Communication systems, monitoring systems, and related methods

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication system (140), a monitoring system (110) for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance (112), the monitoring system (110) including the communication system (140) and associated methods (310, 312). The monitoring system (110) can be used to monitor the at least one substance (112) and provide processing data for processing the at least one substance (112) via the communication system (140), wherein the communication system (140) comprises a cloud server (144), a first server (146), at least one second server (148, 148'), and at least one third server (150, 150'); The first server (146) further comprises a first communication interface (156) configured to provide reference spectral information and reference analytical data referencing at least one reference sample to the cloud server (144); Each second server (148, 148′) has a second communication interface (158, 158′) configured to provide spectral information related to at least one substance (112) to the cloud server (144); The cloud server (144) - generating a calibration model including at least one parameter by using reference spectral information and reference analytical data provided by the first server (146) that refer to the at least one reference sample; - applying a calibration model to spectral information related to said at least one substance (112) provided by said second server (148, 148') such that at least one value of at least one parameter is extracted; - providing at least one value for the at least one parameter to the first server 146 via the first communication interface (156); Composed; the first server (146) is further configured to determine processing data by using at least one value of the at least one parameter provided by the cloud server (144), the processing data including at least one data related to a proposed processing of the at least one substance (112); The first server (146) further has at least one third communication interface (160, 160'), each third communication interface (160, 160') configured to provide the processed data to the at least one third server (150, 150').

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system, a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance including the communication system, and related methods. The monitoring system can be used to monitor at least one substance and provide processing data for processing at least one substance via the communication system. The monitoring system can be used in various applications such as food or beverage management or monitoring, industrial process management, material classification or characterization, product counterfeiting prevention, organism characterization, or health applications.

Background Art

[0002] Frying is widely used as a method of cooking food. In the food service industry, characterizing frying oil provides information necessary for optimal oil management. In high-efficiency restaurants and fry shops, proper oil management directly affects not only customer satisfaction but also the balance of payments. It helps not only to ensure consistent quality of fried foods but also to make the most of every oil batch. Two of the most important functions in frying oil management are maintaining the composition of the oil that results in the desired food characteristics and determining when to change the oil.

[0003] Based on these considerations, various tests have been developed to characterize the condition of frying oil. Such tests are described in RFStier's "The Measurement of Frying Oil Quality and Authenticity, Chapter 8 Frying: Improving Quality, Ed. J. B. Rossell, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge (UK), 2001," or defined by organizations such as "Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Fettwissenschaften" in "German Standard Analytical Methods for Fats and Other Lipids, Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesell schaft, Stuttgart, Germany, 1998."

[0004] However, many of these established standard methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Their implementation requires well-equipped laboratories and skilled staff, making them unsuitable for the daily operations of a restaurant. Instead, the food service industry needs tests that are easier to use, provide faster results, and are safer to use during operations.

[0005] In "Tests to monitor quality of deep-frying fats and oils, Eur.J.Lipid Sci.Technol.106(2004)766-771" by RFStier, available rapid tests are classified as follows:

[0006] A. Physical methods: 1. Visual inspection: a. Foam formation and foam height; b. Determination of the oil's color and transparency; 2. Viscosity tests based on the observation that the viscosity of oil increases as polymerization occurs under the influence of heat and oxygen; 3. Dielectric constant measurement: Monitoring changes in dielectric constant; 4. Artificial nose; and 5. Near-infrared spectroscopy. B. Chemical method: Rapid test using test strips or chemical test kits.

[0007] According to RFStier, neither foam formation nor oil color are good indicators of whether the oil needs to be changed. Oil that may have reached the wand's color is considered unsuitable for use and should be discarded. However, these tests are subjective and do not reflect the actual quality of the oil, as good oil may be darker in color and poor oil lighter in color.

[0008] Furthermore, viscosity measurements of oils, which can be used to indicate the polymerization grade of oils, do not refer to other degradation mechanisms. However, according to Q. Zhang et al., Chemistry and Physics of Lipids 165 (2012), pp. 662-681, these mechanisms lead to a variety of degradation products, including volatile compounds, hydrolysis products, oxidized triacylglycerol monomers, cyclic compounds, trans-configured compounds, polymers, sterol derivatives, nitrogen and sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, and acrylamides.

[0009] Instruments designed to measure changes in the dielectric constant of oil are known, such as the Ebro FOM 330 and Testo 270. Schwarz's *Quick tests used for fats and oils*, Eur.J.Lipid Sci.Technol. 102 (2000) 542, affirms the value of this method in a comparative study with other rapid test methods, although RFStier (see above) notes that to overcome problems, manufacturers suggest "zeroing" the instrument with fresh oil and heating the sensor cup to 50°C if using solid fats for frying. Filtration can also be employed to remove suspended solids and contaminants that could negatively affect the measurement. In practice, dielectric constant measurement is currently only used for occasional oil inspections in restaurants.

[0010] Furthermore, according to RFStier (see above), while artificial noses appear promising, the technology is not yet mature. Products for oil management based on this technology are not currently commercially available.

[0011] Therefore, chemical testing is commonly used in restaurants. However, this requires dangerous and undesirable procedures, including sampling hot frying oil. For this purpose, test strips are commercially available. Some, such as 3M's "Oil Quality Test Strips," are sensitive to free fatty acids in oil. However, according to the instructions, the test strips must be stored in a sealed container at a low temperature, ideally in a refrigerator or freezer, which may prove problematic for restaurants.

[0012] Furthermore, RFStier (see above) has given near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy great potential in characterizing frying oils. For this reason, test systems utilizing near-infrared and mid-infrared light are used in the food industry. These units can be used online or at-line. Here, NIR measurements can be obtained by reflectance or transmittance, i.e., light is reflected from or passes through the product and collected by the detector. NIR can be used to quantify moisture, protein, fat, and solids. "Application of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to the analysis of frying fats," Eur.J.Lipid Sci.Technol.102(2000)580 by Buening-Pfaue and Kehraus reports on a study using NIR for the analysis of frying fats, finding a good correlation between NIR and conventional analytical methods and demonstrating that this instrument can be used for the analysis of edible oils.

[0013] Despite its immense potential, near-infrared spectroscopy is not widely used outside of laboratories for characterizing frying oil. Obstacles to its widespread adoption include the high cost of equipment, the large system size, the associated costs and technical challenges of using optical probes submerged in high-temperature oil, and the need for precise interpretation of spectral data into parameters necessary for decision-making in oil management.

[0014] Currently available oil management systems offer closed-loop oil systems that handle both automatic oil filling and discharging, as well as disposal. These systems include software solutions that support both data management and record keeping regarding oil usage in restaurants. However, oil characterization in any way is not part of these systems.

[0015] WO2017 / 002079A1 discloses an apparatus and method for measuring the quality of frying oil in real time by sensing chemical species related to the quality of the frying oil. The apparatus comprises an optical sensor including at least a light source and at least a photodetector; a chamber for receiving the frying oil to be measured, in which the light source is optically coupled to the photodetector through the frying oil in the chamber; and a processing unit configured to receive signals from the photodetector of the absorption, transmission, reflection, scattering, or combination thereof of light emitted by the light source through the frying oil, and calculates an output indicating the quality of the frying oil from the received signals using a pre-calculated model relating to the chemical species and quality of the frying oil.

[0016] WO2018 / 044972A1 discloses an analytical system for liquid sample analysis using NIR spectroscopy and spectral processing to transmit the composition of liquid samples. However, in the context of oil management, this information is of little use to the average user who does not possess expertise in the advanced chemical processes of oil degradation, and therefore, it is not possible to derive necessary actions from the chemical composition.

[0017] WO2018 / 090142A1 discloses a method for spectrophotometric analysis. A measurement system is provided comprising a low-resolution spectrophotometric sensor, a mobile communication device (such as a smartphone or tablet), and software that may be installed in part on the device and in part on a remote computing server or service. The method includes: calibration of a measurement channel directed to measure an optical spectrum or spectrally related quantity; estimation of the optical spectrum of an arbitrary analyzed sample based on data from the sensor and the calibration results; and evaluation of spectrally related quantities based on the estimation results. These method steps may include local and / or remote computing resources.

[0018] WO2018 / 122857A1 discloses a method for monitoring, analyzing and maintaining water and equipment in a swimming pool, the method being implemented by one or more processors operably coupled to a non-transient computer-readable storage device, the computer-readable storage device containing modules of instruction code that, when executed, cause one or more processors to: accumulate and monitor data from elements including at least one of sensors, actuators and breakers in and around the pool; accumulate non-sensory data from multiple sources in a local processing unit; transmit the data to an online remote server; apply a machine learning or rule-based algorithm on the online remote server configured to obtain an optimal policy for pool maintenance by incorporating all acquired data and providing recommendations and control parameters; and provide an online interface for accessing the recommendations / control parameters to at least one of a pool owner, a pool serviceman, a pool maintenance company, a pool operator and a pool retailer.

[0019] US2019 / 353587A1 discloses a method and apparatus for field spectroscopy characterization of seafood. A portable NIR spectrometer is connected to an analyzer configured to perform multivariate analysis of the reflection spectrum to qualitatively determine the intrinsic properties of a seafood sample or to quantitatively determine freshness.

[0020] WO2020 / 014073A1 discloses evaluating the properties of edible oil using a spectrometer. The light reflectance data is obtained in-situ from the edible oil within a frying appliance containing the edible oil, and the reflectance data corresponds to a specified range of infrared wavelengths. A model profile corresponding to the property to be evaluated is obtained from a repository containing a safe library of such profiles. The model profile defines a regression vector used to transform the reflectance data to generate a value corresponding to the property to be evaluated. A criterion is applied to the value to establish a simplified representation of the property presented to the user for evaluating the quality of the oil.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0021]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Patent Document 6

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0022] Therefore, the problem addressed by the present invention is to identify a communication system, a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, and related methods that at least substantially avoid the drawbacks of known systems, apparatus, and methods of this type.

[0023] In particular, the system and related methods are desirable to provide efficient monitoring of at least one substance (which may or may not include a liquid), the at least one substance can be located anywhere on the user's premises (even in a remote or virtually inaccessible area), and the processing of measurement data acquired at or near the location of the at least one substance is distributed between a first instance familiar with evaluating the measurement data and a second instance familiar with providing the user with processed data based on the evaluated measurement data, thereby enabling the system and related methods to simultaneously apply distributed best practices and specific data exchanges under high data protection standards during the processing of measurement data, preferably by employing fully automated procedures.

[0024] In particular, with regard to monitoring the frying process, it would be desirable that the system and related methods be able to ensure high quality standards for fried foods by efficiently characterizing the frying oil under in-situ conditions for frying operations, thereby yielding parameters that can be reasonably correlated with food quality. According to the aforementioned RRFStier, an ideal quick test meets the following criteria: - Correlated with official and / or generally accepted analytical methods; - easy to use; - Safe for use in food preparation in production areas; - Related to food quality and safety; - Durable in the field; - Retesting is possible; and - Environmentally friendly or environmentally conscious.

[0025] In general, in a variety of applications such as food or beverage management or monitoring, industrial process control, material classification or characterization, product counterfeit prevention, biological characterization, or health applications, it would be desirable to be able to conform to a catalog of similar standards applicable to other types of substances, whether or not they contain liquids. [Means for solving the problem]

[0026] This problem is solved by the present invention, which has the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous developments of the present invention, which can be realized individually or in combination, are shown in the dependent claims and / or the following specification and detailed embodiments.

[0027] As used herein, the terms “have,” “equip,” and “include,” and their grammatical variations, are used in a non-exclusive manner. Thus, the expression “A has B,” and the expressions “A equips B” or “A includes B,” can refer to both the fact that A includes one or more additional components and / or constituents other than B, and the case where A does not have any other components, constituents, or elements other than B.

[0028] In a first aspect of the present invention, a communication system is disclosed. The communication system comprises a cloud server, a first server, at least one second server, and at least one third server; The first server further has a first communication interface configured to provide the cloud server with reference spectral information and reference analysis data that reference at least one reference sample; Each second server has a second communication interface configured to provide spectral information relating to at least one substance to the cloud server; The aforementioned cloud server is - To generate a calibration model including at least one parameter by using reference spectral information and reference analysis data that reference the at least one reference sample provided by the first server; - Apply the calibration model to the spectral information relating to the at least one substance provided by the second server, so that at least one value of the at least one parameter can be extracted; - To provide the first server with the at least one value for the at least one parameter via the first communication interface; Consists of, The first server is further configured to determine processing data by using at least one value of the at least one parameter provided by the cloud server, the processing data comprising at least one piece of data relating to the proposed processing of the at least one substance; The first server further has at least one third communication interface, each third communication interface configured to provide the processing data to the at least one third server.

[0029] As used herein, the term “communication” refers to the transmission of data from a first server to a second server, or vice versa, via at least one communication interface. The term “data” as used herein refers to information provided in digital or digitized form, such as numerical or alphanumeric codes. The term “information” as used generally refers to any type of data that contains content useful to a user. For example, information may be “spectral information” relating to at least one piece of data relating to an electromagnetic spectrum (also referred to herein as “spectrum”), such as a single intensity at a particular wavelength, frequency, or photon energy, or multiple intensities distributed over a selected range of wavelengths, frequencies, or photon energies. Therefore, spectral information, including spectral data, can be generated according to further embodiments of the invention, preferably by using an optical spectrometer, as will be described in more detail. Furthermore, spectral information may include metadata, and in this specification, “metadata” means at least one information item accompanying the electromagnetic spectrum-related information described above, in particular at least one circumstance such as date, time, place, or temperature or atmospheric conditions, spectrometer temperature, temperature of at least one substance, spectrometer identification data, at least one batch of substance, at least one manufacturer of substance, user, photograph, spectral information or satellite data relating to its acquisition. Thus, the term “provide information” refers to a process in which specific information is transmitted in the form of data from a first server to a second server or vice versa via at least one communication interface.

[0030] Furthermore, the term “system” refers to a device comprising at least two components, of which at least two are separate components, but two or more components may be integrated into a single component, and the components are configured to perform collaborative tasks, such as handling a type of communication or a type of monitoring. In particular, the term “communication system” refers to a system comprising at least a first server, a second server, and a communication interface configured to transmit data between these servers, as is commonly used. As will be described in more detail below, the communication system according to the present invention comprises a cloud server, a first server, at least one second server, at least one third server, and various communication interfaces. Furthermore, the term “communication interface” refers to a transmission channel designated for the transmission of data, as is more commonly used. Here, the communication interface may be configured as a unidirectional interface configured to transfer at least one piece of data in one direction, from the first server to the second server, or from the second server to the first server. Alternatively, the communication interface may be configured as a bidirectional interface configured to forward at least one piece of data in one of two directions, from the first server to the second server, or vice versa. Therefore, a particular bidirectional interface can be replaced, as an alternative, by two separate unidirectional interfaces configured for data transmission in opposite directions relative to each other. For the purpose of data transmission, a communication interface may comprise wired or wireless elements. As an example, the wired element can be selected from at least one of the following: metal wires such as copper or gold wires; computer bus systems such as Universal Serial Bus (USB); or optical fibers, while the wireless element may include a wireless transmitter or a Bluetooth element. However, further types of communication interfaces are also possible.The terms “first communication interface,” “second communication interface,” “third communication interface,” and “fourth communication interface,” as used further herein, refer to four separate communication interfaces used for communication between two independently assigned servers.

[0031] As used further herein, the term “server” typically refers to a device configured to provide resources to further devices called “clients,” where “resources” include, in particular, computing power, such as for running at least one computer program; or data storage capacity, such as for storing at least one piece of data. For example, a client may run a single computer program or store data distributed across multiple servers, while a single server may serve multiple clients with respect to at least one of program execution and storage requests. In contrast to the term “server” which refers to a device located within a local network, the term “cloud server” refers to a type of server that can be accessed by clients on demand over the Internet. Consequently, neither the location of the cloud server nor its direct active management is accessible to clients. With respect to the present invention, the terms “first server,” “second server,” and “third server” refer to three separate servers, each located within its local network, where the second and third servers may be integrated into a single unit located within a single network, as will be described in more detail below, while the term “cloud server” refers to a type of server that can be accessed by clients on demand over the Internet.

[0032] As already stated above, the term “spectral information” refers to information relating to at least one data relating to the electromagnetic spectrum. As used herein, “spectral information” refers to spectral information that refers to a specific sample of unknown content and unknown physical properties, while the term “reference spectral information” refers to spectral information that refers to at least one reference sample, where “reference sample” refers to a sample of known content and known physical properties. As used herein, the term “reference analysis data” refers to at least one data relating to the known content and known physical properties of the reference sample. According to the present invention, the reference spectral information and reference analysis data that refer to at least one reference sample are provided to the cloud server by the first server. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the spectral information is provided to the cloud server directly or indirectly using a second communication interface. As further used herein, the term “directly” refers to a configuration in which the second communication interface connects at least one second server to the cloud server so that spectral information is provided to the cloud server without detours. In contrast, the term “indirect” refers to a configuration in which the second communication interface connects at least one second server to a different server, in particular the first server, to which the spectral information is initially provided, and the different server, in particular the first server, has a fourth communication interface configured to subsequently provide the spectral information from the first server to the cloud server. As will be described in more detail below, the spectral information may therefore be subject to modifications that may be performed by the different server, in particular the first server. However, different embodiments of indirectly providing spectral information to the cloud server are conceivable.

[0033] According to the present invention, reference spectral information and reference analysis data relating to at least one reference sample are used to generate a calibration model. As is commonly used, the term “calibration model” refers to a model that includes a correlation between reference spectral information and reference analysis data so that, by using the model, analysis data can be derived from spectral information relating to a particular sample of unknown content and unknown physical properties. In this specification, the step of correlating reference spectral information with reference analysis data is described by the term “generate a calibration model,” while the term “apply a calibration model” refers to a further step of deriving analysis data from spectral information relating to a particular sample of unknown content and unknown physical properties. According to the present invention, this step is performed by a cloud server, which for this purpose uses reference spectral information and reference analysis data provided to the cloud server by a first server.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the calibration model is implemented by using at least one parameter, typically a set of parameters, to describe the analytical data. Based on at least one parameter, the calibration model is configured to adequately represent the correlation by, in a reasonable manner, particularly by using at least one parameter alone, resulting in a deviation below a threshold of correlation with respect to the reference analytical data of reference spectral information referring to at least one reference sample. As used herein, the term “parameter” refers to an expressifier of the influence on the analytical data for a particular substance. Specific examples of parameters are given below.

[0035] Therefore, as used herein, the term “extracting at least one value for at least one parameter” refers to the step of determining at least one value for at least one parameter by using a calibration model to adjust spectral information obtained in actual measurements of a particular sample. As a result, the analytical data of a particular sample is well described by at least one parameter. Consequently, at least one parameter can be used as a kind of overview of the content and physical properties of a particular sample. In general, the amount of data used for at least one parameter constitutes only a small fraction of the amount of data required to describe the relevant spectrum. According to the present invention, this step is also performed by a cloud server, which for this purpose uses spectral information that may be provided to the cloud server directly or indirectly by at least one second server and a calibration model available within the cloud server.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the present invention, processing data is determined using at least one value for at least one parameter. As is commonly used, the term “value” refers to a logical code or a numerical code, depending on the content of the at least one parameter. As used herein, the term “processing data” refers in particular to at least one piece of data relating to a proposed processing of at least one substance being monitored by using a monitoring system, as described in more detail below. Thus, as further used herein, the term “determine processing data” refers to the step of generating at least one piece of data relating to a proposed processing of the at least one substance being monitored by using at least one value for at least one parameter. According to the present invention, this step is performed by a first server, which for this purpose uses at least one value for at least one parameter provided to the first server by a cloud server via a first communication interface.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the present invention, processing data is provided to at least one third server by using a specific third communication interface between the first server and each third server. Here, the processing data may be stored in the data storage device of the third server, or in another storage device to which the processing data is provided via at least one interface, such as a wireless interface and / or a wired connection. As described above and below, a specific third server may be provided as a single unit located in a single network together with the corresponding second server. As used herein, the term “provide processing data” means the step of transferring at least one data related to a proposed processing of the at least one substance being monitored, generated by the first server, in order to enable processing of the at least one substance according to the processing data, as shown below in relation to step (iv) of a method for in-situ monitoring of the at least one substance.

[0038] For this purpose, the third server may have or drive a user interface designated to provide the user with at least one item of information relating to the processed data. As used herein, the term “user interface” means a device designated to provide information, in particular processed data, to the user, preferably in a user-acceptable manner, most preferably in a user-friendly manner, electronically, visually, acoustically, or any combination thereof. As commonly used, the term “user-acceptable manner” relates to a manner in which information is provided to a human being so that the human being can understand the received information in a desired manner. For this purpose, the user interface may preferably include at least one personal computer or mobile communication device. As commonly used, the term “personal computer” means a computer device that is usually located in a fixed place, and the term “mobile communication device” means a smartphone, tablet, or other device that is carried by the user and therefore can move with the user. This relates to at least one of the personal information terminals. As a result, it may be possible to provide the user with processing data at a fixed location to which the user can return multiple times, and / or at the location where the user is currently located. In particular, the user interface may include a monitor designated to provide the user with at least one item of information relating to the processing data in a visual manner by displaying (in particular by plain text in at least one language or at least one graphic symbol that displays this corresponding information). However, the use of a signal light style display with three indicators of green, yellow, and red, as proposed in WO2020 / 014073A1, is not considered “processing data” because it does not include clear instructions for a preferred procedure. Alternatively or additionally, the user interface may be designated to provide at least one item of information relating to the processing data acoustically, in particular by employing at least one loudspeaker, the at least one loudspeaker may be located near the location of the material being monitored or in at least one of the locations where the user may normally reside. In this way, it is ensured that the information can reach the user even if the user is not looking at the monitor and is not carrying a mobile communication device.

[0039] Alternatively or additionally, a third server may be designated to provide processing data to at least one of the processing units, where the processing data can be provided in a direct manner, such as via a wired or wireless connection, or in an indirect manner, such as via at least one further processing device. As is commonly used, the term “processing unit” refers to at least one device designated to affect at least one substance such that a desired processing of at least one substance is carried out according to the processing data. Preferred embodiments of the processing unit are described in more detail below. However, further types of processing units are also conceivable.

[0040] Alternatively or additionally, a third server may be designated to provide processing data to at least one simulation system, which may be comprised of at least one of the third server or further processing units. As is commonly used, the term “simulation system” refers to at least one computer program configured to perform a model of an actual or hypothetical technical system by using at least one set of data, in particular processing data, in order to observe the behavior of a technical system without requiring an actual implementation of the technical system. Particularly with respect to the present invention, the simulation system can be used for at least one of predictive maintenance, optimization of parameters related to the technical system, or optimization of the model, depending on the current state of the technical system modified by the processing data. Furthermore, the processing data may be accompanied by other data related to further technical systems in order to perform modeling across multiple technical systems.

[0041] In particular, according to the present invention, each server is configured to play a decisive role within the communication system. For this purpose, the system is configured to enable the processing of spectral information acquired by an optical spectrometer of a substance being monitored in a particularly adapted distributed manner across different servers. As a result, spectral information used to monitor at least one substance is provided by the user, while the processing of the spectral information is performed by a first instance familiar with the evaluation of spectral information, and furthermore, processing data desired by the user to enable proper processing of at least one substance is generated by a second instance familiar with that process. Consequently, the communication system is therefore capable of providing both distributed best practices for the evaluation of spectral information and, at the same time, specific data exchange under high data protection standards during the processing of spectral information in preferably fully automated procedures designated to generate and provide the desired processing data to the user.

[0042] In particular, spectral data is generated in real time at the user's site and made available by a second server for further use. Unless the hardware designated for generating spectral data is changed, no software updates or infrastructure changes are required at the user's site. Only the spectral data is generated and stored for transfer at the user's site in a manner that prevents the generation of processed data without the underlying calibration model. In contrast, the actual processed data is generated by the first server using the calibration model and at least one value of at least one parameter generated by the cloud server, thereby enabling the secure management and storage of important information, particularly the calibration model and information related to the generation of processed data, in two separate, independent sites. As shown in the diagram below, data from multiple users can be used to determine systematicity. Here, the calibration and processed data models can be continuously updated and re-retrieved without distorting the generation of spectral data at the multiple user sites.

[0043] Based on these considerations, the first server comprises a first communication interface configured to first provide the cloud server with reference spectral information and reference analysis data referencing at least one reference sample, and further to receive at least one value for at least one parameter from the cloud. Thus, the first communication interface may preferably be configured as a bidirectional interface, or alternatively, it may comprise two separate unidirectional interfaces configured in opposite directions. Furthermore, the first server comprises at least one third communication interface configured to determine processing data by using at least one value for at least one parameter provided from the cloud server, and to provide the processing data to at least one third server.

[0044] Furthermore, the first server may be configured to receive spectral information from at least one second server via a second communication interface and provide it to the cloud server via a fourth communication interface. This allows the first server to be configured to modify the spectral information. As is commonly used, the terms “modify” and “correct” refer to altering data, particularly data carrying spectral information, by applying at least one algorithm to the data, and the algorithm may be configured to perform at least one specific operation on the data. According to the present invention, the operation may preferably be selected from at least one of the following: selection, filtering, joining, classifying, grouping, or analyzing the data, including spectral information or associated metadata. However, further types of operations may also be possible.

[0045] Based on these considerations, each second server is provided with a corresponding second communication interface configured to provide spectral information to the cloud server. As shown above, the spectral information may be transmitted directly to the cloud server via the corresponding second communication interface, or preferably first to the first server via the second communication interface, and then from the first server to the cloud server via the fourth communication interface. Choosing direct transmission has the advantage of providing a direct connection between at least one second server and the cloud server, while indirect transmission has the advantage of requiring a less complex communication system overall, as the cloud server communicates only with the first server, while the first server is responsible for communicating with the other servers, i.e., one or more second servers and one or more third servers.

[0046] Furthermore, based on these considerations, the cloud server is configured to perform the operations mentioned above within the cloud server, at least by using reference spectral information and reference analysis data that reference at least one reference sample provided by the first server; applying the calibration model, which may include quantitative and qualitative modeling, to spectral information provided by the second server to extract at least one value for at least one parameter; and providing at least one value for at least one parameter to the first server via the first communication interface. At least one additional server may be used to generate and maintain infrastructure within the cloud server, for purposes necessary for the infrastructure to perform the operations described within the cloud server.

[0047] In a particularly preferred embodiment, a calibration model may be generated by applying a combination of at least one data preprocessing method, a selected set of features, and at least one learning algorithm. As is commonly used, the term “data preprocessing method” refers to a process of correcting raw data, in particular by using at least one of scattering correction, baseline correction, smoothing, or scaling. Furthermore, the selected set of features may preferably refer to at least one specific data item selected from at least one specific pixel or at least one specific wavelength. As is also commonly used, the term “learning algorithm” relates to a process of extracting at least one pattern in at least one known dataset, the at least one pattern, which can then be applied to at least one unknown dataset. Furthermore, the at least one pattern can be further refined by using further unknown datasets. Here, the learning algorithm may preferably be selected from machine learning algorithms or deep learning algorithms.

[0048] In particular, the determination of processing data by using at least one value for at least one parameter may preferably be performed by applying at least one learning algorithm to a combination of known values ​​for known parameters and known processing data. Here, the learning algorithm may include at least one algorithm selected from at least one of regression algorithms or classification algorithms. As an example, at least one of the following algorithms may be used: partial least squares regression; discriminant analysis; Bayesian algorithms such as naive Bayes, brute-force MAP learning, Bayesian Belief New Works, and Bayesian optimal classification; support vector machines with multiple nuclei; decision tree algorithms such as random forests and CART; logistic and linear regressions such as LASSO, Ridge, and ElasticNet; statistical analyses such as univariate generalized models and mixed models; neural network (NN) algorithms such as fully connected NNs, convolutional NNs, and recurrent NNs; Gaussian models such as Gaussian process regression and Gaussian graphic networks; and unsupervised learning methods such as non-negative matrix decomposition, principal component analysis (PCA), t-sn, and LLE. However, other types of learning algorithms are also possible.

[0049] Furthermore, based on these considerations, each third server comprises a corresponding third communication interface configured to provide processing data to at least one third server. As described in detail above and below, each third server may further process at least one item of information relating to the processing data by at least one of displaying it to a user via a user interface or providing it to at least one processing unit or simulation system as described elsewhere in this specification.

[0050] In a further aspect of the present invention, a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance is disclosed. As further used herein, the term “monitoring” refers to the process of deriving desired information from data preferably acquired sequentially without user interaction, and the term “measurement” refers to the process of acquiring data without user interaction. For this purpose, a plurality of measurement signals are generated and evaluated from which desired information is determined. Here, the plurality of measurement signals may be recorded and / or evaluated at fixed or variable time intervals, or alternatively or additionally, at the occurrence of at least one predetermined event. In general, the term “in-situ monitoring” relates to acquiring data related to at least one substance at a location where at least one substance is already located, in particular without requiring the collection of a sample of the at least one substance and its analysis elsewhere. As a result, the monitoring system has the advantage that it can be located at the site of the at least one substance to determine at least one property of the at least one substance.

[0051] As already stated above, the term “system” refers to an apparatus comprising at least two components, where at least two of the components are separate components, but two or more components may be integrated into a single component, and the components are configured to perform a joint task, such as handling a certain type of monitoring. Thus, as used herein, the term “monitoring system” refers to a system comprising at least two separate components, each component designated for at least one of the generation and evaluation of measurement signals. In particular, the monitoring system according to the present invention may be designated to determine at least one parameter relating to at least one substance, preferably sequentially, from which desired processing data is derived.

[0052] Therefore, a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance is: - With the communication systems described elsewhere in this specification; - An optical spectrometer, • To obtain spectral information for at least one substance; • Provide spectral information to at least one server. It comprises a specified optical spectrometer.

[0053] Accordingly, the monitoring system according to the present invention comprises an optical spectrometer and a communication system as described elsewhere in this specification. As a result, it may be specified to generate an optical signal used to determine at least one parameter relating to at least one substance and from which desired processing data can be derived. As is commonly used, the term “optical” refers to electromagnetic waves having wavelengths of 380 nm to 780 nm and adjacent wavelength ranges, in particular at least a portion of the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range. Generally, the NIR spectral range is considered to cover wavelengths of 780 nm to 2500 nm. However, as used herein, the term “optical” is considered to cover further wavelengths outside the NIR spectral range, such as wavelengths greater than 2.5 μm, in particular other infrared spectral ranges having wavelengths up to 2.6 μm, up to 3.1 μm, up to 3.5 μm, up to 5 μm, up to 5.5 μm, up to 6 μm, up to 20 μm, or up to 40 μm. Preferably, wavelengths of 250 nm to 5 μm, preferably 400 nm to 3 μm, and more preferably 1250 nm to 2.7 μm are covered by the term “optical” according to the definitions used herein. Thus, the term “light” as used herein relates to radiation having at least one wavelength within the indicated wavelength range.

[0054] More commonly, the term “spectrum” refers to an optical spectral range, specifically a segment of the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range as shown above. Here, each segment of the spectrum consists of an optical signal defined by a signal wavelength and a corresponding signal intensity. More commonly, the term “optical spectrometer” refers to an apparatus capable of acquiring spectral information, and the term “acquiring spectral information” refers to recording signal intensity with respect to the wavelength of the spectrum or a segment thereof, such as wavelength intervals, and the signal intensity may preferably be provided as an electrical signal that can be used for further evaluation. In particular, to perform the monitoring steps according to the present invention, at least one optical spectrum of at least one substance can be repeatedly acquired in situ.

[0055] An optical spectrometer may preferably include a dispersion element. As commonly used, “dispersion element” refers to a device designated to separate incident light from at least one material into a spectrum of constituent wavelength signals, the intensity of each of these constituent wavelength signals then determined in the form of a detector signal produced by a single detector or detector array, as will be described in more detail below. Here, the dispersion element may preferably be selected from at least one diffraction element or at least one interference element. Here, at least one diffraction element may be selected from a prism or an optical grating, and at least one interference element may be selected from interference filters, particularly bandpass filters, band-stop filters, Bragg filters, variable-length filters such as linear variable filters, Fabry-Perot interferometers, or Michelson interferometers. As commonly used, the term “bandpass filter” refers to an optical element designed to transmit wavelengths between two cutoff wavelengths and attenuate out-of-band wavelengths. Alternatively, a “band-stop filter” is designed to transmit out-of-band wavelengths while attenuating in-band wavelengths. More commonly used, the term “Bragg filter” refers to a specific type of band-stopping filter comprised of a short segment of an optical waveguide or a glass substrate core. Here, a periodic change in refractive index is used as a wavelength-specific dielectric mirror designed to attenuate in-band wavelengths while allowing out-of-band wavelengths to pass through unimpeded, thus functioning as a band-stopping filter. More commonly used, the term “variable-length filter” refers to a set of interference filters, in particular optical filters, including band-pass filters, which may be provided in a continuous array of filters. Here, each filter can form a bandpass with a variable center wavelength for each spatial position on the filter along a single dimension indicated by the term “length” on the light-receiving surface of the variable-length filter. Preferably, the variable center wavelength may be a linear function of the spatial position on the filter, in which case the variable-length filter is called a “linear variable filter.” However, other types of functions may be applied to the relationship between the variable center wavelength and the spatial position on the filter.In certain embodiments, the variable-length filter may be a wedge filter specified to support at least one response coating on a transparent substrate, the response coating may exhibit spatially variable properties, particularly spatially variable thickness. Furthermore, the "Fabry-Perot interferometer" comprises an optical resonator having two parallel reflective surfaces that allow only light waves to pass through the optical resonator when resonating with it. Further optical elements designed to receive incident light and transfer it to a dispersion element may be used. For further details, refer to WO2019 / 115594A1, WO2019 / 115595A1, or WO2019 / 115596A1.

[0056] Alternatively, the optical spectrometer may comprise at least one Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer, which may comprise at least one broadband light source and at least one interfering element, such as a Michelson interferometer. The FTIR spectrophotometer may be configured to provide illumination by at least one light beam having a time-dependent spectrum. For this purpose, the FTIR spectrophotometer preferably comprises at least one movable mirror element, the movement of which allows the light beam generated by the broadband light source to be alternately blocked and transmitted by the interfering element. The optical spectrometer may further comprise at least one micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) which may be configured to control the mirror element. Furthermore, the FTIR spectrophotometer may be configured to modulate the light beam in a wavelength-dependent manner, such that different wavelengths are modulated at different rates.

[0057] Light can strike a single detector or a detector array. As is commonly used, the term “detector array” refers to a device comprising a plurality of photosensors designated to measure the intensity of incident light striking at least one of the photosensors, where each sensor may preferably be designated to measure the intensity of incident light at a particular wavelength. Thus, a detector array may comprise a sequence of photosensors, which may be arranged in the form of a series of photosensors, one following another, and the sequence of photosensors may preferably be arranged parallel to a continuous arrangement of each photofilter along the length of a variable-length filter. Thus, a detector array may comprise a series of individual photosensors, which may preferably be arranged in a single row as a one-dimensional matrix or in multiple rows in the form of a two-dimensional matrix, particularly as two, three, or four parallel lines, preferably along the length of a variable-length filter, in order to receive as much of the intensity of the incident light as possible. Thus, the number of pixels N in one direction can be high compared to the number of pixels M in further directions, such that M < 10 and N ≥ 10, preferably N ≥ 20, more preferably N ≥ 50, so that a one-dimensional 1 × N matrix or a rectangular two-dimensional M × N matrix is ​​obtained. Furthermore, the matrices used herein can also be arranged in a staggered pattern. Here, each optical sensor may have the same or similar optical sensitivity within an acceptable range, particularly to facilitate the manufacture of a series of optical sensors. Alternatively, each optical sensor used in a series of optical sensors may exhibit a variable optical sensitivity that can change in response to the changing transmission characteristics of the variable-length filter, for example, by providing a variation in optical sensitivity with respect to wavelength along the series of optical sensors that increases or decreases. However, other types of arrangements are also possible.

[0058] In particular, a detector array may be used which comprises multiple pixelated sensors, each of which is adapted to receive at least one of the constituent wavelength signals provided by a dispersion element. As shown above, each constituent wavelength signal here relates to the intensity or amplitude of each constituent wavelength. As is commonly used, the term “pixelated optical sensor” or “pixelated sensor” refers to an optical sensor comprising an array of individual pixelated sensors, each of which has at least a radiation-sensitive region adapted to generate an electrical signal depending on the intensity of incident light, and the electrical signal may be provided to an evaluation unit for further evaluation, in particular. Here, the radiation-sensitive region contained in each of the individual pixelated sensors may be, in particular, a single uniform radiation-sensitive region configured to receive incident light striking the individual pixelated sensor. However, other arrangements of pixelated sensors are also conceivable. Furthermore, as shown above, a single detector having a single radiation-sensitive region can also be realized.

[0059] The sensor is designed to generate a detector signal, preferably an electronic signal, related to the intensity of incident light striking individual pixelated sensors. The detector signal may be an analog and / or digital signal. The electronic signals of adjacent optical sensors can therefore be generated simultaneously or in a time-sequential manner. For example, during a row scan or a line scan, a sequence of electronic signals corresponding to a series of individual optical sensors arranged in a column can be generated. Furthermore, individual sensors may preferably be active sensors that can be adapted to amplify the electronic signals before providing them to an evaluation unit. For this purpose, the optical sensor may include one or more signal processing devices, such as one or more filters and / or analog-to-digital converters, for processing and / or preprocessing the electronic signals.

[0060] The optical sensor can be selected from any known optical sensor, particularly from pixelated sensors, preferably from pixelated organic camera elements, particularly from pixelated organic camera chips, or from pixelated inorganic camera elements, particularly from pixelated inorganic camera chips, in particular from CCD chips or CMOS chips commonly used in various cameras. Here, silicon (Si) can typically be used for wavelengths up to 1.1 μm. Alternatively, particularly for wavelengths greater than 1.1 μm, the radiation-sensitive region of the photosensor may be equipped with an inorganic photodetector selected from at least one of the following: gallium antimonide (GaSb) for wavelengths up to 1.7 μm; germanium (Ge) for wavelengths up to 1.85 μm; indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) for wavelengths up to 2.5 μm; indium arsenide (InAs) for wavelengths up to 3.5 μm; lead sulfide (PbS) for wavelengths up to 3.5 μm; indium antimonide (InSb) for wavelengths up to 5.5 μm; lead selenide (PbSe) for wavelengths up to 6 μm; and cadmium mercury telluride (MCT, HgCdTe) for wavelengths up to 20 μm. However, other photodetectors or further types of materials are also possible, and in particular, pyroelectric detectors comprising a radiation-sensitive material preferably selected from triglycine sulfate (TGS) or deuterated triglycine sulfate (DTGS) can be used particularly for wavelengths up to 40 μm. Here, it is especially preferable that the spectral sensitivity of the detector exhibits a spectral range that can closely relate to the emission spectrum of the light source, thereby ensuring that the detector can provide a detector signal with high intensity, thereby enabling evaluation of the detector signal with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio and simultaneously enabling high resolution.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, the monitoring system may comprise an optical probe designated to measure an optical signal associated with at least one substance. In this embodiment, an optical spectrometer may be designated to acquire spectral information associated with at least one substance by using the measured optical signal provided by the probe. As is commonly used, the term “optical probe” refers to a device designated to measure an optical signal by acquiring at least one measurement signal (hereinafter also referred to as “optical signal”) at or near the location of at least one substance being monitored. Here, at least a portion of the surface of the optical probe may comprise a cover having selected properties that can extend the life of the optical probe, particularly its life in harsh environments. In particular, the surface of the optical probe or at least a portion thereof may be or include an anti-fouling surface designated to prevent the adhesion of liquids, particularly hot frying oil or at least one of its decomposition products, to the surface of the optical probe. The advantage of this is that adverse interactions between the optical probe and the at least one substance being monitored can be avoided, which could ultimately damage or destroy the optical probe or at least a portion thereof.

[0062] Furthermore, the optical probe may be specified to provide radiation for illuminating the location of at least one substance. However, such a function of the optical probe may be unnecessary if the location of at least one substance may already be sufficiently illuminated. However, since the preferred wavelength range used in connection with the present invention is a spectral range that is considered to cover wavelengths that are not necessarily available at sufficient intensity at the location of at least one substance, as described above, it is preferable that the optical probe may be specified to provide desired radiation for illuminating the location of at least one substance.

[0063] Therefore, the optical probe may preferably be used for both providing radiation and generating at least one optical signal resulting from the interaction of radiation with a portion of at least one substance at a location in at least one substance. For this purpose, the optical probe may specifically include a configuration that can be adapted to the shape of at least one substance and / or the shape of a container containing at least one portion of at least one substance. In particular, the configuration may be selected from at least one of transmissive, transflection, or reflective shapes such as diffuse reflection or attenuated total reflection. As will be shown in more detail below, the transmissive shape is particularly preferably such that the at least one substance being monitored includes a transparent material selected from at least one of liquid, gas, powder, or granular material, in which case it may be advantageous to penetrate the thickness of a layer of at least one substance. Here, the configuration for the transmissive shape may preferably be specified to guide light through a thickness of a layer of at least one substance being monitored, particularly from 0.1 mm, preferably from 1 mm, more preferably from 2 mm to 20 mm, preferably up to 8 mm, and more preferably up to 5 mm. However, if at least one of the substances being monitored may contain opaque materials such as powders, granules, or bulk materials, a reflective shape may be more preferable. The terms “transparent” and “opaque” indicate that each degree of transparency refers to a degree of transparency within a specific wavelength or wavelength range, particularly within the NIR spectral range, applicable to at least one substance.

[0064] Furthermore, at least one optical waveguide, such as at least one optical fiber, may be used to provide a connection between the optical probe and the optical spectrometer to guide the optical signal generated by the optical probe to the optical spectrometer for evaluation, and also to provide a further connection between the optical probe and a light source designated to generate an illumination having a desired spectral range, particularly within the NIR spectral range. However, further types of connections are also possible.

[0065] In certain embodiments, the optical probe may comprise at least one tube, preferably two separate tubes, the at least one tube designated to accept at least one connection. Furthermore, the optical probe may comprise a mount to which at least one tube can be attached. For this purpose, fastening elements such as screws may be used. Here, the mount may preferably be a rigid mount, which can thus provide the optical probe with desired stability, while the at least one tube may preferably be a flexible tube, which can thus provide a certain level of flexibility that can be advantageous in harsh environments such as in liquids, particularly high-temperature or toxic liquids, or in volumes containing powders, granules, or bulk materials, in order to reduce the risk of damage.

[0066] Furthermore, the monitoring system, in particular the optical probe, may include at least one additional sensor which may be specified to measure additional material-related information of at least one substance, where “additional material-related information” means at least one item of data further relating to at least one substance, in addition to at least one piece of information relating to at least one substance obtained by using an optical spectrometer. In particular, the further material-related information may preferably be selected from at least one of the following: temperature, density, flux, conductivity, viscosity, electromagnetic field, dielectric constant, refractive index, fluorescence, phosphorescence, magnetization value, pH value, buffering capacity, acid value, or zeta potential. However, further types of additional material-related information are also possible. For the purpose of determining at least one additional material-related information, the additional sensor may preferably be mounted on the probe, and leads for power supply or data readout may preferably be guided via at least one tube. Furthermore, other elements that may be attached to the optical probe are conceivable. As a further alternative, the probe may be, or may include, at least one lab-on-a-chip system or at least one microfluidic system specified to analyze at least one chemical and / or biochemical quantity, in particular the composition of a body fluid such as blood, urine, saliva, eye fluid, or interstitial fluid.

[0067] Furthermore, the optical spectrometer includes an evaluation unit designated to generate spectral information relating to the spectrum of at least one substance by evaluating the detector signal provided by the detector. As is commonly used, the term “evaluation unit” refers to any device designed to generate information based on the detector signal. For this purpose, the evaluation unit may be one or more integrated circuits, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or one or more data processing devices, such as one or more computers, preferably one or more microcomputers and / or microcontrollers. Additional components may include one or more devices for receiving and / or preprocessing sensor signals, such as one or more preprocessing devices, and / or one or more AD converters and / or one or more filters. Furthermore, the evaluation unit may include at least one data storage device. Furthermore, as outlined above, the evaluation unit may include at least one interface, such as a wireless interface and / or a wired interface. Furthermore, the optical spectrometer, in particular the evaluation unit, may be further specified to determine data relating to at least one substance, as described elsewhere in this specification. For this purpose, the evaluation unit may have or have access to a further evaluation routine configured to determine data relating to at least one substance from at least one of spectral information, optical signals provided by a detector array, or sensor signals provided by at least one additional sensor. Furthermore, the optical spectrometer, in particular the evaluation unit, may be further specified to determine additional substance-related information of at least one substance, as described elsewhere in this specification. For this purpose, the evaluation unit may have or have access to a further evaluation routine configured to determine additional substance-related information from measurement signals provided by at least one of the additional sensors.

[0068] Here, spectral information that can be used to monitor a substance produced by an optical spectrometer, in particular an evaluation device comprising an optical spectrometer, can preferably be provided by a data transfer unit to at least one server, in particular at least one second server comprising a communication system as described elsewhere herein. The term “data transfer unit” as used herein refers to any device designated to transmit spectral information from an optical spectrometer to at least one second server comprising a communication system, either by wired or wireless transmission. For this purpose, the data transfer unit may preferably be selected from at least one of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or a Bluetooth-enabled device. However, further methods and apparatus configured to enable data transfer between an optical spectrometer, in particular an evaluation device of an optical spectrometer, and a corresponding second server are also conceivable.

[0069] Furthermore, the optical spectrometer may include additional components such as a light source. As used herein, the term “light source” refers to an illumination source of a type known to provide sufficient radiation in at least one of the wavelength ranges shown above. Thus, the illumination source may be selected from at least one of the following: incandescent lamps, thin-film filaments, or MEMS systems that emit blackbody spectra; flame sources; heat sources; lasers, particularly laser diodes (although further types of lasers may also be used); light-emitting diodes; organic light sources, particularly organic light-emitting diodes; neon light; and structured light sources. However, other types of illumination sources, such as thermal infrared emitters, may also be used. As used herein, the term “thermal infrared emitter” refers to a micro-machined heat emitter having a radiating surface designated to emit the desired radiation. For example, thermal infrared emitters can be obtained from Axetris AG (Schwarzenbergstrasse 10, CH-6056 Kaegiswil, Switzerland) under the name "emirs50," from LASER COMPONENTS GmbH (Werner-von-Siemens-Str.15 82140 Olching, Germany) as "thermal infrared emitters," or from Hawkeye Technologies (181 Research Drive #8, Milford CT 06460, United States) as "infrared emitters." However, further types of thermal infrared emitters are also available.

[0070] Here, the light source may be a continuous light source, or alternatively, a pulsed light source, the pulsed light source may have a modulation frequency of at least 1 Hz, at least 5 Hz, at least 10 Hz, at least 50 Hz, at least 100 Hz, at least 500 Hz, at least 1 kHz, or higher. In certain embodiments, at least one of the optical spectrometer or light source may be equipped with a modulator designated to modulate the irradiation, preferably periodically. As is commonly used, the term “modulation” refers to the process of varying the total output of the irradiation, preferably periodically, and in particular at at least one modulation frequency. In particular, periodic modulation can be performed between a maximum and a minimum value of the total output of the irradiation. The minimum value may be 0, but may also be > 0, and, for example, full modulation is not required. Here, modulation can be performed preferably within a light source designated to produce a desired modulated irradiation, preferably by the light source itself having a modulated intensity and / or total output, e.g., a light source itself having a periodically modulated total output, and / or by a light source embodied as a pulsed irradiation source, e.g., a pulsed laser. As a further example, an apparatus for generating radiation disclosed in European Patent Application 19213277.7 (filed December 3, 2019) can be used for this purpose, comprising at least one radiation-emitting element (specified to generate radiation when heated by an electric current); a mount supporting at least one radiation-emitting element, the mount or a portion thereof being movable; and a heat sink specified to cool the mount, wherein the at least one radiation-emitting element is supported by the mount when the mount makes contact with it. Alternatively or additionally, different types of modulation devices, such as modulation devices based on electro-optical and / or acousto-optical effects, can also be used. However, modulation of the light beam at any position in the beam path is also conceivable, and different types of periodic beam interruption devices can also be used, such as beam choppers, or, for example, interruption blades or interruption wheels that preferably rotate at a constant speed and thus periodically interrupt the irradiation.Therefore, the detector array can be specified to detect at least two detector signals when different modulations have different modulation frequencies. Here, the evaluation unit can be specified to generate spectral information from at least two detector signals.

[0071] As already indicated above, the term monitoring system may include at least two components that can be integrated into a single component. An advantage of this is that the integrated components may be easier to handle, particularly by the user. Therefore, the light source and optical spectrometer may preferably be integrated into a single unit. Alternatively, the optical probe and optical spectrometer may preferably be integrated into a single unit. Further alternatives, the light source, optical probe, and optical spectrometer may preferably be integrated into a single unit. Furthermore, the second and third servers may be integrated into a single unit. Alternatively or additionally, the optical spectrometer, data transfer unit, and second server may be integrated into a single unit. As an example, the optical spectrometer, light source, data transfer unit, second server, and third server may be integrated into a single unit. However, further types of integrated components are also feasible.

[0072] In a further aspect of the present invention, a computer implementation method for operating a communication system is disclosed. Therefore, the method according to the present invention is a computer implementation method. As is commonly used, the term “computer implementation method” means a method comprising a programmable device, in particular a readable medium, a computer, or a computer network carrying a program, thereby enabling one or more features of the present invention to be performed by at least one program. According to the present invention, at least one program is accessible by a device adapted to perform each method via a communication system, in particular a communication system as described elsewhere herein, and the program may preferably be available via the Internet. In particular with respect to the present invention, the method can therefore be performed on a programmable device configured for this purpose, such as by providing at least one adapted computer program. As a result, the method according to the present invention can, in particular, affect the in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, and for this purpose, the computer implementation method for operating a communication system described herein is employed. Where further used herein, the terms “operate” and “operate” refer to a series of method steps configured to enable the functionality of a communication system in a desired manner.

[0073] A method for operating the communication system disclosed herein includes the following steps, which may preferably be performed in a given order. Further additional method steps not described herein can be provided. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, any or all of the method steps, particularly adjacent method steps, may be performed at least partially concurrently. Furthermore, any or all of the method steps may be performed at least twice, such as in a repeating manner, in particular to allow the in-situ monitoring process according to the present invention to be repeated, as will be described in more detail later.

[0074] Therefore, the method for operating a communication system according to the present invention (the communication system comprises a cloud server, a first server, at least one second server, and at least one third server) is as follows: a) Providing a cloud server with reference spectral information and reference analysis data that references at least one reference sample from a first server via a first communication interface; b) A step of generating a calibration model in the cloud server by using reference spectral information and reference analysis data that reference the at least one reference sample, wherein the calibration model includes at least one parameter; c) Providing spectral information relating to at least one substance from the second server to the cloud server via the second communication interface; d) Applying the calibration model in the cloud server to spectral information related to the at least one substance, thereby extracting at least one value of at least one parameter; e) Providing the first server with the at least one value of the at least one parameter via the first communication interface; f) A step of determining processing data by using at least one value of the at least one parameter provided to the first server by the cloud server, wherein the processing data includes at least one piece of data relating to a proposed processing of the at least one substance; g) Providing the processing data from the first server to the third server via a third communication interface, Includes.

[0075] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a computer implementation method for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance is disclosed. The definitions of the term “computer implementation method” can be referenced above. The methods disclosed herein include the following steps, which may preferably be performed in a given order. Further additional method steps not described herein may be provided. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, any or all of the method steps, particularly adjacent method steps, may be performed at least partially concurrently. Furthermore, any or all of the method steps may be performed at least twice, in an iterative manner, in particular, to enable the in-situ monitoring process to be performed in a manner that repeatedly acquires at least one optical spectrum of at least one substance, and to repeatedly provide the user with the processing data so that processing data is repeatedly derived therefrom via an evaluation unit, enabling processing of at least one substance accordingly.

[0076] Therefore, a computer implementation method for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance is as follows: (i) obtaining at least one optical reference spectrum of at least one reference sample, each reference sample comprising at least one substance to be monitored, with reference analysis data assigned to each reference sample, and deriving reference spectral information referencing the at least one reference sample from the at least one optical reference spectrum; (ii) obtaining the at least one optical spectrum of the at least one substance in situ, and deriving spectral information related to the at least one substance in situ from the at least one optical spectrum; (iii) a step of performing a step of the method in accordance with a computer implementation method for operating a communication system as described elsewhere in this specification; (iv) A step of processing the at least one substance according to processing data, Includes.

[0077] In a further embodiment, the present invention relates to a computer program product. As is commonly used, “computer program product” means an executable instruction for performing at least one, preferably both, of the methods described above according to the present invention. For this purpose, the computer program may include instructions provided by computer program code configured, when implemented on a computer or data processing device, to perform any or all of the steps of the method according to the present invention and thus establish the generation of an image of an object. The computer program code may be provided directly on a computer or data processing device, on a data storage medium or a separate device such as an optical storage medium, for example on a compact disk, or via a network such as an internal network or the internet to a separate device, for example on the cloud.

[0078] Further details regarding computer implementation methods and related computer program products can be found elsewhere in this Specified Reference to the Systems According to the Present Specified Reference.

[0079] Further aspects of the present invention disclose the use of a communication system, the use of a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance (the monitoring system comprises a communication system), and the use of related methods according to the present invention. Herein, the communication system, the monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, and related methods are preferably: - Control or monitoring of food or beverages, in particular, control, characterization, analysis, classification or identification of ingredients, allergens, and contaminants of food and / or beverages; including but not limited to characterization of frying oils; monitoring of coffee roasting and quality; analysis of quality, freshness, ripeness, and concentrations of content such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, caffeine, sugar, fiber, moisture, acids, or nuts; classification of vegan and non-vegan foods; classification of virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil; identification of bacteria in food or melamine in powdered milk, - Industrial process control, particularly selected from synthesis control, emulsion stability control, quality control, blend formation, uniformity control, combustion monitoring, and oil degradation monitoring. - Classification or characterization of materials, particularly incoming and outgoing control, detection and sorting of plastics, detection of plasticizers in plastics, sorting and recycling of waste, characterization of lubricants or fuels; material control in filling nozzles or tank wagons; quality control of construction materials, e.g., utility poles, concrete, fire prevention materials or screw anchors; classification of fibers into different types of fibers; detection and characterization of contaminants, selected from the above. - Product counterfeit prevention, particularly authentication of banknotes, passports, and personal identification cards; detection of IR markers; detection of optical tagging; authentication of products without tagging; and other methods of product counterfeit prevention. - Characterization of living organisms, particularly plants or parts thereof (including fruits, seeds, and leaves); soil analysis; detection and characterization of pollutants, selected from the above. - Health applications, particularly those selected from: blood alcohol detection via skin, determination of blood glucose levels, excretion analysis (sugar, blood, carbohydrates, proteins, fats); skin analysis (moisture, lipids, proteins), e.g., cosmetic applications; hair analysis; determination of muscle oxygenation or oxidative energy metabolism; air quality monitoring. It can be used for a purpose selected from the group consisting of the following. However, further types of uses are also conceivable.

[0080] With regard to food control in particular, and especially with regard to monitoring the frying process, at least one parameter may be selected from indicators related to oil degradation by thermal oxidative or hydrolysis, preferably selected from at least one of total polar compounds (TPC), diacylglycerols and polymerized triacylglycerols (DPTG), anisidine value (AnV), acid value (AV) as determined using a standard (e.g., DGF) method; fatty acid composition, free fatty acid concentration, trans fatty acid concentration, iodine value (IV), monomeric oxidized triacylglycerol (MonoxTG) content; or sensory parameters such as at least one of taste-related indicators or appearance-related indicators of the fry. A typical NIR spectrum of a degraded oil sample is 12,000 to 4,000 cm⁻¹. -1 It lies in the wavenumber range, which corresponds to 833 nm to 2500 nm (see, for example, Wang et al., Analyst Methods 6, p. 7628, 2014), but the most prominent feature is from 9000 to 4000 cm⁻¹. -1 It is observed in the wavenumber range of 4,000 cm. -1 Strong absorption in the vicinity may hinder the extraction of information in that area. Based on at least one value of at least one selected parameter, processing data may include recommended procedures for processing the frying oil, such as changing the frying oil at a specific point in time, for example, the current or later moment, or adding at least one additional substance to at least one substance. However, further types of processing data are conceivable. As shown above and illustrated in the examples below, processing data may trigger at least one user or at least one processing unit to perform such actions.

[0081] In particular, with regard to air quality monitoring, especially indoor air quality monitoring, the concentration of at least one of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), or other volatile organic compounds may be monitored, and the processing data may include recommendations regarding the operation of ventilation in indoor facilities. Furthermore, the processing data may include recommendations on whether or not to start a vehicle engine, depending on the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) or ethanol (C2H5OH), and to determine the parameters related to ethanol, the optical probe may preferably include a respiratory analyzer for the user.

[0082] In particular, with regard to combustion monitoring, the concentration of at least one of the following can be monitored: sulfur oxides (S2O, SO, SO2, SO3, etc.), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, etc.), carbon dioxide (CO, CO2, etc.), or ozone (O3). The processing data may include recommendations for adjustments to at least one of the engine or catalytic converter.

[0083] In particular, with regard to the characterization of the lubricant, additive concentration or at least one degradation parameter, such as oxidation, nitration, soot / particle concentration, acid value (AN), total acid value (TAN), total base number (TBN), sulfur concentration, coolant content, viscosity, or water content may be monitored, and the processing data may include recommendations on whether or not to replace the lubricant or whether to add or refill additives.

[0084] In particular with regard to the sorting and recycling of plastics, additives such as polymers or plasticizers can be identified in the monitoring process, and the processing data may include at least one recommendation for approval or rejection of objects containing polymers, or containers such as containers to which objects containing polymers may be assigned.

[0085] In particular, with regard to soil analysis, it may be possible to monitor at least one parameter indicating soil quality, and the processing data may include recommendations regarding recommended procedures for soil treatment or the application of fertilizers that can be adjusted for specific crops.

[0086] In particular, with regard to characterizing fruits such as tomatoes or grapes, or their products such as fruit juices or smoothies, parameters selected from at least one of ripeness or sweetness, such as Brix value, can be monitored, and processing data may include at least one of the following: quality estimation; recommended storage conditions; whether to eat the fruit; or whether to start harvesting the fruit.

[0087] In particular, regarding the characterization of potatoes, parameters selected from at least one of starch content, moisture content, and sugar content can be monitored, and the processing data can include recommendations, especially regarding storage conditions or the classification of the monitored potatoes.

[0088] In particular, with regard to characterizing oilseeds such as soybeans, canola, or cotton seeds, parameters selected from at least one of the following can be monitored: oil content, fatty acid profile, free fatty acid content, moisture content, or protein content. The processing data may include recommendations, in particular, for at least one of the following: quality labeling, differentiated products, or enhanced agricultural products.

[0089] Regarding the characterization of crops such as wheat, corn, barley, or oats, in particular, parameters selected from at least one of protein content, starch content, or moisture content can be monitored, and the processing data may include recommendations for calibration models that include at least one parameter, in particular, optimal harvest time (e.g., whether harvesting is now), quality labeling, and commodity vs. trait enhancement.

[0090] Regarding leaf characterization in particular, the processing data may include recommendations regarding measures against disease, drought stress, or irrigation.

[0091] As used further herein, the term “substance” refers to at least one compound contained in any object or part thereof, of which spectral information is generated by using the monitoring apparatus according to the present invention and provided via a second communication interface of a second server. Thus, the at least one substance may be selected from at least one of liquids; gases; solids, particularly powders, granules, or bulk materials; or mixtures thereof, and generally, the at least one substance depends on a particular use of the monitoring system, which includes a communication system and associated methods according to the present invention. Here, a particular substance may contain at least one composition, the composition of which may remain constant or change during the monitoring of the particular substance.

[0092] As already defined above, the term "parameter" refers to something that represents the influence on analytical data for a particular substance. Alternatively or additionally, at least two parameters can be combined to generate further parameters. Thus, at least one parameter assigned to the calibration model also depends on the specific use of the monitoring system, including the communication system and related methods according to the present invention. Specifically, at least one parameter is: - Regression values, in particular, selected from the concentrations of at least one substance, at least one composition of the substance, at least one modification product of the substance, and at least one by-product produced by the modification of the substance; stability of composition; grade of manufacture; age of the substance; - Classification value, in particular, a classification value for identifying at least one substance; - Clustering value, in particular, a clustering value for forming a cluster relating to at least one substance; - Sensory parameters, in particular, sensory parameters selected from at least one of shape, size, position, and orientation; - Extracted features, in particular, extracted features selected from at least one feature relating to spectral information, At least one of these can be selected.

[0093] As a result, the processing data, determined by using at least one value for at least one parameter, also depends on the specific use of the monitoring system, including the communication system and related methods. Therefore, the processing data is, in particular: - A description relating to the identification of at least one substance; - A statement regarding the authenticity of at least one substance or a product containing at least one substance; - A description of the origin of at least one substance; - A description of the presence or absence of at least one substance, such as the occurrence of a disease; - In particular, a description of the quality, concentration, and properties of at least one substance selected from at least one type of substance; - In particular, a description of the properties of the composition of at least one substance, selected from the concentration of the composition of at least one substance; - A description of the stability of a mixture of at least one substance and at least one other substance; - A description of the recommended procedure based on the value of at least one parameter. It can include at least one of the following.

[0094] The recommended procedure is: - Replacing at least a portion of at least one substance at a determined time or time range; - Adding an additional amount to at least one substance; - Adding further substances, such as chemical treatments, to at least one substance; - To postpone the addition of any further substances to at least one substance; - Remove at least one substance; - Changing at least one of the temperature or pressure acting on at least one substance; - Perform the harvesting procedure; - Postponing the harvesting process; - Approving or rejecting at least one object; - Recommend or not recommend at least one object; - Consuming or not consuming at least one object; - Approving or rejecting at least one object in input control or output control; - Sorting at least one object, specifically at least one object in a particular container, preferably for recycling; - Storing at least one object in a particular storage condition or storage location; - To wash at least one object, At least one of these can be selected.

[0095] Depending on the type of substance to be processed, the processing unit is preferably: - A storage container designated to store, or provide, an additional amount of, at least one or different substances; - A processing unit designated to homogenize at least one substance and / or mix at least two different substances; - A cleaning unit designated to clean at least one substance; - Waste containers designated for accepting used materials; - A valve control unit designated to control at least one valve, wherein the valve control can adjust the supply or removal of at least one substance; - A sorting unit designated to allocate a portion of at least one substance; - An irradiation control unit capable of alternately changing the irradiation of at least one substance; - A temperature control unit designated to change the temperature of at least one substance; - A pressure control unit designated to vary the pressure on at least one substance; - A heating unit designated to impart heat to at least one substance, wherein the heating of at least one substance can induce a physical or chemical reaction in at least one substance; - A cooling unit designated to cool at least one substance, wherein the cooling of at least one substance may result in preventing or terminating a physical or chemical reaction of at least one substance. At least one of these can be selected.

[0096] However, further types of processing units are also conceivable.

[0097] Therefore, a communication system, a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance including the communication system, and related methods can provide efficient monitoring of at least one substance, thereby enabling the at least one substance to be placed anywhere on the user's premises, even in remote or virtually inaccessible areas. Furthermore, the processing of measurement data acquired at or near the location of at least one substance is distributed between a first instance represented by infrastructure for performing indicated operations in a cloud server (which can be generated and maintained by at least one additional server, the first instance being familiar with evaluating the measurement data) and a second instance represented by the first server (the second instance being familiar with providing the user with processed data based on the finally evaluated measurement data). This makes it possible for the system and related methods to simultaneously apply both decentralized best practices and specific data exchange to the user under high data protection standards while processing the measurement data, preferably in a fully automated procedure.

[0098] In summary, the following embodiments are considered particularly preferred in the context of the present invention.

[0099] Embodiment 1: A communication system comprising a cloud server, a first server, at least one second server, and at least one third server; The first server further has a first communication interface configured to provide reference spectral information and reference analysis data to the cloud server; Each second server has a second communication interface configured to provide spectral information to the cloud server; The aforementioned cloud server is - Using the reference spectral information and reference analysis data provided by the first server, a calibration model including at least one parameter is generated; - Apply the calibration model to the spectral information provided by the second server, thereby extracting at least one value for at least one parameter; - Provide the first server with the at least one value for the at least one parameter via the first communication interface; It is configured in such a way, The first server is further configured to determine the processing data by using the at least one value for the at least one parameter provided by the cloud server; A communication system wherein the first server further has at least one third communication interface, each third communication interface configured to provide the processing data to the at least one third server.

[0100] Embodiment 2: A communication system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the second communication interface is configured to provide the spectral information directly or indirectly to the cloud server.

[0101] Embodiment 3: A communication system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the spectral information is indirectly provided to the cloud server by providing the spectral information to the first server, and the first server further comprises a fourth communication interface configured to provide the spectral information to the cloud server.

[0102] Embodiment 4: A communication system according to any one of the prior embodiments, wherein the parameters are selected from at least one of regression values, classification values, clustering values, sensory parameters, and extracted features.

[0103] Embodiment 5: A communication system according to any one of the prior embodiments, comprising or driving a user interface specified to display to the user at least one item of information related to the processing data, the third server.

[0104] Embodiment 6: The user interface is a communication system according to a prior embodiment, including a personal computer or a mobile communication device.

[0105] Embodiment 7: A communication system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the mobile communication device is at least one of a smartphone, a tablet, or a personal digital assistant.

[0106] Embodiment 8: A communication system according to any one of the prior embodiments, wherein the processing data includes at least one piece of data relating to the proposed processing of at least one substance.

[0107] Embodiment 9: The processed data is: - A description relating to the identification of the at least one of the substances; - A statement relating to the reliability of the at least one substance or a product containing the at least one substance; - A description relating to the origin of at least one of the aforementioned substances; - A description of the presence or absence of the at least one substance; - A description relating to the properties of at least one of the aforementioned substances; - A description of the compositional properties of the at least one of the aforementioned substances; - A description relating to the stability of a mixture of at least one of the aforementioned substances and at least one other substance; - A description of the recommended procedure based on the value of at least one of the aforementioned parameters, A communication system according to one of the prior embodiments, including at least one of the above.

[0108] Embodiment 10: The recommended procedure is: - Replacing at least a portion of the at least one substance at a determined time or time range; - Adding a further amount to the aforementioned at least one substance; - Adding a further substance to the aforementioned at least one substance; - Postponing the addition of further substances to at least one of the aforementioned substances; - Removing at least one of the aforementioned substances; - Changing at least one of the temperature or pressure acting on the at least one of the aforementioned substances; - Perform the harvesting procedure; - Postponing the harvesting process; - Approving or rejecting at least one object; - Recommend or not recommend at least one object; - Consuming or not consuming at least one object; - Approving or rejecting at least one object in input control or output control; - The act of sorting substances into specific containers; - To store at least one object; - To wash at least one object, A communication system according to a prior embodiment, selected from at least one of the following.

[0109] Embodiment 11: A communication system according to any one of the prior embodiments, wherein the third server is specified to provide the processing data to at least one of the processing units or simulation systems.

[0110] Embodiment 12: A communication system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the processing unit is selected from at least one of the following: a storage container, a processing unit, a washing unit, a waste container, a valve control unit, a sorting unit, an irradiation control unit, a temperature control unit, a pressure control unit, a heating unit, and a cooling unit.

[0111] Embodiment 13: A communication system according to any one of the prior embodiments, wherein the reference spectral information refers to at least one reference sample.

[0112] Embodiment 14: A communication system according to any one of the prior embodiments, wherein the second server and the third server are integrated into a single unit.

[0113] Embodiment 15: A monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, - A communication system according to any one of the preceding embodiments; - An optical spectrometer, • Obtain spectral information for at least one substance; • Provide the spectral information to at least one server. An optical spectrometer specified as such, A monitoring system equipped with the following features.

[0114] Embodiment 16: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the optical spectrometer is specified to provide the spectral information to at least one second server provided by the communication system.

[0115] Embodiment 17: - At least one light source designated to irradiate at least a portion of the at least one substance; - An optical probe designated to measure an optical signal relating to at least one of the aforementioned substances; - A first connection between the optical probe and the optical spectrometer, designated to guide the measured optical signal to the optical spectrometer; - A second connection between the light source and the optical probe, designated to direct light to the at least one material; - A data transfer unit designated for connecting the optical spectrometer and the second server, A monitoring system according to one of the prior embodiments, further comprising at least one of the above.

[0116] Embodiment 18: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the data transfer unit is specified to provide wired or wireless transmission.

[0117] Embodiment 19: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the data transfer unit is at least one of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or a Bluetooth-enabled device.

[0118] Embodiment 20: - The light source and the optical spectrometer, or - The optical probe and the optical spectrometer, or - The light source, the optical probe, and the optical spectrometer, A monitoring system according to one of the three preceding embodiments, in which the components are integrated into a single unit.

[0119] Embodiment 21: A monitoring system according to any one of the four preceding embodiments, wherein the second server, the optical spectrometer, and the data transfer unit are integrated into a single unit.

[0120] Embodiment 22: A monitoring system according to any one of the five preceding embodiments, wherein at least one of the first connection and the second connection comprises an optical waveguide.

[0121] Embodiment 23: A monitoring system according to any one of the six preceding embodiments, wherein the light source is selected from at least one of an incandescent lamp or a thermal infrared emitter.

[0122] Embodiment 24: A monitoring system according to any one of the seven preceding embodiments, wherein the optical probe comprises at least one of a first tube and a second tube, the first tube designated to receive the first connection and the second tube designated to receive the second connection.

[0123] Embodiment 25: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein at least one of the first tube and the second tube is a flexible tube.

[0124] Embodiment 26: A monitoring system according to any one of the two preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one tube is attached to at least one mount.

[0125] Embodiment 27: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein at least one mount is a rigid mount.

[0126] Embodiment 28: A monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to the monitoring system, wherein the optical probe includes configurations for at least one of a transmissive shape, a transflection shape, a reflective shape, and in particular a diffuse reflection shape or an attenuated total reflection shape.

[0127] Embodiment 29: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the transmissive shape configuration is specified to guide light through a layer thickness of material from 0.1 mm, preferably from 1 mm, more preferably from 2 mm to 20 mm, preferably from 8 mm, and more preferably from 5 mm.

[0128] Embodiment 30: A monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments, which reference a monitoring system, wherein the optical spectrometer further comprises a dispersion element and at least one detector, in particular a single detector or a detector array.

[0129] Embodiment 31: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the dispersion element is specified to receive light from the at least one substance and separate it into the spectrum of constituent wavelength signals.

[0130] Embodiment 32: A monitoring system according to any one of the two preceding embodiments, wherein the single detector comprises a single radiation-sensitive region, or the detector array comprises a plurality of pixelated sensors, each pixelated sensor being adapted to receive at least a portion of one of the constituent wavelength signals, each constituent wavelength signal relating to the intensity of its respective constituent wavelength, and generating at least one detector signal.

[0131] Embodiment 33: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein each pixelated sensor includes a sensor region, and each sensor region includes a radiation-sensitive material.

[0132] Embodiment 34: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the radiation-sensitive material is selected from silicon (Si), gallium antimonide (GaSb), germanium (Ge), indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), indium arsenide (InAs), lead sulfide (PbS), indium antimonide (InSb), lead selenide (PbSe), mercury cadmium telluride (MCT, HgCdTe), triglyceride sulfate (TGS), and deuterated triglyceride sulfate (DTGS).

[0133] Embodiment 35: A monitoring system according to one of the two preceding embodiments relating to the device, wherein the sensor area is a uniform sensor area.

[0134] Embodiment 36: A monitoring system according to any one of the three preceding embodiments, wherein the pixelated sensor is specified to measure incident light by generating a sensor signal through the measurement of the electrical resistance or conductivity of at least a portion of the sensor area.

[0135] Embodiment 37: Apparatus according to a prior embodiment, wherein the radiation-sensitive element is specified to generate a sensor signal by performing at least one current-voltage measurement and / or at least one voltage-current measurement.

[0136] Embodiment 38: A monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to the monitoring system, wherein at least a portion of the surface of the optical probe is an anti-adhesion surface designated to prevent adhesion of the at least one substance.

[0137] Embodiment 39: A monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments, which references a monitoring system, wherein the optical probe includes a sensor designated to determine the physical effect on the at least one substance.

[0138] Embodiment 40: A monitoring system, according to any one of the preceding embodiments, which references a monitoring system, wherein the physical effect on the at least one substance is selected from the temperature of the at least one substance or the pressure applied to the at least one substance.

[0139] Embodiment 41: A monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments, which references a monitoring system, wherein the optical probe includes an additional sensor designated to measure additional material-related information relating to the at least one substance.

[0140] Embodiment 42: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the additional material-related information is selected from at least one of the following: temperature, density, flux, conductivity, viscosity, electromagnetic field, dielectric constant, refractive index, fluorescence, phosphorescence, magnetization value, pH value, buffering capacity, acid value, or zeta potential associated with the at least one of the materials.

[0141] Embodiment 43: A monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a monitoring system, wherein the substance is selected from at least one of liquid, gas, solid, powder, granules, bulk material, or mixture thereof.

[0142] Embodiment 44: A monitoring system according to a prior embodiment, wherein the solid is selected from powder, granules, bulk material, or a mixture thereof.

[0143] Embodiment 45: A monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments, which references a monitoring system, wherein the parameters are selected from at least one of regression values, classification values, clustering values, sensory parameters, and extracted features.

[0144] Embodiment 46: A computer implementation method for operating a communication system, wherein the communication system comprises a cloud server, a first server, at least one second server, and at least one third server, and the method comprises the following steps: a) Providing reference spectral information and reference analysis data from the first server to the cloud server via a first communication interface; b) A step of generating a calibration model in the cloud server by using the reference spectral information and reference analysis data, wherein the calibration model includes at least one parameter; c) Providing spectral information from the second server to the cloud server via the second communication interface; d) The step of applying the calibration model in the cloud server to the spectral information, thereby extracting at least one value of the at least one parameter; e) Providing the first server with the at least one value of the at least one parameter via the first communication interface; f) The step of determining the processing data by using the at least one value of the at least one parameter provided to the first server by the cloud server; g) Providing the processing data from the first server to the third server via a third communication interface, Methods that include...

[0145] Embodiment 47: A method according to a prior embodiment, wherein the spectral information is provided directly or indirectly to the cloud server.

[0146] Embodiment 48: A method according to a prior embodiment, wherein the spectral information is indirectly provided to the cloud server by providing the spectral information to the first server and providing the spectral information from the first server to the cloud server via a fourth communication interface further provided by the first server.

[0147] Embodiment 49: A method according to a prior embodiment, wherein the spectral information is provided indirectly to the cloud server by first providing the spectral information to the first server, and then providing the spectral information from the first server to the cloud server via a fourth communication interface further provided by the first server.

[0148] Embodiment 50: A method according to one of the two preceding embodiments, wherein the calibration model is generated by applying a learning algorithm, preferably selected from machine learning algorithms or deep learning algorithms.

[0149] Embodiment 51: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, which reference a method in which the determination of the processing data by using the at least one value of the at least one parameter is performed by applying the learning algorithm to a combination of known values ​​of known parameters and known processing data.

[0150] Embodiment 52: A computer implementation method for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, the method comprising the following steps: (i) Obtaining at least one optical reference spectrum of at least one reference sample, each reference sample comprising at least one substance to be monitored, with reference analysis data assigned to each reference sample, and deriving reference spectral information from the at least one optical reference spectrum; (ii) the step of obtaining at least one optical spectrum of the at least one substance in situ and deriving spectral information from the at least one optical spectrum; (iii) a step of performing a step of the method according to a prior embodiment that refers to a computer implementation method for operating a communication system; (iv) A step of processing the at least one substance according to processing data, Methods that include...

[0151] Embodiment 53: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, relating to a method in which the at least one optical reference spectrum is obtained by measuring the at least one optical reference sample using the same type of system for in-situ monitoring of the at least one substance at at least one of the same temperatures, or by adjusting the at least one optical reference spectrum to at least one of the known temperature effects or known deviations of an optical spectrometer.

[0152] Embodiment 54: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the optical reference spectrum and at least one of the optical spectra of the at least one substance cover wavelengths from 250 nm to 6 μm.

[0153] Embodiment 55: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to the method, wherein the at least one optical spectrum of the at least one substance is repeatedly acquired in situ while a process comprising the at least one substance is in operation.

[0154] Embodiment 56: A method according to any one of the prior embodiments referring to the method, wherein the processing data includes at least one piece of data relating to the proposed processing of the at least one substance.

[0155] Embodiment 57: The processed data is: - A description relating to the identification of the at least one of the substances; - A statement relating to the reliability of the at least one substance or a product containing the at least one substance; - A description relating to the origin of at least one of the aforementioned substances; - A description of the presence or absence of the at least one substance; - A description relating to the properties of at least one of the aforementioned substances; - A description of the compositional properties of the at least one of the aforementioned substances; - A description relating to the stability of a mixture of at least one of the aforementioned substances and at least one other substance; - A description of the recommended procedure based on the value of at least one of the aforementioned parameters, A method according to any one of the prior embodiments that reference the method, including at least one of the following.

[0156] Embodiment 58: The recommended procedure is: - Replacing at least a portion of the at least one substance at a determined time or time range; - Adding a further amount to the aforementioned at least one substance; - Adding a further substance to the aforementioned at least one substance; - Postponing the addition of further substances to at least one of the aforementioned substances; - Removing at least one of the aforementioned substances; - Changing at least one of the temperature or pressure acting on the at least one of the aforementioned substances; - Perform the harvesting procedure; - Postponing the harvesting process; - Approving or rejecting at least one object; - Recommend or not recommend at least one object; - Consuming or not consuming at least one object; - Approving or rejecting at least one object in input control or output control; - The act of sorting substances into specific containers; - To store at least one object; - To wash at least one object, A method according to a prior embodiment, selected from at least one of the above.

[0157] Embodiment 59: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments that reference the method, wherein at least one item of information related to the processing data is displayed to the user via a user interface.

[0158] Embodiment 60: A method according to any one of the prior embodiments that reference the method, wherein the processing data is provided to at least one of the processing units or simulation systems.

[0159] Embodiment 61: A method according to a prior embodiment, wherein the processing unit is selected from at least one of the following: a storage container, a processing unit, a washing unit, a waste container, a valve control unit, a sorting unit, an irradiation control unit, a temperature control unit, a pressure control unit, a heating unit, and a cooling unit.

[0160] Embodiment 62: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the reference spectral information refers to at least one reference sample.

[0161] Embodiment 63: A computer program product comprising executable instructions for performing a method step according to any one of the preceding embodiments that reference the method.

[0162] Embodiment 64: Use of a monitoring system according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, the purpose of which is selected from the group consisting of food or beverage control or monitoring, industrial process control, material classification or characterization, product counterfeit prevention, biological characterization, and health applications. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0163] Further optional details and features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of preferred exemplary embodiments that follows in connection with the dependent claims. In this context, certain features may be implemented individually or in combination. The present invention is not limited to exemplary embodiments. Exemplary embodiments are schematically shown in the figures. The same reference number in each figure refers to the same element or an element having the same function, or an element corresponding to one another in terms of function.

[0164] Specifically, in the drawing: [Figure 1] This figure shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, the monitoring system comprising a communication system and an optical spectrometer according to the present invention. [Figure 2]This figure shows a more preferred exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, the monitoring system comprising a communication system and an optical spectrometer according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of an optical probe optionally included by an optical spectrometer, which is specified to measure an optical signal associated with at least one substance. [Figure 4] This figure shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of a computer implementation method for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance, the method including a method for operating a communication system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0165] Exemplary Embodiments Figure 1 shows very schematically an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system 110 for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance 112 according to the present invention. Generally, substance 112 can be assigned to a user who is responsible for substance 112 or who is interested in receiving processing data related to substance 112. As shown therein, substance can be an amount of liquid 114 that can be stored in a container 116, thereby obtaining a liquid level 118 in the container 116. Without limiting the scope of the present invention, liquid 114 as used in this particular example can be frying oil, which can be used for frying in a food preparation procedure. However, as shown in more detail above, various other types of substances, in particular further liquids, gases or solids, such as powders, granules, bulk materials or mixtures thereof, can also be used in relation to the present invention.

[0166] According to the present invention, the monitoring system 110 may further include an optical probe 120 designated to measure an optical signal associated with a substance 112. As schematically shown in Figure 1, the optical probe 120 can be immersed in a liquid 114, preferably completely below the liquid level 118 in a container 116. In certain embodiments, the optical probe 120 can be mounted on the inner wall 122 of the container 116, preferably near the bottom 124 of the container 116, thereby avoiding disturbance to the operation of the liquid 114 as much as possible. Further details regarding the optical probe 120 can be found in the above description, Figure 3 and the references thereto. The optical signal that can be measured by the optical probe 120 may preferably be led to an optical spectrometer 130 further included in the monitoring system 110 of the present invention via a connection 126, which may be a wired connection such as an optical waveguide 128 or a wireless connection. Alternatively or additionally, the optical spectrometer 130 may be specified to directly acquire optical signals by using a configuration specifically, preferably, designed in a reflective shape, particularly a diffuse reflective shape or an attenuated reflective shape (not shown here).

[0167] Therefore, the optical spectrometer 130 is designated to acquire spectral information related to the substance 112, and for this purpose, optical signals measured by the optical probe 120 or directly acquired by the optical spectrometer 130 may be used. For this purpose, the optical spectrometer 130 may include at least one light source 132 designated to irradiate at least a portion of the substance 112, as further shown in Figure 1. In particular, the light source 132 may emit electromagnetic radiation covering at least a portion of the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range. Generally, the NIR spectral range is considered to cover wavelengths from 780 nm to 2500 nm. However, the light source 132 may also be capable of emitting light at further wavelengths outside the NIR spectral range, for example, the visible spectral range covering wavelengths from 380 nm to 780 nm, or other infrared spectral ranges having wavelengths greater than 2.5 μm, particularly wavelengths up to 2.6 μm, 3.1 μm, 3.5 μm, 5 μm, 5.5 μm, 6 μm, 20 μm, or 40 μm.

[0168] For the purpose of generating desired radiation, the light source 132 may preferably include an incandescent lamp having a low conductivity metal, particularly tungsten or NiCr, selected from at least one of these, or graphite, provided in the form of a filament or film. Here, the filament or film may be impacted by an electric current in such a manner that heating of the filament results in the emission of photons over a fairly broad spectral range, particularly including the NIR spectral range. Alternatively, other types of thermal radiation sources, specifically thermal infrared emitters as described in more detail above, may be used. However, different light sources 132 are also possible.

[0169] As already shown above, the light source 132 may be a continuous light source or, alternatively, a pulsed light source, which may have a modulation frequency of at least 1 Hz, at least 5 Hz, at least 10 Hz, at least 50 Hz, at least 100 Hz, at least 500 Hz, at least 1 kHz, or higher. As a result, the modulation frequency is well matched to the detection range of the infrared sensor, which is particularly sensitive above 500 Hz, especially due to the strong influence of 1 / f noise. For this purpose, a comprehensive and expensive radiation generator based on semiconductors such as light-emitting diodes, or lasers, especially quantum cascade lasers, can be used. A less expensive alternative can be provided by using a mechanical chopper wheel or by using a pulseable infrared source containing a low thermal mass filament of tungsten or NiCr. For example, pulseable infrared sources of this type are available as the EP-series or EF-series from Helioworks (see www.helioworks.com), or as FLIR from ICx Photonics (see www.amstechnologies.com / fileadmin / amsmedia / downloads / 2533_IR_Broadband_Sources.pdf). As a further alternative, apparatus for generating radiation, such as that disclosed in European Patent Application 19213277.7 filed 3 December 2019, can also be used, as described in more detail above.

[0170] As further shown in Figure 1, the light emitted by the light source 132 may be directed toward the optical probe 120 by using the same connection 126, which preferably includes the same optical waveguide 128, or by using different connections (not shown here) that can be placed between the light source 132 and the optical probe 120. As shown in more detail below in Figure 3, the connection 126 may be provided in a branched form, with a first branch being used to provide the light generated by the light source 132 to the optical probe 120, while a second branch may generally be used to direct the light received from the optical probe 120, modified by the material 112 under monitoring, toward the optical spectrometer 130.

[0171] For this purpose, the optical spectrometer 130 may further include a dispersion element 134 designated to receive light from material 112 and separate it into a spectrum of constituent wavelength signals, and a detector array 136 which may include a plurality of pixelated sensors, each pixelated sensor fitted to receive at least one of the constituent wavelength signals, where each constituent wavelength signal is associated with the intensity of its respective constituent wavelength and generates at least one detector signal. Alternatively, a single detector having a single radiation-sensitive region is also possible.

[0172] Here, the dispersion element 134 is a linearly variable filter used in the optical spectrometer 130 so that the light received from the material 112 can be collided with at least one, preferably exactly one, pixelated sensor, which includes only a single wavelength or a narrow wavelength range, in order to separate the light received from the material 112 into a spectrum of constituent wavelength signals, with each intensity or amplitude determined. As described in more detail above, the dispersion element 134 may be a diffraction element or an interference element, the diffraction element may be a prism or an optical grating, and the interference element may be an interference filter, in particular a bandpass filter, a band-stop filter, a Bragg filter, a variable-length filter such as a linearly variable filter, a Fabry-Perot interferometer or a Michelson interferometer. Alternatively, the optical spectrometer 130 may comprise at least one Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrophotometer, which may comprise at least one broadband light source and at least one interference element such as a Michelson interferometer. The FTIR spectrophotometer may be configured to irradiate an object with at least one light beam having a time-dependent spectrum. Preferably, the FTIR spectrophotometer comprises at least one movable mirror element, and by the movement of the mirror element, the light beam generated by the broadband light source 132 can be alternately blocked and transmitted by the interfering element. The optical spectrometer may further comprise at least one micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) configured to control the mirror element. Furthermore, the FTIR spectrophotometer may be configured to modulate the light beam in accordance with wavelength such that different wavelengths are modulated at different speeds.

[0173] Furthermore, each pixelated sensor included in the detector array 136 may include a uniform sensor region designated to receive light from material 112, which is split into a spectrum of constituent wavelength signals by a dispersion element 134 in such a way that the generation of at least one detector signal can be triggered. Preferably, the generation of at least one detector signal may be governed by a defined relationship between the detector signal and the mode of irradiation of the sensor region. Here, the sensor region is 10 mm × 1 mm or less in size, preferably 2 mm × 0.2 mm or less, more preferably 1 mm × 0.1 mm or less, and most preferably 0.5 mm × 0.05 mm or less. For the purpose of generating at least one detection signal upon irradiation, the sensor region may include a radiation-sensitive material, preferably selected from silicon (Si) for wavelengths up to 1.1 μm in particular. For wavelengths exceeding 1.1 μm, the radiation-sensitive material can be selected from at least one of the following, in particular: gallium antimonide (GaSb) for wavelengths up to 1.7 μm; germanium (Ge) for wavelengths up to 1.85 μm; indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) for wavelengths up to 2.5 μm; indium arsenide (InAs) for wavelengths up to 3.5 μm; lead sulfide (PbS) for wavelengths up to 3.5 μm; indium antimonide (InSb) for wavelengths up to 5.5 μm; lead selenide (PbSe) for wavelengths up to 6 μm; cadmium mercury telluride (MCT, HgCdTe) for wavelengths up to 20 μm; triglyceride sulfate (TGS) for wavelengths up to 40 μm; and deuterated triglyceride sulfate (DTGS) for wavelengths up to 40 μm. However, other materials may also be possible for use in the detector array 136.

[0174] As further shown in Figure 1, the optical spectrometer 130 includes an internal evaluation unit 138 designated for determining desired spectral information by evaluating the detector signals provided by the detector array 136. However, the evaluation unit 138 may also be provided as a separate unit separated from the optical spectrometer 130. As defined above, the term “evaluation unit” refers to an instrument configured to determine desired spectral information relating to a substance 112 whose spectrum has been recorded, and the spectral information may be obtained by evaluating the detector signals provided by the detector array 136.

[0175] Furthermore, the optical spectrometer 130 may include additional elements not shown herein. In particular, at least one transfer element (not shown herein) may be used, which is designed, for example, by using the optical probe 120 via connection 126 to receive light from the material 112, preferably from the optical waveguide 128, and transfer it to the dispersion element 134, thereby preferably focusing the light to the dispersion element 134. Examples of preferred transfer elements can be found in WO2019 / 115594A1, WO2019 / 115595A1, or WO2019 / 115596A1.

[0176] According to the present invention, the monitoring system 110 further comprises a communication system 140, as schematically shown in Figure 1 by the contents represented by the long dashed line 142. As shown therein, the communication system 140 comprises a cloud server 144, a first server 146, a second server 148, and a third server 150. As further illustrated therein, the communication system 140 may further include one or more further second servers 148' and one or more further third servers 150', the number of second servers 148, 148' is generally equal to the number of third servers 150, 150'. As shown by the short dashed line, common servers 152, 152' capable of performing tasks for both the second servers 148, 148' and the corresponding third servers 150, 150' may be provided as a single unit.

[0177] As already shown above, each server 144, 146, 148, and 150 is configured to play a decisive role, particularly according to the present invention, and thus the processing of spectral information acquired by the optical spectrometer 130 can be distributed among different servers 144, 146, 148, and 150 in a specific manner as described herein. As a result, spectral information used for monitoring substance 112 is provided by the user, while the processing of the spectral information is performed by a first instance familiar with the evaluation of spectral information, and the processing data desired by the user is generated by a second instance familiar with that. Consequently, the communication system 140 can therefore provide both distributed best practices for the evaluation of spectral information and, at the same time, specific data exchange under high data protection standards during the processing of spectral information in preferably fully automated procedures designated to generate desired processing data and provide them to the user.

[0178] Spectral information that can be used to monitor substance 112 may preferably be provided to a second server 148 by a data transfer unit 154. Here, the data transfer unit 154 may be specified to transmit spectral information from the optical spectrometer 130 to the second server 148 by wired or wireless transmission. For this purpose, the data transfer unit 154 may preferably be selected from at least one of USB (Universal Serial Bus) or Bluetooth-enabled devices. As further shown in Figure 1, the optical spectrometer 130, the data transfer unit 154 and the second server 148 may also be integrated into a single unit, schematically shown by the dotted line. However, other embodiments are also possible.

[0179] As schematically shown in Figure 1, the first server 146 further comprises a first communication interface 156, which is configured to provide reference spectral information and reference analysis data referencing at least one reference sample to the cloud server 144. As will be described in detail above and below, the reference spectral information and reference analysis data are used by the cloud server 144 to generate a calibration model, which is configured to include at least one parameter. Furthermore, each second server 148, 148' comprises at least one second communication interface 158, 158', which may be configured to directly provide spectral information to the cloud server 144, as schematically shown in Figure 1. An alternative configuration of the communication path for the second communication interfaces 158, 158' is shown in Figure 2. As will be described in detail above and below, the calibration model maintained in the cloud server 144 is applied to the spectral information, thereby extracting at least one value for at least one parameter. Furthermore, at least one value for at least one parameter is provided to the first server 146 by using the first communication interface 156. As described in detail above and below, the first server 146 is further configured to determine processing data by using at least one value for at least one parameter provided by the cloud server 144 via the first communication interface 156. Furthermore, the first server 146 further has at least one third communication interface 160, 160', each third communication interface 160, 160' is configured to provide processing data to at least one third server 150, 150'. Here, any one of the communication interfaces 156, 158, 158', 160, 160' may be provided wirelessly, however, wired communication is also possible.

[0180] For the purposes of the present invention, the first server 146 may include a first data storage device 162, which may be configured to store reference spectral information and reference analysis data referencing at least one reference sample, to be provided to the cloud server 144 via a first communication interface 156, and independently to a first processing unit 164 further included by the first server 146. Furthermore, the first server 146 may include a second data storage device 166, which may be configured to store processing data to be provided to at least one third server 150, 150'. Furthermore, a first processing unit 164, such as one configured by the first server 146, may be configured to generate processing data using reference spectral information and reference analysis data provided by the first data storage device 162, and at least one value for at least one parameter, provided by the cloud server 144 via the first communication interface 156. Here, the first data storage device 162 and the second data storage device 166 may be configured as a single data storage device, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1. However, further configurations of the first server 146 are also possible.

[0181] Furthermore, the cloud server 144 and optionally at least one cloud data storage device 168 may be available on demand in the cloud 170, as schematically shown in Figure 1. In addition, one or more further devices may contribute to the infrastructure of the cloud 170. Generally, the cloud server 144 and any cloud data storage device 168 can therefore provide computing power and data storage capacity, respectively, without requiring direct active management by the users or operators of the first server 146 or the second servers 148, 148'.

[0182] Based on the infrastructure shown in Figure 1, the cloud server 144 used in the present invention is - To generate a calibration model including at least one parameter by using reference spectral information and reference analysis data that reference at least one reference sample, such as those provided by the first server 146; - To apply the calibration model to spectral information, such as that provided by the first server 146, such that at least one value of at least one parameter is extracted; - To provide the first server 146 with the at least one value for the at least one parameter via the first communication interface, It is composed.

[0183] For this purpose, service providers, which may be different individuals and / or entities, can provide the structure of the calibration model. As shown above, the calibration model has a structure that includes one or more parameters that form the basis of the calibration model. As described in more detail above, at least one parameter may be selected from regression values, classification values, clustering values, subjective parameters, and extracted features.

[0184] As further schematically shown in Figure 1, the third server 150 can drive a monitor 172, which can function as a user interface designated to display to the user at least one item of information 174 related to the processing data. Here, the item of information 174 may be plain text such as “remove oil” or “replenish oil,” or graphic symbols representing this type of information. As further illustrated, the monitor 172 may be driven directly by the third server 150, but the monitor 172 may be configured by a personal computer, which can receive the item of information 174 from the server 150. Alternatively or additionally, a mobile communication device 176 (preferably selected from at least one of a smartphone, tablet, or personal digital assistant) may be used, which has a display that can be configured to provide the user at least one item of information 174, for example, by applying a specific application ("app") configured for this purpose. Alternatively or additionally, an audio output device, such as at least one loudspeaker 178, may be used to provide the user at least one item of information 174.

[0185] Alternatively or additionally, the third server 150 may be specified to provide processing data to the processing unit 180 directly, such as via a wired or wireless connection 182, or indirectly, such as via a further processing device (not shown here). As schematically shown in Figure 1, the processing unit 180, - A storage container 184 may be designated to store a further amount of liquid 114 and to allow a portion thereof to be dispensed to container 116, as indicated by the dotted arrow; - For example, a waste container 186 may be designated to receive used liquid 188 from a container, as indicated by a further dotted arrow, by providing an open signal to valve 190; - A temperature control unit 192 may be specified to change the temperature of the liquid 114 contained in the container 116, particularly by cooling or heating the liquid 114, in order to change the properties of the liquid 114, such as the viscosity of the liquid 114, through the walls 122 and / or bottom 124 of the container 116, etc. It can later be equipped with at least one of the following.

[0186] However, further types of processing units 180 are also conceivable, such as those described above.

[0187] Alternatively or additionally, the third server 150 may be designated to provide processing data to at least one simulation system (not shown herein), the simulation system may consist of at least one of the third server 150 or further processing units (not shown herein). Further details regarding the simulation system can be found in the description above.

[0188] As further shown in Figure 1, the additional server 198, along with the additional interface 199, is designated to perform operations within the cloud server 144, which generate a calibration model by using reference spectral information and reference analysis data referencing at least one reference sample provided by the first server 146, and apply the calibration model to spectral information such as that provided by the second server 148, 148', and as shown in Figure 1, can be used to generate and maintain the infrastructure within the cloud server 144, which thereby extracts at least one value for at least one parameter and provides at least one value for at least one parameter to the first server 146 via the first communication interface 156.

[0189] As shown above, Figure 2 shows an alternative configuration for the communication path relating to the second communication interfaces 158, 158'. In this more preferred embodiment of the monitoring system 110 according to the present invention, which includes an alternative configuration of the communication system 140, each second communication interface 158, 158', which is comprised of each second server 148, 148', may be configured to indirectly provide spectral information to the cloud server 144, as schematically shown in Figure 2. For this purpose, each second communication interface 158, 158' may be directed to the first server 146, which in this preferred embodiment may be configured to receive spectral information from each second communication interface 158, 158' and then provide the spectral information to the cloud server 144 by using a fourth communication interface 194.

[0190] Here, the spectral information can simply be redirected to the fourth communication interface 194 without any application to the spectral information itself. However, as further shown in Figure 2, the first server 146 may further include a second processing unit 196 which can be configured to modify the spectral information in the manner described in more detail above.

[0191] Further details regarding further embodiments of the monitoring system 110, particularly the communication system 140 as schematically shown in Figure 2, can be found in Figure 1 and refer to the description of the embodiments described above.

[0192] Figure 3 shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of an optical probe 120 designated for measuring optical signals associated with substance 112. As schematically shown there, the optical probe 120 may comprise a mount 210 to which a first tube 212 and a second tube 214 are attached. For this purpose, screws 216, 218 may be used. However, other types of mounting are also possible. Here, the mount 210 may preferably be a rigid mount so as to provide the desired stability to the optical probe 120, while at least one of the tubes 212, 214 may preferably be a flexible tube so as to provide a certain level of flexibility to the tubes 212, 214 that can be used in harsh environments, for example in liquids 114, especially in hot frying oil, or in volumes containing powders, granules, or bulk materials, which can be used to reduce the risk of breakage. As an example, it may be advantageous to design the optical probe 120 in such a way that interference with the light by polymerized oil accumulation, particles from frying or other sources, or vapor bubbles from frying or other sources can be avoided as much as possible.

[0193] Alternatively or additionally, the optical probe 120 may be provided with a cover having selected properties that can extend the lifespan of the optical probe 120 in harsh environments. In particular, the surface of the optical probe 120 or at least a portion thereof, especially the tubes 212, 214, may be an anti-adhesion surface, which may be specified to prevent adhesion of substances 112, such as liquids 114, especially hot frying oil or one or more decomposition products thereof, to the surface of the optical probe 120. For this purpose, fluoropolymer coatings such as polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon®) or fluorinated (poly)silane, which are preferred for their preferred permeability in the NIR region; polyamide coatings such as Kevlar®; ceramic coatings; or (super)hydrophobic coatings, such as those described by John T. Simpson et al., Rep. Prog. Phys. 78, 086501, 2015, may be preferably used. However, different types of covers are also conceivable.

[0194] In a preferred embodiment, the optical probe 120 may include a configuration that can be used for optical measurements in at least one of a transmissive, transflection, or reflective configuration. As shown in Figure 3, a transmissive configuration is particularly preferred when the substance 112 being monitored contains at least one of a liquid 114, specifically frying oil, gas, powder, or granules. Here, the configuration of the transmissive configuration may be specified to guide light through the thickness d of the layer of the substance 112 being monitored, particularly 0.5 mm, preferably 1 mm, more preferably 2 mm, ~20 mm, preferably ~8 mm, more preferably ~5 mm. In the exemplary embodiment of Figure 3, the location of the optical measurement is provided by a gap 220 in the mount 210, which defines the thickness of the layer of the substance 112 to be monitored. However, if the substance 112 being monitored contains bulk material, a reflective configuration, such as an attenuated total reflection configuration, may be more preferred.

[0195] In a preferred embodiment as shown in Figure 3, the configuration of the optical probe 120 designated for optical measurement in a transmissive shape is such that a first tube 212 is designated to receive a first connection 222, while a second tube 214 is designated to receive a second connection 224. Here, the first connection 222 is provided between the optical measurement location and the optical spectrometer 130 to guide the optical signal to be measured by the optical probe 120 at the optical measurement location, while the second connection 224 is provided between the light source 132 and the optical measurement location to guide the light to the optical measurement location. Here, the connections 222 and 224 may preferably be wired connections, particularly optical waveguides, but wireless connections may also be used as an alternative or additional method. The connections 222 and 224 may be attached to the branch of connection 126 as described above in relation to Figures 1 and 2 by using a fitted sealing 226 and corresponding coupling 228, as illustrated in Figure 3. However, further types of attachments are also possible.

[0196] Furthermore, the optical probe 120 may include additional sensors (not shown herein) which may be specified to measure additional material-related information of at least one substance 112, in addition to at least one piece of information about the at least one substance 112 obtained by using the optical spectrometer 130. Here, the additional material-related information may preferably be selected from at least one of the following: temperature, density, flux, conductivity, viscosity, electromagnetic field, dielectric constant, refractive index, fluorescence, phosphorescence, magnetization value, pH value, buffering capacity, acid value, or zeta potential. However, further types of additional material-related information are also possible. Here, the additional sensors may preferably be mounted on the mount 210, and leads for power or data readout may preferably be guided through at least one tube of the first tube 212 and the second tube 214. Furthermore, other elements that may be attached to the optical probe 120 are conceivable.

[0197] Herein, it is shown that, apart from preferred exemplary embodiments of the monitoring system 110 according to the present invention, such as those shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, further embodiments of the monitoring system 110 are also conceivable.

[0198] Figure 4 provides a highly schematic representation of a computer implementation method 310 for in-situ monitoring of substance 112, the method 310 for in-situ monitoring of substance 112, which includes steps of a computer implementation method 312 for operating a communication system 140.

[0199] In the reference acquisition step 314 according to step (i), at least one optical reference spectrum of at least one reference sample is acquired. As described in more detail above, each reference sample contains the substance 112 to be monitored, and reference analysis data is assigned to each reference sample. For this purpose, at least one optical reference spectrum may be acquired by measuring at least one optical reference sample in the same type of system 110 for in-situ monitoring of substance 112, preferably at the same temperature. Alternatively, at least one optical reference spectrum may be adjusted for at least one known temperature effect or known deviation of the optical spectrometer 130 or optical probe 120. Furthermore, the reference spectrum information is derived from at least one optical reference spectrum of at least one reference sample in the reference acquisition step 314 and is preferably stored in the first data storage device 162 of the first server 146 together with the reference analysis data for provision to the cloud server 144 via the first communication interface 156.

[0200] In acquisition step 316 according to step (ii), at least one optical spectrum of substance 112 is acquired in situ by optical spectrometer 130, preferably by using optical probe 120, as described in more detail above. Here, the desired spectral information is derived from at least one optical spectrum of substance 112.

[0201] In step (iii) operation step 318, the steps of method 312 for operating the communication system 140 are performed, preferably the method for operating the communication system 140 as described in more detail above.

[0202] Here, in the reference step 320 according to step a), the reference spectral information and reference analysis data referencing at least one reference sample, such as that provided by the first server 146, are led to the cloud server 144 via the first communication interface 156, as described in more detail above. As described above, the cloud server 144 or at least one of the at least one cloud data storage device 168 may be used as data storage capacity for storing the reference spectral information and reference analysis data, in particular for use in the next step b).

[0203] In the calibration step 322 according to step b), a calibration model is generated in the cloud server 144 by using reference spectral information and reference analysis data that reference at least one reference sample, such as those provided to the cloud server 144 in the reference step 320. As described in more detail above, the calibration model is preferably determined using computing power such as that provided by the cloud server 144 and includes both at least one parameter that can be stored in the cloud server 144 or at least one of the at least one cloud data storage devices 168, in particular for use in the next step c).

[0204] In step 324, the spectral information is provided to the cloud server 144 from at least one second server 158, 158'. As described in more detail above, the spectral information is provided by each second server 148, 148' and from there it may be led to the cloud server 144 by a direct route via at least one second communication interface 158, 158' as schematically shown in Figure 1, or by an indirect route including at least one second communication interface 158, 158', the first server 146, and the fourth communication interface 194 as schematically shown in Figure 2. In the indirect route, the spectral information may pass through the first server 146 with or without any application to the spectral information. As already described above, the spectral information may be stored in the cloud server 144, preferably for immediate use, particularly in the next step d). However, the spectral information may also be stored in at least one cloud data storage device 168.

[0205] In the parameterization step 326 according to step d), the calibration model is applied to the spectral information in the cloud server 144. Thus, at least one value for at least one parameter is extracted from specific spectral information by using computing power, preferably provided by the cloud server 144, and for this purpose, reference spectral information and reference analysis data referencing at least one reference sample stored in at least one or preferably at least one cloud data storage device 168 of the cloud server 144 are used. Preferably, at least one parameter extracted from specific spectral information may be stored in the cloud server 144, particularly for immediate use in the next step e).

[0206] In the supply step 328 by step e), at least one value for at least one parameter is supplied directly from the cloud server 144 to the first server 146, preferably by using the first communication interface 156. As already shown above, the first server 146 may preferably include a first processing unit 164, where at least one value for at least one parameter may be stored, preferably for immediate use, especially in the next step f).

[0207] In step 330, the determination step in step f), the processing data is preferably determined by using at least one value for at least one parameter, which is provided to the first server 146 from the cloud server 144 via the first communication interface 156, and preferably reference spectral information and reference analysis data that refer to at least one reference sample, which is provided by the first data storage device 162. For this purpose, the first processing unit 164 may preferably be used as already shown in more detail above.

[0208] In step 332 of the information step g), the processing data is provided from the first server 146 to at least one third server 150, 150' via at least one third communication interface 160, 160'. For this purpose, at least one third server 150, 150' can drive a monitor 172 which can function as a user interface designated to display to the user at least one item of information 174 related to the processing data. Alternatively or additionally, a mobile communication device 176 can function as a user interface. Alternatively or additionally, a loudspeaker 178 can provide to the user audibly at least one item of information 174. Alternatively or additionally, at least one third server 150, 150' may be designated to provide the processing data to the processing unit 180 as schematically shown in Figures 1 and 2, or as described in more detail above. Alternatively or additionally, at least one third server 150, 150' may be designated to provide processing data to at least one simulation system, as further described above.

[0209] In processing step 334 according to step (iv), the substance 112 is therefore processed by at least one of the user or processing unit 180 according to the processing data. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0210] 110 Monitoring System 112 Substance 114 Liquid 116 Container 118 Liquid Level 120 Optical probes 122 Wall 124 Bottom 126 connections 128 Optical waveguide 130 Optical Spectrometer 132 Light source 134 Distributed element 136 detector array 138 evaluation units 140 Communication system 142 Long and short line 144 Cloud server 146 First server 148 Second server 150 Third server 152 Pair 154 Data transfer unit 156 First communication interface 158 Second communication interface 160 Third communication interface 162 First data storage device 164 First processing unit 166 Second data storage device 168 Cloud data storage device 170 Cloud 172 Monitor 174 Information item 176 Mobile communication device 178 Loudspeaker 180 Processing unit 182 Connection 184 Storage container 186 Waste container 188 Used liquid 190 Valve 192 Temperature control unit 194 Fourth communication interface 196 Second processing unit (processing unit) 198 Additional server 199 Additional interface 210 Mount 212 First tube 214 Second tube 216 Screw 218 Screw 220 Gap 222 First connection 224 Second connection 226 Sealing 228 Coupling 310 Computer implementation method for in-situ monitoring of substances 312 Computer implementation method for operating a communication system 314 Reference Acquisition Step 316 Acquisition Steps 318 Operating Steps 320 Reference Steps 322 Calibration Steps 324 Steps to Provide 326 Parameterization Step 328 Supply step 330 Decision Steps 332 Information Steps 334 Processing Steps

Claims

1. A first server (146) configured to provide a cloud server (144) with at least one reference spectral information of at least one reference sample having known content and known physical properties, and at least one reference analysis data related to the at least one reference spectral information of the at least one reference sample, A cloud server (144) is configured to generate a calibration model comprising at least one parameter describing the reference analysis data from the reference spectral information, using the at least one reference spectral information and the at least one reference analysis data provided by the first server (146), At least one second server (148, 148') configured to provide spectral information of at least one substance (112) to the cloud server (144), In a communication system (140) comprising at least one third server (150, 150'),; The servers (144, 146, 148, 148', 150, 150') are devices configured to provide resources to further devices, the resources including computing power and data storage capacity; The first server (146) further has a first communication interface (156) configured to provide the cloud server (144) with the at least one reference spectral information and the at least one reference analysis data of the at least one reference sample; Each of the second servers (148, 148') has a second communication interface (158, 158') configured to provide spectral information related to at least one substance (112) to the cloud server (144); The aforementioned cloud server (144) - Apply the calibration model to spectral information relating to the at least one substance (112) provided by the second server (148, 148') and determine at least one value of the at least one parameter; - Provide the first server (146) with the at least one value for the at least one parameter via the first communication interface (156). It is configured in such a way; The first server (146) is further configured to determine processing data related to the processing of the at least one substance (112) by using at least one value of the at least one parameter provided by the cloud server (144); The first server (146) further has at least one third communication interface (160, 160'), each third communication interface (160, 160') configured to provide the processing data to the at least one third server (150, 150'), in a communication system (140).

2. The communication system (140) according to claim 1, wherein the second communication interface (158, 158') is configured to directly or indirectly provide the spectral information to the cloud server (144), the spectral information is indirectly provided to the cloud server (144) by providing the spectral information to the first server (146), and the first server (146) further comprises a fourth communication interface (194) configured to provide the spectral information from the first server to the cloud server (144).

3. The communication system (140) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the third server (150, 150') comprises or drives a user interface designated to display to the user at least one item of information relating to the processing data.

4. The communication system (140) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the third server (150, 150') is specified to provide the processing data to at least one of a processing unit (180) or a simulation system.

5. The communication system (140) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second server (148, 148') and the third server (150, 150') are integrated into a single unit.

6. A monitoring system (110) for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance (112), - A communication system (140) according to any one of claims 1 to 5; - An optical spectrometer (130), - Obtain spectral information for at least one substance (112); - Provide the spectral information to at least one server. An optical spectrometer (130) designated as such, A monitoring system (110) is provided.

7. The monitoring system (110) according to claim 6, wherein the optical spectrometer (130) is specified to provide the spectral information relating to the at least one substance (112) to at least one second server (148, 148') provided by the communication system (140).

8. - At least one light source (132) designated to illuminate at least a portion of the at least one substance (112); - An optical probe (120) designated to measure an optical signal relating to at least one of the substances (112); - A first connection (126, 222) between the optical probe (120) and the optical spectrometer (130), designated to guide the measured optical signal to the optical spectrometer (130); - A second connection (126, 224) between the light source (132) and the light probe (120), designated to guide light to the light probe (120); - A data transfer unit (154) designated for connecting the optical spectrometer (130) and the second server (148, 148'), The monitoring system (110) according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising at least one of the following.

9. The monitoring system (110) according to claim 8, wherein the second server (148, 148'), the optical spectrometer (130), and the data transfer unit (154) are integrated into a single unit.

10. The monitoring system (110) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein at least one of the first connection (126, 222) and the second connection (126, 224) comprises an optical waveguide (128).

11. The monitoring system (110) according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the optical probe (120) includes a configuration for at least one of a transmissive shape, a transflection shape, or a reflective shape.

12. A computer implementation method (310) for operating a communication system (140), wherein the communication system (140) is A first server (146) is configured to provide a cloud server (144) with at least one reference spectral information of at least one reference sample having known content and known physical properties, and at least one reference analysis data related to the at least one reference spectral information of the at least one reference sample, A cloud server (144) is configured to generate a calibration model comprising at least one parameter describing the reference analysis data from the reference spectral information, using the at least one reference spectral information and the at least one reference analysis data provided by the first server (146), At least one second server (148, 148') configured to provide spectral information of at least one substance (112) to the cloud server (144), It comprises at least one third server (150, 150'), The servers (144, 146, 148, 148', 150, 150') are devices configured to provide resources to further devices, the resources including computing power and data storage capacity; The above method (310) consists of the following steps: a) The first server (146) provides the cloud server (144) via the first communication interface (156) with at least one reference spectral information of at least one reference sample having known content and known physical properties, and at least one reference analysis data related to the at least one reference spectral information of the at least one reference sample; b) The cloud server (144) uses the at least one reference spectral information and the at least one reference analysis data provided by the first server (146) to generate a calibration model comprising at least one parameter describing the reference analysis data from the reference spectral information; c) The second server (148, 148') provides the cloud server (144) via the second communication interface (158, 158') with spectral information relating to at least one substance (112); d) the cloud server (144) applies the calibration model to the spectral information relating to the at least one substance (112) provided by the second server (148, 148') and determines the value of at least one of the at least one parameter; e) the cloud server (144) provides the first server (146) with the at least one value of the at least one parameter via the first communication interface (156); f) The first server (146) determines processing data related to the processing of the at least one substance (112) by using the at least one value of the at least one parameter provided by the cloud server (144); g) The first server (146) provides the processing data to the third server (150, 150') via the third communication interface (160, 160'), Method (310), including the method (310).

13. The method according to claim 12 (310), wherein the spectral information is provided to the cloud server (144) directly or indirectly, and the spectral information is provided to the cloud server (144) indirectly by providing the spectral information to the first server (146), and by providing the spectral information from the first server (146) to the cloud server (144) via a fourth communication interface (194) further provided by the first server (146).

14. A computer implementation method (312) for in-situ monitoring of at least one substance (112), wherein the method (312) comprises the following steps: (i) obtaining at least one optical reference spectrum of at least one reference sample, each reference sample comprising at least one substance (112) to be monitored, the reference analysis data being assigned to each reference sample, and deriving reference spectral information referencing the at least one reference sample from the at least one optical reference spectrum; (ii) obtaining at least one optical spectrum of the at least one substance (112) in situ, and deriving spectral information related to the at least one substance (112) in situ from the at least one optical spectrum; (iii) a step of performing a step of the method (310) according to claim 12 or 13, referring to a computer implementation method (310) for operating a communication system (140); (iv) A step of processing the at least one substance (112) according to processing data, Method (312), including the method (312).

15. The method according to claim 14 (312), wherein at least one item of information relating to the processing data is displayed to the user via a user interface, or provided to at least one of the processing unit (180) or the simulation system.

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