Recapture Processing for Surveillance System Communication Failures

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Solution Overview

Problem

Surveillance systems face disruptions in determining remote station parameters due to communication link failures, leading to unreliable and time-consuming reinitialization and reconvergence processes, especially during critical events like earthquakes or volcanic activity.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method where the central station intermediates stores epochs of distance observations from remaining remote stations during communication link failures and performs a combined recapture processing upon reestablishment, allowing for the determination of history remote station parameters and ensuring continuous, accurate data retrieval.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the central station performs combined processing of observations from all remote stations in real-time, then the accuracy of remote station parameters is improved, but the system reliability deteriorates when communication link failures occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of remote station parametersVSAvoidsystem reliability during communication failures
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The central station performs preliminary combined processing of available observations before communication failures occur, storing intermediate results and processing states. When communication failures happen, the system can resume from these preliminary results rather than starting reinitialization from scratch, thereby maintaining parameter accuracy while improving reliability during outages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that maintains a buffer of stored observations and intermediate processing results between the remote stations and the combined processing algorithm. This intermediary buffer allows the system to bridge communication gaps, preserving the continuity of parameter determination even when direct real-time communication is interrupted.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the system reinitializes the combined processing after communication link failure, then the processing can resume, but the time loss and delay in obtaining accurate parameters increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresumption of processing after failureVSAvoidreinitialization and reconvergence time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-storing observation data and maintaining the state of the combined processing algorithm before failures occur. This allows rapid resumption of processing after communication restoration, avoiding lengthy reinitialization and reconvergence periods while ensuring reliable parameter determination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements continuity of useful action by maintaining the combined processing algorithm in a suspended but preserved state during communication failures. When communication is restored, the processing continues from where it left off using stored intermediate results, eliminating gaps in the determination of remote station parameters and reducing time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Reliability

If observations from remote stations are temporarily unavailable due to communication failures, then the system must interrupt filtering processes, but this interruption causes gaps in the time sequence of remote station parameters

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandling of communication interruptionsVSAvoidgaps in time sequence of parameters
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary storage mechanism that holds observations and intermediate processing results during communication interruptions. This intermediary buffer ensures that when communication is restored, the time sequence of parameters can be reconstructed without gaps, as the intermediate states preserve the continuity of the filtering process across failure boundaries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary storage of processing states and observations before communication failures occur. This preliminary action creates a checkpoint system that allows the time sequence of parameters to be reconstructed continuously after failures, preventing information gaps by preserving the state at the moment of interruption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Measurement precision

If the central station waits for all remote stations to become available again before continuing processing, then data completeness is improved, but the productivity and real-time capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of observation dataVSAvoidreal-time parameter determination speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The central station performs preliminary combined processing using available observations from subset of remote stations rather than waiting for complete data sets. This preliminary action produces intermediate parameter estimates that can be refined later, maintaining real-time productivity while ensuring eventual data completeness through subsequent updates when missing observations become available.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by performing combined processing with the subset of observations that are available, rather than requiring complete data from all remote stations. This partial processing maintains productivity and real-time capability, while the system continues to refine parameters as additional observations become available, achieving completeness without sacrificing speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP2966465B1Recapture processing
Publication Date: 2020.09.30 TRIMBLE INC
  • EP2966465B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2966465B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2966465B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A surveillance system for determining a time sequence of remote station parameters in association with each of a plurality of remote stations of a surveillance system obtained a time sequence of epochs of distance observations at each of the plurality of remote stations and forms a combined real time processing of the epochs to determine a time sequence of remote station parameters in association with each of the plurality of remote stations. Upon an interruption of a first communication link between a first remote station and the central station epochs of distance observations for each of remaining remote stations are intermediately stored at the central station during the interruption of the first communication link. After reestablishment of the failed communication link the first remote station supplies the epochs of distance observations that were not submitted due to the failure of the communication link and the central station performs a combined recapture processing of the received epochs of distance observations from the first remote station and the intermediately stored epochs of distance observations from the remaining remote stations after reestablishment of the first communication link, to determine history remote station parameters in association with each of the remote stations during the interruption of the first communication link.