Portable Surface Characterization With Buffered Offline Measurement Sync
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Onsite assessment of coated structures in challenging environments, such as industrial or marine categories, is hindered by the inability to plan ahead and reschedule due to resource demands and limited communication coverage, necessitating a portable and battery-powered surface characterizing device system with a measurement buffer to store measurements temporarily until communication is reestablished.
Innovation Solution
A portable surface characterizing device system equipped with a battery, sensors, a processor, a visual output device, a user interface, and a communication module, featuring a measurement buffer to store measurements temporarily until communication is restored, allowing for efficient data transmission to the cloud.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a portable battery-powered surface characterizing device is used for onsite assessment, then mobility and ease of operation are improved, but reliability of data transmission is worsened due to limited communication coverage in remote areas
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary actions by capturing and temporarily storing measurements in an internal buffer before transmission is possible. This allows the measurement function to be completed and preserved even when communication infrastructure is unavailable, ensuring data is not lost during remote field operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement buffer acts as an intermediary between the sensor measurements and the communication module. It temporarily holds measurement data when the communication channel is unavailable, decoupling the measurement acquisition from the transmission process and maintaining system reliability in remote areas.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cloud communication is required for data transmission, then data management capability is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to additional communication hardware and protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The device prepares data for future transmission by capturing measurements and storing them in the buffer with metadata including timestamps and device identifiers. This preliminary organization of data ensures that when communication becomes available, the data is ready for immediate transmission without requiring complex real-time processing or additional hardware.
3Productivity
If measurements are taken in remote areas without communication coverage, then measurement capability is improved, but loss of information is worsened when communication is unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data capture and storage in the measurement buffer before transmission is possible. This ensures that measurements taken in remote areas are preserved and not lost, even when communication infrastructure is unavailable at the time of measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement buffer serves as an intermediary storage mechanism that temporarily holds measurement data between acquisition and transmission. This prevents data loss by decoupling the measurement process from the communication process, allowing measurements to be captured and preserved regardless of communication availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a device system for measuring a characteristic of a surface comprising a cured coat is disclosed. The device system, which is portable and battery powered, comprises a sensor configured to acquire a measurement of a characteristic the surface, and a processor and memory are configured to establish a representation of the measurement. A display visual output device, such as an LED or display, is configured to indicate a measurement or connection status, while a user interface is configured to control measurement. A communication module establishes a communication channel with a cloud and transmit the measurement representation via the communication channel. The device system also comprises a measurement buffer to temporarily store the measurement representation when the communication module is prevented from establishing the communication channel. The temporarily stored representation are transmitted upon reestablishment of the communication channel. The device system may be a measurement device together with a smart device.