present inventive concept.

(11) The information modules may transmit or emit information in signals such as radio transmissions, electronic currents through wires, or through other known means, and may do so actively on an intermittent or continuous basis or passively, for example in response to interrogation by a receiver. A receiver is a means for collecting signals from the information modules of the system of the present inventive concept, and may be integrated within one or more information modules or may be separate devices configured for receipt of the signals. A signal range refers to the maximum effective distance between a receiver and an information module within which the receiver is capable of receiving a signal from the information module, and depends on a number of factors such as signal strength, sophistication of the receiver, and number and type of interceding obstructions. The receiver may transmit signals obtained from the information modules to a user or to a separate piece of equipment, and may optionally perform further processing on the signals prior to any such transmission.

(12) An information module is electronic and emits a positional signal that includes at least one of information i) that enables location of the information module with respect to another object, e.g., the receiver, on at least two axes, ii) regarding the coordinates of the information module on at least two axes, and iii) associated with the particular duct section to which the information module is fixed. Any or all of the foregoing items of information may be used for locating and/or mapping a duct system. In a preferred embodiment, a handheld receiver may be passed within the range of signal detection for the information modules of the duct system and will collect at least one of the foregoing types of information. Depending on the scope of the location or mapping needed, a user may then use the positional signals collected through the receiver to locate a particular duct section, or map an entire duct system. In certain embodiments, this may require processing the positional signals with other information, for example regarding relative position of another object, such as the receiver itself.

(13) A receiver may also be integrated into one or more of the information modules, permitting positional signals to be exchanged between the information modules themselves in a network, for example to enable the calculation of relative positions amongst the information modules of the duct system. This embodiment may further provide for collection of positional signal information from the entire duct system by a receiver that is only within the positional signal range of one information module, for example because that information module has collected the positional signal information from the other information modules of the duct system that are within the network. Thus, in certain embodiments it may be preferable for any one information module to be within the positional signal range of at least four other information modules, e.g., with two on either side, to enable continued transmission of positional signals along the information module network even where one information module becomes inoperable and requires replacement or maintenance and is bypassed by the network.

(14) In more sophisticated embodiments of the system, the information modules may further be configured to emit duct properties signals including information regarding at least one of: i) the condition of the duct, and ii) the contents of the duct. The information module may be configured with its own sensor(s) to detect such duct properties information or may simply receive such information from independent sensor apparatus(es). Information regarding the condition of the duct may relate to the integrity of the duct, the history of information exchange with receivers of the duct system, the features of the duct including valves or circuitry in proximity thereto, or other properties and characteristics. Information regarding the contents of the duct may include volumetric flow rate, pressure, electrical properties or performance information, or other properties or characteristics.

(15) The duct system of the present inventive concept thus provides means for collecting information regarding the position of its constituent duct and/or duct sections and, optionally, regarding the condition and/or operation of the duct sections and their contents. This information can be mapped for ease of location and maintenance.

(16) Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of the general inventive concept, the manner in which the general inventive concept is constructed and used, the characteristics of the construction, and advantageous, new and useful results obtained; the new and useful structures, devices, tools, elements, arrangements, parts and combinations, are set forth in the appended claims.

(17) It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the general inventive concept herein described, and all statements of the scope of the general inventive concept which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.