Smart Sensor Data Downloading via Overview Products

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Solution Overview

Problem

Remote sensing systems face bottlenecks in data bandwidth and processing capacity due to the large volume of data generated by sensors, which limits efficient data retrieval and management, especially in satellite-based systems where complete data sets are not always necessary or relevant for end-users.

Innovation Solution

The system manages sensor data by formatting and storing it in data blocks with metadata, generating a lower-density 'overview' product for preview, which is downlinked to a separate location for selection and transfer of only relevant data blocks based on content and metadata, allowing for controlled and prioritized data transfer.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If all sensor data is transferred to the home segment, then complete data availability is achieved, but bandwidth consumption and storage requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata completenessVSAvoiddata volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system generates overview products and extracts metadata before data transfer to the home segment. This preliminary processing allows the ground segment to identify and request only the specific data blocks that are relevant, avoiding the transfer of unnecessary data and thus reducing bandwidth consumption and storage requirements while maintaining data completeness for needed information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts essential information (overview products and metadata) from the complete sensor data set before transfer. This extraction enables the home segment to make informed decisions about which specific data blocks to request, thereby transferring only the necessary portion of the total data volume while preserving access to complete data when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Speed

If data transfer bandwidth is increased to handle all sensor data, then data retrieval speed improves, but system cost and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata retrieval speedVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

By generating overview products and metadata beforehand, the system enables rapid identification of relevant data blocks without requiring high bandwidth for transferring all data. This preliminary action allows efficient data retrieval of needed information using existing bandwidth constraints, avoiding the need for expensive bandwidth upgrades while maintaining effective data access speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If all sensor data is stored at the home segment, then data accessibility is improved, but storage requirements and processing capacity must increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata accessibilityVSAvoidstorage capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and transfers only essential overview products and metadata to the home segment, enabling effective data accessibility for decision-making without storing the complete data set. This extraction approach allows the ground segment to access and manage data efficiently while minimizing storage capacity requirements by keeping only the necessary information locally.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

By preparing overview products and metadata in advance at the sensor location, the system enables the home segment to identify and request specific data blocks as needed. This preliminary action maintains data accessibility for relevant information without requiring the home segment to store and process the entire sensor data set, thus reducing storage and processing requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3345071B1Smart downloading of sensing data in remote sensing systems
Publication Date: 2020.07.15 SPACEMETRIC AB
  • EP3345071B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3345071B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3345071B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided a method and a corresponding system for managing sensor data collected and registered by a remote sensing system at a remote field location, referred to as a field segment (10), and downlinking sensor data to a separate location, referred to as a home segment (20). There is also provided a method and corresponding system for requesting sensor data from a remote sensing system at a remote field location, the field segment (10), to a separate location, the home segment (20).