DESC:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2005
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DATA ACQUISITION AND TRANSFER
2. APPLICANT
(a) Name: Tantrasoft Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd.
(b) Nationality: An Indian Company
(c) Address:
C-202, Vishal C.H.S., Sir M.V. Road, Near Vishal Hall, Andheri East, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India - 400069

3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
PROVISIONAL
The following specification describes the invention. COMPLETE
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to data management and more particularly, the present invention relates to a device and method for data acquisition and transfer that is configured to forward the data to a backend service.
BACKGROUND ART
Typically, data acquisition and transfer systems collect information from one or more sources of data generation and move it to other locations/instruments/services for further processing and analysis. Depending upon the requirement, the devices may be selected among data loggers, data converters, or programmable logic converters (PLCs). The data loggers are generally deployed to collect data from sensors and instruments for a given period and store it for later analysis. However, they lack real-time display and data sanitization features. Data converters such as RS232 to LAN perform only data conversion without data sanitization. Moreover, the converters are incapable of directly sending the data to the manufacturing execution system (MES), or open platform communication (OPC). Additionally, they do not have the provision to receive any acknowledgement from the MES or OPC. Even though devices such as PLCs are capable of posting data to the OPC, functionality is very complex, and PLCs cannot post data directly to the MES.
Reference may be made to a related art KR20130133579A, which discloses an interface module for transmitting data between MES and PLC. The module can store data information while broadcasting it in real-time, and can transmit data information to the MES server and the PLC without any loss of data information even in the situation of communication errors or communication failure between the MES and the PLC.
Another related art US2022050617A1 describes a system and method for sanitizing a mass storage device on a host computer which includes a control system to receive input to start a process of sanitizing a mass storage device and includes a switch to isolate the mass storage device from an input interface and provides signals from an alternate input to the mass storage device to sanitize the mass storage.
However, the prior art fails to describe an automatic retry mechanism for failed postings. Accordingly, there exists a need for a device and method for data acquisition and transfer that receives, validates, sanitizes, and posts incoming data. Additionally, there is a need for a device and method that displays error messages for invalid data as well as the status of posting. Moreover, a device and a method of data transfer are needed that retry posting data to MES after a fixed duration until successful, store data in, and clean data from memory as and when required.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for data acquisition and transfer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for data acquisition and transfer that is configured to receive data from a plurality of instruments and send it to the MES/OPC.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for data acquisition and transfer that is configured with a storage mechanism for storing the received data from a plurality of instruments and erasing the stored data upon transfer to the MES/OPC.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device for data acquisition and transfer that is configured with a software application with a user interface to display the extracted data from the instrument as well as diagnostic messages.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for data acquisition and transfer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The present disclosure generally relates to data management and more particularly, the present invention relates to a device and method for data acquisition and transfer that is configured to forward the data to a backend service.
In an aspect, the present invention relates to a device for data acquisition and transfer. The device for data acquisition and transfer comprises a data acquisition and communication module, a processing and computation module, a data storage and logging module, a user interface module, and a network and cloud integration module. The data acquisition and communication module is configured to collect raw data from a plurality of instruments connected thereto. The processing and computation module is communicatively coupled to the data acquisition and communication module and is configured to receive raw data therefrom and perform operations such as validation, and formatting thereon to obtain sanitized data. The data storage and logging module is communicatively coupled to the processing and computation module and configured to store sanitized data and store the same temporarily in memory integrated thereto. The user interface module is configured with a touchscreen or a liquid crystal display to present the status of the data transfer operation and facilitate the user to view historical logs, stored data, and errors in data transfer operations. The network and cloud integration module is configured with LAN/Ethernet or MQTT-based IoT communication for real-time data transfer to the MES/OPC or the cloud storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the disclosure is read in conjunction with the following figures, wherein
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a device for data acquisition and transfer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and
Figure 2 represents a flow diagram of a method for data acquisition and transfer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present invention. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, and the like represent various processes that may be substantially represented in computer-readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The embodiments herein provide a device for data acquisition and transfer (hereinafter referred to as “device”) and a method thereof, configured to provide an interface between instruments and the MES/OPC.
Throughout this application, with respect to all reasonable derivatives of such terms, and unless otherwise specified (and/or unless the particular context clearly dictates otherwise), each usage of:
“a” or “an” is meant to read as “at least one”,
“the” is meant to be read as “the at least one.”
References in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail. For clarity of the description, known constructions and functions will be omitted.
Parts of the description may be presented in terms of operations performed by at least one processor, electrical/electronic circuit, a computer system, using terms such as data, state, link, fault, packet, and the like, consistent with the manner commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. As is well understood by those skilled in the art, these quantities take the form of data stored/transferred in the form of non-transitory, computer-readable electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, and otherwise manipulated through mechanical and electrical components of the computer system; and the term computer system includes general purpose as well as special purpose data processing machines, switches, and the like, that are standalone, adjunct or embedded. For instance, some embodiments may be implemented by a processing system that executes program instructions so as to cause the processing system to perform operations involved in one or more of the methods described herein. The program instructions may be computer-readable code, such as compiled or non-compiled program logic and/or machine code, stored in a data storage that takes the form of a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic, optical, and/or flash data storage medium. Moreover, such processing systems and/or data storage may be implemented using a single computer system or may be distributed across multiple computer systems (e.g., servers) that are communicatively linked through a network to allow the computer systems to operate in a coordinated manner.
The present invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. These reference numbers are shown in brackets in the following description and the table below.
Reference
Numeral Component
100 Device for data acquisition and transfer
101 Data acquisition and communication module
102 Processing and computation module
103 Data storage and logging module
104 User interface module
105 Network and cloud integration module
106 MES/OPC
107 Cloud storage
300 Method for data acquisition and transfer
In an implementation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device (100) for data acquisition and transfer is explained by referring to Figure 1. The device (100) comprises a data acquisition and communication module (101), a processing and computation module (102), a data storage and logging module (103), a user interface module (104), and a network and cloud integration module (105). The data acquisition and communication module (101) includes a plurality of RS232/LAN ports that are configured to collect raw data from a plurality of instruments connected thereto. The data acquisition and communication module (101) is communicatively coupled to the processing and computation module (102). The processing and computation module (102) is configured to receive raw data from the data acquisition and communication module (101), wherein the raw data is separated based on the port at which it is received. The processing and computation module (102) includes a single board computer that processes the raw data and performs operations such as validation, and formatting thereon. The incoming data is in the form of a string that comprises the value of the measured parameter and unit. Sometimes, garbage characters and non-printable characters also get integrated into the data string. The processing and computation module (102) is programmed with a set of instructions that checks the validity of the received data for values and units and displays invalid values, if found, on a user interface module (104). Moreover, the processing and computation module (102) sanitizes the data to remove the garbage and non-printable characters therefrom. For example, the raw data string received from an instrument may be in the form such as N ^*(*^%$%^% + 5.330 g ^**&^%^^. The output of the processing and computation module (102) may be in the form N+5.330g which represents the sanitized data. The processing and computation module (102) further extracts only a numerical value 5.330g and parses the value to the MES/OPC (106) for further processing. The processing and computation module (102) is communicatively coupled to the data storage and logging module (103) to send sanitized data thereto. The data storage and logging module (103) is configured to store sanitized data temporarily in memory integrated thereto. The memory can be selected among SD card or flash storage or SSD. The data storage and logging module (103) ensures data retention in case of connection failures. The user interface module (104) is configured with a touchscreen or a liquid crystal display to present the status of the data transfer operation and facilitates the user to view historical logs and stored data, as well as errors in the data transfer operation. Moreover, the user interface module (104) is configured to allow the users to interact with the device (100) via buttons or a touch interface for navigation by providing alternatives for manual reprocessing or resending the data if required and to monitor the data in real-time. The user interface module (104) and the data storage and logging module (103) are communicatively coupled to the network and cloud integration module (105) and send the sanitized data thereto. The network and cloud integration module (105) is configured with LAN/Ethernet or MQTT-based IoT communication for real-time data transfer to the MES/OPC (106) or the cloud storage (107). The device (100) waits to receive an acknowledgement from the MES/OPC (106) and after the receipt of the same, erases the data stored in the data storage and logging module (103). The user interface module (104) is configured to display the status of the data transfer. In a scenario of failed transfer, the device (100) retries posting the particular data values after every predefined time interval.
In an implementation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method (300) for data acquisition and transfer comprises the following steps :
At step 301 the method (300) involves, connecting a plurality of instruments to a data acquisition and communication module (101).
At step 302 the method (300) involves, receiving the data in the form of a string, by the data acquisition and communication module (101) from the plurality of instruments.
At step 303 the method (300) involves, communicating the received data by the data acquisition and communication module (101) to a processing and computation module (102).
At step 304 the method (300) involves, checking, by the processing and computation module (102) validity of the received data and displaying the invalid status thereof if found.
At step 305 the method (300) involves, sanitizing, by the processing and computation module (102) the received data and extracting the exact value thereof.
At step 306 the method (300) involves, communicating the exact value of the data by the processing and computation module (102) to a data storage and logging module (103).
At step 307 the method (300) involves, communicating by the data storage and logging module (103) the exact value of data to a user interface module (104) and a network and cloud integration module (105).
At step 308 the method (300) involves, displaying the exact value of data by the user interface module (104).
At step 309 the method (300) involves, communicating by the network and cloud integration module (105) the value of data to an MES/OPC (106) and cloud storage module (107).
At step 310 the method (300) involves, reposting, the data to the MES/OPC (106), in case of failure of receipt of the acknowledgement, after a predefined time interval.
At step 311 the method (300) involves, upon the successful posting, erasing from the storage mechanism the exact value of data.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
1. The device (100) for data acquisition and transfer does not demand any special interfacing arrangements for the instruments and the MES/OPC, as, it is of plug and play nature.
2. The user does not have to program the device (100) or create/build SCADA to parse the incoming data.
3. The device (100) has in-built memory which can store data and on connection with the server automatically synchronizes the stored data to the server and erases the local memory for performance enhancement.
4. The device (100) and a method (300) provide data sanitization with a diagnostic message displaying facility.
5. The device (100) and the method (300) retry posting data to MES upon failure after a fixed duration until successful.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the present invention.
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A device (100) for data acquisition and transfer, the device (100) comprising:
a data acquisition and communication module (101), the data acquisition and communication module (102) configured to collect raw data from a plurality of instruments connected thereto;
a processing and computation module (102), the processing and computation module (102) communicatively coupled to the data acquisition and communication module (101) and configured to receive raw data therefrom and perform operations such as validation, and formatting thereon to obtain sanitized data;
a data storage and logging module (103), the data storage and logging module (103) communicatively coupled to the processing and computation module (102) and configured to store sanitized data and store the same temporarily in memory integrated thereto;
a user interface module (104), the user interface module (104) configured with a touchscreen or a liquid crystal display to present the status of the data transfer operation and facilitate the user to view historical logs, stored data, and errors in data transfer operations; and
a network and cloud integration module (105), the network and cloud integration module (105) configured with LAN/Ethernet or MQTT-based IoT communication for real-time data transfer to the MES/OPC (106) or the cloud storage (107).
2. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the data acquisition and communication module (101) includes a plurality of RS232/LAN ports that are configured to collect raw data from a plurality of instruments connected thereto.
3. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the processing and computation module (102) is programmed with a set of instructions that checks the validity of the received data for values and units and displays invalid values, if found, on a user interface module (104).
4. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the processing and computation module (102) includes a single board computer that processes the raw data and performs operations such as validation, and formatting thereon to sanitize the raw data.
5. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the data storage and logging module (103) is configured to store sanitized data temporarily in memory integrated thereto.
6. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1 is configured to retry posting the particular data values after every predefined time interval in case of failed data transfer.
7. A method (300) for data acquisition and transfer, the method (300) comprising:
connecting (301) a plurality of instruments to a data acquisition and communication module (101);
receiving (302) the data in the form of a string, by the data acquisition and communication module (101) from the plurality of instruments;
communicating (303) the received data by the data acquisition and communication module (101) to a processing and computation module (102);
checking (304) by the processing and computation module (102) validity of the received data and displaying the invalid status thereof if found;
sanitizing, (305) by the processing and computation module (102) the received data and extracting the exact value thereof;
communicating (306) the exact value of the data by the processing and computation module (102) to a data storage and logging module (103);
communicating (307) by the data storage and logging module (103) the exact value of data to a user interface module (104) and a network and cloud integration module (105);
displaying (308) the exact value of data by the user interface module (104);
communicating (309) by a network and cloud integration module (105) the value of data to an MES/OPC (106) and cloud storage module (107);
reposting (310) the data to the MES/OPC (106), in case of failure of receipt of the acknowledgement, after a predefined time interval; and
erasing (311) from the storage mechanism the exact value of the data upon the successful posting.

Dated this May 15, 2025

Prafulla Wange
(Agent for Applicant)
(IN/PA: 2058)