Computer vision-based process control and measurements validation

A system for process control with process measurements validation capability, the system comprising:

• a field sensor to be monitored, configured to obtain a first actual sensor reading of a process variable;
• a virtual sensor comprising a camera, the virtual sensor configured to obtain a first virtual sensor reading of the variable;
• related field sensors, configured to obtain first related sensors readings;
• and
• a measurement and validation engine configured to:
• calculate a first deviation between the first actual sensor reading and the first virtual sensor reading,
• make a first determination that the first deviation exceeds a prespecified threshold,
• based on the first determination, make a second determination that the first actual sensor reading does not correspond to the first related sensors readings, and
• based on the second determination, making the first virtual sensor reading a first trusted sensor reading for controlling an aspect of a process associated with the process variable.

A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions executed by one or more processors of a measurement and validation engine, the plurality of machine-readable instructions causing the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining a first actual sensor reading of a process variable from a field sensor to be monitored;
• obtaining a first virtual sensor reading of the process variable from a virtual sensor, wherein the virtual sensor is camera-based;
• calculating a first deviation between the first actual sensor reading and the first virtual sensor reading;
• making a first determination that the first deviation exceeds a prespecified threshold;
• based on the first determination, making a second determination that the first actual sensor reading does not correspond to first related sensors readings;
• and
• based on the second determination, making the first virtual sensor reading a first trusted sensor reading for controlling an aspect of a process associated with the process variable.