Mass Spectrometer Data Compression Hardware Module
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern mass spectrometers generate large quantities of data that cannot be transferred and processed quickly enough, leading to potential data loss and storage and processing power issues.
Innovation Solution
A hardware module and method for compressing mass spectral data using techniques such as background subtraction, intensity and mass differentiation, and lossless compression algorithms like Lempel-Ziv and Huffman coding, to reduce data size and facilitate faster processing and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If mass spectrometer acquires data at high speed with high sensitivity and fine resolution, then data quality and quantity are improved, but data transfer and processing speed become insufficient leading to data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing data compression immediately after data acquisition in the analog domain, before the data needs to be transferred and processed. The compression operation is executed in real-time within the mass spectrometer system itself, preparing the data for efficient transfer and storage without waiting for post-acquisition processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical/digital data transfer and processing system with an analog signal processing approach. By performing compression operations on the analog signal before digitization, the system avoids the bottleneck of transferring large volumes of high-resolution digital data, effectively substituting the data processing mechanism with an analog signal manipulation approach.
2Loss of information
If mass spectrometer increases data acquisition rate and resolution, then information completeness is improved, but storage and processing power requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes redundant information from the mass spectral data through compression operations performed in the analog domain. By identifying and eliminating repetitive or less significant signal components before digitization, the system reduces the volume of data that needs to be stored and processed while retaining the essential information content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation of the mass spectral data by transforming the analog signal through compression operations that alter its mathematical characteristics. This transformation reduces the effective data volume while preserving the critical spectral information, thereby decreasing storage and processing requirements without significant information loss.
3Productivity
If data is transferred through multiple computers for processing and storage, then data processing capability is improved, but data transfer time and potential data loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs data compression as a preliminary action before data transfer through the computer system. By reducing the data volume in advance within the mass spectrometer, the subsequent transfer through multiple computers for processing and storage is significantly accelerated, reducing both transfer time and the window for potential data loss.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hardware module which operatively carries out a method of compressing mass spectral data, the method comprising: receiving a first signal output from an ion detector of a mass spectrometer; processing the first signal to a digital signal at an output being data frame types representative of the first signal output; temporarily storing the data frame types in a memory block and reading a data frame from the memory block and determining its data frame type and according to its data frame type compressing the data frame according to one or more compression algorithms to generate a compressed data output stream.