Intelligent Hub Selective Sensor Array Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems face challenges in efficiently handling and processing large amounts of measurement data from multiple sensors, leading to excessive bandwidth and processing power requirements, particularly in real-time applications like robot navigation, where not all data is necessary for decision-making.

Innovation Solution

An intelligent hub device with detector connectors, controlling means, reading means, processing means, and communication means that selectively addresses and configures subsets of sensors to transmit only relevant measurement data, reducing the overall data volume and processing load.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If all sensors in the array continuously transmit measurement data to the hub, then complete coverage of the surroundings is achieved, but the bandwidth and processing power requirements become excessive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomplete coverageVSAvoiddata volume
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The hub selectively activates only those sensors within detector arrays that are necessary for current measurement needs, rather than activating all sensors uniformly. This localized activation approach maintains complete coverage when needed while reducing overall data volume and processing requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically configures which sensors are active based on real-time requirements. The hub can adaptively enable or disable specific sensors within arrays depending on the measurement task, allowing the system to optimize between complete coverage and reduced data volume as conditions change.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If the hub processes all measurement data from multiple detectors in real-time, then accurate real-time representation is achieved, but the processing power required exceeds available capacities

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time representation accuracyVSAvoidprocessing power
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The hub extracts and processes only the essential measurement data needed for real-time decisions, rather than processing all data from all sensors. By selecting and processing only critical data subsets, the system maintains accurate real-time representation while staying within available processing power capacities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system processes a partial set of measurement data that is sufficient for real-time decision-making, rather than processing all available data. This partial processing approach provides adequate real-time accuracy without requiring excessive processing power.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Area of stationary object

If detectors are mounted to cover the entire surroundings with parallel measurements, then complete spatial coverage is achieved, but the bandwidth required for data transmission increases proportionally

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoverage areaVSAvoidbandwidth
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The hub enables detectors to selectively activate specific sensors within their arrays based on spatial requirements. This allows complete spatial coverage to be maintained when needed, while reducing bandwidth consumption by activating only the necessary sensors for current measurement tasks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts which sensors are active based on spatial coverage requirements. When complete coverage is needed, more sensors are activated; when partial coverage suffices, fewer sensors are active, thereby adapting bandwidth usage to actual spatial requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3677012B1Intelligent hub
Publication Date: 2021.08.11 TERABEE
  • EP3677012B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3677012B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3677012B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An intelligent hub device, comprising a plurality of detector connectors configured to receive measurement signals from detectors intended to be connected thereto, and to output control signals to the detectors, at least one of the intended detectors comprising an array of individually addressable and readable sensors, controlling means configured to output for each of the plurality of detectors a corresponding control signal to induce each of the detectors to measure and output resulting measurement signals, including an array control signal to the array of individually addressable and readable sensors intended to address only a subset of these sensors such that these become the only sensors of the array to output array measurement signal to the hub, reading means configured to receive the output measurement signal and the array measurement signal, processing means configured to at least operate the controlling means, and communication means configured to handle data communication of the processing means to an outside of the hub.