Sensor Data Filtering in Automatic Replenishment Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic replenishment devices (ARDs) face inefficiencies in power consumption and data accuracy due to unnecessary sensor data reporting, which wastes resources and leads to inaccurate item quantity estimations and unintended consequences.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a reporting threshold system in ARDs that filters sensor data based on changes exceeding a predetermined value, using internal timers and additional sensors like accelerometers and cameras to differentiate between user interactions and sensor drift, thereby reducing unnecessary data transmission and processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensor data is continuously collected and transmitted to the back-end system, then the system can track item quantity changes, but power resources and processing resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by implementing a reporting threshold system that changes the parameter of data transmission frequency. Instead of continuous transmission, the system only transmits sensor data when changes exceed a predetermined threshold value, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining adequate tracking reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial action by selectively transmitting only the necessary sensor data that exceeds the reporting threshold, rather than transmitting all sensor data continuously. This partial transmission approach reduces energy consumption while still providing sufficient information for item quantity monitoring.
2Reliability
If sensor data is continuously transmitted to the back-end system, then real-time monitoring is achieved, but processing resources at both ARD and back-end system are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the transmission parameter from continuous to event-driven based on threshold exceedance. This reduces the volume of data requiring processing at both the ARD and back-end system, improving processing efficiency while maintaining monitoring accuracy for significant item quantity changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and transmits only the relevant sensor data that exceeds the reporting threshold, separating useful information from unnecessary data. This extraction approach reduces processing burdens on both the ARD and back-end system while maintaining the ability to detect meaningful item quantity changes.
3Loss of information
If sensor data is transmitted without filtering, then all changes are reported, but sensor error leads to inaccurate item quantity estimations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reporting threshold parameter that filters sensor data based on significance. By setting the threshold above the sensor error margin, the system excludes noisy measurements while still capturing meaningful item quantity changes, thereby improving measurement precision without excessive loss of information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the ARD compares new sensor readings against the reporting threshold and previous transmissions. This feedback loop ensures that only significant changes exceeding the threshold are reported, filtering out sensor errors while maintaining data completeness for meaningful events.
4Measurement precision
If reporting threshold is set low, then more changes are detected, but unnecessary data transmission increases power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the reporting threshold parameter to balance sensitivity and power consumption. By setting the threshold appropriately above the sensor error level but not excessively high, the system achieves adequate change detection sensitivity while minimizing unnecessary transmissions and power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed techniques relate to improving sensor data collection/reporting at an automatic replenishment device (ARD). For example, sensor data associated with the item stored at an ARD may be collected. The ARD can calculate a change in the amount of the item stored by the ARD from the sensor data. If the change is over a reporting threshold, the sensor data (or the amount of change) may be transmitted to a back-end system. Reporting may not occur if additional sensor data (e.g., accelerometer data and/or images captured at the ARD) is not commensurate with a user interaction. If the difference is under the reporting threshold or unlikely due to user interaction, the ARD may refrain from transmitting the sensor data. These techniques conserves power at the ARD, relieves the back-end system from needless processing, and enables more accurate indications of the amount of the item stored by the ARD.