text:
Tait contemplates future after loss
Newcastle head coach Alan Tait will mull over his future with the club over the next few days after the Falcons went down 16-10 at home to Exeter Chiefs to remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the Aviva Premiership table.
The Chiefs led 10-0 at half-time after an opportunist try from scrum-half Haydn Thomas as Newcastle's habit of starting slowly and gifting tries struck again. The Falcons were unable to come back and although they did squeeze a losing bonus point out of the game with Tim Swinson's converted try two minutes from time, they remain well adrift at the foot of the standings.
Tait admitted the "knives will be out" for him following the loss, and he said: "We have to face up to reality and we have just had a meeting with the players and coaches about where we are."
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2012, All Rights Reserved.News Now - Sport News


text:
C6 Huzip API - Changelog
The C6 Huzip API allows users to search for the zip code of any Hungarian city, or of a specific place or street. This service references the official code list issued by the Hungarian Post Co. Ltd. The C6 Huzip API is free, but users must apply for a license key. The site and all documentation is provided in Hungarian.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Home > Family Games >
No Thanks!
English language edition of Geschenkt
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from 5 customer reviews
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Product Description
Good card games can be so simple: either take a card or pay a chip. Anyone can make that decision, right? However, what if nobody wants the cards because they give you points in a game where you need to have the fewest points to win. And the chips? They are scarce, very scarce.
Product Information
Thorsten Gimmler
Z-Man Games, Amigo, Asmodee North America
Oliver Freudenreich
Year: 2006
Players: 3 - 5
Time: 20 minutes
Ages: 8 and up
Weight: 127 grams
- 55 chips
- 33 cards
- 1 rulebook
Product Reviews
Average Rating: 4.4 in 5 reviews
This game has great depth, simple rules, player interaction and trash talking. 24 cards from a 33 card deck are flipped over one at a time. You can pass a card by playing a chip, but what cards should you pass up? Cards in sequence count only the lowest card, so a high card may not bother you, but will but another person out of the game. You are constantly making nail biting choices. A brilliant game.
No Thanks! is the English version of Geschenkt. The game contains cards numbered 3-35, and 9 of the cards (unknown to all players) are removed prior to play. Each person also gets a certain number of chips, worth -1 point each at the end of the game. The lowest score wins, so chips are good. A card from the top of the deck is turned over, and the first player decides if he wants to take it. If he passes, he must place one of his chips next to the card. The next person then decides whether to take the card or pass, & this continues around & around the table until someone takes the card. Of course, when the card has a pile of chips next to it, it becomes more tempting for each player to take the card because they also receive all of the deposited chips near it. When you take a card, it counts as the face value of the card at the end of the game. However, if you have a sequence of at least 3 consecutive numbers (like 19, 20, 21), you only get points for the lowest card in the sequence (19), instead of 60 (19+20+21). You keep your chips hidden, but cards you took are public.
No Thanks! is fun & quick, and it's easy to teach & learn. The game is fun because you're always wondering: Should I take this card at all? If I want it, should I wait for others to maybe place more chips near it before taking it? Should I take another card hoping that I can make a sequence, or was the card I need removed from the game, or will someone try to ruin my sequence by taking another card I want? Will I run out of chips & be forced to take an unwanted card? Yes, there is luck involved, but there's enough strategy to make this game an ideal filler!
I just wrote a review for Fluxx which was pretty scathing. Here is the game that Fluxx should want to be. It is 10 times more simple than Fluxx, and there is 10 times more control over your fate. The games are also very short. I like that. People who are having a good time will play again but the few (if any) who are tired of playing get a chance to duck out and do something else (watch the game on TV).
In this game, you are bidding to not take cards because cards are worth negative points. You bid by putting 1 chip on the card, then the player to your left must either put a chip on the card, or take the card and all of the chips on it. If you have run out of chips, then you must take the card. So chips are good and cards are (usually) bad.
When scoring in the end, you only get points for 1 of the cards in a run so having card number 20, 21, and 23 is not any worse than having only the card number 20. This means some of the players won't mind taking specific cards that would be a lot of points for other players. In that case, they are trying to figure out if they should take the card and the current chips on it, or whether they can wait another round and get more chips.
So that's the entire game. Simple and brilliant!
Show all 5 reviews >


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From Openmoko
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* [[User:Phyce|Phyce]] 21:33, 20 August 2008 (UTC) installed apm without problems; apm -s shutdowns the freerunner but I couldn't wake it up with power button... I had to remove the battery to boot again. suspend/resume was working quite reliably with latest kernels on ASU.
* [[User:Phyce|Phyce]] 21:33, 20 August 2008 (UTC) installed apm without problems; apm -s shutdowns the freerunner but I couldn't wake it up with power button... I had to remove the battery to boot again. suspend/resume was working quite reliably with latest kernels on ASU.
== Time ==
== Time ==
Revision as of 23:04, 28 August 2008
There are official instructions on how to install Debian on http://wiki.debian.org/DebianOnFreeRunner, and the announcement.
Previous, partly now outdated information on how to install Debian manually has been moved to Manual Debian.
The default root password is blank. You should change that as soon as you can.
Speeding up booting
What's good for every linux booting is also good for our debian on the freerunner: booting in quiet mode. To do so by default just boot your Neo Freerunner in NOR-Flash and execute this configure-script: configure-uboot.sh.
It changes default booting to quiet-mode and adds another boot-option to boot without quiet-mode for debugging purpose.
To make suspend available you have to install apmd:
apt-get install apmd
After that you can suspend your phone with:
apm -s
and make it wake up again with pressing the power button.
- Wuth 06:28, 17 August 2008 (UTC): I found that apmd was already installed by using the official debian installation procedure, but that the kernel didn't support apm. I haven't yet resolved this issue.
- Phyce 21:33, 20 August 2008 (UTC) installed apm without problems; apm -s shutdowns the freerunner but I couldn't wake it up with power button... I had to remove the battery to boot again. suspend/resume was working quite reliably with latest kernels on ASU.
- Morlac 00:48, 29 August 2008 (CEST) here a way for working suspend/resume:
first: disable service apmd
mv /usr/bin/apm /usr/bin/apm.o
creating /usr/bin/apm with following content:
---- snip ---- #!/bin/sh echo 1 > /sys/module/glamo_mci/parameters/sd_idleclk apm.o ${*} echo 0 > /sys/module/glamo_mci/parameters/sd_idleclk ---- snap ---
The default time zone is UTC. Reconfigure it by running
# dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
Set the clock manual using, e.g.
# date -s 00:33
- That's probably not sufficient to keep the clock accurate. It might be worth configuring some form of NTP.
- Setting the clock could be done via GPS: Getting_GPS_console_output_with_gllin#GPRMC_message
You can set up the wireless connection to your home router. Assuming your wireless router uses WPA security and DHCP:
# apt-get install wireless-tools wpasupplicant dhcp3-client
/etc/network/interfaces to include a section like this:
auto eth0 iface eth0 inet dhcp wpa-driver wext wpa-ssid "MyWirelessName" wpa-psk "MyWirelessPassword"
Where, of course, you're using the name of your wireless network and it's password instead of MyWirelessName and MyWirelessPassword.
You can test by running
# ifup eth0
You can determine your IP address by running
# ifconfig eth0
- only works if in presence of wireless network on boot, or when manually running
ifup eth0
- booting away from wireless network is slower because waits for DHCP to time out
- does not reestablish connection when leaving wireless area and then returning
- does not support multiple wireless networks or open hotspots that you may travel between
The Freerunner uses the standard Linux bluez stack, installed with
# apt-get install bluez-utils
There is also a module missing from /etc/modules, which is critical to getting your device recognized. (kudos to johnsu01 on irc.freenode.net:#openmoko-debian for the find)
# echo ohci-hcd >> /etc/modules
The first time you try this, you can also
# modprobe ohci-hcd
The only atypical part of using bluetooth on the Freerunner is turning it on, which can be done with
# echo 1 > /sys/bus/platform/devices/neo1973-pm-bt.0/power_on # echo 0 > /sys/bus/platform/devices/neo1973-pm-bt.0/reset
Then the device should be visible using
# hcitool dev
- Main article: TangoGPS
xfce is small and lightweight and so quite fast for the Freerunner.
apt-get install xfce4 cp /etc/init.d/zhone-session /etc/init.d/xfce
Then you may hack /etc/init.d/xfce making
Customize the boot process :
update-rc.d -f zhone-session remove update-rc.d -f xfce defaults
edit your /etc/hosts to have :
127.0.0.1 localhost debian-gta02
Start XFCE !
/etc/init.d/zhone-session stop /etc/init.d/xfce start
The desktop takes a while to start but once up was snappy as can be expected. I've not yet looked at the reason for the seemingly too slow start for the desktop.
zhone is available from the "Office" menu in xfce. The matchbox keyboard is available in "Accessories".
Making the cursor invisible
To make the cursor invisible create a file called empty.cursor with this content:
#define empty.cursor_width 16 #define empty.cursor_height 16 static unsigned char empty.cursor_bits[] = { 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00};
Now you can execute:
xsetroot -cursor empty.cursor empty.cursor
and the cursor will be invisible. To make this permanent you have to invent something ;) It must be executed after zhone has finished starting up.
Using the mouse and keyboard from your desktop on the OM device
If you are running Linux (or a similar xorg capable operating system) on your Desktop, you can export your xsession to the openmoko device and use your mouse and keyboard on the Neo screen. A little program called x2x makes it even possible to do this simultaneously on the fly. When activated you just move your mouse to the edge of your monitor and then the mouse cursor continues on the screen of your openmoko device. If you select a window on the OM, the input of your keyboard is automatically entered in that window. You can even use the clipboard to copy data from tour desktop to OM and in the reverse direction.
Configure your desktop computer to export your xsession:
On your desktop (with root permissions): Make sure that sshd is installed and in /etc/ssh/sshd_config you have set X11Forwarding yes
In K/Ubuntu sshd is in the package openssh-server.
On your OM device install x2x (with root permissions)
apt-get install x2x
Now open a new X terminal on your desktop computer. You MUST be the same user that is running the xsession on your desktop (i.e. do not su to root or another user in your x terminal!). Use the same username that is running an xsession on your OM device. Assuming that you have a usb networking connection to OM (with standard configuration) on the user prompt of your desktop type:
user@desktop:~$ ssh -X email@example.com "/usr/bin/x2x -east -to :0.0"
Hit return and enter your password. The xterm window will be unresponsive after that, but keep it open until you disconnect your OM device.
Now move your mouse cursor across the right edge of your monitor. It should enter the screen of your OM device from the left. Of course you can also use -west, -north or -south, depending on your preference where you place your OM.
If computer says:
sh: /usr/X11R6/bin/xauth: No such file or directory X11 connection rejected because of wrong authentication. x2x - error: can not open display localhost:11.0
It means you haven't istalled xauth on your OM. So on your OM (with root permissions)
apt-get install xauth


text:
Ground based security surveillance system for aircraft and other commercial vehicles
A security and surveillance system for aircraft on the ground incorporates a plurality of strategically spaced sensors including video imaging generators, audio sensors, motion detectors, and fire and smoke detectors for monitoring critical components and critical areas of both the interior and the exterior of the a commercial transport such as an aircraft. The captured data and images are transmitted to a ground based security station for display on a monitor and may be recorded on a "black box" recorder as well as on a ground based recording system. The multiple audio and image signals are multiplexed and sequenced utilizing split screen technology in order to minimize the recording and monitoring hardware required to process the images.
Latest Patents:
This application is a continuation of a non-provisional patent application entitled "Ground Based Security Surveillance System for Aircraft and Other Commercial Vehicles," Ser. No. 09/257,769, having a filing date of Feb. 25, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,601, the complete specification and all drawings being incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of Invention
The subject invention is generally related to safety and surveillance equipment for aircraft, railroad rolling stock, ships and other commercial vehicles and is specifically directed to a comprehensive multi-media security surveillance system for same while in port or terminal and/or unattended whether taxiing or parked. The system of the subject invention also permits tracking while en route.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Security is of ever increasing importance. This is particularly true with respect to commercial airlines as more and more people and freight are moved in this manner and aircraft and other commercial transports increasingly become the targets of terrorists activities. The airways are becoming increasingly crowded with traffic. Global tracking systems are now in place to monitor the flight of the aircraft from the moment it lifts off until it safely lands at its destination. Radar and navigational positioning system are commonplace both on the aircraft and at the ground tracking stations. All of these electronic systems have increased the overall safety record of commercial traffic to new standards as the number of miles flown continues to escalate.
In addition, the on board avionics including electronic monitoring and diagnostic equipment, particularly on large commercial jets, continues to evolve, giving both the on board crew and the ground assets more complete, accurate and up to date information regarding the condition of the aircraft while in flight. Flight recorders long have been incorporated in order to provide a record of each flight and in order to provide critical information to aid in the determination of the causes of an accident or malfunction should one occur.
However, one area which has been neglected with the ever increasing availability of electronic surveillance is the security of the aircraft or other vehicles or vessels, including, but not limited to, over-the-road vehicles, railroad rolling stock, ships and other commercial transports (collectively referred to as commercial transports), particularly when unattended. Typically, when an aircraft is on the ground, or in port, and unattended the only security provided is the security of the location. If the security of the area in which the commercial transport is stored is breached, the commercial transport is an easy target. In most cases, even the access doors are left open and further, for obvious safety reasons, are designed not to be locked from the outside. Many critical areas of the commercial transport are left exposed such as in an aircraft, by way of example, the landing gear, the engine housing and critical wing and tail components.
With terrorism and sabotage an increasing problem there is significant need to develop an integrated system capable of providing good physical/visual and/or audio surveillance as well as monitoring of the environmental, security and motion conditions of the commercial transport and various components while the commercial transport is on the ground. For example, a good visual surveillance system would give instant evidence of a breach of commercial transport security, could sound an alarm and could immediately secure the area.
Such a system would also permit the recording of visual information to provide a history for later review, providing yet another source of information for increasing the overall security of commercial transportation.
While such a system would be of great benefit to the commercial transport and airline industries in general and to the commercial airlines in particular, there are no integrated systems currently available which adequately meets these needs.
The subject invention is directed to a comprehensive multi-media safety, tracking and/or surveillance system, which in the preferred form provides both visual and/or audio information as well as critical data such as location, direction, intrusion, fire and/or smoke detection and/or status of environmental conditions and/or transport systems status. In my aforementioned patent and copending applications, incorporated herein by reference, detection and sensor systems are utilized to provide the flight crew and/or a ground tracking station for commercial aircraft critical information during flight and/or to record the information and data generated during flight for later reconstruction of catastrophic events. The subject invention is an expansion of this concept and adds not only ground security and surveillance, but tracking while in port or on the ground as well as while in route, as well as incorporating the onboard systems of the aforementioned patent and applications. It is an important feature of the invention that the transmitting network for provides a comprehensive communications link between stationary and mobile stations on the ground, the craft or vehicle being monitored and strategic sensors both onboard the commercial transport and the sensors on the ground. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a wireless LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network) or other wireless transmission scheme is used as the transmission system of choice. A digital wireless voice intercom is provided for security purposes and for communication between the onboard crew and the ground based personnel. In the preferred embodiment video intercom is also provided. Digital wireless telecommunication capability provides for text communications. Digital wireless (such as, by way of example, LAN) based file communication capability permits the transmission of information such as route or flight plans or gate and dock information. As an example, a LAN or WAN has worldwide tracking capability adapted to be used in connection with a global satellite communication system such as IRIDIUM, wherein the entire path and status of the commercial transport may be monitored while airborne over satellite connections. While wireless systems provide the preferred form of communication, many features of the invention may be practiced using other communication links within the scope and spirit of the invention.
One important feature of the invention is the ability to remotely monitor a commercial transport while on the ground, whether or not the commercial transport is attended. This will permit detection of unexpected events, breach of security, change in environmental conditions and other activities both on and in the vicinity of the commercial transport. A GPS system may be included to provide accurate positioning information of the commercial transport, establishing the parked position of the commercial transport at any time, as well as tracking its movements.
In its preferred form, a plurality of sensor units, which may include at least one video or image sensor/device and/or at least one audio sensor and/or at least one motion sensor, are placed strategically about the interior and exterior of the commercial transport and at strategic ground based locations. In addition, strategically placed motion detectors, fire sensors, smoke sensors, door or latch sensors and other monitoring equipment are incorporated in the system. A comprehensive system incorporating these various sensing devices provide a broad based, multi-media safety, security and surveillance system for monitoring commercial transports at any time, whether or not attended.
In addition to safety and/or surveillance issues, the comprehensive data collection scheme of the subject invention provides a system permitting enhanced monitoring and/orresponse to crew generated work orders or re-supply orders, and may even avoid the requirement that the crew order certain supplies. For example, by monitoring the fuel, fresh water, waste water and/or hydraulic levels onboard and transmitting this to a ground station, refueling, water delivery and/or hydraulic fluid check and supply may be initiated by the station crew and prepared for delivery when the commercial transport arrives in port. The performance parameters of the commercial transport may also be monitored and may be utilized for initiating maintenance procedures, for example, even before the commercial transport is in port. Pre-flight or pre-mission checklists may be enhanced or automated by monitoring the critical functions and criteria via the system of the subject invention. The system of the subject invention greatly enhances maintenance procedures and efficiency. Where desired, the system is capable of permitting the commercial transport to carry its detailed maintenance record onboard, permitting full access to such information at remote locations. The maintenance record can be routinely updated or polled from the home based maintenance station using the system's unique uplink capability. The ability to both send and receive information will support remote control of the commercial transport onboard systems such as lighting, strobes, alarm setting/resetting, environmental controls, locking systems, siren or other audible signals, fuel flow, fire detection and the like.
Once in port the system of the subject invention permits complete monitoring of on ground movement, and allows the monitoring of other commercial transport in the area to assure that the various transports do not interfere with one another. This provides collision avoidance, and can be utilized both on the ground and in the air or in route via water or land. Current airborne collision avoidance is accomplished by use of a radar transponder. Aircraft position is located by radar "echo" response and altitude by a "reporting altimeter" reading being returned to the radar system encoded in the transporter return. Use of a satellite based LAN or WAN will provide an "intranet in the sky", providing much more accurate GPS position, altitude, heading, speed and other navigational information to the FAA and other operators and computer tracking and monitoring stations, thus enhancing collision avoidance information.
Situational awareness is also provided by the subject invention. All transports in the terminal area are provided with a GPS location sensor such that the home or ground crew will be able to track and identify the location of every transport in the terminal. This provides better flow of the commercial transports in the terminal area, assuring that proper distance is maintained and appropriate pathways are followed.
The system also permits full situational awareness capability where all ground or water transports in the are provided with GPS location information such that the ground crew will know where all assets are at any point in time. This can provide both collision avoidance as described and also check to assure that the transports are in an authorized area. A composite of all transport location information can be used to provide a "live" display of all assets in the area. Logging of this information will provide good archival information in the event are construction of events, such as a security breach or collision, is required.
The comprehensive multi-media system of the subject invention permits the collection and dissemination of virtually all data associated with the commercial transport at any time, both while in port or in service. In the preferred embodiment a combination of sensors systems are used, with sensors being installed within the transport, on its exterior and at ground-based locations for monitoring the transport when is in port. In such areas where ground based systems are not available, the transport-installed systems still provide useful and enhanced information over the prior art. Likewise, in those areas where unequipped transports enter a system equipped port, the ground based system of the subject invention can communicate via standard ground-to-air radio to provide useful information such as perimeter surveillance and the like. For example, even without the use of on-board systems, the identification number (such as the tail number on an aircraft), owner, state or country of origin and other identifying information can be matched with available data to provide immediate and accurate identification of a specific commercial transport. This permits efficient tracking and response capability of the transport in port, on the ground, or anywhere in the world using satellite communications.
In the preferred embodiment, fixed view and steerable video cameras may be incorporated either on the commercial transport or independently of the transport at ground based sites where commercial transport is located in order to monitor movements around the perimeter of the monitored commercial transport. It is also desirable to include focusing and/or timing functions so that selective pan, tilt and/or zoom (x, y, z) positioning can be utilized. The cameras may be activated and/or aimed and/or focused based on the location data provided by a GPS system integral to the monitored commercial transport may automatically pan an area, or may be manually operated by crew or ground personnel. Automatic tracking of each transport in the terminal by one or more tracking cameras in conjunction with a recording device can provide an archival record of each asset in case of a detrimental event, such as fire, terrorist event, theft, collision and the like.
Several video cameras may be placed such that the lens of each is aimed through a window opening provided in the fuselage or body in order to provide video imaging of the engines, tail section, and/or landing gear and other functional components of an aircraft. Cameras may be placed throughout the interior of the commercial transport on the flight deck, in the cargo hold, in passenger cabin and/or other desired spaces including on the ground outside the commercial transport. The audio sensors/transducers and/or other sensors and detectors are also strategically located throughout the commercial transport and positioned at strategic locations both internal and external of the fuselage. External sensors based on the ground area surrounding the commercial transport may also be added.
In its simplest form, current sensors are already on the commercial transport coupled with strategically based ground sensors and may be used to provide surveillance and/or warning system. Thus, a basic system may be implemented with a minimum of alteration to the commercial transport and a minimum of expense.
Within the commercial transport the system may be hardwired or may use wireless transmission and receiving systems. The wireless system is particularly useful for adapting the system as a retrofit on existing equipment and also provides assurances against disruption of data transmission during structural catastrophes such as fire or airframe breakup. In the preferred embodiment, the wireless system is fully self-contained with each sensor unit having an independent power supply and where appropriate, a sensor light source. The ground sensors may likewise be hardwired or use wireless transmission and receiving of video and/or alarm telemetry signals. The ground security system may include motion sensitive, weight sensitive, infrared sensitive, audio sensitive, or other typed activation system so that the equipment is not activated until some event is detected, i.e., the system is action triggered. The ground communications link, monitoring and/or recording systems for collecting and/or transmitting the data as disclosed in my copending applications may be adapted for processing the information gathered by the on-ground security system and, in the preferred embodiment. The wireless system may use radio frequency transmission and may incorporate the wireless communication system already in place as an integral component of the system. Where desired, a wireless local area network (LAN) or other wireless system may also be utilized for intercommunication among the system components. Preferably, the entire capture, retrieval, monitor and archive system is installed utilizing the wireless transmitting/receiving system in order to assure that transmission will not be lost in the event of a power shutdown or a failure causing possible open or shorted circuit conditions which could occur in a hard wired system.
A commercial transport equipped with the ground surveillance system of the subject invention may not always be located at a port or terminal equipped with a ground security system. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the on-board system is self-contained and can operate on a stand-alone basis at sites where compatible comprehensive electronic ground security is not available. In those sites with a compatible ground surveillance system, the on-board system communicates with the site-based system to provide information to airport ground personnel and security personnel. The system of the present invention also lends well to a deployable surveillance device carried by the transport, which can be deployed at unequipped sites to permit off-craft monitoring while the commercial transport is at the port or terminal. The system can be positioned at a strategic location within the site whenever the commercial transport is unattended to permit monitoring of the commercial transport from a remote location. The deployable device is then retrieved and stowed in the commercial transport when the commercial transport departs from the site.
In the preferred embodiment, the system will transmit any detected information to a monitor system located at a ground control security station, typically located somewhere within the terminal, tower and/or safety sites such as security stations and fire stations. Detection of activity or fire can sound local and/or remote alarms and/or dial emergency numbers. The data may also be recorded on the standard recorders provided onboard the commercial transport and/or on ground based recorders of conventional type, digital type or a computer based logging system. The security station has instant live access to all of the image and/or audio signals as they are captured by the sensors, and where used, the commercial transport recorder will make an historic record of the images for archive purposes. Where random access recording techniques are used, such as, by way of example, digital random access memory storage devices, the information by be readily searched for stored information.
If unauthorized personnel breaches the security area and the audio and/or video equipment is activated, signals will be immediately transmitted to the security station. This will give immediate access to information identifying the activity and the personnel involved. Further, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, an alarm system will be activated for securing the immediate area and taking counter measures to tighten security such as remote operation of lights and doors, and respond to a breach of same.
In the one embodiment, information from the plurality of sensors on the transport is synchronized through an on board capture/multiplexing system whereby the plurality of data, including visual image data, may be displayed, recorded, and/or transmitted in either a split screen or serial fashion. A "time-stamp" or chronology signal may also be incorporated in the data scheme. Any signal which is capable of being captured and stored may be monitored in this manner. Utilizing the wireless system of the invention in combination with the battery back-up power supply, it is possible to continue collecting information without using ground power or commercial transport power. This assures that the system will operate even if power is disrupted for any reason such as, by way of example, tampering by unauthorized personnel or by fire. In its simplest form, only triggered (activated) sensors are active, i.e., an activity at the site causes a triggering effect and activates the sensor, and only the signals generated thereby are transmitted to the security station. In such a system, multiplexing of continuous signals is not nearly as critical. The. "timestamp" is particularly useful as an aid in reconstructing the events in a "post-event" investigation.
In the one embodiment, the system includes a plurality of strategically located video image sensors and/or audio sensors, each sensor adapted for transmitting the signals to a multiplexer for distributing the signals to monitors and/or archival recorders. The data multiplexer combines all of the signals from the various detector circuits to provide a data stream suitable for transmission over the wireless system.
The LAN transceiver is the interface into the LAN. The LAN transceiver can accepts software downloads from various system elements to enable the multi-media sensor system to be maintained or upgraded to perform other functions. Other sensors may also be incorporated in the system, such as motion sensors, smoke and/or fire sensors and the like. The system is configured for selectively transmitting all of the data on a "real-time" or "near real-time" basis, i.e., the data is delivered with only delays for processing time such as compression/decompression, multiplexing and the like. The system is also adapted to provide the monitors access to serial, synchronized fill screen view of each of the cameras, in sequential viewing, or alternatively to provide split screen or multi-monitor viewing of a plurality of cameras. The system may be hardwired or wireless transmission may be utilized to further minimize the possibility of a malfunction at the onset of a catastrophic occurrence and to make the system more tamper resistant.
The comprehensive surveillance/communication of the subject invention supports communication of monitored data and/or commands or operational data between the ground or base station and the transport, between the transport and ground or terminal support vehicles and/or equipment, between the transport and various monitoring stations or systems, between transports, between the ground station and the support vehicles, between the monitoring station and support vehicles and between the monitoring stations or systems and the support vehicles. This permits the ground station to monitor and/or determine the identity, location, and heading of any vehicle in its range for tracking and collision avoidance, as well as monitoring sensor information, alarm conditions, emergency conditions, servicing requests, maintenance information, navigational information, requests for information such as flight plans, weather information, route maps, message traffic such as e-mail and the like. Similar information may be transmitted and received between transports, between transports and support vehicles and any of these and the ground station. The ground station may also send operational commands to the various monitoring systems both on-board the transport and ground mounted, such as camera tilt pan and zoom and sensor activation. Other command signals such as "lock-on" a specific condition or transport, sensor download, activation such as "lights-on" or alarm (e.g., siren) activation and the like.
In a typical application, when an alarm from a specific transport is sent to the ground station it will be tagged with the GPS coordinates of the transport. The alarm will also be reported to a security system, typically including a computerized center that distributes the information of the wireless LAN and where used, the wired LAN. The mobile and/or personal security units will also report their GPS coordinates to the central computer so that the system knows the location of all security personnel at ant point in time. Once the alarm signal is received, the system can search and identify the closest appropriate personnel and alert them of the alarm condition. This is accomplished by calculating the length of the vectors between the transport GPS and the various personnel GPS signals. The shortest vectors are the nearest personnel and these can be alerted to respond to the alarm condition.
The selected personnel are then signaled by the security system of the present invention to respond. Audio, text and graphic communications may be utilized to inform the selected personnel of the condition and location. The system can also use its "mapping" function to assist the personnel in determining the best route to take in response. Because of the em comprehensive nature of the system of the subject invention, both audio and image conditions of the transport can be communicated directly to the selected personnel, using video conferencing compression techniques of the LAN. If the desired, the personnel can switch cameras to obtain different views, or gain control of the steerable camera disclosed herein and survey the scene as appropriate via remote control. The two-way communication capability of the system would also permit the personnel to communicate conditions and the need for additional personnel or equipment both to the system computer and directly to other personnel.
The security computer system will register the GPS location of the selected personnel as well as the location of additional or "back-up" personnel in order to coordinate their movements and actions. The system can then provide essential audio, video and communications to the selected back-up personnel in order to coordinate the entire operation. The coordinates of fixed sensors may also be entered into the system so that personnel can determine the proximity of each available sensor to his GPS location.
It should be noted that the request for back-up can be programmed to be automatically activated under certain conditions. For example, if a security personnel personal system detects an explosion or a gunshot an automatic alarm condition can be activated to alert central security other personnel in the vicinity to indicated "potential bomb blast" or "potential automatic weapon", all based on the audio signal which is picked up by the sensors by comparing them to known acoustic signatures of these types of events.
Shock and vibration detectors may also be included both on board, at fixed locations on the ground and in the portable or mobile units. For example, if a personal unit is dropped, an alarm would be generated. Smoke and heat detectors may also be incorporated to monitor the safety of the environment of personnel.
It is a primary object of the subject invention to provide the means and apparatus for a comprehensive, multi-media, wireless surveillance and monitoring system for monitoring and tracking a commercial transport vehicle while in port or while in route.
It is a further object and feature of this invention to provide a comprehensive surveillance and monitoring system supported by a wireless transmission system whereby communication of all data including live video and/or audio transmissions can transmitted between the transport, ground or base stations, remote sensor systems, remote or mobile monitoring systems and other transports.
It is another object and feature of this invention to provide tracking capability to assure that a transport stays in an assigned zone while either in route or in the port or terminal.
It is a further object and feature of this invention to provide communication capability for monitoring and/or responding to supply needs on board the transport in order to permit support personnel to expedite response and/or re-supply when the transport arrives in port.
It is also an object and feature of this invention to provide for monitoring of situational conditions of and surrounding the transport both while in port and while in route.
It is yet another object and feature of this invention to provide means for archiving performance parameters for later recall in order to review performance and/or reconstruct events.
It is an additional object and feature of this invention to provide a ground surveillance and security system for detecting the breach of commercial transport security while the commercial transport is on the ground or in a port or terminal and is unattended.
It is another object and feature of the subject invention to identify that a commercial transport is on the ground and needs to be monitored for tracking its exact location, and its orientation on the ramp.
It is also an object and feature of the subject invention to provide a security system, which is integral with the commercial transport for providing ground security.
It is a further object and feature of the subject invention to provide communications between the commercial transport and a ground security station to assure commercial transport security while the commercial transport is parked or unattended.
It is another object and feature of the subject invention to provide a comprehensive, multi-media data generating, collecting, displaying, transmitting, receiving and/or storage safety and/or surveillance scheme for commercial transport.
It is also an object and feature of the subject invention to provide an on ground security system which incorporates the in-flight surveillance system in order to minimize the number of additional components required to implement the system.
It is also an object and feature of the subject invention to store video, images, audio and/or transducer data on the commercial transport being protected and/or at the ground security station
It is yet another object and feature of the subject invention to provide apparatus for permitting ground and/or base personnel to receive video, images, audio information and/or data relating to critical components and areas of a commercial transport and operational data such as dispatch information.
It is still another object and feature of the invention to permit the monitoring, storing and retrieval of any of a variety of video, images, audio signals and/or performance data by the tracking, surveillance and/or imaging equipment on board the commercial transport.
Other objects and features of the subject invention will be readily apparent from the accompanying drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
It will be readily understood that the various components and features of the subject invention can be utilized in connection with a tracking, security and/or surveillance system for any of a variety of commercial transports. For purposes of brevity, the features of the invention are described in detail herein as applied to commercial aircraft. This is primarily because it is assumed that aircraft systems are likely to incorporate the most complex and comprehensive surveillance systems of the subject invention due to the importance of securing this commercial transport while on the ground and both the importance and complexity of monitoring and tracking same while in port or in route. The system may be scaled up or scaled down depending upon application. For example, land vehicles such as railroad rolling stock or over the road trucks may need only door sensors, motion sensors and brake monitors, whereas aircraft, as described, will require a substantially more comprehensive system in order to provide adequate surveillance. In the preferred embodiment for aircraft as described in detail herein, the comprehensive surveillance system utilizes the onboard aircraft system in combination with a ground-based wireless system. The wireless configuration can also be applied to the sensors on board the aircraft using the same architecture as described here for the ground based portion of the system. That is, the on board elements may be hardwired, may communicate through wireless radio, or may utilize wireless LAN as herein described, or a combination. The LAN radio provides a wireless LAN connection to other system elements. This is a well-know but evolving technology that allows high bandwidth wireless data transmission between multiple devices. Several different techniques are available from a variety of manufacturers, including Raytheon Systems Corporation, the assignee of the subject invention. Many of these techniques may be utilized in the subject invention.
The comprehensive system includes various condition sensors, motion and audio detectors, video cameras, light detectors, sound detectors, contact switches, temperature detectors and control systems for controlling light, and sound transmissions to the aircraft. A temperature and/or humidity detector may be used for general monitoring functions such as predicting the icing of the wings in winter conditions, or for fire alarm functions. The temperature detector may be any known form for temperature transducer, such as a PTC, NTC, thermistor, or semiconductor element. More advanced semiconductor elements may be used, such as integrated circuit types that may include integral temperature and/or humidity sensors, references, analog/digital convertors, protocol engines and serial driver. Further, integrated circuits can incorporate on-board digital radio elements such as DSP based radios to be completely integrated self-contained chips. The temperature analog/digital convertor adapts the ambient temperature of the environment into a digital data stream. This digitizer runs at suitable rates for continuous temperature monitoring. A signal processor can be used to provide correction to the temperature and/or humidity elements, such as processing out non-linear characteristics of the sensors. It can also be used to look for profiles such as rapidly rising temperature/humidity conditions that may indicate a fire or open door or other security breach. Detection of such an event would trigger a specified unique alarm condition to be transmitted back to other elements of the system.
One of the most significant factors in determining the overall complexity of the system is the cost associated with the various sensor components. For example, in certain applications it may be desirable to add a humidity detector or a carbon monoxide detector. A digital camera may be used, or an analog camera may be used in combination with an analog to digital convertor, or digital with internal digitization circuits, or digital compressed with an internal analog to digital convertor and a motion video compressor. In the preferred embodiment, the camera runs at full-motion rates. However, it will be readily understood that the camera can run at lesser rates for still frame or step video applications. In all cases, accurate information can be supplied on a "real-time" basis, i.e., the information can be transmitted, received and acted upon by man or machine in a timely fashion, sometimes with slight delays, to permit adequate response to an event. The video analog/digital convertor is functional to adapt the analog light modulated signal representing the video scene into a digital data stream. This digitizer can run at "real-time" rates for processing full motion video, or could operate at lesser rates for still frame or step video applications. The signal processor/motion video compressor is flexible and will provide various functions depending upon application. For example, the video processor/compressor subsystem can be programmed to perform functions such as motion detection in several well-known manners and methods. Several techniques are utilized to accomplish motion detection, but the most general method involves capturing repeated video frames and comparing differences in those repeated frames over time. Other techniques such as edge analysis, which looks for specific characteristics in the image, and the changes in such characteristics, may also be used. The processor/compressor subsystem can also be used to image process the video for purposes of contrast enhancement, dynamic range improvement, noise reduction and/or other well-known video processing methods, or other circuitry so configured to perform the processing by well-known techniques. When the video processor/compressor is used for motion detection, any detection will generate a specified unique "alarm condition" to be transmitted to other elements of the system.
The aircraft will transmit various identification signals, such as tail number, GPS location and the like, as indicated at 12, 12a . . . n, to a ground based receiver 14. The camera 210, 210a . . . n will also transmit video signals to the receiver 14, as indicated at 15, 15a . . . n. The location of the cameras will be fixed, but may be either permanent locations or "drop and place" movable units dispatched as needed, based on changing security situations. It is also possible that portable cameras will be transported by the aircraft then deployed on the ground, permitting ground surveillance in those airports where a permanent ground security system is not installed. The GPS coordinates of ground based cameras will be stored at the ground or base security station 18, or as preferred in the case of drop and place units, will be sensed by on-board GPS receivers and transmitted to the base station. The received videos from cameras may be converted by optional convertor 16 as required and transmitted to the monitor of the ground based security station 18. The convertor is used to provide compatibility between the transport's format and the ground system format. For example, for analog transmission an aircraft may transmit analog NTSC video in the United States and PAL in England. Digital transmission may be accomplished by placing the convertors at each camera transmitting unit (see
By monitoring the identification information from each aircraft, the transmitted video format from the various cameras can be matched to a specific aircraft. The signal is displayed on a monitor at station 18 where it can be viewed and monitored for surveillance and security purposes. In the event of a breach of security, security personnel may be readily dispatched to the correct aircraft using the GPS location signal to define an accurate position of the aircraft. As will be described, the security signals generated by the system of the subject invention may also be logged and inventoried for later play back which is particularly useful for reconstruction of events. It will be readily understood that the ground components of the system may be hardwired, or other forms of wireless communication, such as, by way of example, a wireless local area network (LAN) could be utilized using radio frequency or optical communications methods, as will be readily understood by those who are skilled in the art. The system can also be modified to transmit signals from the ground-based station 18 to the various ground sensors and aircraft sensor systems. For example, a camera 210 can receive and respond to remote positioning and zooming signals. Audio warning and activation signals may be sent to the camera locations and to the aircraft to activate audio commands, sirens, lights and the like, which are integral to the system.
- X-axis position control as indicated by X-axis servomotor 50;
- Y-axis position control as indicated by Y-axis servomotor 54;
- Lens zoom control as indicated by motorized zoom lens 58; and
- Iris control as indicated by iris controller. (The iris may also be automated).
As shown in
Illumination means such as the infrared illuminator 62 permits surveillance during low light no light conditions, without detection by unauthorized personnel. A visual light/strobe light 63 can be turned on by locally detected events, by control signal, or by other system elements such as detection by a companion sensor unit signaling over the LAN. This light can illuminate an area of concern, attract attention of security personnel as a signal, or scare away unauthorized personnel or intruders.
An integrated GPS receiver 64 is provided for generating location information. This is particularly useful for "drop-and-place" sensors as opposed to permanent sensors. Other features such as a laser range finder 66 that can measure distance to objects/personnel may be incorporated to further expand and enhance the capability of each sensor component. The camera system shown has full 360 degree field of view capability which may be controlled manually by remote control signals, may be programmed to pan the area on a time sequence, may track a moving transport using GPS signals from the transport or by using image processing "tracking software" processing the camera image, or may be responsive to and activated by an event occurrence such as from sensors distributed throughout the ramp areas, reporting activity over the LAN, in the well known manner. The range finder 66 permits the tracking system to locate objects in a precise manner and then provide control signals to permit accurate surveillance and monitoring of same, such as zooming the camera or positioning of other sensor elements. An onboard dual GPS systems on the aircraft, with one GPS at the tail and one at the nose, used in conjunction with the GPS system 64 permits the system to determine size, heading and distance to the aircraft being monitored, providing accurate location information and permitting the camera to automatically adjust to monitor the entire aircraft within its range. This permits the selection of the correct camera when multiple cameras are available and permits a wide range of viewing possibilities by being able to determine what portion, if not all, of the aircraft is to be monitored at any given time. In those instances where the aircraft is equipped with a single GPS system, much of this versatility is preserved. However, it will be understood that aircraft size then would have to be determined from the aircraft type or by optical means. When the transport is not equipped with the GPS system, the other sensors such as the range finder/tracking camera or ground level sensors would provide data for cameral selection and updating of electronic situational maps. Each sensor and/or camera may incorporate a motion sensor and/or an audio sensor activation device so that the system may be activated when a sound or a motion occurs within the sensor range. The motion detector may comprise any transducer unit that can detect the presence of an intruder and can be a device such as an infrared motion detector, a thermal sensor, an ultrasonic detector, a microwave detector, or any hybrid of two or more of these detectors "fused" together to gain better sensitivity and/or improved detection accuracy. A motion detector convertor may be incorporated to convert the signal from either a single motion detector sensor or a battery of sensors to digital form for processing and/or transmission to other system elements. Multiple elements may be contained within a single sensor system package, or may be fused for multiple sensors in geographically distributed elements with data to be fused being transmitted over the LAN. The motion detector signal processor is adapted for analyzing the sensor data streams from one or more sensors to provide for better sensitivity or improved detection accuracy. Well-known techniques may be implemented to process the transducer data and detect surges over the set thresholds that represent detection. The processor/compressor can also be configured to accept input from multiple sensors and process the inputs in a "fused" manner. For example, signals form an infrared detector and ultrasonic detector may be "added" together, then threshold detection performed. This ensures that both an optical and an acoustic return are detected before an alarm condition is broadcast. These and other more sophisticated well known techniques can be used together to gain better sensitivity and/or improved detection accuracy. Detection of such an even would trigger a specified, unique alarm condition to be transmitted back to the other elements of the system.
Typically, the sensors will "sense" the presence of unauthorized activity and activate recording from the various audio and/or video equipment and activate alarms. This will initiate the generation of a signal at each of the activated units. The generated signals will then be transmitted to the monitoring and recording equipment, as described, to permit both real-time surveillance and recordation of activity at the site. Motion detection may also be determined using video time/change techniques in the well-known manner.
With specific reference to
As shown in
The wireless LAN 206 or other wireless communication system provides a connection between the aircraft 10, the fixed ground resources via transceiver 212, mobile ground resources such as the security vehicle 208, portable ground resources such as the portable ground security station 218 and various functional or operation centers such as the control tower 216, the operations control center 220, the security center 222, the maintenance center 224, the maintenance hangar 214 and the airport fire station 226.
In the preferred embodiment, and as shown in
The system wireless LAN transceiver 212 operates as the gateway to the ground based, permanent, wired facilities. A router 228 is provided to bridge the various airport facilities (i.e. an intranet). The router is a typical industry type, as is well known to those skilled in the art, and may be installed in many configurations as required. Where desired, the system may be connected to remote nodes as well, through a wide area network (WAN), permitting connection to FAA regional centers, airline corporate operations or aircraft manufacturer operations, for example. The router may be configured as needed with typical commercial techniques, such as firewalls to protect access, protocol convertors, and encryption devices, as needed to direct secure or unsecured information to the various ports, nodes and centers.
Where desired, only pre-selected alarm signals may be transmitted to selected centers. For example, any heat or smoke detection, fuel spill detection or medical emergency would generate an alarm signal at the fire control center 226. The maintenance hangar may have access to fluid sensor data and stored maintenance requests and records. Thus the system can be configured in an information hierarchy format where only useful information is forwarded to the various centers.
The use of the dual GPS receivers 200, 202 on the aircraft 10 permits the reporting of the general location of the aircraft on the ramp during taxi when parked whether or not attended. The use of two GPS receivers provides redundancy, better accuracy and orientation information for the aircraft by reporting two distinct position datum signals. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that other position signal devices could be utilized such as, by way of example, a single GPS receiver and a magnetic compass (which may have to be corrected for local magnetic fields or interference). By linking the position and orientation information to the ground based centers the location and orientation of the aircraft at all times it is on the ground the aircraft may be closely monitored. Such a system provides ground control transmitting signals showing the location and movement of all aircraft while on the ground, in much the same manner the radar transponders provide air controllers with position and movement data while the aircraft is airborne. This is particularly desirable when the movement of aircraft is portrayed on a map display. Other ground vehicles such as fuel trucks, waste water trucks, baggage handling trains, security vehicles and the like can also be tagged with GPS receivers and LAN transceivers for monitoring their position relative to the aircraft on the ramp. An automated computer system can be operating in the background looking for potential collisions and generating alarm messages if such a conditions is detected. Another automated computer function can track vehicles relating to their authorized areas and issue alarms if security is breached. Yet another function can track the presence or absence of needed services, such as the timely appearance of catering trucks, fuel trucks, wastewater trucks, baggage trains and the like after the arrival of a subject transport. If any of these required services do not arrive at the transport within a prescribed time period, and "alarm" can be reported over the LAN to the missing services vehicle, and/or to the responsible operations center. This function can be completely automated by a controlling computer system.
As shown in
The system of the subject invention is designed such that aircraft onboard sensors and ground-based sensors may be used in combination to provide a comprehensive security system. The ground-based sensors maybe used alone to provide basic ground security. The aircraft sensors may be used alone to provide some ground based security with a minimum of modification to existing hardware.
In the embodiments shown and described, a multi-media recorder is utilized to record the information for archival purposes. This can be a ground based recorder or the aircraft "black box" recorder 58 (shown as installed in the tail section of the aircraft, see
Audio and video monitors are also provided at the base security station to provide near real-time surveillance. The flight deck monitor and control panel 54 is located on the control panel in the cockpit 21 will also have access to this information. Other monitors may be provided where desired.
Turning now to
The controller 85 will feed the data signal to a split screen monitor 93, where all video signals may be simultaneously monitored and/or to a plurality of distinct monitors 91a–91n. The split screen technology and methodology is more fully described in my copending application entitled: (PhotoTelesis 006), incorporated herein be reference. It will be readily understood that as many monitors and audio output devices as desired may be utilized, permitting surveillance at various locations throughout the port. In the preferred embodiment all of the signals are stored in a recording system as indicated by the mass storage unit 95. This permits replay of the transmitted signals for reconstruction of events and also provides permanent archive records where desired.
As shown in
The comprehensive system of the subject invention not only provides surveillance of the aircraft while at the gate or while unattended, but also provides taxi protection and monitoring. As shown in
A combination of ground sensors in a matrix on the airport ramp (see sensors 210a–210n in
Turning now to
As shown, a variety of image sensor devices may be incorporated, including the video cameras C1, C2, C3 . . . Cn, an advanced imaging device such as the FLIR camera 220, the on board radar 222 and the like. All of these produce a visual signal. In addition, various audio signals may be incorporated utilizing a variety of audio sensor devices, such as a cockpit voice sensor 113, on board radios 224, 226 and the aircraft public address system 228. All of these produce an audio signal. The operational data signals are also incorporated, as previously described, and may include the GPS sensor 72, other navigational sensors 230, the various intrusion sensors 115 and other sensors 125. Thus, the system of the subject invention will accommodate a multiple input, multi-media array incorporating video, audio and digital data signals into a comprehensive database for providing detailed information relating to the aircraft condition at any time.
Each sensor device signal is introduced into a multi-media multiplexer network 232 which includes a image multiplexer subsystem 234, a dedicated audio multiplexer subsystem 236 and a digital data multiplexer subsystem 238, all of which produce distinctive multiplexed signals which are introduced into a master multiplexer subsystem 232 for producing a combined, comprehensive output signal, as selected, on each of lines 231, 233 and 235. It may also perform decompression functions for compressed command streams and compressed audio or video. The setup and control of the comprehensive output signal is provided by a master controller 241 and input to the multiplexer 232 at 243. The system controller receives commands and streaming audio information from other system elements and distributes them to controlled devices. The controller performs a command decoding function to sort out command and data streams directed toward specific devices and components of the system.
The visual and textual data is available at a display monitor 54. The audio signal is output at 237 to an audio output system such as amplified speaker 240. All of the data, including all video, audio and digital data will be recorded on the recorder system 70. Information representing audio, video, sensor data, and other vital digital data is fed from the multimedia multiplexer to the recorder 70 over the signal lines 233. It should be noted that the multimedia multiplexer may be analog, digital, or packetized digital data type, or a combination of technologies based on application. Where desired, selected portions of the systems data on the aircraft may be down-linked to the ground or base station 18 (see
Where desired, a light level detector may be is used for detecting light conditions such as the ambient lighting or transient conditions such as vehicle headlights or a flashlight. The light detector analog/digital convertor adapts the ambient light levels into a digital data stream, this digitizer runs at rear-time rates for teal-time illumination monitoring. The light detector signal processor can be programmed to look for profiles such as rapidly increasing light conditions that may indicate a vehicle or a flashlight as opposed to the rising or setting sun. Detection of such and event would trigger a specified unique alarm condition to be transmitted back to other elements of the system.
External contact sensors may also be deployed and a condition change may be detected and processed by the contact signal processor. These may be devices such as door contacts, special motion detectors such as trip wires and the like, floor pads and the like which can be connected, either by wires or wireless means to the contact detection circuit. Detection of such an event would trigger a specified alarm condition to be transmitted back to other elements of the system.
An audible speaker system can also be provided in the preferred embodiment and can provide numerous audio outputs such as, by way of example, voice output or a siren. This is a multi-function device and can be activated by local detection events, and by other system elements such as detection by a companion sensor unit signaling over the wireless system. The siren can indicate an area of concern, serve as a signal to security personnel and/or scare of intruders. The audible speaker can also be used to provide voice instructions or signals base on local detection events, and by other system elements. The controller produces the synthesized or stored voice signals. The controller can programmed or downloaded over the wireless system. The speaker system can also be use as a paging system by sending digitized or compressed voice signals over the wireless system to one or more multi-media devices. In addition, the audio speaker can be use conjunction with the audio detector 408 to communicate with the area.
Power is provided in the well-known manner. In the preferred embodiment, system power is used to power up the system through a convertor and a rechargeable battery system comprising a charger/controller and rechargeable battery supply.
In certain applications it may be desirable to combine many of the functions described herein, such as the signal processing, data multiplexing 232, LAN or WAN network transceiver 330, control and parts of the network interface, perhaps utilizing software running at high speed in a high speed DSP engine. This would serve to reduce hardware complexity, improve reliability, reduce power consumption, and, reduce cost. The network interface provides a wired interface to the system for connecting other system elements in a hardwired configuration. This can be any one of several well known but evolving technologies such as 10 Base-T, the better 100 Base-T or high-speed Gigabit LAN or WAN technology. Such a configuration does not depart from the scope and spirit of the subject invention.
The multi-media security and surveillance system of the subject invention provides an enhanced security scheme giving instantaneous and live image access to critical components and areas of an aircraft or vehicle, providing the ground based security personnel with additional information while the aircraft or vehicle is not in use and is left unattended. In addition, the permanent tape record will prove invaluable for investigating unauthorized activity or accidents after they have occurred. The preferred embodiment of the system is specifically designed for new commercial aircraft but is equally well suited for retrofit applications and for other safety applications as well, and may be scaled up or scaled down depending on application.
The video recorders, synchronizing networks and multiplexing and split screen hardware are well known and their adaptation will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Any suitable video recording format can be used, for example, an analog video tape recorder, a digitizer and tape, hard drive or optical drive configuration. Digital cameras could be incorporated in lieu of the standard analog type cameras currently in use in most applications. As digital technology becomes more readily available and more cost effective, it is contemplated that most of the imaging, monitoring and-recording equipment will be of a digital format because of the increased reliability and the minimized space requirements. Of course, it should also be understood that the monitoring, transmitting and storage capabilities of the invention are also well suited for capturing any video or visual image generated by the on board avionics of the aircraft.
While certain features and embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it will be readily understood that the invention encompasses all modifications and enhancements within the scope and spirit of the following claims.
1. A security system for on-ground monitoring the condition of a commercial transport, the security system comprising:
- a. a ground based monitoring station for monitoring the conditions relating to a commercial transport;
- b. a network of ground based, remote discrete image and video collection devices each generating a unique data signal;
- c. a collector for collecting the plurality of unique data signals and generating therefrom a combined signal incorporating each of the plurality of unique data signals; and
- d. a destination device for receiving the combined signal and reconstructing from the combined signal each of the unique data signals at the ground based monitoring station.
2. The security system as called for in claim 1, further including a processor whereby all of the data signals from the network of sensors is combined in order to derive all monitored conditions relative to the commercial transport being monitored.
3. The security system as called for in claim 1, wherein each of the network sensors includes a transmitter adapted for wireless transmission of the unique output signal to the collector.
4. A method for collecting and distributing unique data signals from a plurality of ground based sensors for monitoring the condition of a commercial transport, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. placing a network of ground based, remote discrete image and video collection devices each generating a unique data signal in locations and zones wherein the commercial transport will be present as it moves through a terminal or port;
- b. monitoring the condition of the commercial transport as it moves through the zone, each of the devices generating a unique signal defining a unique condition related to the commercial transport;
- c. collecting the plurality of unique data signals and generating therefrom a combined signal incorporating each of the plurality of unique data signals; and
- d. managing the collected signals at a ground station.
Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
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|Schuchman et al.
|September 1, 1998
|November 16, 1999
|Westerlage et al.
|December 21, 1999
|Pilley et al.
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Patent History
Type: Grant
Filed: Dec 16, 2002
Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
Patent Publication Number: 20030169335
Inventor: David A. Monroe (San Antonio, TX)
Primary Examiner: Daryl C Pope
Attorney: Robert C. Curfiss
Application Number: 10/320,280
International Classification: G08B 19/00 (20060101);


text:
Cholesterol: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Since the advent of effective medications for lowering cholesterol - and direct-to-consumer advertising on the behalf of pharmaceutical companies - many people now have some understanding of cholesterol and its importance in heart health.
But how well do you understand the importance of your cholesterol? For most people, cholesterol is something they work really hard to get down - at least they work really hard the week or so before their doctors visit when they know it will be checked!
Many people know there is a "good" cholesterol and a "bad" cholesterol- but do you know there is also an "ugly" cholesterol?
And why, when the week or so before the appointment wasn't enough to get your cholesterol values in range, is your doctor so insistent on you taking a statin (some of your doctors may want you to take a statin regardless ofyour cholesterol numbers)?
Finally, are there alternatives to taking statin medications that are as effective?
I hope this articles helps you better understand the importance of all the numbers and will provide you with some quick tips on how to lower the "bad", raise the "good" and minimize the "ugly".
The "Good" Cholesterol: HDL
Think of the "H" as "Heart Healthy" or "High" because for HDL, the higher the numbers are, the better your heart health. Current recommendations for people with diabetes advise an HDL greater than 40 mg/dL.
So how do you raise it?
HDL cholesterol is increased by several healthful behaviors- the most important of which is exercise! Exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise (i.e. exercise that raises your heart rate to 65% of your maximum effort or higher), is the number one factor that influences HDL cholesterol levels and is a critical element of a healthy lifestyle and long-term avoidance of complications of diabetes.
Interestingly alcohol also raises HDL cholesterol, however alcohol has risks associated with it too- including raising blood pressure. So how much alcohol is healthy and how much is too much? I do not recommend anyone use alcohol as an alternative to exercise in an effort to raise HDL cholesterol - the benefits are not the same. However, the clinical research on alcohol is clear - one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men appears to modestly increase lifespan. It is important to remember that an alcoholic "drink" many not be your "drink" at home (i.e. technically an alcoholic drink is 4 oz. of wine, a 12 oz. beer, or 1oz. of spirits).
Other therapies that raise HDL cholesterol include omega-3 fatty acids, especially fish oil.
The "Bad" Cholesterol: LDL
Think of "L" as "Lousy" or "Low" because for LDL, the lower the number the better for your heart health. Current recommendations for people with diabetes advise an LDL lower than 100 mg/dL (some guidelines now recommend lower than 70 mg/dL). Elevated LDL cholesterol is a serious risk factor for the development of heart disease and therefore a serious risk factor for having a heart attack or stroke.
LDL cholesterol becomes elevated in response to the food we eat including dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. Statin medications are particularly effective at lowering LDL cholesterol and have demonstrated impressive reductions in cardiovascular events (i.e. heart attack, stroke and death) in clinical trials.
In particular, the Heart Protection Study demonstrated a 25% reduction in cardiovascular events within the five years of the study in people with diabetes by lowering LDL cholesterol by 30% using a statin (Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group, Lancet, 2002). Interestingly these findings were not related to the level of LDL before it was lowered! Because of these findings, statin medications have become "standard of care" for adults with diabetes- which is why your doctor probably recommends them frequently!
The "Ugly" Cholesterol: Small, dense, oxidized LDL
As with most aspects of human health, the situation gets more complicated when you start looking more deeply at cholesterol. Although most physicians talk to you about your total LDL level this is not the whole story. As referenced in a recent review on stroke prevention by cardiologist David Spence, your non-fasting oxidized LDL (oxLDL) may be more significant (Spence, Stroke, 2006 and Diaz et al. N Engl J Med, 1997).
LDL cholesterol is particularly susceptible to oxidation or rust. Some of this oxidation occurs during the cooking process while the remainder appears to occur within the body; in clinical research investigating oxLDL, researchers often use food like burgers from fast food restaurants, pizza, and egg breakfast sandwiches to induce the oxidation they are researching!
OxLDL cholesterol is particularly sticky, adheres to walls of our blood vessels, stimulates inflammatory processes, and leads to rapid atherosclerosis.
Laboratory testing can give you information on your LDL subfractions - including your small, dense LDL cholesterol. I use LDL subfractions to help determine how aggressively I need to treat LDL cholesterol. For example, if a patient has a LDL cholesterol of 110 (just over the recommended 100) but has very little small, dense LDL I may chose to treat with minor dietary modifications. If a patient has an LDL cholesterol of 110 and the majority of the cholesterol is small, dense cholesterol, I will treat more aggressively with diet and may consider prescription therapies to further lower their LDL.
Are there Alternatives to Statins?
The best alternative to statin medication is preventing the need by getting daily exercise (increases HDL) and following a well-balance, low saturated fat diet rich in plant-based protein, legumes (beans), whole grains, and fruits and vegetables with the elimination of trans fats.
The Mediterranean Diet has demonstrated greater cardiovascular protection than statin medications in some clinical trials (deLorgeril et al., Circulation, 1999 and Scandinavian Simvistatin Survival Study Group, Lancet, 1994). One theory for the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet is the density of plant pigments and other antioxidants in the recommended foods - see Stop the Rust!
Another dietary alternative for LDL reduction, though less studied, is the Portfolio Diet - a relatively simple low saturated fat diet that includes generous soy protein, fiber, almonds, and plant sterols (Jenkins et al., Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 2006).
What about Supplements?
There are many supplements which report cholesterol lowering effects all with varying degrees of credibility to back these reports.
Supplemental omega-3 oils, especially fish oils, are clearly protective to the cardiovascular system. Studies demonstrate the regular intake of fish oil and/or regular intake of cold-water fish (not fried or breaded!) improves life span and is associated with a 36% reduction in cardiovascular related death (Mozaffarion et al. JAMA, 2006). Fish oils also lower triglycerides and improve HDL levels.
Supplemental plant sterols are also effective for lowering total and LDL cholesterol and appear to be effective at lowering cholesterol in people with genetically elevated cholesterol as well as "statin non-responders" (Moruisi et al., J Am. Col. Nutr., 2006). However the clinical research on plant sterols has not given us any information on whether supplementation reduces events or increases lifespan.
Other supplements commonly used to treat elevated cholesterol include garlic, niacin, Red Yeast Rice and policosanol.
Clinical trial data on supplemental garlic is conflicting and I do not recommend garlic consumption for solely this purpose at this time. Garlic is full of important antioxidants and may have additional health benefits including cancer prevention, however I think it is best to consume garlic as food while following the Mediterranean Diet.
Niacin is a B-vitamin and has been long been used to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. The doses needed to impact cholesterol are much greater than those needed for daily vitamin needs. Niacin is available as a prescription in sustained-release formulations with seem to be better tolerated than quick release niacin. Side effects from niacin are common and include flushing and liver inflammation; although common these side effects can be minimized through dose titration and dose timing. Niacin remains an inexpensive and effective treatment for elevated LDL cholesterol and reduced HDL cholesterol.
Red Yeast Rice is the origin of statin medications and has been used in Asia for centuries as a food additive (Red Yeast Rice give the reddish color to Peking Duck!). Red Yeast Rice contains many constituents that are similar is structure and function to statin medications and it does lower LDL cholesterol. (Of note, both statin medications and Red Yeast Rice lower coenzyme Q10 levels - an important cofactor in metabolism and heart health - however this lowering may or may not be important to low term health.)
For people who do not feel good about taking a pharmaceutical medication, but who really need to lower their cholesterol, Red Yeast Rice is an effective choice. My experience has been that Red Yeast Rice is tolerated better than statin medications, but it is not tolerated well by everyone! Also, it is important for you to know, although statin medications are derived from Red Yeast Rice, we cannot superimpose all research findings for statins over those for Red Yeast Rice. We still do not have a study documenting reduced cardiovascular events by using Red Yeast Rice.
Policosanol was once a promising alternative to statin medications. Early studies performed in Cuba suggested dramatic LDL lowering action. These studies were criticized for being small and had not been replicated outside of Cuba. Subsequent studies, including a large, well-designed clinical trial published this year, conflicted with earlier studies and suggested policosanol is ineffective for LDL reduction (Berthold et al, JAMA, 2006). My clinical experience is similar - I do not use policosanol clinically because I cannot rely on the results with my patients.
Interestingly, some nutritional supplement companies who manufacture and sell policosanol suggest the study findings would have been different is "our" policosanol had been used; "ours is nano-encapsulated and super-absorbed." I don't know about you, but in my opinion little separates a super-processed, nano-encapsulated product from a synthetic pharmaceutical. In fact, because the data is better for the pharmaceutical than for the supplement, in this situation I would recommend taking the pharmaceutical.
Where to Put your Time, Money and Energy
In my opinion, the following tips will improve your heart health, increase your "Healthy HDL", lower your "Lousy LDL", and dramatically reduce your "Ugly oxLDL".
Exercise regularly and daily is better: Raises HDL and lowers LDL
Follow a Mediterranean Diet eating style: Lowers LDL and oxLDL
Consume alcohol in strict moderation (one drink per day for women, two per day for men): Raises HDL
Consider adding the Portfolio Diet for additional LDL reduction
Limit egg yolk consumption and eat omega-3 enriched eggs if possible (i.e. one egg yolk per day on average): Lowers oxLDL
Eat red meat in strict moderation (i.e. once a month): Lowers LDL and oxLDL
Avoid trans fats: Lowers LDL and oxLDL
Consider a daily dose of blueberries or pomegranate: Lowers oxLDL
Eat cold-water fish or supplement omega-3 oils regularly (200-250 mg of EPA/DHA per day, or 1500-2000 per week): Raises HDL
If your LDL is still > 100 after changing your diet, I recommend using a statin medication, supplemental plant-sterols, Red Yeast Rice, or niacin to lower your LDL. At times combinations of these agents can be used but these should be discussed with your physicians to ensure proper monitoring.
Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH November, 2006


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This is a recipe from Laavanya's Cookery Corner that I have made many, many times since I first came across it nearly 2 years back. I'm not too crazy about tofu but I do buy it very often. I would usually make a tofu scramble, a stir-fry with vegetables or a smoothie depending on the kind of tofu I'd purchased. Ever since Laavanya posted this recipe, I have been making this regularly and this is now my favorite way to eat tofu.
For preparing the tofu, first drain the water out of the tub. Next, wrap the tofu up in a clean kitchen towel or a few paper towels. Place the wrapped tofu in a colander and put a weight (I used my pressure cooker) on top of the tofu. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes, or until the paper towels are soaked through. This makes the tofu easier to cut; it is less watery, and more receptive to absorbing the flavors added in the next step.
Pan-fried tofu
15.5 oz firm tofu (I used Soga's twin-pack)
Red chilli powder
Garlic powder (optional)
2-3 Tbsp oil for pan-frying
Cut the tofu into relatively thick strips (see picture for size). Heat oil in a large pan. When the oil is hot, place the tofu pieces in the pan.
Sprinkle salt and red chilli powder all over the pieces and shallow fry. Cook till golden brown on the bottom (takes about 4-5 minutes). Flip over, sprinkle salt and chilli powder on the other side, and cook similarly.
Serve with peanut dipping sauce.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
For the sauce, I have only listed the ingredients I used. I do not have exact measurements since I was just adding the ingredients till it tasted right. I did not use many of the ingredients mentioned in the original recipe and the sauce still tasted great. You can find Laavanya's version of the sauce here.
Here's what went into my dipping sauce-
Creamy peanut butter
Soy sauce
Garlic powder
Red pepper flakes
Lemon juice
Hot water to thin out the sauce
Sesame seeds
Mix all the ingredients well. Add hot water as required to get a thick sauce-like consistency.
I've also put the tofu and peanut sauce together to form a nice dish that goes well with white rice. For this, I just thinned out the sauce a bit, added the tofu pieces and mixed everything together. I let that simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the tofu pieces to get nicely coated with the peanut sauce.


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Arriving under the "SEGA Vintage Collection 2" banner, each game will be sold separately at an as-yet-unknown price point, and has been updated to support high definition visuals, online leaderboards, and, if applicable, online play.
While Gunstar Heroes will hit both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it appears as if the rest of the titles--Altered Beast, Shinobi, Comix Zone, Phantasy Star 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3--are currently exclusive to the Xbox Live Arcade, with the final release, Sonic & Knuckles, likewise arriving as an XBLA exclusive later this summer.
Details, screenshots and descriptions of each game follow below:
Gunstar Heroes - June 10 (XBLA), June 11 (PSN) / Online Play "The classic side scrolling shooter from the SEGA Genesis returns to captivate fans new and old with its non-stop action and cooperative play."
Altered Beast (XBLA) - June 10 / Online Play "'Rise from your Grave' as the original Genesis launch game is reborn and comes to a new generation of gamers. Battle hordes of undead warriors and monsters as you return to battle in order to save Zeus' daughter Athena."
Shinobi (arcade) (XBLA) - June 10 / No Online "Battle your way through the 'Ring of Five' as you save hostages with your ninja abilities."
Comix Zone (XBLA) - June 10 / No Online "The game features an innovative art style that transports players directly into the panels of a comic as they fight their way to save a world from destruction as Sketch Turner. Everything from the speech bubble text, level design, and the revolutionary graphics scream COMIX!"
Phantasy Star 2 (XBLA) - June 10 / No Online "SEGA's classic RPG which expanded on the success of the first with its epic storyline and battle system."
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (XBLA) - June 10 / Online Play "The game that introduced Knuckles the Echidna comes to a new generation of gamers as Sonic explores Angel Island and discovers the true power of the Master Emerald. Speed through each level at lightning speeds as either Sonic or Tails as you foil Dr. Eggman's in his new Death Egg station."
Sonic and Knuckles (XBLA) - Late Summer 2009 / Online Play "Picking up where Sonic the Hedgehog 3 left off, players can now play as Knuckles for the first time. In addition, if players already have Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or Sonic 2 in their library, they will be able to access the lock-on bonus content for each game for the very first time since the days of the SEGA GENESIS! This allows for gamers to play Sonic 2 & 3 as Knuckles!"


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'Twilight' Author Stephenie Meyer Says Kristen Stewart Looks 'Amazing' As A Vampire!
The creator of the saga that will end with the 'Breaking Dawn' movies says Kristen 'looks amazing' in her big change-over!
Bella's vampire transformation is one of the most exciting things to happen in the final installment of The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn. Writer and creator of the series, Stephenie Meyer, tells USA Today that actress Kristen Stewart does a wonderful job of portraying Bella's change. "She's created a new character. I was really impressed," says Stephenie.
"I've only really seen her as [the human] Bella so to have her step up and change it in the right way — she didn't have to talk to me. She knew. She knows the character so well now. She has really good instincts and, she looks amazing."
We already knew Kristen has amazing acting skills, and Robert Pattinson has also gushed about her talented performance as a vampire. This only makes us more excited for Breaking Dawn!
The rest of Stephenie's interview will be available tomorrow, and apparently we can expect the scoop on Bella's wedding gown, Rob and Taylor Lautner on set — and what Stephenie will be tackling next.


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There's been so much official superhero movie news over the past few days that mere Batman vs. Superman and Justice League rumors - no matter how interesting - seem pretty boring by comparison. There was the casting of Gal Gadot (Fast and Furious 6) as Wonder Woman, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer, and the revelation that the sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past will be about Apocalypse (maybe even the Age of). What could possibly be worth mentioning alongside all that craziness?
Well, the latest batch of rumors have to do with the casting of Lex Luthor in BvS and the setup for the inevitable followup, Justice League. While we've heard casting rumors for Lex before - namely, that Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Mark Strong (Green Lantern) were up for the role - this rumor would seem to indicate that Zack Snyder and co. are going in an altogether different direction.
According to Thinkmcflythink, the shortlist for Superman's greatest, most brilliant arch-nemesis includes, first and foremost, Denzel Washington (2 Guns), Idris Elba (Thor 2), and "a certain reoccurring [African-American] cast member from 'Arrow.' " Just to get it out of the way - yes, these are all black men. And no, casting a black man as Luthor is not comparable to casting Brad Pitt as Black Panther or Bruce Willis as Malcolm X. In case there was any confusion on the matter.
Since the above article also refers to Idris Elba - a British black man - as an African-American, it's hard to say who the third actor is referring to. It could be David Ramsey, who's American, or Colin Salmon, who's British. Salmon is the more "Lex Luthor-esque" of the two and Ramsey is likely locked in to play Oliver Queen's partner, John Diggle, for a while, so the former seems the more likely candidate.
Thinkmcflythink stresses that their report doesn't mean Lex Luthor will definitely be played by a black actor; rather, black actors are who the producers are currently looking at.
Of the three actors on the rumored shortlist, Denzel is easily the most exciting option. He's proven before that he can play a villain role with the best of them (he won his Best Actor Oscar for Training Day) and, perhaps even more importantly, that he can pull off a bald head (The Equalizer). Unfortunately, according to the report, Denzel is the least likely of the three to take the role - and in fact, it may already be outside the realm of possibility.
Idris Elba would certainly do an excellent job in the role, but frankly, I'd much prefer to see him get his shot at an actual superhero at some point. Maybe we can just forget all about that Green Lantern (2011) nonsense and Elba can take the role of John Stewart in the aforementioned Justice League.
Lastly, Colin Salmon - if indeed he is the Arrow actor in question - has a solid sinister vibe going on that would fit the role really well, but his star power is well below the other two (not that that's all that important).
This wouldn't be the first time Zack Snyder made interesting casting choices with regard to established DC Comics characters. Aside from Henry Cavill who's basically a dead ringer for the comic book version of Superman, pretty much every single casting decision was unique to the film - from Amy Adams (red hair) as Lois Lane to Russell Crowe as Jor-El to Laurence Fishburne as Perry White to Michael Shannon as General Zod. So there's definitely some precedent here.
NEXT PAGE: Will the Justice League Be a Superhero United Nations?