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Getting into a traffic accident is no fun. The sights and sounds themselves are terrifying, and even a small fender bender can end up causing nightmares. But there is a reason we are required to maintain insurance if we want to drive. The insurance premium check is no fun to write each month, but when you need it, you will be very glad you have it. When the time comes, knowing the proper steps to filing a road traffic accident claim is important to get your vehicle fixed and back on the road.
Soon after you are in the wreck, take a couple minutes to jot down some notes. You will want to be able to recall what actually happened. While it is not necessary to get law enforcement involved, if you are dealing with another irate motorist, you will want the officer's official report to be turned in to the insurance company. While still at the scene make sure to exchange insurance information with the other driver, get his or her phone number, address, make and model of vehicle, and license plate number as well. After swapping information, call your insurance company. While many people are hesitant to do this, insurance companies will not raise your rates if you are just calling to ask questions. They can only raise rates based on the official notification (which can be a traffic citation or if they are sent a bill from the repair shop).
When filing the claim your insurance representative should walk you through what needs to be done. It is important that although you can legally wait at least a few days (some states as long as 90 days), file the claim right away. Even if you are not at fault, let your company know what is going on, they will become your advocate and fight on your behalf. If the other motorist's insurance company calls you for information, direct them to your company for answers. You will start receiving mail about the claim, and you will have to sign affidavits attesting to what happened.
Insurance companies will then take one of two routes. They may send an adjuster to come and look at your car and assess the damage, or they may send you to a pre-approved body shop. If the damage is more than the value of your vehicle, you often have no choice but to take a cash settlement and start looking for a replacement. There is an alternative to filing an insurance claim however. If you have minimal damage to your vehicle, and there is little to no damage to the other, then you can just pay the repairs out of pocket. This can be a reasonable alternative if the damage will cost less than your deductible, and it will help to prevent having your insurance rates go up.
Even when you are not at fault, getting in a wreck sucks. When it does happen, you will feel much more comfortable if you are well prepared. Keeping a pen and paper next to your insurance information to write your notes on will make sure you have all the information. A camera phone will help to capture the situation and the damage. By being prepared you will be able to file your claim quickly and be back in your fixed car soon.
Scott Sery
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Cycling facing Olympic ban after Lance Armstrong drugs scandal
CYCLING was facing the threat of being kicked out of the Olympic Games last night in the wake of the Lance Armstrong drugs scandal.
IOC member Dick Pound made the startling claim by saying it could happen if Armstrong implicates the International Cycling Union (UCI), the sport's governing body, of covering up a widespread doping scheme.
Pound, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, revealed the IOC might be left with no choice if Armstrong proves the UCI acted improperly. "The only way it is going to clean up is if all these people say 'hey, we're no longer in the Olympics and that's where we want to be so let's earn our way back into it'," he said.
the UCI is not known for its strong actions to anti-doping. It was the same in weightlifting
Talking after TV show host Oprah Winfrey confirmed that Armstrong admitted to using drugs in an interview that will be broadcast on Thursday and Friday, Pound added: "The IOC would have to deal with it, the UCI is not known for its strong actions to anti-doping. It was the same in weightlifting."
Britain won a total of 16 golds in cycling at the London Olympics and Paralympics .

subset: commoncrawl


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The Pentagon on
Thursday recommended repeal of the military's ban on
consensual sodomy. It has now been referred to the House
Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee, where it
is being reviewed.
"Service members should not be expected to
automatically check their constitutional rights at the
barracks door," said Sharra E. Greer of the Servicemembers
Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group for gay and lesbian
service personnel. "Every service member deserves laws that
are neither arbitrary nor vindictive. Congress should
approve the committee's recommendation. Consensual sodomy
prosecutions are both unwarranted and unconstitutional."
Under military law, consensual sodomy by
heterosexuals as well as same-sex couples can be punished by
up to a five-year prison sentence.
The constitutionality of the statute was called
into question after the U.S. Supreme Court's historic
Lawrence v. Texas decision, abolishing similar
state sodomy laws. In 2001 a panel called for repeal of the
statute. The Cox Commission called military sodomy
prosecutions "arbitrary, even vindictive." That commission
also recommended replacing the existing statute with one
more closely resembling civilian law.
SLDN cautioned service members, however, that the
recommendations are not yet law and must be approved by Congress.
"It remains to be seen if the recommendation by the
Pentagon will be implemented and, if so, whether or not
same-sex consensual sodomy prosecutions will cease," Greer
said. "Pentagon leaders must not suggest repeal of the
consensual sodomy prohibition in Article 125 only to
continue violating Lawrence under a different
statute. To do so would be a clear violation of service
members' constitutional guarantee of privacy."


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- Search CSN:
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- Not a member? Click here to search public areas
Feb 04, 2011 - 8:37 am
This is definitely not a serious issue but one where I am at the point of thinking my body just loves to make trouble for the rest of me....sounds silly doesn't it.
Feb 04, 2011 - 9:10 am
Dear Brenda,
You will be fine. Rest and recover. You had a medical, invasive procedure, and your body is reacting to it. Everyone reacts differently. That you are able to post is a good sign. When my husband had a port put in, he had redness and some swelling. He also spoke of the discomfort of turning his head and such. He did feel better after a week.
I wish for you strength and courage as you begin your treatments. Come here and share what you are feeling, thinking and going through. Will keep you in my prayers.
Feb 04, 2011 - 9:26 am
Thank u for responding, i am hoping for strength as i go thru this, if this is any indication of the start of my travels,,,,,wow,, eye opener. U know am going to beat this, want to start striving forward with my life... thank u Lucy.....brenda
Feb 04, 2011 - 9:05 pm
My husband has had a port put in just before they put it in he stopped breathing, they had to put a tube in his throat he has been in ICu now for 2 days. It is awful, he can't eat, drink, talk. Don't know how much more this poor guy can take!! Linda
Feb 04, 2011 - 12:48 pm
My husband had a port put in place last summer for his chemo; there was significant bruising and soreness for a few days.
It has since been removed and healed nicely.
Praying yours goes just as well, tears2.
Feb 06, 2011 - 3:26 pm
Hey Brenda,
I had a port from the fitrst. I had no problems with the procedure. I will tell u this thogh. Second time I went for my infusion it wouldn't work. They gave me heffrin and it didn't work. The had me doing aerobics (what I like to call them) in the recylner. Lift arms, lay back, do this, try this, try that. When i wen tup to have my infusion, they had to inject a special drug it cost like $1400. They did get it to work though. My port has tilted some for some unknown reason but it works and sometimes when I go for flush it decides to be a pain. It's a lot less painful than do the hand. The worst is that poke. And make sure you get someone who knows what they're doing. If you don't it's gonna hurt like hell! You know my prayers and well wishes are with you and you will come thru this again!!!
Feb 06, 2011 - 7:04 pm
Don't forget to ask (demand) the numbing cream and the little numbing injection! Never, never let any procedure hurt! Best wishes!


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Does this work? Givenchy No Surgetics Mask, £40 for nine 9ml doses
Our expert tells the truth about the promises that beauty products make
This week we investigate a bestselling face mask with a hefty price tag.
They say From the first application the face looks decongested and less bloated
We say Rated as one of the best facemasks on the market by the hugely popular TV presenter Gok Wan, this product has been flying off the shelves. It comes in nine little pots, one for each weekly application, and for added wow factor it turns from green to pearly pink when ready to remove.
What's the science? Despite containing a ream of exotic sounding ingredients, from beech tree buds to mandarin orange flavonoids, there is not much science to suggest that the mask will lift or firm.
However, a clinical trial on 46 women of ruscogenin, a compound…


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Wilmington, DE (PressExposure) May 05, 2011 -- Educational game development firm McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds will celebrate the 6th anniversary of the launch of its flagship product, the You've been Sentenced! word game in May 2011.
The multi award-winning You've been Sentenced! word game uses pentagon-shaped cards with conjugations of funny words, famous names, and familiar places. Each player uses his or her hand of 10 cards to build a grammatically correct sentence, racing the other players while also trying to score the most points per round. Sentences also have to be justifiable in meaning, making players use both creativity and common sense.
Although the game is now a staple on thousands of stores shelves - from Borders, to Barnes and Noble, to over 1,000 independent toy and game retailers across the country -- on Dec. 29, 2004 the game was still just a vague idea in McNeill Designs' CEO Donald McNeill's head. The concept? Players would make sentences from words on cards - something that had never been done successfully in the game world before.
From his initial "a-ha moment," McNeill moved quickly. Having no background in game design, he assembled a talented team of designers, language specialists and business advisors to turn the dream into reality.
In order to make the game "work," McNeill also had to figure out the correct balance of word usage in the English language. It took months to turn the initial concept into one that would not only work, but would be entertaining, as well. This preparation also included reading the dictionary - cover to cover, twice! - for just the right words to include.
Since its launch in 2005, the You've Been Sentenced! game has been recognized by both the gaming and education communities and is the recipient of numerous awards including:
* Creative Child Magazine, Seal of Excellence
* Dr. Toy Best Products
* Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Gold Seal Award
* Spewgie Award, Best Family Fun Game
* iParenting Media Hot Product Award
* FAO Schwarz Toy Auditions, Winner
* National Parenting Seal of Approval
* Mr. Dad Seal of Approval
* George Lucas Educational Foundation's Edutopia magazine, Hot Media for Educators
* MENSA Society's Parenting for High Potential magazine, Resource Roundup Pick
* Scholastic Instructor Magazine Teachers Pick Best of 2009
* Tillywig 2010 Laugh Out Loud Fun Award
Following up its success with You've been Sentenced, McNeill Designs' added the award-winning memory game Twisted Fish, numerous You've been Sentenced! themed add-on decks, and more to its roster of products. Most recently, the firm announced the launch of a NASA Space Terminology Deck themed add-on deck for the You've been Sentenced! word game.


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Many of the Web services running on the Microsoft platform today were created using Microsoft's first generation ASP.NET-based Web Services technology and run on the Microsoft IIS Web Server. This has given rise to a growing mix of fully functional Web services within the enterprise. While adding value to every aspect of an enterprise's IT assets, having growing set of ungoverned Web services distributed across your enterprise presents an important governance challenge. System administrators need a way to know which ASP.NET services are running, control who has access to them, manage their availability, monitor their performance, and secure them appropriately. The Akana Service Manager Agent for ASP.NET Web services addresses this challenge.
The Service Manager agent runs on Microsoft IIS and automatically discovers ASP.NET Web services, enabling selective governance of individual services. Installed from an MSI file and running natively in Windows Server, the agent enables you to define and enforce policy for selected ASP.NET Web services running on IIS. Specific features include:
Akana offers a comprehensive SOA Governance Automation solution for Web services on the Microsoft platform.Click here to go to our main Microsoft Page


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MS, RLS, Convulsive Spasms
View Single Post
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Kansas, USA
Posts: 9,964
Re: MS, RLS, Convulsive Spasms
Have you been checked for Parkinson's? My mom had RLS for several years before finally finding out about her Parkinson's. Her Parkinson's neuro told her that many RLS patients become Parkinson's patients and it is a sign he uses to investigate further. While it is not 100% definite and RLS is not the same as Parkinson's, there is a statistical risk.
In addition to Parkinson's, other medical conditions which may present with RLS include iron deficiency, diabetes, end-stage kidney disease, and even pregnancy. Still, those with RLS caused or as a sign of the aforementioned medical diseases or conditions, the majority of RLS patients do not have any of the additional problems. Like with MS, the snake oil salesmen sell many wares to the RLS patients.
Have you been tested for any of the aforementioned medical conditions?
Medicines, such as antipsychotic drugs -- like aripiprazole (Abilify) and risperidone (Risperdal) -- also can cause involuntary leg movements similar to RLS.
While my mom was alive, she took Ropinerole and I know it helped her.
I hope you find your answers soon. As far as I know, RLS and MS are separate, but there exists the possibility that you could have both.It can be frustrating. When my mom used to join me to drive to the clinic, I had to stop 3-5 times during a 2 hour drive just so she could walk to get relief from her RLS. When her Parkinson's reached the late stages her RLS simply went away.
MS diagnosed since October 3, 1982
MS onset circa 1977
Proud to be MED FREE!
Eternally blessed and eternally optimistic!<><
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The Napa Valley Grapegrowers invite Napa County farmworkers and their families to join in a celebration with food, music, seminars, family activities, community organizations and more on July 21 at St. John the Baptist Parish Hall, 924 Napa Street, Napa. The event is free.
Learn about the extraordinary programs that local organizations provide for the families of our farmworker community! Click here for a full list of participating community partners. Limited space still available, please contact Robyn Bishop at firstname.lastname@example.com for booth information.
Día de la Familia will feature a keynote presentation by Salvador & Oscar Renteria, Renteria Wines. Click here for the full event schedule.
Help us promote the event by distributing Día de la Familia flyers or postcards to your vineyard workers!
Día de la Familia Flyer – in Spanish
Día de la Familia Flyer – in English
If you are interested in participating in this important community event, volunteer opportunities are available. Please contact Robyn Bishop at email@example.com for more details.
For more information about the event visit www.napagrowers.org or contact the NVG office at (707) 944-8311


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Victoria, BC Canada – Sitka announced the launch of their Movember campaign on November 1st of this year. They are hosting a moustache growing contest and collecting donations for Prostate Cancer and James Holt- a case of cancer that hits close to home.
James has been battling Neuroendocrine cancer for 9 years, and recently discovered new spots on his liver during a routine CT Scan. He was waiting for a liver transplant when spots on his lungs were discovered, making him unqualified for a liver transplant. James' doctors suggested he try Radioemobolization Treatment, which is still going through clinical trials.
In conjunction with raising awareness and funding for James and Prostate Cancer, Sitka is hosting a moustache-growing contest on their Facebook Page. Participants are asked to post photos of their moustache – before, during and/or after the growth stage – to the Facebook Wall. The photos with the most 'likes' will be entered into the finals at the end of the month. The chosen winners will win a $500 Sitka shopping spree. Sitka hopes this contest will help draw attention to their fundraising cause.
You can get more information on James' treatment and post moustache photos on the Sitka Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/sitkasurfboards
About SITKA Surfboard Corp.
SITKA was born from the West Coast of Canada where the mighty Sitka Spruce calls home. Like the Sitka Spruce gravitates to the ocean and flourishes, so too does the SITKA brand. They are a brand of like-minded individuals that are inspired by the ocean and it's surrounding environment. SITKA collaborates with artists, surfers, skaters and all those that share the same passions to produce an active lifestyle brand that is true to their roots. The majority of their garments are produced with organic cottons and a selection are produced with bamboo as sustainability and fair-practice are two of the cornerstones of their business beliefs.


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They Come From All Over...
Posted by Dante
They Come From All Over...
July 11, 2003 03:51AM
IP/Host: ---.tsclos01.al.comcast.net
New York isn't a location thing. I was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. I was raised to believe that "All them damn Yankees'll screw ya." Feh. I've been in love with the city of New York since I was six. (It's Stan Lee's fault. Really.). Needless to say, I'm the freak of the family. My extended family would kill me if they ever found out that my greatest ambition in life is to join NYPD....eh. Screw 'em.
Re: They Come From All Over...
July 11, 2003 10:15AM
IP/Host: ---.red-acceso.airtel.net
Re: They Come From All Over...
October 06, 2004 12:37PM
IP/Host: 205.244.101.---
Let me tell u something if I were u I would keep that dream or wish until u do it. But u know what f*** who eva told u that cuz Im from NYC n I represent here at my school everybody respect me n they better b careful what they say about NYC cuz nobody mess or will say anything bad in front of me about NYC cuz they will get slapped!!! Im form Brooklyn, NYC!!! #1
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If you think disaffected white teenagers in the U.S. and U.K. have the market cornered on punk rock, think again. At its purest, punk was a primal yawl emanating from lower-income neighborhoods where young people saw little hope of getting out of their predetermined molds. An uncaring government, an unfair economic market, and a general lack of opportunity for education, jobs, or even just something to do on a Friday night pushed dreamers into their garages where they banged out a couple of chords and prayed someone would hear. With China being several decades behind the rest of the world in terms of pop culture due to many of the exact same conditions I just described, it was only a matter of time before the country would have its own wannabe-Johnny Rottens armed with a guitar and a very basic understanding of Nietzsche, thinking that 1977 was only five minutes ago. The four guys in Joyside have glommed onto the ethos with a tenacious fervor, ambassadors of punk straight outta Beijing.
Of course, as those of us who hung out with punk kids in high school are well aware, punk doesn't always draw in the best and the brightest. Its main emissaries are those who have no other tools for expression, and so the music is often devoid of any deeper meaning than a desire to party, and partying tends to supercede the need to practice and the pursuit of musical excellence. Put a camera in front of these obnoxious clowns and prepare yourself for a lot of beer belches, pimples, and endless retarded mugging. This is the price we pay for rebellion, apparently.
First-time filmmaker Kevin Fritz set out to capture both of these things when he started to chronicle Joyside in 2003, documenting their first-ever nationwide tour as Wasted Orient: A Film About Joyside. Sadly, though Fritz had the noble goal of capturing the political and social side of the struggle to bring rock 'n' roll to a country that doesn't understand it and may not even want it, what he has put together to share with the masses leans far too heavily to the hangovers and the farting, with the music rising somewhere in the middle like a lost boot in a polluted river. Reading Fritz's director's statement that comes along with the Wasted Orient DVD, I realized this movie was quite obviously one of those cases where intentions did not necessarily equal results.
Capturing life and music as it "really happens" is a fine idea, but the problem is that once Fritz decided to crystallize his footage in this thing called Wasted Orient, he gave the material a defacto context. He created a frame for his story, but it was up to him to make sure that what was inside that frame was the picture he intended us to see. Though Fritz wanted his portrait of Joyside to speak of a greater cultural movement and the purpose these four young men serve in it, he spends little time trying to push that part of the agenda. The band members can only express themselves in drunken rambles, barely touching on the issue at hand, either ending in vomit or in some sad adolescent speech about how life has no meaning. Fritz needed to maybe step away and explore more to find the China that exists beyond the band, the thing that they are kicking against.
Instead, the filmmaker stays with the group exclusively, stringing together a tedious pattern of drunken train rides, killing time before the show, a song at the show, and then on to the next train ride. There's only so much boredom, drinking, and pimple popping that can be interesting, particularly given that Fritz isn't very good at getting the four musicians to open up. Rather than having the guitarist Yang Yang talk more in depth about what it means to be a Japanese immigrant playing in a Chinese punk band, we get footage of him tasting different kinds of bugs for sale at the market. The partying isn't exactly Hammer of the Gods material, either. Not unless one requires a hammer to push in a thumbtack. At one point, one of the band members makes a sign advertising that Joyside likes "Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll." Given that we see no drugs and none of them even get close to getting laid, we'll have to take their love of the holy trinity of rock as a metaphorical concept rather than a reality. Sadly, this is not the choice that makes for better viewing.
Still, this leaves the music. If the cinematic painting Fritz edits together of Joyside isn't particularly interesting offstage, how do they fare onstage? So-so. The band's music is pretty much Punk Rock For Beginners. The guys reference Johnny Thunders quite often, and most of their songs sound like watered-down Heartbreakers and New York Dolls outtakes (we even get covers of "Born to Lose" and "Lonely Planet Boy"). One exception is the song "Johnny Rotten," which sounds (surprise, surprise) exactly like a Sex Pistols rip-off. It's hard to say whether or not Joyside's lyrics pack much punch, because even though I think they mainly sing in English, it's nearly impossible to decipher what they are saying. With titles like "I Wanna Beer" and "I Wanna Piss Around You," I'm guessing these alcoholic waters don't run very deep.
With all that said, music fans may find Wasted Orient: A Film About Joyside somewhat interesting. Obscure, out-of-the-way scenes are the backbones of musical movements, and there is about half a snapshot here of one band's attempts to get their own mini-revolution started. Maybe with a bigger bank account and some added resources, Kevin Fritz could have gotten closer to what he wanted to do. I guess that's punk rock all on its own, though--struggling for something greater than you with the tools available. In that sense, I tip my ancient Social Distortion cap to you, sir. Keep trying for that cigar!


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Which is Better: Medifast or Nutrisystem?
Innumerable diet plans are evolving around the world for the effort of weight loss programs. While some fail to do, some are found effective on the users. While some people get success in their weight loss mission with the help of their personal trainers and replacing unhealthy foods with more lean proteins and vegetables, some need a little more assistance with the organized portion-controlled meals.
Among different weight loss programs, Medifast and Nutrisystem have been around for quite a long time. A huge number of people in the United States have been benefited with these diet plans over decades. Now, when it comes to choosing one program (as you cannot follow the both), you need to determine which is better: Medifast or Nutrisystem?
About the Medifast Diet
The Medifast Diet was developed by Dr. William Vitale in 1980 for facilitating thousands of his patients for the weight loss program. At present, more than 20,000 doctors recommend Medifast for the obese and overweight patients in the country. Earlier it was recommended to follow the original diet under the supervision of the doctor; however, it is now taken at home as mass use.
The Medifast diet contains protein shakes, soups, bars and other side dishes that you can combine with your desired meal. In this menu of Medifast, more than 70 meal options are available to meet different dietary needs and unique palate. From low glycemic, kosher, vegetarian and lactose options are included for the Medifast diet program.
If you follow the Medifast 5 & 1 plan, you are allowed to take 5 prepared meals from Medifast with one 'lean and green meal' prepared by you. The meal plans it organize enough to keep your metabolism high enough and avoid hunger.
About the Nutrisystem Diet
Developed by Harold Katz, the Nutrisystem Diet has facilitated millions of people to lose weight through its well-prepared portion-controlled meals. In fact, Nutrisystem is one of the pioneering companies to offer such meal delivery services. From frozen to pantry-ready meals, Nutrisystem provides more than 150 menu options.
You can customize the meal based on your metabolic requirements. In addition, you can get an option to choose from vegetarian and diabetic-friendly menus. You can read TheDietDynamo's full Nutrisystem guide to learn more about what they offer, but they have a full line of excellent products, that I'm sure you'll be impressed with.
The Comparison Guide – Medifast and Nutrisystem
Both Medifast and Nutrisystem bear several resemblances including meal delivery systems, customization options, a number of meals per day, average daily calorie intake, and much more options. However, for Nutrisystem, you will find more meal options (more than 150) while Medifast offers more than 70 options. Both these plans are expensive enough where you need to spend between $300 and $400 each month.
However, if you have any special dietary need or are facing any health risk due to your overweight, you are recommended to take Medifast under the supervision of the doctor. In the discussion on which is better: Medifast or Nutrisystem, you may also consider the matter of delivering everything at your doorstep by Medifast while for Nutrisystem, you need to visit the grocery store to purchase fruits, fresh vegetables, and fish. Now the choice is yours!


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Penn's medical campus resides in an urban setting in the university city neighborhood of philadelphia. The main medical campus spans over 18 city blocks, and includes the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine outpatient care center, and multiple research bulidings, including the new Smilow Center for Translational Research.
Our residency training takes place at three hospitals: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC), and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
With more than 700 beds, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is a major tertiary referral center for the mid-Atlantic and immediate Philadelphia region. More than 30,000 procedures, ranging from the routine to cardiothoracic and multi-organ transplantation surgery, are performed each year in the operating rooms at HUP. HUP is consistently ranked as one of the hospitals in the country. Patients recover after major procedures in the 54-bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit, cared for by members of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care. It is adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania campus, and is attached to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine — a state-of-the-art facility that contains the hospitals "surgi-center" — as well as the number two ranked medical school in the country — the Perelman School of Medicine.
Clinical rotations and areas of emphasis include:
- Ambulatory surgery
- Cardiac surgery
- Thoracic surgery
- Obstetrics
- Orthopaedic surgery
- Gynecologic surgery
- Trauma service
- Vascular surgery
- Otorhinolaryngologic surgery
- Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy
- Invasive radiology and NMR imaging
- General, urologic and plastic surgery
- Neurosurgery and neurosurgical intensive care
- Pain service (Acute and Chronic)
- Surgical intensive care and recovery room
- Transplantation surgery: liver, heart, pancreas, kidney, lung
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the first pediatric hospital in the United States, is a modern, 430-bed tertiary center located adjacent to HUP. Year after year CHOP is ranked as the top pediatric hospital in the United States, CHOP serves as the primary pediatric training facility for the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Members of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and the Department of Medicine's Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine manage 25,000 anesthetics annually in 21 operating rooms, a variety of ancillary locations, and direct the 66-bed multidisciplinary Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Clinical divisions include:
- General anesthesia, including a full range of surgical subspecialties
- Cardiac anesthesia
- Critical care medicine
- Pain service
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC) is a 300+ bed hospital located less than 1 mile northwest of HUP. It has a long tradition of service to the surrounding community in West Philadelphia, and it provides an unique mix of "community practice" in an academic environment.
PPMC is a major orthopedic site in the Health System, and residents rotate there in order to expand this part of their practice, including regional blocs for both upper and lower limb orthopedic procedures. It is also the location of the service for the care of patients with chronic pain problems.
It is also the home to the residency program's internship


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|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|4 Jan 2001
|Filing date
|14 Jun 2000
|Priority date
|14 Jun 1999
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Larry W. Fullerton, James L. Richards
|Time Domain Corporation
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (4), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (4), Classifications (25), Legal Events (9)
|External Links: Patentscope, Espacenet
System and Method for Intrusion Detection Using a Time
Domain Radar Array
Background of the Invention Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to radar motion detection, and more particularly to using a sparse array of time modulated ultra wideband radars for highly selective intrusion detection.
Related Art
Today, many homes and businesses employ surveillance systems for intrusion detection. Consumers have spent billions of dollars on home security systems over the last few years, and the number of homes with security systems has increased by almost half. These systems vary dramatically in sophistication and cost, but most include perimeter sensors on outside doors and windows, motion detectors in key inside areas, a control unit to interpret and respond to signals from the sensors, and a siren or other alert mechanism. Most are connected to a central monitoring station, which can notify the police in the event something triggers one of the sensors.
Conventional intrusion detection systems, particularly those in the cost range of the average home or small business owner, suffer from very high false alarm raies, often 90% and above. This imposes prohibitive costs on local police departments having to answer these false alarms. Many cities have responded by charging fines for answering these calls. This in turn provides incentive to home and business owners to deactivate the alarm system to avoid the false alarms. One study suggests that in burglarized homes with alarm systems, almost half of the alarms weren't even activated. Conventional intrusion detection systems suffer a high rate of false alarms for many reasons. One reason is that these systems provide minimal selectivity. As used herein, selectivity refers to an intrusion detection system's ability to distinguish movement on some basis, such as where the movement is occurring, how fast an object is moving, or the path that an object is moving along.
Obviously, detection systems that are more selective will likely suffer fewer false alarms because threatening movement can be more precisely defined and distinguished from movement defined as benign. What is defined as threatening and benign will vary by the particular environment in which the system operates. For instance, in a home environment, threatening movement could be defined as movement around the outside perimeter of the house, while movement inside the house is defined as benign. Therefore, an intruder approaching a door or window from the outside would trigger the alarm, whereas a child opening a bedroom door would not. A need therefore exists for a highly selective intrusion detection system and method.
Summary of the Invention
Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to a system and method for highly selective intrusion detection using a sparse array of time modulated ultra wideband (TM-UWB) radars. TM-UWB radars emit very short RF pulses of low duty cycle approaching Gaussian monocycle pulses with a tightly controlled pulse-to-pulse interval. Two or more of these TM-UWB radars are arranged in a sparse array (i.e., they are spaced at intervals of greater than one quarter wavelength), preferably around the perimeter of a building. Each TM-UWB radar transmits ultra wideband pulses that illuminate the building and the surrounding area. One or more of the radars receives signal returns, and the signal return data is processed to determine, among other things, whether an alarm condition has been triggered.
An advantage of the current invention is that ultra wideband (UWB) pulses are used. As used herein, UWB refers to very short RF pulses of low duty cycle ideally approaching a Gaussian Monocycle. Typically these pulses have a relative bandwidth (/. e. , signal bandwidth / center frequency) which is greater than 25%. The ultra wideband nature of these pulses improves both angle and range resolution, which results in improved performance (e.g. , greater selectivity, more sensitive motion detection). The term "wavelength", as used herein in conjunction with ultra wideband systems, refers to the wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the ultra wideband pulse.
Another advantage of the current invention is that high resolution radar images are formed which give an accurate picture of the inside of the building and the surrounding area. The current invention uses this image to, among other things, detect motion in a highly selective manner and to track moving objects within the building and the surrounding area. High resolution radar images are possible because the TM-UWB radars positioned around the perimeter of the building form a sparse array capable of achieving high angular resolution. Angular resolution is a function of the width of the TM-UWB radar array, i.e., the wider the array, the greater the angular resolution. Conventional narrowband radars arranged in a sparse array suffer off-axis ambiguities, and are therefore not practical. However, the UWB pulses transmitted by the TM-UWB radars are sufficiently short in duration (with very few sidelobes) that the radars can be used in a sparse array configuration without off-axis ambiguities. Furthermore, range ambiguities are cured by time-encoding the sequence of transmitted TM-UWB pulses.
Another advantage of the current invention is that highly selective motion detection is possible. Using the high resolution radar images generated by the TM-UWB radar array, motion can be distinguished based on criteria appropriate to the environment in which the intrusion detection system operates. For example, home security systems according to the present invention can distinguish outside movement around doors and windows from movement inside the house. Alternatively, business security systems can distinguish movement in an unsecured portion of the building from movement in a secured portion. This selectivity can result in lower false alarm rates.
Another advantage of the current invention is that high angular resolution may be achieved at a low center frequency. Because the transmitted UWB pulses have a large relative bandwidth, and because the radar array is wide, a lower center frequency can be maintained and still achieve a high angular resolution.
Operating at a lower center frequency relaxes the timing requirements of the system, which makes it easier to achieve synchronization between the radars, and results in less complex, less expensive implementations. A low center frequency also results in UWB pulses that are able to better penetrate lossy materials and withstand weather effects.
Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit in the corresponding reference number.
Brief Description of the Figures
The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 illustrates an example building environment within which the present invention can be used;
FIG. 2 depicts an intrusion detection system; FIG. 3 is a flowchart that describes the operation of the intrusion detection system;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart that describes the generation of radar images;
FIG. 5 depicts the intrusion detection system operating in a first mode including back scattering at each sensor and forward scattering;
FIG. 6 depicts the intrusion detection system operating in a second mode including back scattering at one sensor and forward scattering;
FIG. 7 depicts the intrusion detection system operating in a third mode including back scattering only; FIG. 8 depicts an imaging area within an example building environment;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart that describes the generation of a radar image;
FIG. 10 depicts example reflectograms for four sensors;
FIG. 11 is a flowchart that describes processing the radar images to determine whether an alarm condition has been triggered; FIG. 12A depicts an example clutter map;
FIG. 12B depicts an example radar image with a moving target;
FIG. 12C depicts an example differential map, calculated as the difference between the clutter map of FIG. 12A and the radar image of FIG. 12B; and
FIG. 13 depicts a preferred calibration of the home intrusion system.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Overview of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system and method for highly selective intrusion detection using a sparse array of TM-UWB radars. TM-UWB (or impulse) radio and radar technology was first fully described in a series of patents, including U.S. Patent Nos. 4,641,317 (issued February 3, 1987),
4,743,906 (issued May 10, 1988), 4,813,057 (issued March 14, 1989),4,979,186 (issued December 18, 1990) and 5,363,108 (issued November 8, 1994) to Larry W. Fullerton. A second generation of TM-UWB patents include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,677,927 (issued October 14,1997),5, 687, 169 (issued November 11, 1997) and 5,832,035 (issued November 3, 1998) to Fullerton etal. These patent documents are incorporated herein by reference. FIG. 1 illustrates a building environment 100 within which the present invention is used. The present invention includes two or more sensors 102. In a preferred embodiment, four sensors 102 (102A, 102B, 102C, and 102D, as shown in FIG. 1) are located around the perimeter of a building. Using more than four sensors 102 will further reduce the false alarm rate. The sensors 102 communicate with each other via a communication pathway 104. Though only a single communication pathway 104 is shown, each sensor 102 can communicate with one or more of the other sensors 102.
The example building depicted in FIG. 1 includes perimeter (outside) walls 106, inside walls 112, doors 110, and windows 108. The areas in and around the building are conveniently divided into inside 114 and outside 116. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the building shown in FIG. 1 is only a simple example, and that the concepts described herein apply equally well to any arbitrarily shaped building, with any configuration of doors, windows, interior walls, and furnishings. One of the primary objects of the present invention is to detect movement of objects in and around a perimeter, such as outside walls of a building. A perimeter may alternatively be defined as two boundaries to allow for noise and clutter variations. In a two boundary system, the perimeter may be defined as an inside and outside boundary separated by some distance (e.g. 2 ft). An object on the outside would have to cross the inside boundary to trigger an entry alarm; whereas, an object on the inside would have to cross the outside boundary to trigger an exit alarm.
The present invention will be described in an example embodiment where movement of object are detected in and around the building shown in FIG. 1. For convenience, both an inside target 118 and an outside target 120 are shown. The following discussion will refer to both collectively as targets.
FIG. 2 depicts the components of the present invention in greater detail, referred to collectively as an intrusion detection system 200. Each sensor 102 preferably includes a TM-UWB radar 202, and a wireless link 204. The sensors
102 communicate with a processor 206 that is responsible for processing the data received by the sensors and determining whether an alarm condition has been met. Note that, for purposes of clarity, only two sensors 102 (A and B) are depicted in FIG. 2. As stated above, intrusion detection system 200 includes two or more sensors 102.
TM-UWB radar 202 is preferably implemented as described in U.S. Patent Nos.4,743,906, and 5,363,108, incorporated by reference above. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the concepts described herein apply equally well to other radars that transmit time modulated UWB pulses. TM-UWB radars 202 transmit UWB pulses and at least one receives signal returns, depending on the particular mode of operation (described below). Each TM-UWB radar 202 can utilize a single antenna element 208 for both transmission and reception, separate antenna elements for transmission and reception, or even an array of antenna elements for transmission and reception, including phased arrays of antennas. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the number and type of antenna elements will vary based on the particular application and desired transmission characteristics.
TM-UWB radar 202 preferably operates with a center frequency between 1 GHz and 3 GHz, and a pulse repetition rate of 1.25 MHZ. Other center frequencies are possible, though hydrometer effects introduce problems around 10
GHz and above. Similarly, the pulse repetition rate will vary based on the particular embodiment. Note that if the time modulation of the UWB pulses includes a random component, pseudo-random noise (rather than true noise) is used so that the noise sequence can be reproduced at the other radars. A good discussion of time modulation using pseudo-random noise codes for impulse systems is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,677,927 (hereafter the '927 patent), incorporated by reference above.
Sensors 102 placed along the perimeter of a building will clearly be separated by more than a quarter wavelength at these center frequencies. The sensors therefore form a sparse array. Sparse arrays of TM-UWB radars are discussed in detail in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 09/332,503, filed the same day of the present application, June 14, 1999, entitled "Wide Area Time Domain Radar Array," which has been incorporated by reference. Sensors 102 are preferably packaged for convenient installation in a conventional wall electrical socket, securely fastened such that it cannot easily be removed. Those skilled in the art will recognize that three-dimensional images may be obtained by ensuring that all the sensors 102 do not occupy the same horizontal plane, i.e., at least one sensor 102 occupies a horizontal plane different from the other sensors 102.
Processor 206 can be implemented using many different configurations of computer hardware and software, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Each particular application will dictate the processing needs of the system, size requirements, memory requirements, and other implementational details. Processor 206 can be physically located at any convenient location. Processor 206 can be included in the same packaging with a sensor 102, or close enough to a sensor such that data may be transferred between processor 206 and the nearby sensor via a cable. Alternatively, processor 206 can be physically distant from all sensor 102 and communicate with one or more of them wirelessly. Communication pathway 104 represents a wire or wireless transmission medium. In a preferred embodiment, sensors 102 communicate with each other via a wireless link, wherein communication pathway 104 represents electromagnetic waves propagating through the environment. Alternatively, communication pathway 104 can be implemented as a cable (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fibre) connecting the radars.
Wireless links 204 provide for wireless communication between sensors 102 via communication pathway 104. Wireless links can be implemented as any number of conventional devices known to those skilled in the art, depending upon the bandwidth required by the particular application. However, wireless link 204 is preferably implemented as a TM-UWB radio, as described in many of the above cited patents and applications. In this preferred embodiment, data transfers are accomplished using subcarrier modulation as described in the '927 patent, incorporated by reference above. Alternatively, a single TM-UWB radar can be configured to perform the functions of wireless link 204 and TM-UWB radar 202. In other words, a single TM-UWB radar is used at each sensor 102 to transmit UWB radar pulses and communicate wirelessly with other sensors 102. Combining these functions into a single unit results in less expensive implementations. Further, in modes that include forward scattering, synchronization between the radars is achieved without requiring a separate synchronization signal. Note that wireless links 204 are unnecessary for those embodiments employing a cable as communication pathway 104.
Wireless links 204 are responsible for, inter alia, transmitting scattering data received by their associated radars 202, and exchanging synchronization information when forward scattering data is being taken. The bandwidth requirements for wireless links 204 depend upon the types of data analysis performed by processor 206, the rate at which TM-UWB radar 202 transmits UWB pulses, and various other factors. Wireless links 204 can also be either bidirectional or simplex, depending upon the requirements of the application.
Those skilled in the art will recognize the cost to benefit tradeoff associated with conventional wireless implementations. Other implementations are discussed below. Operation of the Current Invention
FIG. 3 is a flowchart that describes the operation of the current invention. This section provides an overview of the operation. Each step is then described in detail in the following sections. In step 302, intrusion detection system 200 is calibrated. Calibration as used herein refers to, among other things, identifying the positions of the various sensors 102 and one or more security zones. A security zone, as described below, is an area in which certain movement could trigger an alarm condition. The calibration of step 302 is performed before intrusion detection system 200 begins monitoring building environment 100. Further details regarding calibration are provided after detailed discussions of the next two steps.
In step 304, a radar image is generated by the operation of intrusion detection system 200. The sensors 102 transmit UWB pulses, preferably in a omnidirectional manner, and then receive the reflected energy, referred to herein as signal returns or signal return data. Processor 206 then creates a radar image based on the signal return data collected by all sensors 102.
In step 306, processor 206 determines whether an alarm condition has been met. This determination is based on the current radar image, and in many cases, on past radar images as well. Intrusion detection system 200 triggers various alarms in the event that an alarm condition is met, such as lights, sirens, and calls to emergency personnel.
The following sections described each step in detail.
Generation of Radar Images
FIG.4 is a flowchart that describes step 304 in greater detail. In step 402, flow proceeds to step 404 only for those embodiments that include forward scattering measurements. In step 404, radars 202 are synchronized, as described in detail below. Skilled artisans will recognize that this synchronization allows for useful analysis of the scattering data.
In step 406, each of the radars 202 transmits UWB pulses, preferably in an omnidirectional fashion, radiating the pulsed energy in all directions. In step 408, signal returns are received by at least one radar 202, depending upon the mode of operation. Intrusion detection system 200 preferably operates in three different modes of operation. In all three modes, each TM-UWB radar 202 transmits UWB pulses. The different modes vary based on which radars 202 are configured to receive signal returns, and whether the radars are synchronized for forward scattering measurements.
FIG. 5 depicts intrusion detection system 200 operating in a first mode. Again, for purposes of clarity, only two sensors are depicted (102 A and 102B) and a reflective body 502. Reflective body 502 represents any object, either inside 114 or outside 1 16, that reflects a portion of the transmitted pulse energy. As shown, both TM-UWB radars 202 transmit UWB pulses and receive the corresponding signal returns reflecting off reflective body 502. This process is known to those skilled in the art as back scattering, or mono-static operation. The back scattering data from each radar 202 is passed to processor 206 (not shown in FIG. 3) for analysis. As mentioned above, processor 206 can be located in close physical proximity or connected wirelessly to any one or more of sensors
Sensors 102 also perform forward scattering (or bi-static) measurements, which refers to a TM-UWB radar 202 receiving signal returns corresponding to UWB pulses transmitted by another sensor 102. As shown in FIG. 5, radar 202A receives signal returns corresponding to UWB pulses transmitted by radar 202B.
Radar 202B passes both back and forward scattering data on to processor 206. TM-UWB radars 202 must be synchronized in order to utilize the forward scattering data. This synchronization is preferably implemented across communication pathway 104. Synchronizing radars 202 can be accomplished in at least two different ways. In a first embodiment, a synchronization signal is transmitted between radars 202 via wireless links 204. In this embodiment, wireless links 204 are chosen which have high temporal resolution, on the order of ten picoseconds. This resolution is necessary to achieve the desired synchronization.
In a second embodiment, each radar 202 receives UWB pulses transmitted by the radar 202B via two paths. As described above, radar 202A receives forward scattering signal returns that reflect off reflective body 502. However, radar 202A can also receive UWB pulses that travel directly from radar 202B to radar 202A. These UWB pulses can be used by radar 202A for synchronization, so long as the distance between the radars is known. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the antenna 208B associated with radar 202B must be chosen such that its beam pattern provides for sufficient transmission in the direction of radar 202A. FIG.6 depicts intrusion detection system 200 operating in a second mode.
In this mode, certain of the radars 202 are used for forward scattering purposes only, i.e., they transmit UWB pulses which are received by other radars 202, but do not themselves receive any signal returns. For example, in FIG. 6, radar 202B transmits UWB pulses that are received by radar 202A, as indicated by the forward scattering propagation path. Radar 202A receives the forward scattering signal returns corresponding to UWB pulses transmitted by radar 202B, and also receives its own back scattering signal returns. If intrusion detection system 200 operates only in the second mode, radar 202B can be implemented in a more simple, inexpensive manner because it need only transmit, not receive. Again, the radars must be synchronized, preferably across communication pathway 104, in order to utilize the forward scattering data. Note that in this mode, only the radar that receives signal returns passes data (both back and forward scattering data) to processor 206 (not shown in FIG. 6) for analysis. Furthermore, communication only needs to proceed in one direction between wireless links 204, i.e., from radar 202A to radar 202B. Therefore, for embodiments only operating in the second mode, wireless link 204B can be implemented as a receiver only.
FIG. 7 depicts intrusion detection system 200 operating in the third mode. In this mode, all of the radars 202 collect back scattering data only. As shown in
FIG. 7, each radar 202 transmits UWB pulses and receives the corresponding signal returns. The back scattering data collected by each radar 202 is passed on to processor 206 (not shown in FIG. 7) for analysis. Note that in this mode, there is no requirement that the radars 202 be synchronized because forward scattering data is not being collected.
Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 4, in step 410, processor 206 generates a radar image based on the signal return data collected by sensors 102. FIG. 8 depicts building environment 100 for purposes of illustrating the analysis of back scattering data (and forward scattering, where available) to generate an image of inside target 118. FIG. 8 also depicts an imaging area 802 that defines an example area to be imaged. Imaging area 802 could, for example, represent a portion of the building inside 114, the entire inside 114, or the inside 114 and outside 116. The needs of each particular intrusion system will determine which areas require surveillance, i.e., radar imaging. A grid 804 criss-crosses imaging area 802, defining one or more voxels
806 (a voxel is a minimum resolution portion of a three dimensional space, comparable to a pixel in two dimensional space). As described below, processor 206 calculates a value for each voxel 806 indicative of the reflected energy measured in the portion of imaging area 802 defined by that voxel. The resulting grid 804 of voxels 806 forms a radar image of imaging area 802. Grid 804 is maintained in processor 206, and can vary in spacing to define voxels 806 having different resolution (grid 804 need not be orthogonal). Decreasing the grid spacing increases the resolution of the generated image. As shown in FIG. 8, inside target 118 occupies a single voxel 806A. Though this simplifies the discussion, skilled artisans will recognize that in practice a higher resolution will often be desired.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart that depicts step 410 in greater detail according to a preferred time domain interferometry technique for calculating a value for each voxel 806 in imaging area 802. In step 902, a reflectogram is generated for each radar 202 in intrusion detection system 100. FIG. 10 depicts four example reflectograms, 1002, 1004, 1006, and 1008, corresponding to sensors 102A, 102B, 102C, and 102D, respectively. Skilled artisans will recognize that a reflectogram describes reflected energy as a function of range (i.e., distance from the transmitting antenna) . For example, reflectogram 1002 describes the reflected energy measured at sensor 102A, whereas reflectogram 1004 describes the reflected energy measured at sensor 102B. The x-axis represents range, while the y-axis represents reflected energy measured as voltage.
In a preferred embodiment, each radar 202 generates a reflectogram by sweeping through the ranges of interest, measuring reflected energy at discrete ranges. At each discrete range, radar 202 transmits ultra wideband pulses 808 and then looks for reflected energy after a time delay corresponding to the return time- of-flight. Further details regarding the operation of radar 202 are provided in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,743,906, and 5,363,108, incorporated by reference above. Radar 202 receives and, where multiple pulses are transmitted for each discrete range step, accumulates reflected energy.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that more reflected energy will be measured per transmitted pulse for nearby targets, as compared to those targets positioned farther away. Compensating for this effect allows for more efficient use of the radar's dynamic range. In a preferred embodiment, radar 202 transmits and receives an increasing number of pulses per discrete range step as the range is increased. The reflected energy measured at longer ranges is therefore increased by receiving and integrating a greater number of pulses. The ranges of interest are preferably divided into multiple "range windows," where the same number of pulses is transmitted for each discrete range within a given window. Skilled artisans will recognize that this is only one example of how this compensation might be implemented.
Alternatively, the power of transmitted pulses can be varied according to range. In this embodiment, radar 202 increases the power of transmitted pulses as the range gets longer. This alternative compensation has a similar effect to varying the number of transmitted pulses, but will likely require more costly modifications to the basic radar 202 to implement. This, and other related concepts are described in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 09/332,501, filed the same date as the present application, June 14, 1999, entitled "System and Method for Impulse Radio Power Control," which is incorporated herein by reference.
Returning again to FIG. 9, in step 904 an image is formed by selectively combining data from the reflectograms generated in step 902. An image value is calculated for each voxel 806, where the image value is indicative of the total amount of reflected energy measured over that portion of imaging area 802. Processor 206 preferably calculates an image value for each voxel 806 by summing voltage values from the reflectogram associated with each sensor 102, where the voltage values correspond to the return time-of-flight from the radar to the voxel being calculated. For example, referring to FIGS. 8 and 10, the image value for voxel 806A is the sum of a voltage value from reflectograms 1002, 1004, 1006, and 1008 corresponding to the return time-of-flight. As shown in reflectogram 1002, the voltage value at time 11 corresponds to the return time-of- flight from sensor 102 A to voxel 806 A, as shown in FIG. 8. Similarly, times t2, t3, and t4 correspond to the return time-of-flight from sensors 102B, 102C, and
102D to voxel 806 A, as shown in reflectograms 1004, 1006, and 1008. The sum of these four values forms the image value for voxel 806A. In this manner the image value for each voxel 806 in image area 802 is calculated as the sum of a voltage from each reflectogram corresponding to the return time-of-flight.
Intrusion Detection
Returning to FIG. 3, in step 306, processor 206 determines whether an alarm condition has been triggered indicating an intrusion. What is defined as an alarm condition depends upon the particular environment in which intrusion detection system is used. For example, in a home security environment, an alarm condition is triggered when a moving object approaches and penetrates a perimeter around the outside of the house or some other predetermined exterior boundary. Alternatively, in a building security environment, movement in a restricted area within the building triggers an alarm condition. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alarm conditions will vary, depending upon the exact environment in which intrusion detection system 200 is installed and the types of intrusion that are to be detected.
In a preferred embodiment, processor 206 uses the radar images generated in step 304 to detect motion and to track moving objects. In many instances, processor 206 need only detect movement in a given area. In the aforementioned building security environment, movement detected in a restricted area triggers an alarm condition. Other alarm conditions require additional processing to distinguish between different types of movement. For instance, movement in the vicinity of a window should trigger an alarm condition if the object approached the window from outside 116, but not if the object approached from inside 114. Processor 206 can distinguish between these two types of movement by tracking moving objects over time.
FIG. 1 1 is a flowchart that depicts step 306 in detail according to a preferred embodiment. In step 1102, processor 206 updates a clutter map. The clutter map represents stationary and other "don't care" objects within imaging area 802. For instance, a clutter map might include stationary objects such as furniture and walls within a building. The clutter map can also include moving objects that should -not trigger an alarm condition, such as ceiling fans.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the clutter map can be determined in different ways. In one embodiment, the first radar image generated by intrusion detection system 200 is defined as the clutter map. This approach is easy to implement, but is not very robust. For instance, if a piece of furniture within imaging area 802 is moved after the clutter map is generated, it will thereafter appear as a moving object because it was not part of the clutter map. In this embodiment, processor 206 sets the clutter map equal to the first radar image generated in step 304, and does not change the clutter map based on subsequent radar images.
In a preferred embodiment, however, the clutter map is updated based on subsequent radar images by low-pass filtering the current radar image on a voxel by voxel basis, and adding the filtered image to the stored clutter map. In this way, the clutter map is slowly updated over time so that stationary objects not present initially will be incorporated into the clutter map. For example, if sensors 102 transmit UWB pulses with a center frequency of 2 GHz, and if the 3 dB knee of the lowpass filter is 0.1 Hz, then anything moving at a rate faster than 3Λ inches in 10 seconds will not be passed through the lowpass filter to the clutter map.
In step 1104, processor 206 subtracts the updated clutter map from the current radar image. The resulting image represents objects within imaging area 802 that were not present in past radar images. FIG. 12A depicts an example clutter map 1200 of building environment 100, including stationary objects such as doors 110, windows 108, interior walls 112 and exterior walls 106
(assume that everything shown in FIG. 12A is within imaging area 802). FIG. 12B depicts a radar image 1202 generated subsequent to clutter map 1200. As shown, inside target 118 has entered the building. FIG. 12C depicts a differential map 1204 calculated in step 1104 by subtracting clutter map 1200 from radar image 1202. Differential map 1204 therefore represents objects that have moved within imaging area 802. The appearance of inside target 118 will trigger an alarm condition for those intrusion detection systems that are configured to detect movement in that particular area. In step 1 106, a track file is updated based on differential map 1104 calculated in step 1104. The track file contains information on moving objects being tracked within imaging area 802. For example, a track file is a collection of historical information on identified objects to allow determination of object motion parameters, such as position, speed, velocity, and direction. In a preferred embodiment, objects that appear in differential map 1204 are compared against those objects currently being tracked in the track file. Each object in differential map 1204 is either associated with and used to update an existing object in the track file, or is added to the track file as a new object to track.
One method of generating a track file is to map an area using reflectogram data from several sensors, and then later, map the area again and subtract the first map data to derive a map of changes relating to motion in the area. The largest peaks are then identified as objects to be tracked and all energy within a radius (e.g., 1 foot) of each peak is considered part of the object. The object centroid is then found by determining the centroid of all of the "change" signal within the radius. This set of centroids is then compared with previous centroids from the track file. The nearest previous object would be considered the same object of the purposes if determining object motion, velocity, direction. These parameters may be determined from the history of the object centroid locations.
A track file may alternatively be maintained by determining an area within some range (e.g., 1 foot) of a previous centroid location for an object, and then computing a new centroid based on this area to be associated with the object. In this way, an object may be incrementally tracked across a room and objects may be determined as entering or exiting a door or widow. Map threshold levels may be used to limit the number of objects to a reasonable level. Objects may disappear, or be dropped from the track file, if the total energy drops below a disappearance threshold for a period of time. Likewise objects may be generated based on a single peak threshold crossing, but may not achieve full "object" status until it maintains threshold for a period of time.
Tracking the movement of objects within imaging area 802 allows for more sophisticated alarm conditions to be defined. For instance, in the home security environment described above, an alarm condition might be triggered where outside target 120 approaches window 108, whereas inside target 118 approaching window 108 does not. Those skilled in the art will recognize the many ways that tracking could be used to define robust alarm conditions in a variety of environments.
Returning to FIG. 3, intrusion detection system 200 is calibrated in step 302 prior to generating a radar image in step 304 and detecting intrusion in step
306. The processing described above with respect to steps 304 and 306 depends, in part, on having accurate knowledge of where the sensors are located with respect to one another. Calibrating intrusion detection system 200 refers to determining these relative positions. FIG. 13 depicts a first alternative calibration system for intrusion detection system 200. A portable transmitter 1302 is moved along a calibration path 1304 around the area to be protected. For the example shown in FIG. 13, calibration path 1304 follows the outside walls 106 of the building. Those skilled in the art will recognize that calibration path 1304 will vary for different environments and alarm conditions. Portable transmitter 1302 transmits UWB pulses, such as a TM-
UWB radar 202.
All of the sensors 102 lock their receivers to transmitter 1302 and track its movement around calibration path 1304. As the sensors 102 track transmitter 1302, datum marks are made periodically. This is preferably accomplished by the operator pressing a button that modulates transmitter 1302, sending a bit stream to each sensor 102 identifying the index number of the data point being sent. Alternatively, a real-time clock can be used to continually mark the data received by the sensors 102. In either case, after completion each sensor 102 sends the calibration data to processor 206 to determine the position of the sensors 102 in relation to each other and calibration path 1304.
In a second alternative embodiment, in step 302, the calibration is performed manually, by locating each sensor on a map, blueprint, survey, or by direct measurement. The calibration data is entered into processor 206 by conventional means familiar to those skilled in the art.
In a third alternative embodiment, in step 302, each sensor 102 locks on to UWB pulses transmitted by another sensor 102, one after another, until a range is determined between each pair of sensors 102. The sensors can be adapted to perform range finding as described in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. Patent
Application No. 09/045,929, attorney docket no. 1659.0470000, filed March 23, 1998, entitled "System and Method For Position Determination By Impulse Radio," which is incorporated herein by reference. Another alternative embodiment for adapting the sensors to perform range finding is described in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 09/083,993, attorney docket no. 1659.0660000, filed May 26, 1998, entitled "System and Method For Distance Measurement by Inphase and Quadrature Signals In A Radio System," which is also incorporated herein by reference. Each sensor 102 sends the calibration data to processor 206 to determine the position of the sensors 102 in relation to each other. Conclusion
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
The previous description of the preferred embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|17 Jul 1998
|28 Jan 1999
|Kohler Company
|Radar devices for low power applications and bathroom fixtures
|29 Mar 1996
|2 Oct 1997
|Honeywell Ag
|Danger space control monitoring arrangement
|23 May 1995
|27 Nov 1996
|Hughes Missile Systems Company
|Concrete penetrating imaging radar
|1 Sep 1995
|16 Sep 1997
|Starr; Jon E.
|Imaging system and apparatus
|FRAZIER L M: "SURVEILLANCE THROUGH WALLS AND OTHER OPAQUE MATERIALS. IEEE 1996 NATIONAL RADAR CONFERENCE" PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1996 NATIONAL RADAR CONFERENCE,US,NEW YORK, IEEE, 13 May 1996 (1996-05-13), pages 27-31, XP000634913 ISBN: 0-7803-3147-8
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|30 Mar 2011
|20 Jul 2011
|Indoor positioning method and indoor positioning system based on super resolution ultra wideband (UWB) signal broadcast delay estimation
|1 Apr 2007
|31 Dec 2008
|Camero-Tech Ltd.
|System and method for volume visualization in ultra-wideband radar
|1 Apr 2007
|16 Mar 2011
|Camero Tech Ltd
|System and method for volume visualization in ultra-wideband radar
|1 Apr 2007
|3 Jan 2012
|Camero-Tech Ltd.
|System and method for volume visualization in ultra-wideband radar
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|4 Jan 2001
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The Triumph Trans-AmeriCan Charity Drive 2009 will wind its way across the U.S. and Canada between July 4 and September 29, 2009. They have their route, and now they have the money for a car. The organizers of the Triumph Trans-AmeriCan Charity Drive 2009, a trans-continental drive intended to rais ... Read more
The lovely Triumph TR250 will be one of the featured models at the 2008 North American Triumph Challenge in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this August. For 2008, the national convention of the Vintage Triumph Register will be returning to the place where it all began 30 years ago, in the southeastern Michiga ... Read more


text:
About the Contributor
About crowles721:
I like to live life with enthusiasm.
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Fiction section, Teen Ink
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text:
Search Results
The Tree of Skill in Salt and Sanctuary is where the player will spend Black Pearls and Gray Pearls to acquire Skills. You can acquire Black Pearls by spending Salt in a Sanctuary, or by finding them through out the game. Gray Pearls will refund you Black Pearls, should you choose to respec a Skill.
To the left of the Skill Tree is a seperate window that displays your character stats. You can use L2/R2 to cycle between the panels. This will give you a more accurate readout of how each stat change will affect your character.
The Skill Tree is laid out in such a way that Magic users will put points into the left side of the tree, Dexterity users will put points into the upper left part of the tree, Strength users will put points into the upper right part of the tree and Wisdom users will use the right side of the tree. In between these parts - where they come together - you will see a mix of Skills that would be beneficial to hybrid users.
Some skills will unlock specific features, like unlocking higher class equipment or gaining more healing items at a Sanctuary. Other skills are purely for stats, and these skills can be purchased repeatedly (5x times each) to allow your character to gain higher stats on a specific path.
Most Classes begin the game with 2 predetermined Skills (they are different for each class). Please see the Classes page for more information on that.
- Note: If you see weapons or armor with two red lines forming an X, it means you don't have the requirements to use the item. If you see only one red line (over weapons) it means you must two-hand the weapon to use it effectively.
- Note: Similar to weapons, magic/prayers will not be enabled until the appropriate skill level/class is aquired - you will see an X across the skill until you aquire the skill/class. e.g. Prayers cannot be used until you aquire the Cleric Class (bottom right quadrant of the skilltree)
Skill Tree Images
- Anonymous
01 Aug 2017 19:56
This just seems so needless as compared to the standard level up menu Dark Souls utilizes. Can someone explain to me the benefits here?ReplyReplies (0)
- Anonymous
02 Jul 2017 11:28
Might be a silly question, but what benefits does filling out a node have, over picking a new one of the same type? (i.e. taking 3 different dex nodes vs investing 3 pearls into 1)ReplyReplies (1)
- Anonymous
26 Apr 2017 08:27
I don't even think it's possible to access enough endurance to wear the heaviest armours.ReplyReplies (1)
- Anonymous
24 Feb 2017 00:47
very confusing skilltree, I have no idea where to begin with it or even how to. doesn't help it's hard to see and no discernible way to tell which part is which... I had to shut the game down to try and find info as I am not re-rolling again tonight, took me like 30 attempts to kill the first boss.ReplyReplies (2)
- Anonymous
31 Jan 2017 06:45
Just noticed the skill tree has about a dozen of invisible nods. I did a quick search to see if anyone else had discovered this, and found the following: https://steamcommunity.com/app/283640/discussions/1/276237094316442078/ReplyReplies (2)
- Anonymous
31 Dec 2016 06:06
is it possible to get ALL the skills?ReplyReplies (1)
- Anonymous
24 Nov 2016 01:56
So when putting Black Pearls into Skills that I want for my Build does everyone have to put a skill into things they don't want? Because the only way to unlock Light Armor 1 I have to select Daggers but I want to put skills in Reapers. And then continuing up to have Light Armor 2 you at least have to select a few more skills into bows or crossbows. Is this meant to happen?ReplyReplies (3)
- Anonymous
Constellations10 Oct 2016 22:05
Is it just me or do the skill-tree's branchs look like constellations ? The dex branch looks like a bow, the greathammer/greataxe's looks like a bull, the mage branch looks like a snail or maybe the upper part of a mage staff... didn't figure out the swordfighter/pikeman and cleric branchs.ReplyReplies (1)
- Anonymous
Stat nodes...23 Aug 2016 18:46
I don't see it listed anywhere but thought it was worth noting: stat nodes can be upgraded 3x each. After playing a heavy character and resorting to the light armor path to get more endurance... I felt silly when figuring this out.ReplyReplies (1)
- Anonymous
Skill Tree Lore01 Aug 2016 04:08
Anyone noticed that the Skill tree has a lot of lore from different books, AND IT EVEN COMES WITH IT'S OWN BIBLE!
Wish that someone could collate it.
Tree of skill with highlights09 Jul 2016 09:18
I've taken the image above and added coloured highlights of the different class starting skills as well as categories of weapons/spells.
Halfway I realized it would have been much better to rip the activated nodes from in-game, but until someone does it I'll post the picture.ReplyReplies (2)
- Anonymous
Upgrade to class 2 magic?07 Jul 2016 21:00
I had Kureimoa (or something like that) and transmuted it for nothern cross but now i dont have the magic skill lvl to weild it...im fcked. How do i upgrade my magic skill lvl? Do i only throw pearls into magic or in class X staff and wands? What will make me go to class 1 magic to class 2 magic? (I started as a mage but never upgraded magic)
- Anonymous
Image12 May 2016 05:23
Random Anon here, edited and uploaded a skill tree that ISN'T already filled out some.
- Anonymous
Gray pearl10 Apr 2016 12:49
The gray pearl should work as a way to reset the whole skill tree.. Not just one skill. Considering the many ways to chose. Doing that as a patch would be great.
ReplyReplies (1)
- Anonymous
Limit to point in a single skill?03 Apr 2016 03:33
Is there a limit to how many points you can put into a single skill? ive been spreading out each skill and I noticed little dots on the skill bubbles and realized you could put more than a single point into the skills haha. I havent gone past 5 in a single skill but I just thought I would ask before I run into that wall.ReplyReplies (1)
- Anonymous
Higher Class Skills26 Mar 2016 02:52
I'm playing a Magic build and I wanted to transmute my Arming Sword into Tachi, and I made it over to Class 2 Swordfighter, but it won't let me purchase it even though I have 2 Black Pearls. Do you need Class 1 before being able to get Class 2?ReplyReplies (6)


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Machine Safety: Design a safer machine with risk assessments
Understand why and how to conduct a risk assessment on a machine to improve the design by increasing safety and productivity. Note 6 reasons why to do risk assessments, and 8 steps to conduct a risk assessment.
Sometimes, old habits are hard to change. What is so difficult about understanding why and how to conduct a risk assessment on a machine? See these six reasons to conduct a risk assessment and eight steps to doing a machine risk assessment.
Let's start with why risk assessments should be conducted.
Here are six reasons to conduct risk assessments.
- It's simply a good business practice.
- You're performing your responsibility for due diligence.
- Your overall liability as a business is the same, regardless.
- It's part of your existing business safety culture.
- Industry consensus standards require risk assessments.
- It's the law – OSHA!
If the above is reasonably clear, doesn't it seem plausible that everyone would be conducting risk assessments without hesitation? Well, it's my opinion that old habits are hard to change! Haven't we all seen situations in recent years where any or all of the example reasons above have either been MIA (missing in action) or just simply misunderstood. Having said that, we've also seen numerous case examples of companies considered "best-in-class" incorporating risk assessments into their business. Isn't this because, in part, they've concluded that there is a cost associated with not being best-in-class?
The most frequent excuse I hear from companies not conducting risk assessments is – because risk assessments are added costs to our business. Yet, don't all six of the reasons above have an avoidable cost associated with them that can shutter a business? Best-in-class companies say: yes!
Secondly, "how" to conduct a risk assessment?
There are several answers to this question. However, it begins with a real simple concept which in my experience is not universally understood. The key word is "process." A risk assessment is not a snap shot, a check mark, and generally is not a single hazard. There are some folks out there incorporating the new ISO consensus standard, ISO 13849-1; 2008, who mistakenly believe the risk graph in informative annex A is considered a risk assessment. No, this only has to do with the safety-related parts of a control system where a control function is deemed necessary to reduce risk. And, every hazard on a machine isn't usually mitigated via a control function.
So, a risk assessment is called a process because it takes multiple steps to conduct. Of all the standards, white papers, and training classes I've encountered, they all seem to average eight process steps to properly conduct a risk assessment on a machine.
8 steps to properly conduct a machine risk assessment are:
- Prepare and research limits of the assessment
- Identify all tasks and hazards
- Access initial risk(s)
- Risk reduction actions
- Access residual risk(s)
- Acceptability of residual risk(s)
- Validate solution(s)
- Provide documentation
Therefore, a risk assessment is a process of logical steps designed to systematically identify and evaluate any and all hazards associated with a machine. And, not until any and all hazards are identified via a risk assessment can designs be implemented to mitigate those hazards making it a safer machine.
If all companies understood everything mentioned above, wouldn't we see a majority of them fully incorporating risk assessment into their businesses as a core function?
Has this presented you with any new perspectives? Add your comments or thoughts to the discussion by submitting your ideas, experiences, and challenges in the comments section below.
Related articles:
- Machine Safety – consequences of not performing risk assessments!
- Machine Safety – does a risk assessment need to be updated for a minor modification to a machine?
- Machine Guarding & The Hierarchy of Measures for Hazard Mitigation
- Machine Safety – only engineers can lead the Risk Assessment process?
Contact: http://www.jbtitus.com for "Solutions for Machine Safety".
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Annual Salary Survey
Before the calendar turned, 2016 already had the makings of a pivotal year for manufacturing, and for the world.
There were the big events for the year, including the United States as Partner Country at Hannover Messe in April and the 2016 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago in September. There's also the matter of the U.S. presidential elections in November, which promise to shape policy in manufacturing for years to come.
But the year started with global economic turmoil, as a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing triggered a worldwide stock hiccup that sent values plummeting. The continued plunge in world oil prices has resulted in a slowdown in exploration and, by extension, the manufacture of exploration equipment.
Read more: 2015 Salary Survey


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stability of Fedora 19?
Is Fedora 19 stable enough to put on a laptop. Many of you have seen
the Asus laptop I have had at a few of the install fests. Well NewEgg
has them on sale for a very good price (sub $400 with s/h) so I picked
up 2 more. One for myself and one for my wife. I was thinking of
putting Fedora 19 on them instead of running the risk of an upgrade
error between 18 - 19.
I know 18 works for the most part very very very well on that laptop.
The issue as of a few days ago is all of the sudden the GUI (gnome) has
stopped recognizing my Logitec Trackball (wireless). dmesg sees it and
properly identifies the mouse, but Gnome refuses to work with it. Now I
can use any other kind of USB mouse and they work just fine. It was
working on Wed. then on Thr after a small yum update, it stopped
responding on all 3 available kernels so this has nothing to do with the
kernel and everything to do with Gnome.
also to verify that it was not that specific mouse, but the type, i used
one of my other trackballs with the same result. i have 4 or 5 of them
around the house its all we use.
i am planning on being at the install fest on Aug 3rd as they laptops
should arrive early this week.
for those that are interested, here is the laptop we are getting. Sadly
the price has jumped about $50 on this model:
Works great on my new $300 Gateway from Best Buy. Series 7 chipset so runs faster and cooler than my old dual core pentium laptop at same frequency. Battery life is nuts with the LED LCD too, something like 4 1/2 hours. You'll have to sacrifice the pre-installed Windows 8 though, which wasn't a tragedy for me as I needed MP4 video and Microsoft crippled their Media Playe to force users to upgrade. Just remember to disable secure boot in the BIOS first and then everything goes smoothly. If you want to dual boot Win8 you'll need to install a regular/full (non-preinstalled) version later.
yeah win8 is not worth it. when i picked this up for my daughter back in Christmas it had win7. i left it on there for her to play with. within a day she came to me and said "Daddy, put linux on here i dont like windows"... made me smile :D.
how are the 3rd party repos working under 19 like rpmfusion and what not?
I use Fedora 19 all day, every day on my desktop and laptop computers and find it to run perfectly. (Cinnamon on both.)
I used FedUp to upgrade both machines from F18 and it worked without a hitch.
I am extremely happy with Fedora these days.
excellent. im looking forward to getting F19 onto these laptops.
All in all, besides the Dropbox semi-problem, I haven't encountered any repo-related issues that made me frustrated with Fedora 19's adoption (or lack thereof) by third parties.
You'll need to go to ATrpms for the DVD decryption stuff (libdvdcss) but RPMFusion has everything else so no need to add both repos to yum. http://packages.atrpms.net/dist/f19/
I'd stay away from the Russian repo tho. ;)
Fedora 19 works very well in my case as well. I have tested FedUp upgrading with rpmfusion and it worked very well.
As for libdvdcss, I think livna repo would also be suitable. http://rpm.livna.org/
thanks again all for the head up.
but it's probably the same file if you really want to use an old repo.
EDIT: it wouldn't hurt to learn the basics of Red Hat's package manager anyway... if you manually download from ATrpm you'll need to install using rpm -ivh <package> (use tab completion too.)
libdvdcss is one package not included in rpmfusion when the merge occured. But, that lib file is still available in livna.
Rest of the text from the same paragraph
That's why you need to get it from ATrpms.. feel free to keep arguing about it though.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:40 PM.


text:
ACParadise Network: American Cosplay Paradise American Cosplay Experience American Cosplay Snapshots
Cosplayer Eeyora > Costume of Red She-Hulk / Betty Ross (Marvel Comics)
- Most Recent Photo
- 02-19-2014
- Series
- Marvel Comics
- Character
- Red She-Hulk / Betty Ross
- Special Variation:
- Defenders
- Year Completed:
- 2013
- Construction Difficulty:
- Easy
- Costume worn at:
- WonderCon 2013
About this Costume
- Construction Details:
A pretty straight-forward body suit. I ended up making some piping to add in for details. The sword was fun to make out of pink insulation foam and super lightweight so I could hold it up with one hand when I wanted. We inserted EL wire to make it glow~
- Personal Thoughts:
- Really liked Red-Shulkie in the Defenders issues and grabbed any previous comics I could find! She's a bit more serious than Jen but it's pretty cute to see her freak out about getting used to her powers and invulnerability.
Doing the body paint for her was a huge pain in the arse as I'm pretty new to it. Saving up to invest in airbrush but until then I think I have a good plan worked out for the time being. I will say it's funny to realize you turned the bathroom into a murder scene after a long shower....
Wig Details
- Wig Brand
- Amphigory
- Wig Name
- Ashanti 3321
- Wig Quality Rating
- 4 / 5.00
- Styling Notes
- Just used a basic black wig and sewed in red wefts.
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