# US 12,761,107 B2 · Non-intrusive valve activity and status indicator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,761,107 B2 - Document ID: US12761107B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/602,443 - Filed: 2024-03-12 - Published: 2024-09-19 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2023-03-13 - Assignees: Hansen Technologies Corporation - Applicants: Hansen Technologies LLC - Inventors: James Kasallis; Bryant Crane; Harold Streicher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12761107B2 ## CPC - G01M 3/2876: {for valves (G01M3/30 takes precedence)} - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Systems and methods described herein provide for detection and monitoring a status of a piping system. A valve status detection system includes an activity detector configured to detect flow downstream of a valve in a pipeline of the piping system, and an analyzer assembly. The analyzer assembly stores one or more state detection logics corresponding to one or more use cases of the piping system and receives input to select a use case. The analyzer selects a state detection logic corresponding to the selected use case. The analyzer assembly identifies a flow reading based on a signal from the activity detector and determines a status of the piping system based on the flow reading and the selected state detection logic corresponding to the selected use case. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: an activity detector configured to monitor flow downstream or upstream of a valve in a pipeline of a piping system; and an analyzer assembly including a processor and a memory configured to: store one or more state detection logics corresponding to one or more use cases of the piping system, receive input to select a use case, select one of the state detection logics corresponding to the selected use case, identify a flow reading based on a signal from the activity detector, determine a status of the piping system, based on the flow reading and the selected state detection logic corresponding to the selected use case, store a life-cycle indicator for the valve, and monitor received valve state data against the life-cycle indicator. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more state detection logics correspond to use cases for an operational mode and a compliance test mode of the piping system. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the activity detector is configured to be secured to an outside surface of the pipeline or the valve. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the activity detector is configured to non-intrusively collect flow data from the pipeline so as to generate the signal for the analyzer assembly to identify the flow reading. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to process signals from the activity detector as signals for a group including one of gas flow, liquid flow, and mixed gas and liquid flow. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein, when identifying the flow reading, the processor is further configured to: obtain a monitoring threshold, of multiple monitoring thresholds, corresponding to a medium in the pipeline, receive, from the activity detector, a monitoring signal, and compare the monitoring signal to the monitoring threshold to determine if there is flow of the medium. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein, when identifying the flow reading, the processor is further configured to perform signal conditioning prior to the comparing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a valve state sensor corresponding to the valve in the pipeline, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify a valve state based on a signal from the valve state sensor, and determine the status of the piping system, based on the valve state, the flow reading, and the state detection logic corresponding to the selected use case. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: identify one or more thresholds corresponding to the selected use case. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the analyzer assembly further includes a communication interface to send, to an external device, a signal indicating the determined status. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the communication interface includes one of: a wired interface, a wireless local area network (LAN) interface, or a wireless personal area network (PAN) interface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: send, to a collection device, a signal indicating the determined status. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate an alarm signal based on the determined status. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: an auxiliary sensor to detect one or more of temperature, moisture, vibration, or acceleration in the pipeline, wherein, when determining the status of the piping system, the processor is further configured to: determine the status of the piping system based on a signal from the auxiliary sensor. ### Claim 15 A method comprising: storing, in a memory of an analyzer device, one or more state detection logics corresponding to one or more use cases of a piping system including a pipeline, receiving, by the analyzer device, user input to select a use case of the piping system, selecting one of the state detection logics corresponding to the selected use case, receiving, by the analyzer device, a valve state signal from a valve state sensor corresponding to a valve in the pipeline and a flow signal from an activity detector, wherein the activity detector is located upstream or downstream of the valve, identifying, by the analyzer device, a valve state based on the valve state signal from the valve state sensor, and a flow reading based on the flow signal from the activity detector, determining, by the analyzer device, a status of the piping system, based on the valve state, the flow reading, and the state detection logic for the selected use case, sending, by the analyzer device, interlock instructions to a valve in another pipeline of the piping system based on the determined status, and generating, by the analyzer device, an alarm signal based on the determined status. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the activity detector is secured to an outside surface of the pipeline. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the flow signal includes a vibration level, and wherein identifying the flow reading comprises applying a monitoring threshold for one of a gas flow, a liquid flow, or a mixed gas and liquid flow. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: sending, by the analyzer device and to a collection device, a signal indicating the determined status.