Industrial Sensor Data Conversion for Virtual Measurement Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manufacturing control systems lack the capability to perform extradimensional conversions, such as converting quantifiable values to rates and vice versa in real time, which is essential for identifying inefficiencies and providing system control without physical sensors, leading to increased costs and downtime.
Innovation Solution
An industrial control system that utilizes computers with processors and non-transitory computer-readable media to receive and transform sensor data from various units, generating graphical user interfaces for data visualization and enabling self-healing operations to calculate equivalent data values, allowing for real-time conversions and monitoring of components without sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional manufacturing control systems are used with physical sensors, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but device complexity and cost increase due to redundant sensors and infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of physical sensor measurements through mathematical modeling and data transformation. Instead of installing additional physical sensors, the system generates virtual sensor readings by converting data from existing sensors through dimensional transformations, thereby maintaining measurement capability while eliminating the need for redundant physical components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical sensor system with a computational system. Rather than using physical sensors to directly measure process variables, the system uses mathematical algorithms and data transformations to derive measurements from existing sensor data, substituting computational processing for physical measurement infrastructure
2Reliability
If physical sensors are installed for every measurement point, then data reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to construction and maintenance expenses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing sensors serve multiple functions through data transformation. A single physical sensor's data is converted and reused to provide multiple measurement points and variables, allowing one sensor to fulfill the role of multiple sensors, thereby reducing overall system cost while maintaining data reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual sensor copies that replicate the functionality of physical sensors without the associated costs. These virtual copies are generated through mathematical transformations of existing sensor data, providing reliable measurement information at a fraction of the cost of installing additional physical sensors
3Productivity
If real-time conversions of thousands or millions of data points are performed, then productivity is improved, but computational complexity increases making conventional routines infeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the complex conversion task into manageable segments by implementing incremental or iterative transformation approaches. Rather than processing all data points simultaneously through a single complex routine, the system breaks down the dimensional conversions into smaller, more efficient computational steps that can be executed in real-time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes computational parameters and algorithms to enable real-time processing of large datasets. By changing the mathematical approach and computational parameters used in data transformations, the system achieves efficient real-time conversions of thousands or millions of data points without requiring excessive computational resources
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments of the disclosure are direct to a system for transforming data values associated with an industrial component such as a pump or storage tank into a different form than the data values received from a sensor were intended. In some embodiments, the system is configured to determine a data values for a component not attached to a sensor by using data values from components with sensors. In some embodiments, the system is configured to initiate a self-healing operation where equivalent values are produced for components when actual sensor values stop being received for those components. In some embodiments, the system is able to control various industrial facility components using the equivalent values. In some embodiments, the system is able to display a unit of measure for a component in a different unit of measure than that provided by a sensor.