The present invention relates to liquid leakage detecting apparatus which can monitor areas subject to leakage, and which can perform this monitoring function over a broad area.
Liquid leakage detecting devices are used in a variety of locations. Such devices are used to detect water leakage from water pipes in multi-unit dwellings, and to detect the leakage of chemicals from storage tanks and pipelines in chemical plants.
Various leakage detection principles are used in such sensors. One especially well-known operating principle is as follows: i.e., a detecting component is formed from a pair of electrodes which constitute a portion of a detection circuit. An electrical change which occurs in the detection circuit when the electrodes of the detecting component are short-circuited, and thus electrically connected, by the liquid constituting the target of detection is detected, and leakage is detected as a result of the detection of this electrical change.
Conventional liquid leakage detecting devices are able to function satisfactorily as long as it is necessary to monitor the possible occurrence of leakage in a restricted area.
However, in cases where it is desired not only to monitor a broad area for the possible occurrence of leakage, but also to ascertain exactly where leakage is occurring within this broad area when leakage does occur, e.g., in cases where a pipeline is monitored for leakage, it is necessary to divide the pipeline into small segments, and to install a detecting component in each segment, with these detecting components being centrally controlled. Such a system is disadvantageous in that they are expensive, a considerable amount of labor is expended in installing the detecting parts, and a complicated monitoring system is required. Furthermore, the use of such a system results in an increase in equipment operating costs.
The present invention was designed in light of the problems encountered in conventional systems. The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid leakage detection apparatus which makes it possible to ascertain in detail any locations where leakage may occur, without complicating the detecting component structure.