Radar Level Gauge Interface for Trend Line Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radar level gauge analysis methods are inefficient in identifying failures and understanding the gauging process, as they require manual data recording and analysis, lacking a comprehensive and intuitive tool for real-time data inspection.
Innovation Solution
A method and graphical user interface for continuously storing data triplets including time stamps, filling levels, and echo curves, allowing for the plotting of trend lines and dynamic display of echo curves for selected time periods, enabling users to analyze level gauge operations effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual data recording and analysis methods are used, then device complexity is reduced, but analysis efficiency and failure identification speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds multiple levels of data organization within the analysis system. Data triplets (echo curve, filling level, timestamp) are nested within time periods, which are nested within trend lines. This hierarchical nesting allows efficient access and analysis of large volumes of data without requiring complex external storage systems, as the structure itself organizes the complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates and stores data triplets in an organized hierarchical structure during normal operation, preparing the data for rapid analysis. By pre-organizing echo curves, filling levels, and timestamps into time-period-based collections before analysis is needed, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time data processing during failure analysis, thereby improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive data storage is implemented, then measurement precision and diagnostic capability are improved, but loss of time for data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments comprehensive gauge data into discrete data triplets (echo curve, filling level, timestamp) organized by time periods. This segmentation allows the system to store comprehensive diagnostic information while enabling rapid retrieval and analysis of specific time periods relevant to failures, thereby maintaining measurement precision without excessive data processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system stores more data than immediately necessary (comprehensive data triplets including full echo curves, filling levels, and timestamps for multiple time periods), but retrieves and analyzes only the specific portions relevant to identified failures. This approach ensures diagnostic precision is maintained while minimizing actual data processing time by focusing analysis on relevant subsets of the stored data.
3Ease of operation
If real-time data visualization is provided, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms complex multi-dimensional gauge data (echo curves, filling levels, timestamps across multiple time periods) into a simplified two-dimensional visual display. The trend line visualization presents filling level changes over time in an intuitive format, while the echo curve display shows signal characteristics. This dimensional transformation makes comprehensive data easy to inspect without requiring a complex interface structure.
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
Facilitates immediate identification of failures by visualizing trends and echo curves, allowing users to quickly diagnose issues and configure gauges, improving the overall analysis and diagnostic capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
radar level gauge is configured to emit a signal and receive a reflection of said signal in a surface in a tank and to determine a filling level based on an echo curve resulting from said reflection
Data Source
AI summary
A method for analyzing a level gauge, comprising storing in a storage device a consecutive sequence of data triplets including a time stamp, a filling level measurement, and an echo curve information, plotting a trend line including filling level as a function of time, graphically indicating a pointer in the trend line, displaying an echo curve corresponding to a point in time initially represented by the pointer, receiving user input indicating a set of points along a section of the trend line selected for analysis, and for each point in the set of points, moving the pointer to this point and replacing contents of the second graphical element, such that an echo curve displayed in the second graphical element always corresponds to a point in time represented by a current position of the pointer.The invention enables a user to analyze operation of the level gauge during a time period corresponding to the selected trend line section.