Cloud-Dependent Radar Level Gauge Offloads Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial process control systems, particularly radar level gauges and ultrasonic flow meters, face inefficiencies due to performance degradation and limitations in existing hardware and software, including limited memory, processing speed, and high power consumption, which prevent the implementation of advanced algorithms and require frequent recalibration.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of cloud-computing dependent (C2D) radar level gauges and ultrasonic flow meters that offload advanced data processing to a cloud computing system via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, separating onboard tasks from sensing and transducing functions, allowing for remote computation and continuous, accurate level and flow rate calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If advanced algorithms are implemented in onboard processors, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex computational functions from the onboard processor and relocates them to a cloud computing system. The field device retains only basic sensing and data transmission capabilities, while advanced level calculation algorithms are executed remotely in the cloud, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the computational processing from the physical dimension (onboard processor) to the network dimension (cloud computing system connected via IP network). This dimensional shift allows complex algorithms to be executed remotely without increasing the physical complexity or power requirements of the field device.
2Speed
If powerful onboard processors are used, then calculation speed is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power-intensive computational tasks from the field device and transfers them to the cloud computing system. This extraction allows the field device to operate with minimal local processing power and correspondingly low power consumption, while still achieving fast calculation speeds through cloud-based processing.
3Measurement precision
If advanced algorithms are implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the cloud computing system as a virtual copy of advanced processing capabilities that would otherwise require expensive onboard hardware. By copying computational functions to the cloud, the system achieves high measurement precision without the cost of embedding powerful processors, large memory, and complex firmware in each field device.
4Quantity of substance
If onboard memory is increased, then data processing capability is improved, but physical size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts data storage and processing functions from the field device to the cloud computing system. This extraction eliminates the need for large onboard memory in the field device, thereby reducing its physical size and cost while still enabling advanced data processing capabilities through cloud-based storage and computation.
Data Source
AI summary
A process control system for controlling an industrial process includes a cloud-computing dependent (C2D) radar level gauge or ultrasonic flow meter (C2D sensor device) including a sensor, transducer, communications unit, with limited hardware/software incapable of calculating an accurate level calculation or high accuracy gas flow rate. A bus couples the sensed data from the C2D sensor device to an IP communications unit that outputs IP protocol data. The cloud computing system is coupled by an IP network to receive the IP protocol data and includes a processor executing advanced data processing algorithms which provides a second part of the C2D sensor device including processing the IP data to generate a remote computational result including the accurate level calculation/high accuracy gas flow rate. The cloud computing system feeds back the remote computational result to a process controller coupled to an actuator that controls processing equipment for automatically tuning the industrial process.