Resonance-based imaging in grain bins
In one embodiment, an electromagnetic imaging method, comprising: determining electromagnetic resonance data based on interrogating a stored commodity; and estimating features of the stored commodity based on the electromagnetic resonance data.
1 . A computer-implemented electromagnetic imaging method for continuously monitored management of stored commodities, comprising:
by one or more processors, and on the basis of execution thereby of computer executable code stored in non-transitory computer readable memory performing computer-implemented steps comprising:
receiving electromagnetic data from an acquisition system comprising an electromagnetic transceiver and a radio frequency (RF) antenna array coupled thereto that comprises a plurality of antenna probes that are distributed around an interior holding space of a container in which a stored commodity is held and are operable by said electromagnetic transceiver in transmitter/receiver pairs to impart RF energy to said stored commodity from transmitting antennas of said transmitter/receiver pairs and collect received RF signals from receiving antennas of said transmitter/receiver pairs;
transforming at least some of the electromagnetic data into time-domain signals, and determining electromagnetic resonance data therefrom, at least in part by modeling the time-domain signals as sums of damped sinusoids and thereby deriving complex pole information of functions representative of physical resonant modes within the container as modified by the stored commodity in variable response to changes in any one or more of an overall stored volume of the commodity inside the container, shape occupied by said overall stored volume of the commodity inside the container, temperature of the stored commodity inside the container, moisture content of the stored commodity inside the container and density of the stored commodity inside the container;
estimating features of the stored commodity based at least partly on mapping of the complex pole information to the features of the stored commodity, said features including at least a subset of said overall stored volume, said shape, said temperature, said moisture content and said density; and
repeating the receiving, transforming, determining, and estimating steps at successive points in time to monitor for changes in any one or more of said features of the stored commodity; and thereby enabling inventory management of said stored commodity.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said subset includes at least said moisture content and said temperature, and said inventory management includes spoilage prevention.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic data comprises S-parameter measurements, and the transforming comprises applying an inverse Fourier transform thereto to derive the time-domain signals.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer-implemented steps further comprises providing a three-dimensional image map of the features.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer-implemented steps further comprise using the estimate as input to one or a combination of a full-wave electromagnetic inversion algorithm or a neural network.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said estimating is achieved using a neural network.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the container is a grain bin and the stored commodity is grain stored therein.
8 . The method of claim 1 wherein said subset includes at least said shape, and estimation of said shape includes estimation a cone height and cone angle of the stored commodity.
9 . The method of claim 1 wherein said subset includes at least said overall stored volume, said moisture content, and said temperature.
10 . An electromagnetic imaging system for continuously monitored management of stored commodities, comprising:
a memory comprising instructions; and
one or more processors configured by the instructions to:
receive electromagnetic data from an acquisition system comprising an electromagnetic transceiver and a radio frequency (RF) antenna array coupled thereto that comprises a plurality of antenna probes that are distributed around an interior holding space of a container in which a stored commodity is held and are operable by said electromagnetic transceiver in transmitter/receiver pairs to impart RF energy to said stored commodity from transmitting antennas of said transmitter/receiver pairs and collect received RF signals from receiving antennas of said transmitter/receiver pairs;
transform at least some of the electromagnetic data into time-domain signals, and determine electromagnetic resonance therefrom, at least in part by modeling the time-domain signals as sums of damped sinusoids and thereby deriving complex pole information of functions representative of physical resonant modes within the container as modified by the stored commodity in variable response to changes in any one or more of an overall stored volume of the commodity inside the container, shape occupied by said overall stored volume of the commodity inside the container, temperature of the stored commodity inside the container, moisture content of the stored commodity inside the container and density of the stored commodity inside the container;
estimate features of the stored commodity based at least partly on mapping of the complex pole information to the features of the stored commodity, said features including at least a subset of said overalls stored volume, said shape, said temperature, said moisture content and said density; and
repeat the receiving, transforming, determining, and estimating steps at successive points in time to monitor for changes in any one or more of said features of the stored commodity; and thereby enabling inventory management of the stored commodity.
11 . The system of claim 10 wherein said plural subset includes at least said overall stored volume, said moisture content, and said temperature.
12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein said subset includes at least said moisture content and said temperature, and said inventory management includes spoilage prevention.
13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured by the instructions map the complex pole information to said overall stored volume via a model that is based on synthetically generated data.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the synthetically generated data is calibrated with experimental data.
15 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the electromagnetic data comprises S-parameter measurements, and said transforming comprises applying an inverse Fourier transform thereto to derive the time-domain signals.
16 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured by the instructions to provide a three-dimensional image map of the features.
17 . The system of claim 10 wherein the container is a grain bin and the stored commodity is grain stored therein.
18 . The system of claim 10 wherein said subset includes at least said shape, and estimating of said shape includes estimating a cone height and cone angle of the stored commodity.