GB2641235A

GB2641235A - A water leak detection system

Info

Publication number: GB2641235A
Application number: GB2407152.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edwards Neil; Carter Neil
Original assignee: Fido Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Fido Tech Ltd
Priority date: 2024-05-20
Filing date: 2024-05-20
Publication date: 2025-11-26
Also published as: GB202407152D0; WO2025243015A1

Abstract

A base station, for use in a water leak detection system configured to detect the presence of water leaks in an underground water pipe, comprises: a housing 202; attachment means 228 configured to attach the base station to a metal cover 26 associated with the underground water pipe; and an antenna 224 mounted on a substrate (such as PCB 226) acting as a ground pole of the antenna. When the base station is attached to the metal cover, the substrate and metal cover are substantially parallel such that the metal cover defines an extended ground pole of the antenna. The metal cover acts as the ground pole of the antenna and not as a reflector, increasing antenna efficiency and reducing signal attenuation. A water leak detection system is also provided, comprising the base station and one or more remote sensors configured to capture audio data generated from a pipe.

Description

A water leak detection system

Field of invention

The invention relates to an improved base station for use in underground water leak detection systems.

Background

Water is often carried using a system of underground pipes. The pipes can be constructed from a variety of different materials and can be buried significant distances below the surface. For a variety of reasons, age, damage etc., water can leak from a pipe. This can be costly, and in regions in which water is sparse the leakage of water from pipes can have significant environmental impacts. The detection of leaks from pipes is therefore an important aspect in the management of waterways.

As pipes are typically installed underground access to the pipes to determine the presence of a water leak is a non-trivial task. The pipe network can extend several tens or hundreds of kilometres and due to being underground access can be difficult.

When a leak in the system is detected, or suspected, it is important to be able to determine the location of the leak in order to fix the leak. As the pipe is underground and access to a damaged pipe often requires digging up a portion of the landscape, such a road or pavement, accurate determining the location of the leak is required in order to minimise disruption and costs.

It is known to place sensors at multiple locations on the surface of the pipes in order to listen to the noises generated by the flow of water. Leaks can be detected by monitoring the noises detected by the sensors. Due to the difficulties in transmitting data in an underground environment, in particular attenuation of the signal caused by the medium, the sensors are typically wired. However, wired sensors have drawbacks. In particular the underground environment can be harsh and the sensors damaged (severed wires etc.). Furthermore, the base station to which the sensors communicate are placed underground typically near access points which are covered by metal covers. The base stations transmit the signals to the surface so that they can be collected by engineers and suffer from poor signal due to attenuation from the ground and reflection from metal covers. As the signal is poor this also impacts on battery life as higher power is required to transmit.

Furthermore, as the transmission of data from a base station is limited as the underground severely attenuates the signal. This requires for engineers to visit the sites in person to obtain data from the sensors to determine the location of a leak. This is a time consuming and costly process.

Summary

In order to mitigate some of the above problems there is provided a base station for use in a water leak detection system configured to detect the presence of water leaks in an underground water pipe the base station comprising: a housing and an attachment means configured to attach the base station to attach to a metal cover associated with the underground water pipe; an antenna mounted on a substrate, wherein the substrate acts as a ground pole of the antenna, wherein the substrate is configured such that when the base station is attached to the metal cover, the substrate and the metal cover are substantially parallel such that the metal cover defines an extended ground pole of the antenna.

There is also provided a water leak detection system configured to detect the presence of water leaks in an underground water pipe the system comprising; one or more remote sensors, each of said sensors configured to be placed on or near an underground water pipe the sensor configured to capture audio data generated from a pipe, and to transmit data from the sensor; a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with the one or more remote sensors, said base station comprising: an attachment means configured to attach the base station to attach to a metal cover associated with the underground pipe an antenna mounted on a substrate, wherein the substrate acts as a ground pole of the antenna, wherein the substrate is configured such that when the base station is attached to the metal cover the substrate and the metal cover are substantially parallel such that the metal cover defines an extended ground pole of the antenna.

The novel arrangement of the relay station advantageously leverage the fact that the station is designed to be placed in an underground setting, which is accessed by a metal cover. Under normal circumstances, due the reflectivity of the metal cover attenuating the signal, and the general ground attenuation, the signal from a relay station can be weak. In the present invention, the relay station is designed such that it can be attached to the metal cover, with a ground pole that when the station is attached to a metal cover there is a small, or no, air gap and the substrate, typically a PCB, which form the effective ground pole is substantially parallel to the metal cover. This allows for the metal cover to act as the ground pole of the antenna and not as a reflector as it would do otherwise. By increasing the ground pole the efficiency of the antenna is increased and furthermore as the metal plate no longer acts a reflector the signal is less attenuated.

A further advantage is as metal covers typically have known designs, with a flat surface, the configuration of the device is typically constant. However, using this principle the configuration can be adapted to take into account other shapes of metal covers.

The present configuration provides a stronger signal to be transmitted by the relay station, which can be received at much greater distances and allows for remote monitoring to occur thereby avoiding the requirement of engineers having to visit each station individually.

In an embodiment the antenna is a PCB antenna. This allows for a cheap flexible antenna. Optionally when the base station is attached to the metal cover the substrate and metal cover are separated by a distance of between approximately 5-10mm. It is found a small air gap between the cover and substrate increases the effectiveness of the antenna in use. Optionally base station is attached to the metal cover the substrate and the metal cover are offset from the parallel by a maximum of +-15 degrees. It is found that the substrate and cover need not be precisely parallel in order for the cover to act as the ground plane, however an offset of greater than 15 degrees results in a less effective antenna.

Optionally the antenna is a cellular antenna allowing for communication with external devices allowing for remote monitoring of the water pipe. Optionally the base station further comprises a short range communication module, preferably wherein the short range communication module is a Bluetooth module. This allows for the base station to effectively communicate with remote sensors in an underground environment. Furthermore, as such protocols are low powered the effective life time of the device can be long.

Optionally the base station comprises one or more magnetic connectors allowing for easy connection to the metal covers in use. Optionally it has a GPS antenna in order to determine the location of the base station. When multiple stations are used in a water network it allows for effective monitoring of the entire network.

Optionally the base station is further configured to communicate using NB-IoT. NB-IoT is found to be particularly effective in underground environments.

Optionally the base station comprises a SIM card to allow the station to communicate over increased distances and optionally configured to communicate with an external device via the antenna. Preferably the base station is configured to communicate with the external device is a substantially real time manner. This allows for effective monitoring of the water pipes.

Optionally the base station comprises a ruggedised waterproof housing. As the station is placed in a harsh underground environment such casing helps prolong the life of the device.

Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the appended claim set.

Brief description of the figures

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the devices, systems, and methods described herein will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a water leak detection system; and Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a base station in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

Detailed description

Embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures. The foregoing may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein.

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a leak detection system in accordance with an example of the invention.

There is shown the system 10, comprising a base station 12, a first sensor 14, a second sensor 16, an external device 18 there is also shown a water pipe 20, aggregate material 22, ground level 24 and a metal cover 26.

The base station 12, can also be referred to as a relay station. The terms base station 12 and relay station are used interchangeably. The base station 12 is described in further detail with reference to Figure 2 and is a central component of the leak detection system. As described below the base station 12 is housed in a robust casing that is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of an underground environment comprising aggregate material 20. In an example, the aggregate material 22 comprises a mixture of soil, rock and stones and can be any material typically found underground i.e. below the ground level 24. The aggregate material 22 is a dense material which attenuates short range radio frequences such as narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) signals.

The base station 12 comprises a transmitter which is configured to receive data from the first sensor 14 and second sensor 16 and to transmit data to an external device 18 which is above the ground level 24. The external device 18 can be any suitable device configured to receive data from the base station 12. The external device 18 may a computing device, or another base station/relay station configured to transmit the data. In an embodiment the external device 18 is a mobile telephone running an application which is able to collect data from multiple base stations and using the geolocation information it can be used to manage a network of pipes to detect leaks. Such monitoring can occur in a substantially real-time manner.

The base station 12 is in communication with one or more remote sensors. For ease of understanding Figure 1 is shown with reference to a first sensor 14 and a second sensor 16 though in practice the number of sensors may be more than two. The base station 12 and the sensors communicate via known short range radio frequency protocols such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, NB-IoT etc. Whilst the following is described with reference to NB-IoT the skilled person will understand that any suitable communication protocol may be used.

NB-IoT is used as a preferred communication protocol as the protocol is known to be low powered and can be implemented on inexpensive devices. Furthermore NB-IoT offers several advantages such as low power consumption, long range, and deep penetration. These features make NB-IoT a preferred protocol for communication with devices that are located underground.

The form of the remote sensor is described in further detail with respect to Figure 3.

The first sensor 14 and second sensor 16 are called remote sensors as they can be placed at any suitable location and they communicate wirelessly with the base station 12. In an embodiment the sensor is the Bug sensor sold by FIDO Technologies. The first sensor 14 and second sensor 16 can be the same or different type of sensor. The first sensor 14 and second sensor 16 comprise an acoustic component configured to record acoustic data.

When a water pipe 20 has a leak it will generate an acoustic signal which is different to the signal it would generate otherwise. The sensors are therefore used to identify changes in pressure, flow rate, or acoustic signals that may indicate a leak. Such sensors are known in the art and are highly sensitive and which enable them to detect leaks that may otherwise go unnoticed. By monitoring the acoustic signal generated by a water pipe 20 it is possible to determine whether or not a given section of the water pipe 20 has a leak. As the computational processing required to process the data captured by the first sensor 14 and second sensor 16 is significant the data from the sensors is sent to the base station 12 for processing at the base station 12 or external device 18. Thus the base station 12 collects data from the first sensor 14 and second sensor 16.

In use the first sensor 14 and second sensor 16 are placed at various locations along the water pipe 20. The base station 12 therefore acts as a one to many station and collates the data from the sensors in order to send the data to the external device. The base station 12 also comprises a geolocation device, such as a GPS module, so that the position of the base station 12 may be accurately determined.

In use the base station 12 is attached to a metal cover 26 by fixing means such as magnets, adhesive, ties etc. The surface of the base station 12 which contacts the metal cover 26 is referred to as the abutting surface. The metal cover 26 is typically a manhole cover, or similar, which covers a utility hole. Such covers 26 are known to provide access to utilities such as water pipes 20 and are typically large enough to provide access for a person. They typically have a metal construction. As described in further detail with respect to Figure 2 the base station 12 comprises an antenna, such as a PCB antenna, where the ground plane of the antenna is defined by a substrate such as the PCB. The ground plane is positioned such that when the base station 12 is attached to the metal cover 26 the substrate which defines the ground plane is placed on, or near the surface, the abutting surface in a substantially parallel manner. As the metal cover 26 is typically flat the substrate, or PCB board, is therefore typically placed flat or parallel to the abutting surface. In further embodiments the substrate may be offset from the parallel by +-5°, or up to +-15°. The smaller offset is preferred as it is found the closer to the parallel the most efficient the antenna becomes.

The positioning of the base station 12 on the metal cover 26, with the substrate defining the ground plane separated from the metal cover 26 by a small air gap, or directly abutting the metal cover, in a substantially parallel manner causes the metal cover 26 to effectively become part of the ground plane of the antenna. As the size of the ground plane is increased, the effectiveness of the antenna is increased. Furthermore, as the metal cover 26 would typically act as reflector the above described arrangement causes the metal cover 26 to no longer act as reflector thus allowing the base station 12 to transmit further to devices which are located above ground level. In an embodiment the base station 12 comprises a SIM module such as SIM800L GSM module to allow for the transmission of the collected data. As the configuration provides the larger effective ground plane the base station 12 is able to transmit the data effectively.

The present invention therefore provides a system which can transmit a stronger signal from an underground base station 12 thus allowing for the remote monitoring of a water pipe or network of water pipes. Furthermore, as the system is wireless and utilises low powered communication protocols such as NB-IoT the sensors may be placed on a water pipe for a period of years without need for replacement. As such the present configuration allows for an improved energy efficient water leak detection system.

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the base station 12 attached to the underside of a metal cover 26.

There is shown the base station 12 having a casing 202, the casing having an upper surface 204, a lower surface 206, side walls 208 210, within the casing there is a power source 212, a core module 214, a Bluetooth module 216, a SIM module 218, a SIM card 220, a GPS antenna 222, a cellular antenna 224 mounted on a PCB 226. On the exterior of the casing 202 there is a magnetic connector 228 and lights 230.

The casing 202 is a ruggedised waterproof casing to allow the base station 12 to withstand the conditions in an underground setting. In an embodiment the casing 202 is made from a suitable plastic such as polycarbonate, ABS, PET etc. The casing has an upper surface 204, a lower surface 206 and side walls 208 210. The upper surface 204 is typically a flat surface as it is the abutting surface, in that it is designed to closely contact a metal cover 26 in use. As the metal covers 26 are typically flat in design the upper surface 204 is also flat. On the upper surface there are one or more magnetic connectors 228. The magnetic connectors 228 are preferably spaced across the upper surface 204. The magnetic connectors 228 therefore allow the bast station 12 to be placed, and securely fastened, on the underside of the metal cover 26. In further embodiments other types of connectors other than magnetic connectors 228 are used.

In particular if the metal cover 26 is made from a non-ferromagnetic material then other connection means are required, for example ties, adhesive etc. The lower surface 206 and side walls 208 210 may be of any suitable shape and size required to house the components and to be placed within an underground environment. Lights 230, such as LED lights, may be present on the casing 202. The lights can be used to provide an indication that the device is functioning, or malfunctioning.

Internally, the PCB 226 on which the cellular antenna 224 is mounted, is placed on the upper surface 204. Therefore, when the base station 12 is connected to metal cover 26 the PCB 226 on which the cellular antenna 224 is mounted is parallel, or substantially parallel to the cover 26 and the physical separation between the cellular antenna 224 and the cover is small, preferably less than 10mm thus creating an air gap. It is found that a small separation, in use, between the antenna 224 and the metal cover 26, of between 5-10mm, provides an improved performance. Furthermore, whilst the PCB 226 is preferably substantially parallel to the upper surface 204, and therefore the metal cover in use, it may be at an angle and offset by up to 25°.

As described above the configuration of the PCB 226 on which the cellular antenna 224 is mounted and the upper surface 204 which abuts the metal cover in use means that when the base station 12 is fastened to the metal cover 26 the metal cover 26 acts as the ground plane of the cellular antenna 224 thus increasing the effectiveness of the antenna. Furthermore, the metal cover 26 which would typically act as a reflector, thereby attenuating the signal, no longer acts a reflector.

The base station further comprises a power source 212 housed in the casing 202, this may be any known suitable power source such as a batter. Optionally, the base station may comprise a super capacitor (not shown) which is connected in parallel to the power source 212 to extend the life of the base station.

The casing 202 also contains a core module 214. The core module 214 comprises a processor, an LTE modem and a memory. The core module 214 therefore is configured to control the base station 214 and communications. The LTE modem preferably supports multiple communication protocols such as NB-IoT and LTE-M to enable the base station 12 to communicate with cellular connectivity. The core module further comprises a UART interface which allows for functionality such as debugging and security key provisions in the known manner.

There is also a Bluetooth module 216 which is a known commercially available module which enables the base station 12 to communicate with external sensors using the Bluetooth communication protocol. In further embodiments, the Bluetooth module 216 may be replaced, or supplemented, by modules configured to communicate using other short range radio frequency protocols such as ZigBee. Further communication capability is provided by the SIM module 218 which also includes a SIM card 220 and the cellular antenna 224.

Preferably the cellular antenna 224 is a PCB antenna and therefore is integrated into a PCB 226. Such antenna are known, and commercially available. They are preferred in the base station 12 due to their small size and ease of integration into the station. In such antenna the PCB 226 typically acts as the ground plane, however, as described above when the base station 12 is connected to the cover 26 via the connectors 228 the metal cover acts as the ground plane of the antenna and therefore the ground plane is extended.

The base station 12 further comprises a GPS antenna 222 which functions in the known manner to provide an accurate location of the base station 12. In use, knowledge of the location of the base station allows for a more accurate determination of the position of a water leak when detected.

Therefore, in use the base station 12 is able to receive data from the remote sensors and transmit the data via the cellular capabilities to an external device. This transmission can occur in a substantially real time manner. When multiple base stations are placed across a network of waterpipes the external device can receive near real-time information regarding the status of the waterpipes in multiple locations and therefore determine the location of leaks in an effective manner. The configuration of the base station 12 leveraging the metal coverage to become the ground plane of the antenna allows for the device to transmit to the external device and increases the life time of the stations as less power is required to transmit the data. Furthermore, the configuration makes it easier to push out over the air updates to the base stations and sensors remotely.

Claims

Claims 1. A base station for use in a water leak detection system configured to detect the presence of water leaks in an underground water pipe the base station comprising: a housing and an attachment means configured to attach the base station to attach to a metal cover associated with the underground water pipe; an antenna mounted on a substrate, wherein the substrate acts as a ground pole of the antenna, wherein the substrate is configured such that when the base station is attached to the metal cover, the substrate and the metal cover are substantially parallel so that the metal cover defines an extended ground pole of the antenna.
2. The base station of claim 1 wherein the antenna is a PCB antenna.
3. The base station of any preceding claim wherein when the base station is attached to the metal cover the substrate and metal cover are separated by a distance of between approximately 5-10mm.
4. The base station of any preceding claim wherein when the base station is attached to the metal cover the substrate and the metal cover are offset from the parallel by a maximum of +-15 degrees.
5. The base station of any preceding claim wherein the antenna is a cellular antenna.
6. The base station of any preceding claim wherein the base station further comprises a short range communication module.
7. The base station of claim 6 wherein the short range communication module is a Bluetooth module.
8. The base station of any preceding claim further comprising one or more magnetic connectors. 35
9. The base station of any preceding claim further comprising a SIM card.
10.The base station of any preceding claim further comprising a GPS antenna.
11.The base station of any preceding claim wherein the base station is further configured to communicate using NB-IoT.
12.The base station of any preceding claim wherein the base station is further configured to communicate with an external device via the antenna.
13.The base station of claim 12 wherein the base station is configured to communicate with the external device is a substantially real time manner.
14. The base station of any preceding claim wherein the base station comprises a ruggedised waterproof housing.
15. A water leak detection system configured to detect the presence of water leaks in an underground water pipe the system comprising; one or more remote sensors, each of said sensors configured to be placed on or near an underground water pipe the sensor configured to capture audio data generated from a pipe, and to transmit data from the sensor; a base station according to any of claims 1 to 14.