Sensor Cable Setup Using Mobile QR Code Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for configuring temperature and moisture sensor cables in grain bins require users to climb onto the roof, making the setup process time-consuming and inconvenient, especially for large bins that need multiple sensor cables.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using a mobile device to read codes on sensor cables and assign their locations within the grain bin, allowing for either manual or automatic configuration, either locally or through a cloud-based server, without the need for physical access to the roof.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sensor cables are configured using traditional methods requiring roof access, then cable location assignment can be performed, but the setup process becomes time-consuming and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of manually climbing the roof and physically connecting cables with sequential numbering with an automated optical scanning system. The mobile device with camera scans QR codes on cables from ground level, automatically capturing cable identification information and associating it with spatial positions through image processing, thereby eliminating the need for manual roof access and significantly reducing setup time
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor cables are equipped with self-identifying QR codes that contain their unique identification information. When scanned by the mobile device, these codes automatically provide the cable identity without requiring manual input or intervention, enabling the system to self-configure by automatically associating scanned cable IDs with their corresponding spatial positions in the monitoring network
2Reliability
If multiple sensor cables are deployed in large grain bins, then monitoring coverage is improved, but the complexity of cable configuration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual copying through photographing and image processing to capture and record the spatial arrangement of multiple sensor cables. The mobile device takes pictures of the cable layout, and image processing algorithms automatically identify and extract QR code information from the images, creating a digital copy of the physical cable configuration that simplifies the management of multiple cables in large grain bins
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces QR codes as an intermediary element between the physical sensor cables and the digital monitoring system. These codes serve as machine-readable identifiers that bridge the physical cable infrastructure with the software configuration, enabling automated recognition and association of cables with their spatial positions without manual intervention, thereby reducing configuration complexity as the number of cables increases
Data Source
AI summary
A system for storing and monitoring grain includes a grain bin for storing grain and a plurality of sensor cables suspended within the grain bin, the sensor cables comprising sensors for sensing one or both of the temperature and humidity of the grain. The system further includes a mobile device for reading codes on each of the sensor cables, wherein the mobile device assigns a cable location inside the grain bin to each of the sensor cables. In a manual setup, the mobile device displays a representation of a cable configuration, displays a request to connect the sensor cables in indicated locations and then assigns the cable locations to each sensor cable.