Gas Cylinder Storage Cage Monitoring System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current monitoring systems for gas cylinder storage cages lack efficient methods to differentiate between full and empty cylinders without manual inspection, which can lead to unsafe handling and inaccurate inventory management.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring system that employs sensors, such as time-of-flight, IR, LIDAR, or laser sensors, to measure the distance between the sensor and the gas cylinder based on the time it takes for emitted light to be reflected, determining the cylinder's fill status by distinguishing between the positions of full and empty cylinders based on their orientations within the cage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual inspection is used to differentiate between full and empty cylinders, then the system is simple and reliable, but it is time-consuming and requires human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an automated optical sensing system. Time-of-flight sensors emit light pulses and measure the time for light to reflect off cylinder surfaces, automatically determining cylinder presence and fill status without human intervention, thereby increasing productivity while introducing systematic complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system enables cylinders to be automatically identified and classified based on their optical reflection properties. The system self-determines whether cylinders are present or absent and whether they are full or empty through automated distance measurements, eliminating the need for manual inspection services.
2Measurement precision
If manual weight measurement is used to determine cylinder fill status, then the measurement is accurate, but it requires level ground alignment and specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical weight-based measurement with optical time-of-flight distance measurement. The sensor measures the distance to the cylinder surface and determines fill status based on the position of the cylinder collar relative to the sensor, eliminating the need for scales and level ground alignment while maintaining measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the measurement parameter from weight to optical distance. By measuring the distance from the sensor to different parts of the cylinder (collar vs. base) and comparing these distances, the system determines fill status without requiring weight measurement, thereby simplifying operation while preserving precision.
3Loss of information
If the system monitors only cylinder presence, then the system is simple, but it does not provide fill status information for inventory management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the sensing system multi-functional by using the same time-of-flight sensor to perform both presence detection and fill status determination. The sensor measures distance to the cylinder surface, and by analyzing which part of the cylinder is detected (collar or base), the system simultaneously determines both presence and fill status, reducing information loss without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the cylinder detection into two distinct measurement modes: detecting the collar position for full cylinder identification and detecting the base position for empty cylinder identification. This segmentation allows the single sensor to extract multiple pieces of information (presence and fill status) through different measurement approaches.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables safe and accurate identification of full and empty cylinders, allowing for efficient inventory management and safe handling without the need for manual weight measurement or level ground alignment, while providing additional information like wireless signal strength and battery charge levels.
Implementation Method 1
determine an amount of time it takes for the amount of light to be reflected by the gas cylinder and to return to the sensor
Implementation Method 2
receive the amount of light, the light being reflected from the gas cylinder
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for monitoring a supply of gas cylinders in a gas cylinder storage cage, such as identifying a number of full gas cylinders and a number of empty gas cylinders, and/or a total number of gas cylinders present in the gas cylinder storage cage, and displaying the determined numbers to a user. In one embodiment, a method includes: transmitting distance measurement data from a sensor within a gas cylinder storage cage to a control system of a cage monitoring system; determining, with the control system, whether a gas cylinder is present at a sensing location within the gas cylinder storage cage proximate the sensor; and when the control system determines that a gas cylinder is present at the sensing location, determining, with the control system, whether the gas cylinder is full or empty.