STTR Phase I: Machine Learning-Based Smart Data Compression Solutions for Structural Health Monitoring Sensors

这一小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业影响是能够有效地监测民用基础设施，并对其结构安全做出快速决策。使用结构健康监测(SHM)传感器来监测老化结构的状况。这些传感器产生非常大的数据集。在这个项目中，将开发一种数据压缩解决方案，以在不丢失重要信息的情况下将此类数据集的大小减少90%。例如，一个传感器可以在大约6小时内填满一个128 GB的硬盘，但使用数据压缩解决方案，至少需要60小时才能填满硬盘。因此，数据压缩是传感器数据存储(磁盘空间)和有效传输的关键因素。将开发一种内置数据压缩算法的微芯片。装有微芯片的传感器将需要更少的访问以进行数据检索，并且通过现有无线网络传输数据所需的带宽和功率将大幅减少。这将使监测偏远地区的建筑物成为可能。数据压缩将适用于不同的细分市场，但最初的目标市场将是石油和天然气行业内老化结构的SHM。这个小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目旨在利用深度学习方法开发传感器数据压缩方案和编解码器设备。该系统将由数据编码器和解码器组成，它们将自主学习传感器数据的特征，提取相关特征，并以低比特率传输这些特征。即使是没有机器学习经验的用户，也能够针对不同类型的传感器训练具有变换域层的深度神经网络。当传感器连接到计算机时，该系统的软件版本将允许通过互联网处理和传输数据，从而可以在现场处理存储的数据。嵌入式硬件版本将被设计用于“边缘”用途，这意味着它将在传感器本身旁边实现。这种方法将确保计算效率，特别是对于需要在边缘执行的网络特征提取部分。该项目的重点将是利用开发的微芯片系统上的高频声发射数据来检测管道泄漏。通过降低SHM设备的数据传输比特率，该系统将能够将SHM数据连续传输到云或数据中心。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to enable efficient monitoring of civil infrastructures and rapid decision-making on their structural safety. The conditions of aging structures are monitored using structural health monitoring (SHM) sensors. These sensors produce very large datasets. In this project, a data compression solution will be developed to reduce the size of such datasets by 90%, without losing important information. As an example, one sensor can fill up a 128 Gigabyte hard disk in about 6 hours, but with the data compression solutions, it will take at least 60 hours to fill the hard disk. Data compression is thus a critical factor for both storage (disk space) and efficient transmission of sensor data. A microchip with a built-in data compression algorithm will be developed. The sensors with microchips will need to be visited less often for data retrieval and dramatically less bandwidth and power will be required for data transmission over existing wireless networks. This will enable monitoring of structures in remote areas. The data compression will be applicable to various market segments, however the initial target market will be the SHM of aging structures within the oil and gas industry.This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims to develop sensor data compression schemes and encoder/decoder devices utilizing deep learning methods. The proposed system will consist of a data encoder and decoder, which will autonomously learn the characteristics of the sensor data, extract relevant features, and transmit these using low bit rates. Even users without prior experience in machine learning will be able to train the deep neural network with transform domain layers for different sensor types. The software version of the system will allow for data processing and transmission over the Internet when the sensor is connected to a computer, making it possible to handle stored data on-site. The embedded hardware version will be designed for "edge" usage, meaning it will be implemented next to the sensor itself. This approach will ensure computational efficiency, particularly for the feature extraction part of the network, which needs to be executed at the edge. The project's focus will be on detecting pipeline leakage using high-frequency acoustic emission data on the developed microchip system. By reducing the data transmission bitrate of SHM devices, this system will enable continuous transmission of SHM data to the cloud or data centers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.