KR101555609B1 - Apparatus and method for setting filter compensation factors in level measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for setting a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument is disclosed. The apparatus for setting a compensation coefficient of a digital filter according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a parameter generation unit to generate a parameter related to the level measuring instrument; a communications unit connected to a wired or wireless communications network to request a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the generated environment parameter, and receive the filter compensation coefficient in response to the request; and a filter compensation coefficient setting unit to apply the received filter compensation coefficient to the digital filter.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for setting a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument,

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for not only providing a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring apparatus using a communication network, but also setting the filter compensation coefficient.

Various types of level measuring devices have been developed and used in various fields in the present market. The level measuring instruments can be divided into contact type and non-contact type, and there are capacitive type, ultrasonic type, pressure type, radar type and radiation type.

On the other hand, in the case of a non-contact level measuring instrument, a radar system is mainly used.

The non-contact radar transmits a signal using an antenna and measures the distance using a bit signal which is a difference signal between the signal received and the signal reflected from the object to be detected. Specifically, a measuring apparatus using a non-contact radar detects a frequency in a bit signal and calculates a distance and a speed to a detection target.

As described above, the level measuring apparatus using the non-contact radar performs a signal processing process for frequency detection.

Therefore, in order to increase the accuracy of the level measuring apparatus using the non-contact radar, it is essential to minimize errors in the signal processing process.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2012-0072232 (published on Mar. 3, 2012)

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus and method for setting a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument capable of providing a filter compensation coefficient required for signal processing to a level measuring instrument through a communication network in consideration of a surrounding environment or a state of the level measuring instrument do.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention may include a method of transmitting a parameter based on a surrounding environment or a state of a level measuring instrument to an external device through a communication network to request a filter compensation coefficient, and to perform signal processing based on the received filter compensation coefficient An apparatus and method for setting a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for setting a digital filter compensation coefficient in a level measurement apparatus, comprising: a parameter generation unit for generating a parameter related to the level measurement apparatus; A communication unit for accessing a wired or wireless communication network, requesting a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the generated environment parameter, and receiving a filter compensation coefficient in response to the request; And a filter compensation coefficient setting unit for applying the received filter compensation coefficient to the digital filter.

In the filter compensation coefficient setting apparatus of the level measuring apparatus, the parameter generating unit may generate the parameter using at least one of the information about the measurement object of the level measuring apparatus, the specification information, and the environment information of the level measuring apparatus .

In the filter compensation coefficient setting apparatus of the level measuring apparatus, the level measuring apparatus may be an FMCW radar that performs digital signal processing on the bit signal.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of setting a digital filter compensation coefficient in a level measurement device, the method comprising: generating a parameter related to the level measurement device in the level measurement device; Accessing a wired or wireless communication network to request a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the generated environment parameter, and receiving a filter compensation coefficient in response to the request; And applying the received filter compensation coefficient to the digital filter. A method of setting a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument is provided.

Wherein the step of generating the parameter in the method of setting the filter compensation coefficient of the level measuring instrument comprises the step of calculating the parameter by using at least one of the information about the measurement object of the level measuring instrument, Can be generated.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a data processing apparatus including: a database storing status data and a corresponding filter compensation coefficient for each of a plurality of level measuring instruments; An information transmitting and receiving unit receiving a parameter related to a level measuring instrument from the level measuring instrument through a wired or wireless communication network and transmitting a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the parameter to the level measuring instrument; And an information searching unit for extracting state data of the level measuring instrument using the received parameters and searching for a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the parameter in the database based on the state data, A coefficient providing device is provided.

In the apparatus for providing a filter compensation coefficient of the level measuring instrument, the database stores a reference value corresponding to each of the filter compensation coefficients, and the information transmitting and receiving unit receives the FFT signal from the level measuring instrument, A signal processor for setting a filter compensation coefficient found in the information searching unit in the digital filter and performing filtering on the FFT signal; And a verification unit that verifies the filter compensation coefficient by comparing the result of performing the filtering with a reference value corresponding to the searched filter compensation coefficient.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a filter compensation coefficient information providing apparatus having a database in which state data for each of a plurality of level measuring instruments and corresponding filter compensation coefficients are stored, A method for providing a coefficient, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, from a level measuring instrument, a filter compensation coefficient request based on a parameter associated with the level measuring instrument through a wired or wireless communication network; Extracting state data using the parameter and retrieving a filter compensation coefficient for the extracted state data from the database; And transmitting the searched filter compensation coefficient to the level measuring instrument through the wired or wireless communication network.

Wherein the database stores a reference value corresponding to each of the filter compensation coefficients, wherein in the method of providing a filter compensation coefficient of the level measuring instrument, the receiving step receives a fast Fourier transformed signal from the level measuring instrument, Performing filtering on the fast Fourier transformed signal using a digital filter using a compensation coefficient; And performing a verification of the filter compensation coefficient by comparing the result of performing the filtering with a reference value corresponding to the searched filter compensation coefficient.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the adaptive filter coefficient is received from an external device through a communication network, and signal processing is performed based on the adaptive filter coefficient, thereby enabling level measurement adaptively to the surrounding environment or state.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the filter compensation coefficient can be set in accordance with the environment and the state of the device during the signal processing in the level measuring device, the development cost, the manufacturing cost, and the maintenance cost of the level measuring device can be reduced .

1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication system capable of setting a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a level measuring instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for providing a filter compensation coefficient according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following detailed description is provided to provide a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein. However, this is merely an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and may be changed according to the intention or custom of the user, the operator, and the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification. The terms used in the detailed description are intended only to describe embodiments of the invention and should in no way be limiting. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms of the expressions include plural forms of meanings. In this description, the expressions "comprising" or "comprising" are intended to indicate certain features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof, Should not be construed to preclude the presence or possibility of other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, portions or combinations thereof.

1 is a block diagram showing a communication system 100 capable of setting a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 is a block diagram showing a level measuring instrument 110, a wired / wireless communication network 120, and a filter compensation coefficient providing apparatus 130.

The level measuring instrument 110 is a device for measuring the level of the oil level stored in the tank of a large ship, for example, and can measure the level by applying a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) technique .

2, the level measuring device 110 includes an RF unit 210, a signal processing unit 220, a parameter generating unit 230, a communication unit 240, and a filter compensation coefficient A setting unit 250, and the like.

The RF unit unit 210 linearly modulates the carrier frequency in a predetermined shape, for example, a sawtooth shape, and then projects the distance to an object to be measured, and outputs a bit signal corresponding to a frequency difference between the transmission signal and the reception signal . The RF unit unit 210 includes a VCO 212 for generating a microwave, a separator 214 for separating the generated waveform, an antenna 216 for propagating some waveforms separated by the separator 214 to an object to be measured And a mixer unit 218 for mixing a signal reflected from the object and a separated partial signal to produce a bit signal corresponding to a frequency difference.

Meanwhile, the RF unit unit 218 may further include a low noise amplifier (not shown) for compensating for a return signal. Specifically, the low noise amplifier can amplify a signal received through the antenna 216, that is, a signal reflected back from the object, and output the amplified signal to the mixer unit 218.

Some of the waveforms separated by the separator 214 may be projected onto the object through the antenna 216 and some other waveforms may be input to the mixer unit 218. [

The bit signal is input to the signal processing unit 220, and the signal processing unit 220 can calculate the distance to the object through filtering and signal processing of the bit signal.

The signal processing unit 220 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a band pass filter 222, an A / D converter 224, and a digital signal processor 226.

The band pass filter 220 performs a filtering process for removing a signal of a low frequency (for example, 2.25 KHz) or less and a signal of a high frequency (48.25 KHz) or more from the bit signal.

The A / D converter 224 converts the filtered bit signal into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the digital signal processor 226.

The digital signal processor 226 may perform a digital filter and level measurement algorithm on the digital signal. Specifically, the digital signal processor 226 includes an FFT 227 for performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the digital signal, a digital filter 228 for removing noise in the FFT signal, And a level measuring unit 229 for measuring the level. Here, the digital filter 228 can remove noise by applying an arbitrary filter compensation coefficient, for example, a filter compensation coefficient set by the filter compensation coefficient setting unit 250. [

On the other hand, a signal (hereinafter referred to as an FFT signal) output through the FFT 227 is provided to the communication unit 240.

The parameter generating unit 230 may generate a parameter on the level measuring instrument 110 based on information that affects the measurement. Specifically, the parameter generation unit 230 can acquire the information on the surrounding environment in which the level measurement apparatus 110 is installed, the object for level measurement, the specification information of the level measurement apparatus 110, and the like, . In some embodiments, the information about the ambient environment includes weather, temperature, humidity, etc., and may be obtained via various sensors or through input by a manager.

Meanwhile, the parameter generated by the parameter generating unit 230 may be provided to the communication unit 240.

The communication unit 240 may convert the FFT signal and the parameter into a form suitable for wired / wireless communication and transmit the converted signal to the filter compensation coefficient providing unit 130. Specifically, the communication unit 240 may provide a communication service between the level measurement device 110 and the filter compensation coefficient providing device 130 by providing a wired / wireless communication interface such as M2M (Machine To Machine), the Internet, The FFT signal and the environment parameter may be transmitted to the filter compensation coefficient providing unit 130 and the filter compensation coefficient may be received in response thereto. Also, the communication unit 240 may provide the received filter compensation coefficient to the filter compensation coefficient setting unit 250. [

The filter compensation coefficient setting unit 250 may apply the filter compensation coefficient to the digital filter 228 of the signal processing unit 220 as the filter compensation coefficient is received through the communication unit 240.

The filter compensation coefficient providing device 130 may transmit the filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the parameter to the level measuring device 110 in response to the filter compensation coefficient request of the level measuring device 110, The verification of the compensation coefficient can be performed.

3, the filter compensation coefficient providing apparatus 130 includes a database 310, an information transmitting and receiving unit 320, an information searching unit 330, a server-side signal processing unit 340, And a verification unit 350, which are illustrated in FIG.

The database 310 stores data including the status data of the level measuring instrument 110 and the filter compensation coefficient for each of the status data. In addition, the database 310 stores a filter compensation coefficient for each of a plurality of state data and a corresponding reference value. Here, the reference value may mean a level measurement value when the filter compensation coefficient is applied.

In some embodiments, database 310 may be built based on data entered by an administrator. In addition, the status data may include the surrounding environment of the level measuring instrument 110, object object information, specification information on the level measuring instrument, and the like.

The information transmitting and receiving unit 320 can receive parameters and FFT signals (signals subjected to FFT) from the level measuring instrument 110. [ The information transmitting / receiving unit 320 may provide the received FFT signal to the server side signal processing unit 340 and may provide the parameter to the information searching unit 330. [

The information searching unit 330 extracts state data of the level measuring device 110 based on the parameters and searches at least one filter compensation coefficient and a corresponding reference value in the database 310 based on the extracted state data can do. The retrieved filter compensation coefficient is provided to the server-side signal processing unit 340, and the retrieved reference value may be provided to the verification unit 350. [

The server side signal processing unit 340 includes a server side digital filter 342 for eliminating noise of the received FFT signal and sets a filter compensation coefficient in the digital filter 342 and then outputs the filter coefficient to the digital filter 342 And provides the verification unit 350 with a result value corresponding to the noise-free signal.

The verifying unit 350 verifies the result value by comparing the retrieved reference value with the result value provided from the server-side signal processing unit 340. [ Specifically, the verification unit 350 can complete the verification of the filter compensation coefficient when the resultant value is equal to the reference value within the error of the predetermined range. Otherwise, the server side digital processing unit 340 of the server- The information searching unit 330 may be requested to search for setting the filter 342 to a different filter compensation coefficient.

On the other hand, when the verification of the filter compensation coefficient is completed, the verification unit 350 can transmit the verified filter compensation coefficient to the level measurement device 110 through the information transmission / reception unit 320.

Thus, the level measuring instrument 110 can set the filter compensation coefficient in the digital filter 227. [

A method 400 for setting the filter compensation coefficient of the level measuring instrument 110 with the filter compensation coefficient providing apparatus 130 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 of providing a filter compensation coefficient of a level measuring instrument 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the filter compensation coefficient providing apparatus 130 receives the parameters and the FFT signal from the level measuring instrument 110 (step 402). Specifically, the filter compensation coefficient providing device 130 may receive a filter compensation coefficient request including an environmental parameter and an FFT signal through a wired or wireless communication of the level measuring instrument 110. [

In response to this request, the filter compensation coefficient providing device 130 searches the database 310 for the filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the parameter and the corresponding reference value (step 404), and supplies the retrieved filter compensation coefficient to the server- (340). At this time, the filter compensation coefficient providing apparatus 130 provides the FFT signal to the server side signal processing unit 340 and provides the reference value to the verification unit 350. [

Then, the server-side signal processing unit 340 sets the filter compensation coefficient in the server-side digital filter 342, removes the noise signal from the FFT signal by using the server-side digital filter 342 in which the filter compensation coefficient is set, The measured value is calculated (step 406). The level measurement value may be input to the verification unit 350. [

Then, the verification unit 350 performs verification through comparison between the reference value provided from the server-side signal processing unit 340 and the retrieved reference value. Specifically, the verification unit 350 determines whether the difference between the searched reference value and the reference value provided by the server-side signal processing unit 340 is within a predetermined error range, and performs verification (step 408).

If the difference between the level measurement value and the reference value is within the predetermined error range as a result of the verification in step 408, the verification unit 350 transmits the filter compensation coefficient to the level measurement device 110 through the information transmission / reception unit 330 (Step 410). Accordingly, the level measuring apparatus 110 can perform signal processing by applying the received filter compensation coefficient to the digital filter 342. [ Specifically, the level measuring instrument 110 sets the filter compensation coefficient of the digital filter 228 in the signal processing unit 226 through the filter compensation coefficient setting unit 250, and sets the filter compensation coefficient of the digital filter 228 So that noise can be removed from the signal output from the FFT 227.

If the difference between the level measurement value and the reference value is out of the predetermined error range as a result of the verification in step 408, the verification unit 350 requests the information search unit 330 to re-search the filter compensation coefficient (step 412) And then proceeds to the next step 406 to perform the subsequent steps.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, . Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but should be determined by equivalents to the appended claims, as well as the appended claims.

100: communication system
110: Level measuring instrument
120: Wired / wireless communication network
130: Filter compensation coefficient providing device
210: RF unit unit
220: Signal processor
230: Parameter generating unit
240:
250: Filter compensation coefficient setting unit
310: Database
320: Information transmission /
330: Information retrieval unit
340: a server side signal processing section
342: Server-Side Digital Filter
250: Verification section

Claims (9)

An apparatus for setting a digital filter compensation coefficient in a level measurement apparatus,
A parameter generation unit for generating a parameter related to the level measurement device;
A communication unit connected to a wired or wireless communication network to request a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the generated parameter and receive a filter compensation coefficient in response to the request; And
And a filter compensation coefficient setting unit that applies the received filter compensation coefficient to the digital filter.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the parameter generating unit generates the parameter by using at least one of the information about the measurement target of the level measurement equipment, the specification information, and the surrounding environment information of the level measurement equipment.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the level measuring instrument is a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar that performs digital signal processing on a bit signal.
A method for setting a compensation coefficient of a digital filter in a level measurement apparatus,
Generating a parameter related to the level measuring instrument in the level measuring instrument;
Accessing a wired or wireless communication network, requesting a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the generated parameter, and receiving a filter compensation coefficient in response to the request; And
And applying the received filter compensation coefficient to the digital filter.
5. The method of claim 4,
The generating of the parameter may include generating a parameter by using at least one of information on a measurement target of the level measurement device, specification information and surrounding environment information of the level measurement device, Way.
A database storing status data and a corresponding filter compensation coefficient for each of the plurality of level measuring instruments;
An information transmitting and receiving unit receiving a parameter related to a level measuring instrument from the level measuring instrument through a wired or wireless communication network and transmitting a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the parameter to the level measuring instrument; And
And an information searching unit for extracting state data of the level measuring instrument using the received parameter and searching for a filter compensation coefficient corresponding to the parameter in the database based on the state data, Coefficient providing device.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the database stores a reference value corresponding to each of the filter compensation coefficients,
The information transmitting and receiving unit receives the fast Fourier transformed signal from the level measuring instrument,
The filter compensation coefficient providing device
A signal processing unit having a digital filter, filtering the fast Fourier transformed signal after setting the filter compensation coefficient found in the information searching unit in the digital filter; And
And a verification unit for performing verification of the filter compensation coefficient through comparison between a result of performing the filtering and a reference value corresponding to the searched filter compensation coefficient.
There is provided a method of providing a filter compensation coefficient to a level measuring instrument using a filter compensation coefficient information providing apparatus including a database storing state data for each of a plurality of level measuring instruments and a filter coefficient corresponding thereto,
Receiving a filter compensation coefficient request based on a parameter related to the level measuring instrument from the level measuring instrument through a wired or wireless communication network;
Extracting state data using the parameter and retrieving a filter compensation coefficient for the extracted state data from the database; And
And transmitting the searched filter compensation coefficient to the level measurement device via the wired or wireless communication network.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the database stores a reference value corresponding to each of the filter compensation coefficients,
Wherein the receiving step receives the fast Fourier transformed signal from the level measuring instrument,
The method for providing the filter compensation coefficient
Performing filtering on the fast Fourier transformed signal using a digital filter using the searched filter compensation coefficient; And
And performing a verification of the filter compensation coefficient by comparing the result of performing the filtering with a reference value corresponding to the searched filter compensation coefficient.

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