text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Aug 9, 2011
|Filing date
|Apr 7, 2009
|Priority date
|Aug 12, 2000
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|James E. Retterath, Robert A. Laumeyer
|Original Assignee
|Facet Technology Corp.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (140), Non-Patent Citations (42), Referenced by (10), Classifications (19), Legal Events (3)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/928,218, filed Aug. 10, 2001, entitled, "SYSTEM FOR ROAD SIGN SHEETING CLASSIFICATION," now U.S. Pat. No. 6,XXX,XXX, which claims the benefit of the contents and filing date accorded to two U.S. Provisional Patent Applications, the first of which was filed on Aug. 12, 2000 as Application No. 60/224,761, entitled, "METHOD FOR ROAD SIGN SHEETING CLASSIFICATION," and the second of which was filed on Jun. 7, 2001 as Application No. 60/296,596, entitled, "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING RETROREFLECTIVITY FROM A MOVING PLATFORM." The application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,674,878, issued Jan. 6, 2004, entitled, "SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED DETERMINATION OF RETROREFLECTIVITY OF ROAD SIGNS AND OTHER REFLECTIVE OBJECTS," and U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,056, issued Sep. 17, 2002 "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING A DATABASE OF ROAD SIGN IMAGES AND POSITIONS," which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,442, filed Oct. 23, 1998 and entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING OBJECTS DEPICTED IN A VIDEOSTREAM," all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates generally to the field of automated object recognition. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for classifying different types of sheeting materials of road signs depicted in a videostream.
The goal of using an automated image identification system to recognize road signs and traffic signs is well known. Various techniques have been proposed for the recognition of road signs as part of a real-time automated vehicle navigation system. Due to the processing limitations imposed by a real-time environment, almost all of these techniques have involved template matching of shape and color. Given the wide variations in lighting and conditions, few if any of these systems provide accurate results.
Another use of automated road sign recognition is for the purpose of identifying and creating an accurate inventory of all road signs and traffic signs along a given street or highway. In one system as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,442, entitled, "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING OBJECTS DEPICTED IN A VIDEOSTREAM," issued Jul. 24, 2001 to Laumeyer et al., an acquisition vehicle equipped with video cameras and position identifying technology, such as global positioning satellite (GPS) receivers, is systematically driven over the roads and streets in a given area to produce a videostream tagged with location information. The tagged videostream is analyzed by computer software routines to perform object recognition of the desired objects, the road signs in this case. The results of this analysis are exported to an asset management database that stores attributes of the road signs.
Road signs are manufactured from a sheeting material made up of multiple layered films (one or more colored layers that are fused with a layer that produces the reflectivity) that is adhered to the sign face. There are different types of sheeting material utilized in the road sign industry. Currently, specific attributes about each road sign like retroreflectivity (measured in candelas/lux/sq. meter) and sheeting type must be gathered manually by sending personnel in the field to measure retroreflectivity with a handheld device (like the Impulse RM retro-reflectometer from Laser Technology, Inc.) and to visually determine the sheeting type of each sign. Measurements of retroreflectivity and identification of sheeting type are helpful in evaluating the visibility of a sign and whether it has deteriorated due to a breakdown in the pigments or reflective material in the sheeting material of the sign. The retroreflectivity and sheeting type can also be used to produce a predictive model of how the sign will perform into the future based on the as-measured characteristics.
Generally, highway and street maintenance departments do not systematically evaluate the deterioration of the reflective materials used on road signs and markers. If inspections of road signs or markers are performed, they are typically accomplished by having inspectors manually position a handheld retroreflectometer directly on the surface of a sign in order to determine a retroreflectivity value for that sign. When there are a large number of road signs or markers (sometimes referred to as traffic control devices or TCDs) in a given jurisdiction, the task of manually inspecting all of these road signs and markers can be time consuming and expensive.
One technique for determining retroreflectivity, designated as "RA" generally (and from time to time in this disclosure), which does not require that a retroreflectometer be placed directly on a sign is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,480 entitled, "APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING PRECISION REFLECTIVITY OF HIGHWAY SIGNS AND OTHER REFLECTIVE OBJECTS UTILIZING ΔN OPTICAL RANGE FINDER INSTRUMENT" issued Apr. 3, 2001 to Dunne. The Dunne patent relates to a device commercialized by the assignee thereof and marketed as the "Impulse RM" retro-reflectometer by Laser Technology, Inc., of Englewood, Colo., USA. In use, handheld devices fabricated according to the Dunne patent are manually directed toward, or precisely at, a target object and then manually "fired." Once fired, the handheld device bounces a laser off the target object and measures the reflected laser energy that is then used to determine a retroreflectivity.
There are several drawbacks of the handheld laser arrangement described by the Dunne patent. The handheld device can only measure a single color at a time and can only measure one object at a time. The determination of retroreflectivity for a given object is valid only for the actual location, or discrete measurement point, along the roadway at which the measurement was made by the human operator. In order to validate a measurement made by such devices, the device must be taken back to the precise location in the field where an original measurement occurred for a valid comparison measurement to be made.
Another technique established for determining the retroreflectivity of signs has been introduced by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The Sign Management and Retroreflectivity Tracking System (SMARTS) is a vehicle that contains one high intensity flash source (similar to the Honeywell StrobeGuard™ SG-60 device), one color camera, two black and white cameras, and a range-sensing device. The SMARTS vehicle requires two people for proper operation—one driver and one system operator to point the device at the target sign and arm the system. The SMARTS travels down the road, and the system operator "locks on" to a sign up ahead by rotating the camera and light assembly to point at the sign. At a distance of 60 meters, the system triggers the flash source to illuminate the sign surface, an image of which is captured by one of the black and white cameras. A histogram is produced of the sign's legend and background that is then used to calculate retroreflectivity. A GPS system stores the location of the vehicle along with the calculated retroreflectivity in a computer database.
Like the handheld laser device of the Dunne patent, the SMARTS device can only determine retroreflectivity for one sign at a time and can only determine retroreflectivity for the discrete point on the roadway 60 meters from the sign. Two people are required to operate the vehicle and measurement system. The SMARTS vehicle cannot make retroreflectivity determinations for signs on both sides of the roadway in a single pass over the roadway, and does not produce nighttime sign visibility information for lanes on the roadway not traveled by the vehicle. Because the system operator in the SMARTS vehicle must locate and track signs to be measured while the vehicle is in motion, a high level of operational skill is required and the likelihood that a sign will be missed is significant. Most importantly for purposes of the present invention, the SMARTS device makes no attempt to automatically determine sheeting type of a sign.
There are an estimated 58 million individual TCDs that must be monitored and maintained in the United States and new TCD installations increase this number daily. For the reasons that have been described, the existing techniques for determining retroreflectivity do not lend themselves to increasing processing throughput so as to more easily manage the monitoring and maintenance of these TCDs. So called automated data collection systems often require that normal traffic be stopped during data collection because either the acquisition vehicle moved very slowly or because the acquisition vehicle had to come to a full stop before recording data about the roadside scene. Furthermore, a human operator is required to point one or more measurement devices at a sign of interest, perform data collection for that particular sign and then set up the device for another particular sign of interest. With such a large number of TCDs that must be monitored, it would be desirable to provide an automated system for determining the retroreflectivity of road signs and markers that addresses these and other shortcomings of the existing techniques to enable a higher processing throughput of an automated determination of the retroreflectivity and sheeting classification of road signs and markers.
The present invention is a system for classifying different types of sheeting materials of road signs depicted in a videostream. Once a road sign has been identified in the videostream, the frames associated with that road sign are analyzed to determine each of a plurality of colors present on the road sign. An estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors present on the road sign is then determined. By comparing the estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors against known minimum retroreflectivity values for the corresponding color for different types of sheeting materials, an accurate determination of the classification of the sheeting material of the road sign is established. Preferably, certain conditions of gross failure of the sheeting material are filtered out before classification of the sheeting material is determined.
In a preferred embodiment, a system for the automated determination of retroreflectivity values for reflective surfaces disposed along a roadway is utilized to establish the retroreflectivity values for both foreground and background colors of a road sign for the purpose of classifying the sheeting material of that sign. An area along the roadway that includes at least one reflective surface is repeatedly illuminated by a light source and multiple light intensity values are measured over a field of view which includes at least a portion of the area illuminated by the light source. A computer processing system is used to identify a portion of the light intensity values associated with a reflective surface and analyze the portion of the light intensity values to determine at least one retroreflectivity value for that reflective surface. Color images of the area and locational information are also generated by the system and are used together with a characterization profile of the light source to enhance the accuracy of the determination of retroreflectivity values.
In contrast to the existing techniques for determining retroreflectivity that require an operator to target individual signs from a known distance, a preferred embodiment of the present invention can determine retroreflectivity without targeting individual signs and can automatically determine sheeting classification as a result. To overcome the limitations imposed by the existing techniques, the preferred embodiment employs several enhancements that are designed to improve the accuracy of evaluating intensity measurements made over a view where the reflective surfaces are not individually targeted and therefore neither the distance to the reflective surface or the normal vector to the reflective surface are known.
Referring to
In one embodiment as shown in
Either concurrent with or subsequent to the identification of road signs 30 and generation of asset management database 24, the computer processor 22 evaluates that portion 32 of each video frame or image that depicts a road sign 30 to determine a set of color values 40, 42 for each of a plurality of colors on the road sign 32. A retroreflectivity value is generated for each color portion 34, 36 on each frame of the tagged videostream 20 containing the road sign 30 that represents a different color value 40, 42. Preferably, the values for retroreflectivity are determined by measuring the intensity of the signal for each color portion 34, 36. These values are then analyzed over the number of frames containing each color portion 34, 36 to arrive at the maximum retroreflectivity value 44, 46 that corresponds to the color value 40, 42 for each color portion 34, 36 of the road sign 30. These maximum retroreflectivity values 44, 46 will be the reference values used in the threshold algorithm from which sign sheeting classification will be determined.
There are three main types of sheeting recognized in the industry: 1) Type I, commonly called Engineer Grade; 2) Type III, commonly called High Intensity; and 3) Type VII, commonly called Prismatic (Prismatic is sometimes divided into two groups—Type VIIa called Diamond Grade VIP, and Type VIIb called Diamond Grade LDP). In order to remove the manual element of determining sheeting type and measuring retroreflectivity, the automated system of the present invention must accurately distinguish between these sheeting types. To accomplish this, the present invention utilizes the fact that all signs use the same sheeting type for foreground and background colors, that each road sign will have at least two colors and that the reflectivity for each color for each type of sheeting material has a relatively unique minimum initial retroreflectivity value. Most signs also have either White, Yellow or Orange colors as one of the colors on the sign. According to 3M, a manufacturer of reflective sheeting material, each color of the three sheeting types has a minimum initial retroreflectivity value. The following table lists the minimum values for common colors of each type:
Type I
Type III
Type VIIa
Type VIIb
Min. RA
Min. RA
Min. RA
Min. RA
This information is stored in a reflectivity/color database 50. The computer processor 22 accesses the database 50 using the maximum reflectivity value 44, 46 that corresponds to the color value 40, 42 for each color portion 34, 36 to determine the lowest possible sheeting type for each color. If the sheeting type is classified the same for all of the color portions 34, 36 for a given road sign 30, then the sheeting class 52 is established as that type and this information is preferably stored in the asset management database 24 along with other attributes of the given road sign 30. If there is a discrepancy in the classification of sheeting material between different colors, a subsequent analysis by the processor 22 using, for example, a neural network program, to incorporate other determining factors, such as time of day, shadow, direction that could affect the retroreflectivity of the lighter colors (white, yellow and orange) more than the retroreflectivity of the darker colors (red, green, blue). In general, retroreflectivity values for lighter colors are weighted more heavily in resolving any discrepancies in classification of sheeting material.
The system described herein acquires many data points along the desired roadway without specifically targeting any objects of interest. For a roadside sign, the specific geometry of the sign (its orientation with respect to the roadway) is not necessarily known, nor is it required. The retroreflectivity points determined along the roadway are generated for the "as placed" road sign. Road signs will display their best retroreflectivity performance (have the highest retroreflectivity values) at or near the normal vector for the sign face. Since the geometry of the as-measured sign is not known, the system chooses the highest retroreflectivity value for that sign as the value that will be used in the threshold algorithm for sign sheeting classification.
There are several factors that can cause retroreflectivity readings for signs to actually be lower than the values for the underlying sheeting type. For example, a sign that has a layer of dirt on the face will produce lower retroreflectivity numbers than usual. If these lower numbers are used in the threshold comparison algorithm, an incorrect sheeting type may result. These systematic errors can be removed by analyzing the retroreflectivity profile for the sign.
Sign sheeting types vary by the intensity of light that is reflected, but they also have reflective characteristics that give them unique signatures.
The sheeting types are all manufactured with multiple layers. In order for the present invention to accurately compute retroreflectivity for purposes of determining sheeting type of a given road sign, it is also necessary for the system to recognize gross sheeting failures like extreme color fade, de-lamination and vapor fade (darkening of the daylight appearance of the sheeting due to the corrosion of the metal sign backing). These gross failures will impact RA measurements of the sheeting. Preferably, the sheeting determination system described herein tests for the absence of these gross failures prior to making any RA measurements as part of the process of categorizing sheeting type.
Retroreflectivity, designated as "RA" generally (and from time to time in this disclosure), varies according to two key parameters, observation angle and entrance angle. Observation angle 100 (See
Entrance angle 160 (See
The method of automated determination of RA (See
The data required for the automated determination of RA is accumulated while traversing a highway 150 with the capture vehicle 225 (See
Characterization of sign 190 RA preferably utilizes the data recording system 260 to create a single tagged videostream 440 from the reflected light intensity frames 420, position measurements 350 and digital imagery 390 for each capture event 430 (See
For each object of interest 460, a background intensity measurement 470 and a foreground intensity measurement 480 is generated. Using an intensity algorithm 490, a light intensity sensor characterization 275 and a look-up-table 475, the computer processor 450 determines a background luminance value 500 and a foreground luminance value 510. Based on the background luminance value 500, the foreground luminance value 510, a characterization of light source wavelength 540, the background sheeting color 505 and the foreground sheeting color 506 the computer processor 450 characterizes a background RA 520 and a foreground RA 530 which are preferably reported separately for that object of interest.
The automated determination of multiple RA values for a given object of interest 460 allows for the extrapolation of RA values at an unmeasured viewing point 550 for an object of interest, such as a sign 190 (See
Pursuant to the teaching of the present invention, a method and apparatus for determining retroreflectivity of relatively flat surface portions of objects disposed adjacent a highway 150 traversed by a vehicle 140 are taught, enabled, and depicted. The present invention may be utilized to detect and determine a retroreflective surface of interest disposed in a scene of non-retroreflective surfaces. That is, at least one object face surface 130 which exhibits retroreflectivity over at least a relatively narrow conical volume of magnitude of several degrees from a normal vector 180 originating from said object face surface 130.
In accordance with the present invention, a determination of the retroreflectivity of objects adjacent a highway 150 preferably includes providing: (i) position measurements 350 of a capture vehicle 225; (ii) precise position of the object of interest 460, or sign 190; (iii) intensity measurements 300 from a high output light source 270 and light intensity sensor 280 at measurement intervals 430 along said highway 150. Thus, a single-pass along the highway 150 by the capture vehicle 225 operating the light intensity measurement system 230, vehicle positioning system 240, image capture system 250 and data recording system 260 taught herein eliminates many shortcomings of the prior art and allows a single vehicle operator to conduct virtually continuous data measurement and acquisition of objects of interest 460 disposed adjacent a highway 150, at capture events 430 on said highway 150, without disrupting or interrupting other vehicle traffic traversing said highway 150.
The image capture system 250 consists of at least one set of stereoscopic cameras 360 that gather digital imagery along the highway 150. Each capture event is combined with time stamp information from the vehicle positioning system 240 which also provides trigger control 227 for the image capture system 250 and trigger control 228 for the light intensity measurement system 230. These images and associated time stamps are later combined with photogrammetry to create objects of interest 460 and their associated attributes 465.
The light intensity measurement system 230 preferably consists of at least one high output light source(s) 270 and the associated light intensity sensor(s) 280. The precise control for these items is contained within the light intensity measurement system 230, and master time sequencing instrument 340 information received from the vehicle positioning system 240 (or computer processor 450) is combined to create a tagged videostream 440 so precise vehicle information can be utilized during post-processing.
The data recording system 260 is constantly monitoring control information from the other three on-board systems and records the necessary information. No post-processing is performed in the data recording system 260. As computer power increases in the future, one skilled in the art could produce a system whereby most, if not all, of the post-processing functions were performed in the capture vehicle 225, perhaps even in real time. The inventors can imagine several uses for the production of real-time information from the image capture system 250 in the future, but the cost of obtaining such information with today's computing power makes this option prohibitively expensive today.
The lower half of
The high output light source(s) 270 and light intensity sensor(s) 280 constitute the light intensity measurement system 230. These components make it possible to gather on-the-fly information for a desired highway 150 to allow the computation of object of interest retroreflectivity 466, as well as create a full 3-D sign RA profile 590 for those same objects of interest 460.
The stereoscopic cameras 360 constitute the digital imagery system 390 that allows for the creation of objects of interest 460 and their associated attributes 465 during post-processing. More than one set of stereoscopic cameras 360 can be employed, thus increasing the accuracy of positional measurements for objects of interest 460. Other, non-stereoscopic imaging systems could also be employed with little or no change to the vehicle positioning system 240 or to the light intensity measurement system 230.
It should be noted that intensity measurements 300 are made continuously while the capture vehicle 225 is in motion, thus requiring no prior knowledge of either the positions or the existence of signs.
In order to compute retroreflectivity (RA), one needs to know the luminance of the reflected energy. Luminance (expressed in candelas per square meter, or cd/m2) will vary according to the intensity sensor characterization profile 275 of the light intensity sensor(s) 280 and the color of the material from which light is reflected.
Most roadway signs 190 contain text and/or symbols overlaid on a background. To ensure maximum visibility during day and night conditions, the colors of the foreground information (text and/or symbols) are chosen to have maximum day and night contrast with the background material. The techniques taught herein allow the retroreflectivity of roadway signs 190 to be determined for both foreground and background materials. Computing both the foreground 530 and background retroreflectivity 520 for each object of interest 460 allows us to ensure that the proper nighttime contrast is achieved for roadside assets. For example, a stop sign 190 with a red background and white lettering can provide good daytime contrast between the text and the sign background. But if these two materials display very similar retroreflectivity characteristics, their nighttime contrast will be minimal, thus rendering the sign ineffective during nighttime conditions.
The reader should note and appreciate that luminance is strictly a measure of the reflected light, while retroreflectivity (or RA, expressed in candelas/lux/m2) is a measure of the reflected light with respect to the incident light for that object.
To obtain the highest quality RA calculations, all of the data shown in
Since the beam from the high output light source 270 is diverging, objects of interest 460 farther from the origin of the light will receive less incident radiation than those objects of interest 460 closer to the light. The characterization of light source angle is constructed at a few discrete distances from the light. Simple geometry can be used to compute the incident radiation (using an interpolation method for an actual distance between two discrete distances in the characterization of light source angle) hitting the actual object of interest 460 based on the empirical data from the characterization of light source angle.
The preferred high output light source 270 is a uniform full-spectrum (visible spectrum) light. In practice, this light source will not emit the same intensity for all wavelengths of visible light. One variable of light source color characterization that should be considered is the output profile of the light throughout the visible spectrum.
The divergence pattern for the light source may have different profiles for various portions of the visible spectrum. In practice, a separate light source angle characterization profile may be required for each possible foreground and background color of any given object of interest 460.
A preferred high output light source 270 is of the type set forth in the attached installation and operation guide entitled "StrobeGuard™ High Intensity Obstruction Lighting System, Model No. SG-60," manufactured by Honeywell, Inc. In order to create a useful sign RA profile 590 for an object of interest 460, intensity measurements 300 for frequent capture events 430 along a highway 150 while the capture vehicle 225 is in motion. For example, at vehicle speeds of 50 miles per hour, intensity measurements 300 should be taken at a rate of at least two per second. The StrobeGuard™ SG-60 model has a recharge time of about 1.5 seconds between successive flash events. As a result, one SG-60 light will not provide enough flash events per second to allow an adequate number of intensity measurements 300. In order to meet the requirements of two flash events per second for a capture vehicle 225 traveling at 50 miles per hour, three of the StrobeGuard™ SG-60 units would need to be fired in a synchronized, round-robin pattern to obtain enough trigger events.
The light intensity measurement system 230 described herein attempts to remove observation angle 100 as an RA variable. This is done by keeping the offset between the high output light source(s) 270 and light intensity sensor(s) 280 as low as possible. As mentioned previously, an RA profile of a simulated roadway 580 can be computed, even though the intensity was not measured at every point and even though the capture vehicle 225 did not drive over every point. First, it is critical that the geometry of RA is understood. Reflective materials like sign sheeting are designed to project near-columnated light back toward the light source. If a perfectly columnated light being reflected from the object of interest 460 being measured and a zero observation angle are assumed, the RA values for all discrete locations along a ray projected from the object will be identical.
If perfectly columnated light is assumed, the value of RA at the desired point will be the same as the reference RA value. In practice, all sign 190 sheeting materials will have some beam divergence for reflected light. This beam divergence information can be used to adjust the computed RA value up (or down) from the reference RA value for discrete locations closer to (or farther from) the object's face surface 130.
While knowing the normal vector 180 to a sign 190 face is not required, there are some advantages for planning and maintenance purposes that make the information useful. Several ways to compute the normal vector 180 for a sign 190 exist. First of all, the "assumption" method requires that the normal vector 180 from the surface of the sign 190 is assumed to be parallel to the capture vehicle pathway 410 at the nearest location of the capture vehicle pathway 410 to the sign 190. Second, a scanning laser operating in conjunction with an optical sensor and having a common field of view may be used to more precisely resolve the normal vector 180 from the object's face surface 130. Third, stereoscopic cameras 360 may be employed in a useful, albeit very imprecise manner of determining the normal vector 180. Fourth, the assumption method and stereo imaging method may be combined whereby the normal vector 180 is assumed to lie parallel to the vehicle pathway 410 unless the stereo imaging output renders the assumption false.
Of the methods listed above, the highest precision measuring systems for determining the normal vector 180 consists of a scanned laser and associated optical sensor. This combination yields relative distance measurements between the capture vehicle 225 and the object's face surface 130 that are more precise than optical measurements with cameras. A laser scanner attached to the capture vehicle 225 and directed toward a roadside scene populated with retroreflective signs 130 generates a series of reflection points to the optical sensor that appear as a horizontal segment of points. The optical sensor must be fast enough (i.e., have adequate data acquisition rates) to capture at least several individual discrete measurements across the object's face surface 130 (or of any other reflective asset). In general, two types of laser scanners are suitable to be utilized according to the present invention; namely, single-axis scanners and dual-axis scanners. A preferred sensor is of the type set forth in the proposal entitled, "Holometrics 3-D Vision Technology," as referenced in the previously identified provisional patent application.
Since most all types of roadside signs 190 to be measured are disposed at various elevations relative to the highway 150 and the capture vehicle 225, a single-axis laser scanner cannot be mounted such that the scanning laser beam covers only a single elevation or constant height relative to the highway 150 and the capture vehicle 225. Rather, the inventors hereof suggest that use of a single-axis type laser scanner must either be mounted high on the capture vehicle 225 with a downward facing trajectory, or be mounted low on the capture vehicle 225 with an upward facing scanning trajectory. These two mounting schemes for a single-axis laser scanner help ensure the lateral scan will intersect with virtually every object face surface 130 of all signs 190 or other objects of interest 460 present in a roadside scene regardless of the elevation or height or such signs relative to the roadway or to the moving platform.
Dual-axis laser scanners 335 circumvent the varying sign height problem inherently encountered if a single-axis laser scanner is employed as the source of integrated energy when practicing the teaching of the present invention. A dual-axis laser scanner 335 operates by continuously moving the scanning beam scan up and down at a relatively slow rate while sweeping the laser beam laterally from side to side across the field of view at a relatively more rapid rate.
In order to obtain the normal vector 180 for a sign 190 as taught hereunder, only a select horizontal series of discrete locations across the object's face surface 130 needs to be sensed by the high-speed optical sensor. For each point in the horizontal series of discrete locations recorded for a given sign 190 due to the incident radiation provided by the scanning laser, as sensed by the high speed optical sensor, the precise direction of the incident laser is recorded, thus allowing both distance and direction of the measured point to be determined.
Either of the scanning methods produces a massive number of sensed discrete locations representing discrete reflections of the incident laser radiation and each must be processed in order to correlate each of the sensed discrete locations with the object's face surface 130. Once the lateral series of discrete locations for a sign 190 is determined, simple triangulation methods are used to combine: (i) the vehicle location, (ii) vehicle heading vector, and (iii) scanned sign point to ultimately determine the normal vector 180 for the object's face surface 130.
As stated earlier, knowing the sign's 190 normal vector 180 can expand the utilization of the present invention. The retroreflective properties of sign 190 sheeting materials are typically symmetrical about the vertical axis of the object's face surface 130. Because of this symmetry, RA values (either computed or extrapolated/interpolated values) will be identical for rays that are symmetrical about the vertical axis.
The image capture system 250 and light intensity measurement system 230 are preferably free running, with measurements being made periodically during capture vehicle 225 operation. There is no requirement that these two systems be synchronized. In fact, these systems could operate in completely different capture vehicles 225, if necessary. When both systems are contained within the same capture vehicle 225, the only constraint for simultaneous operation is placed on the image capture system 250. Because of the intensity of the high output light source 270 in the light intensity measurement system 230, it is preferred that the image capture system 250 not capture frames at the same instant that the high output light source 270 is triggered. If images are actually captured while the high output light source 270 is triggered, their positional results would still be valid, but the colors displayed would be inaccurate because of the high output light being directed toward the (typically lower-thresholded) stereoscopic cameras 360.
One skilled in the art could completely eliminate any need for the image capture system 250 to know the firing events of the light intensity measurement system 230 by choosing sampling rates for the two systems that do not share any harmonic frequencies. On the rare occasions when the image capture system 250 captures images while the high output light source 270 is energized (or flashed), the skilled implementer could use time stamps to determine when this system simultaneity occurred and discard the imaging frames.
Referring now to
The sign sheeting threshold algorithm process is initiated at step 600. At steps 610-624, the background sheeting color 505 is compared to a series of known sign sheeting colors. If the background color is yellow-green as determined at step 610, then the sign sheeting type is classified as Type VII as step 628. If the background color is white as determined at step 612, then the background RA 520 is compared to the maximum retroreflectivity values for different sheeting types at steps 630, 632. If the background RA 520 is less than the maximum white retroreflectivity value for sheeting Type I as determined at step 630, then the sign sheeting type is classified as Type I at step 634. Otherwise, if the background RA 520 is less than the maximum white retroreflectivity value for sheeting Type III as determined at step 632, then the sign sheeting type is classified as Type III at step 636. If neither steps 630 or 632 are satisfied, then the sign sheeting type is classified as Type VII at step 638. A similar process is repeated for colors yellow at step 614 and steps 640, 642, orange at step 616 and steps 644, 646, red at step 618 and steps 650, 652.
If the background color is either green, blue or brown, as determined at steps 620, 622 and 624, then a second determination is made at step 660 whether the foreground color 506 is white and at step 670 whether the foreground color is yellow. If step 660 is satisfied, then the foreground RA 520 is compared to the maximum retroreflectivity values for different sheeting types at steps 662, 664. If the foreground RA 530 is less than the maximum white retroreflectivity value for sheeting Type I as determined at step 662, then the sign sheeting type is classified as Type I at step 666. Otherwise, if the foreground RA 530 is less than the maximum white retroreflectivity value for sheeting Type III as determined at step 664, then the sign sheeting type is classified as Type III at step 668. If neither steps 662 or 664 are satisfied, then the sign sheeting type is classified as Type VII at step 669. A similar process is repeated for the yellow foreground color at steps 672 and 674.
In the event that the background color 505 was not identified in steps 610-624 or the foreground color 506 was not identified in steps 660, 670, the sign sheeting type is considered undetermined at step 680. It will be understood that various options can be undertaken at step 680, including obtaining another color image and set of retroreflectivity values for the given road sign either with or without additional filtering or preprocessing of the raw data, marking the image and data for further review by an operator, discarding the information and marking the road sign as needing manual investigation, marking the road sign as needing replacement, or any combination of these or other operations.
Although the preferred embodiment of the threshold algorithm has been described with respect to the use of maximum retroreflectivity values, it will be understood that the threshold algorithm could utilize either minimum or maximum retroreflectivity values. Similarly, the combinations and orders of comparison of the colors and foreground or background colors may be altered and additional comparisons may be made to accommodate additional sheeting types that may be developed. Preferably, the colors 505 and 506 are determined based on CIELUV color values as evaluated by the image capture system 250. Alternatively, other equivalent color value systems such as RGB could be used for the color values. Preferably, the color values for the comparisons are a range of values specified by the manufacturer of the sheeting material. Alternatively, the color values for the comparison can be ranges of values empirically established.
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|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jun 24, 2009
|Feb 12, 2013
|Navteq B.V.
|Generating a graphic model of a geographic object and systems thereof
|Aug 8, 2011
|Feb 25, 2014
|Facet Technology Corp.
|System for assessment reflective objects along a roadway
|Sep 12, 2013
|Oct 14, 2014
|Facet Technology Corp.
|System and assessment of reflective objects along a roadway
|Apr 8, 2008
|Oct 27, 2015
|DBI/CIDAUT Technologies, LLC
|Method for determining the luminance of traffic signs and device for implementing same
|Apr 30, 2014
|Oct 27, 2015
|DBI/CIDAUT Technologies, LLC
|Method for determining the luminance of traffic signs and device for implementing same
|Oct 13, 2014
|May 10, 2016
|Facet Technology Corp.
|System and assessment of reflective objects along a roadway
|Aug 31, 2009
|Oct 21, 2010
|Velayutham Kadal Amutham
|Anti-collision system for railways
|Apr 8, 2008
|Dec 16, 2010
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|Matei Stroila
|Generating a Graphic Model of a Geographic Object and Systems Thereof
|Aug 8, 2011
|Mar 15, 2012
|Retterath James E
|System for road sign sheeting classification
|U.S. Classification
|382/104, 382/174
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jul 1, 2011
Owner name: FACET TECHNOLOGY CORP., MINNESOTA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:RETTERATH, JAMES E.;LAUMEYER, ROBERT A.;REEL/FRAME:026534/0991
Effective date: 20011017
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Owner name: FACET TECHNOLOGY CORP., MINNESOTA
Free format text: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 026534 FRAME 0991. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE REMAINDER OF THE INFORMATION AS RECORDED IN THE ORIGINAL ASSIGNMENT;ASSIGNORS:RETTERATH, JAMIE;LAUMEYER, ROBERT;REEL/FRAME:028459/0506
Effective date: 20120627
|Feb 9, 2015
|Fee payment
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text:
If you are stupid enough to vote for Hillary Clinton, then you better get ready to pay up in taxes.
Tag: Taxes
Hillary Clinton would raise taxes by $1 trillion
As Hillary Clinton continues to show desperation and out communist Bernie Sanders, now she wants a TRILLION in tax increases
Senate Democrats want an ISIS tax
An ISIS surtax? Yep. Democrats wanted to pass an ISIS surtax to cover the costs of fighting ISIS and helping
Getting a Christmas tree? There's a tax for that
Getting a Christmas tree? Get ready to pay a USDA tax on any fresh cut tree you decide to buy.
Why the IRS insists you pay taxes on time
Want to know why the IRS insists that you pay your taxes on time (unless you are a Democrat)? 1.
Obama's IRS ObamaCARE tax called Shared Responsibility Payment
When you file your taxes next year, you will notice a new tax called the Shared Responsibility Payment. Obama's IRS
House of Cards may leave Maryland because of taxes
House of Cards is a popular Netflix with the upside down flag. I don't watch it, but know many who
New taxes in ObamaCARE coming in 2014
As if ObamaCARE itself isn't bad enough, get ready for some brand new taxes in less than a week as
ObamaCARE Health Insurance Tax set over Thanksgiving
The ObamaCARE Health Insurance tax was quietly finalized this past week during the Thanksgiving Holiday. The ObamaCARE Health Insurance Tax
New ObamaCARE tax of 9.5 percent in Michigan
A new ObamaCARE tax of 9.5% has been revealed by Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Michigan. They call it

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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hfuria replied to Tomcat76's topic in HFSLIPYou talk about donations, but i haven't found how to. Is (yet) possible to donate?
hfuria replied to Tomcat76's topic in HFSLIPThe link provided for hfslip64-v1.1.4.zip is broken! It leads to: That page was not found. If you feel this is an error on our part, please leave a message on the HFSLIP support forum; let us know which operating system and browser you are using as well as information about any proxy or firewall software you are running. The error has been reported with the following data: IP: ***.***.***.*** Host: ********.******.com.br Request: /64/files/stable/hfslip64-v1.1.4.zip Referrer: http://hfslip.org/64/H64_downloads.html Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 5.2; WOW64; Trident/4.0; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; FDM; OfficeLiveConnector.1.3; OfficeLivePatch.0.0) Date: Fri Nov 20 2009 5:53:24 pm EST Maybe you would like to go back or go home? Please update the page http://hfslip.org/64/H64_downloads.html to include the correct link. It would be useful if the page could provide a direct link! Thanks!
Yes! There is HFSLIP64 (1.1.3) http://hfslip.org/64/ http://hfslip.org/64/files/stable/hfslip64-v1.1.3.zip
Use HFSLIP64! http://hfslip.org/64/


text: 2009's Top Five Selling Games in JapanBrian Ashcraft1/05/10 5:00amFiled to: FamitsuNintendoSquare EnixNewsOriginaldragon quest ix60EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Last year is so...last year. This being January, it is time to look back at some numbers Famitsu publisher Enterbrain has crunched. Advertisement The data, just released today, was collected between December 29, 2008 and December 27, 2009.5. Final Fantasy XIII Launch: December 17, 2009 Estimated Sales Tally: 1,698,256 copies Advertisement 4. Tomodachi Collection Launch: June 18, 2009 Estimated Sales Tally: 2,311,948 copies3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii Launch: December 3, 2009 Estimated Sales Tally: 2,485,150 copies2. Pocket Monsters HeartGold/SoulSilver Launch: September 12, 2009 Estimated Sales Tally: 3,382,597 copies Sponsored 1. Dragon Quest IX Launch: July 11, 2009 Estimated Sales Tally: 4,100,968 copiesWhen you think of Japan, think Nintendo and Square Enix. Think of me as well.Reply60 repliesLeave a reply


text: Since we are usually in Bingen on weekends, when this place is closed, we rarely get a chance to stop in. So, we were happy to be travelling through at lunch time on a weekday, and really happy they had chicken mole tacos. They are very tasty with a bit of a kick.


text:
This is how I put away my mp3 player. This way I do not have to deal with inextricable knots next time I want to use it. Since I am not good with words here is a video. enjoy.
This may increase the chance of fracturing the inside cables which is bad for your headphone cord.
Disclaimer: DO THIS ON YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK AND THAT YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY.


text:
moar funny pictures
If this were 1970 or so, and the dude was 20 years younger and not a meth head…
Police chase man suspected of defecating in yard
by Lisa Halverstadt – Jun. 30, 2008 03:59 PM
The Arizona Republic
A Phoenix man was arrested Friday night after defecating and urinating on the side of a Tempe home and then running from police, police said. At about 8 p.m. Friday, a resident reported seeing a man defecating and urinating on his East Concorda home, police said. When police stopped Ruben B. Mendibles, 26,they found that he had six previous warrants from area agencies and attempted to arrest him. Following a brief chase, officers realized that Mendibles had left his vehicle running near the house with the driver's side door open, according to police reports. Officers later found a pipe in Mendible's pocket, methamphetamine and marijuana in his vehicle, and two false license plates on his vehicle. Mendibles told police the plates belonged to another car, according to reports. Mendibles was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespassing, displaying fictitious plates, possession of dangerous drugs, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
I shit you not.
Satan is alive and living on Craiglist. Want proof? This:
Don't read it.Dad/Daughter Role Play – m4w (East Valley)Don't read it.
is some fuckhead's idea of "porn" and a role playing hook up. It is not porn, it is Lucifer's own colon, after a night of beans, onions, habaneros and battery acid. It's toxic. Don't read it. I got two paragraphs in and could not, would not finish. The rage. The utter repulsion. I had to stop before I screamed. Or barfed.
I was browsing the Craigslist the other day and found this headline
any young women interested in a daddy/daughter relationship? – m4w – 43
Oh shit, I wandered into the personals. But WTF? Daddy/daughter? I just had daddy daughter time at Trader Joes, and it was limited to buying yogurt and telling fart jokes.
But there was more…
So, it's a weekend like any other. It's raining* and I need to pack my 200 lb. TV and other shit into a pickup bed that's 3 sizes too small. Yes, it's GTFOOH day. Yay. Naturally, this means that my neighbor needs to see me – probably to nickel and dime me on the stuff I am selling him.
Come over man, I need to talk to you about something.
Come on in the house man.
Here you go man, go take care of business…
This is what he meant…
Yes, that's right. My going away present was a hooker, all blond and naked and crouching tiger** on the bed – the key differences from the picture above being the lack of gold paint and the presence of aliveness. Also the raging crack habit and the (presumed) herpes.
Me (to the professional): Oh, hiiii. How are you? *waves stupidly*
Neighbor: Go on and get your freak on, big guy.
Me (mulls it over for about < a second)
Me (inner monologue): Tonight's top 10 reasons why this is a bad idea…
10. No body condom
9. No HMO coverage for penicillin –
Fuck 10 reasons. Fuck this whole bullshit hypothetical. No. Just… no.
Me: Uh, thanks man, but I have to take a pass.
Neighbor: You sure, man? You don't want a little head or something?
Me: You go take that bullet for me. [I actually said exactly that.]
So yes, it's true. I actually turned down a piece of ass.
Also turned down? A variety of prescriptions and topical creams to cure previously unheard of STDs, plus extortion by my neighbor and/or a career as a YouTube porn star.
*Yes, rain. In Phoenix. For the first time in 5 fucking months.
Hi, God. Is this rain supposed to be a big "Fuck You" to me? Or is it some sort of Oprah moment with cleansing breaths and fresh starts and bullshit like that? Because cash or a party at Hooters would work just as well.
**I cannot say anything about any hidden dragons, because I wasn't willing to get that close to that crouching tiger. At this point nothing would surprise me. I only saw her from the side and she did have the blanket bunched up in front a bit.


text:
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Lot 86: Rattigan, Terence Separate Tables 1st Ed w/ DJ 1955
Rare Books, Watercolors, Drawings & Prints
by Global Auctions Company
November 6, 2016
Gardena, CA, USALive Auction
Past Lot
Looking for the realized and estimated price?
Description: Rattigan, Terence 'Separate Tables' Random House New York 1955. Hardcover 1st Edition w DJ. Hard cover with grey cloth boards and red lettering. Comes with Dust Jacket. Deckled edges. 177 pages. Weight Approx., 0.7lbs. 5.9x8.75 x 0.75 thick.
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Almost Always Free Shipping. Checkout And Select Best Shipping Option. SHOP NOW.
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Happy Birthday 25,000
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Velvet Angels
Happy Birthday! 50,000
Vivienne Westwood
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text:
Mayflower Brewing Company
Resnik Rd., Plymouth, MA 02360
25 people saved this
Mayflower Brewing Company is a craft beer microbrewery located in historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. Founded in 2007 by a tenth great grandson of John Alden, beer barrel cooper on board the Mayflower, we are dedicated to celebrating the history and legacy of the Pilgrims by creating unique, high-quality ales for the New England market. Retail hours: Wednesday noon to 6:00 pm Thursday and Friday noon to 7:00 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Tasting hours: Wednesday 4:00 to 6:00 Thursday and Friday 4:00 pm - 7:00 am Saturdays and Sundays 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Tours: Saturdays and Sundays 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Of Note:
- Amenities: Accessible Facilities
New England Patriots, For the Win!
The debate is over - Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is the greatest NFL quarterback...
Search All Listings Here.


text:
LOS ANGELES -- USC punter Kyle Negrete has earned a scholarship for the 2012 season, he confirmed via text message to ESPNLosAngeles.com on Sunday.
Negrete punted for the Trojans throughout 2011 while a walk-on and proved very able. He pinned 19 of his 39 attempts inside the 20-yard line and didn't kick a single touchback, averaging 40.1 yards overall.
A transfer from the University of San Diego, Negrete redshirted the 2010 season while practicing at both linebacker and punter. He then beat out scholarship freshman Kris Albarado for the starting job before the 2011 season.
USC is under scholarship sanctions from the NCAA and can provide only 75 to current players. The normal maximum is 85.
With Negrete now on the books, the Trojans have at least 72 scholarships already locked in. As USC coach Lane Kiffin has indicated in recent days, three former walk-ons who were given scholarships in previous seasons could now get them renewed to meet the maximum.
But there is also the case of Class of 2012 signee Darreus Rogers, a receiver from nearby Carson, Calif. He signed with the Trojans in February but has not been approved for college competition by the NCAA due to academic concerns.
Rogers has until Sept. 14 to be ruled academically eligible and enroll in classes.
Pedro Moura covers USC for ESPNLosAngeles.com.


text:
Donald Trump for President… FOREVER!!
Many of Donald J. Trump's supporters want him to rule forever after he's elected. Donald Trump forever??
Meth Head Attacks Stuffed Bear
Confused meth head chews out a stuffed white teddy bear and then proceeds to beat it up. Somebody appears to be referencing a neighborhood in the video. Not sure what part of the country this "beating" went down in. Probably Florida. Or Oklahoma. Maybe Texas? Somebody just contacted us and
Armless Woman Offering 'Sexual Favor' on Craigslist
Ahhh, Craiglist, you crazy, crazy bastard. You never cease to offer up total weirdness. I thought the man trying to find a woman to fart in his mouth was great. This advertisement may be better. Look Ma, no hands!!
Woman Explains Why She Had Sex with Unconscious Man on Street
Well, heck, now it all makes sense. I guess the police should just drop the charges now that we know she wasn't really to blame.
Man Will Pay $100,000 to Have Sex with Grizzly Bear
We all know about trophy hunting, but there is apparently another kind of trophy hunting that involves rich men who pay to have sexual relations with exotic animals. A man allegedly named Walter Kernel sent this email to what is believed to be a well known Russian gangster, searching for a sexual experience
Blind Kid Playing Football…. WTF is Going On?
Technically you should not laugh at this…
Man High on Drugs Gets Tazed Multiple Times
The tazer doesn't seem to affect this man. Either the batteries are failing or he's high on PCP. Somebody told us this incident went down in Florida… not surprising, if so.
Tyrone Walks Up to a Group of Men, Gets Punched in the Face!
Tyrone walks up to a group of guys, says the usual, and things get out of control. It's just a matter of time before this guy ends up dead.
Guy Kidnaps Elderly Man and Forces Him to Eat Mexican Food
DANBURY, Connecticut — NBC New York reported that a 77-year-old man was pushing a shopping cart holding cans and bottles down a street when he was grabbed from behind in a 'bear hug' and thrown into a white van. The kidnapper, David Pope, took the man to his house, tied
Squirrel Mommy: The Craziest Video You Will Ever See
This is the craziest thing we have ever seen, hands down, and our job is the post crazy stuff so that should say a lot. Before watching, just know that parts of this video are so over-the-top insane that you'll either be laughing uncontrollably, shocked into disbelief, find yourself mad or all the above. I think


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A Letter the Washington Post won't printAug 19, 2014 No Comments ›› orepa
OREPA Coordinator Ralph Hutchison sent this letter to the Washington Post in response to an OpEd piece by two former National Security Advisers who offered a frail defense of the policy of deterrence and US/NATO nuclear weapons in Europe. ==== Editor, The Washington Post: Scowcroft and Hadley, et al, in their August 17 Washington Post …Continue Reading
Earthquake risk should force Y-12 re-evaluationAug 19, 2014 No Comments ›› orepa
The piece below ran as a Citizen's Voice column in the Knoxville News-Sentinel on Saturday, August 16, 2014. The shifting completion dates for the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex may seem to reflect the shifting political fortunes of the next bomb plant scheduled for Oak Ridge or the regrettable consequence of …Continue Reading
Public Comment period on NNSA tritium plan open nowAug 15, 2014 7 Comments ›› orepa
US TO CONTINUE PRODUCING NUCLEAR WEAPONS MATERIALS IN COMMERCIAL POWER REACTOR IN TENNESSEE DOWNPLAYS RELEASE OF THOUSANDS OF CURIES OF TRITIUM TO TENNESSEE RIVER. The National Nuclear Security Administration has announced its plan to continue making more radioactive tritium for nuclear weapons in the Watts Bar power reactor in Spring City, TN even though it …Continue Reading
Atomic Blast: The Bomb and Oak RidgeAug 7, 2014 No Comments ›› orepa
A poster in the local Panera triggers a reflection on the banality of evil. Click through on the links below to read an essay on the town of Oak Ridge and the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. Atomic BlastContinue Reading
OREPA calls for new Environmental Impact Statement for Oak Ridge, cites new seismic dataJul 30, 2014 No Comments ›› orepa
The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance today called for a new Environmental Impact Statement for the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex and the new bomb plant—the Uranium Processing Facility—planned for Y12. "Concerns about the ability of facilities here to withstand an earthquake, and what will happen if they fail, are at the heart of safety concerns …Continue Reading


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on Jan 15, 2013 8:30 PM by user189677
dpadm renew-cert fails while dscc succeeds
Jan 15, 2013 8:30 PM
Got a weird one. Been using DPS for many years now. Had to renew SSL certs and wanted to show a colleague how to do it in DPS. So we got the new signed cert back from our CA and went to put it on the box. I put the cert in x.509 format in a local filesystem file and ran the dpadm renew-cert command. Got the following error back:
keytool error: java.lang.Exception: Failed to establish chain from reply
So we played around for a couple of days trying to figure out what I did wrong. Everything looked ok. So then just for fun, I decided to add it using the dcss GUI and don't you know it was successful. Since I had kept backups of the cert store, I did this a couple of times just to verify that command line failed while the GUI was ok. Anyone seen this before? I really don't want to say that the GUI is better because I'm old and crusty and I always prefer command line...
I have the same question
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Produced by the reputable Lifestream, FucoCai; is a unique blend of two botanicals that are rich in antioxidant activity to protect against free radical damage from factors such as stress, alcohol, cigarettes and pollution. Additionally, together with healthy diet and lifestyle, Lifestream FucoCai can support weight management. Key information about FucoCai; : - Weight management support - Helps protect cells from oxidative damage - Rich in iodine - 100% vegetarian & vegan - 100% free from all artificial additives. Laminaria japonica (Kombu) is a seaweed that is native to Japan and is considered to be a rich source of minerals. An active component of this seaweed is Fucoxanthin, which has been shown to support weight management, metabolism and may also help support balanced blood sugar levels. In water Kombu forms a thick gel allowing it to function as a bulking agent for bowel regularity. Kombu has also been used traditionally in Chinese medicine to support bronchial health and to boost dietary iodine. Lifestreams FucoCai utilises the South American super berry Acai, organically grown in Brazil. Acai is naturally rich in flavonoids and polyphenols; it has a high concentration of anthocyanins which provide the ripe fruit with the bright purple colour and its potent antioxidant activity. Its antioxidant capacity supersedes other berries such as cranberry, raspberry and blueberry. It is an excellent natural food for people experiencing stressful situations or with extra physical requirements.
Cheapest price we found
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text:
Acne angst
Q I developed acne for the first time in my early thirties having never suffered as an adolescent. I've now got spots on my forehead and particularly nasty, pus-filled spots on my back. I've tried anti-acne creams from the chemist and antibiotic lotion from the GP, neither of which have helped. What will?
A Healthy eating's always a great idea, but probably won't make any impact on your acne, which is usually unrelated to diet. Try not to pick or touch the spots, let the sun get to them, get rid of any dandruff and keep hair off your forehead. Wash your face twice a day and avoid heavy, greasy cosmetics if possible. Your best bet will probably be antibiotics by mouth such as oxytetracycline or erythromycin, but you will need to take them for at least three months. You will see the maximum improvement after six months and may need to keep taking them for up to two years.
Under pressure
Q I have been feeling lightheaded at odd times recently. The last time it happened I was out jogging. Does this mean I have low blood pressure?
A Lightheadedness may mean your blood sugar's a bit low and you need to eat a couple of hours before you jog. Similarly, being mildly dehydrated can make you lightheaded, so make sure you drink a couple of glasses of water before heading off for your run, avoid running outdoors in the heat of the day and remember to drink plenty when you return.
Low blood pressure is generally a good thing - a sign that you're healthy - but it's true that it can lead to lightheadedness when you stand up suddenly, get out of a hot bath, jacuzzi or sauna or spend a lot of time on your feet, especially in the heat. If it sounds like low blood pressure may be your problem, you can only redouble your efforts to drink plenty and avoid overheating as there's no specific treatment in this country. If you're lightheaded a lot of the time, breathless and tired, you may be anaemic - so get a blood test from your GP. It might be a good opportunity for a health MOT - your GP should be able to offer you a full health check.
Dealing with styes
Q I've got a painful and highly unattractive stye on one of my eyelids. It's the first I've ever had. What's the best way to deal with it?
A These unpleasant little abscesses are caused by bacteria from the skin getting into the space around the root of an eyelash. Usually they're a one-off, but they may recur if you're run down or if your immune system is below par. However you treat it, the stye will come to a head that will point outwards. It will then burst and release its pus. Antibiotic eye ointment such as chloramphenicol, available on prescription, may speed up the process. Don't bother with Brolene and other eye drops, which are available over the counter, because they won't help.
If you speak to your GP on the phone, he or she may be happy to leave you a prescription for collection so you don't have to wait to see them. My advice, however, would be not to bother treating it all. Just wipe the pus away when it comes out and be careful not to spread the stye to the other eye. Just for the record, you can't spread styes to other people.
Cancer checks
Q I've got freckles and moles all over me. I frequently check them to make sure I'm not developing skin cancer, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm checking for. What exactly are the warning signs?
A Freckles are small and only come out when the sun does, fading away as winter looms. As long as they stay less than 6mm across, you don't need to worry about them at all. Moles appear in childhood or adolescence and can be flat or slightly raised with a hair sticking out of it. We all worry about moles becoming cancerous, but melanomas, or skin cancers, although on the increase, are still rare with 3,500 cases a year in the UK.
However, it's worth being vigilant because the more promptly they're treated, the better the outlook. Some families are genetically predisposed to melanomas and have an unusual kind of mole called dysplastic naevi. If you have moles of this type, you should be under the care of a dermatologist who can photograph and record all your moles so any changes can be detected. Dysplastic naevi are bigger than most moles, more numerous than usual with more than 40 at any time on your body, are found on parts of your body that ordinary moles don't reach - like your scalp - and have an irregular outline so they seem to fade into your surrounding skin. Melanomas are most common on the lower leg of fair-skinned women over 30, but anyone can get one anywhere at any time. Here's a checklist you can use for any pigmented (ie brown/black) spot on your skin but if in doubt, ask a GP anyway. These are the warning signs to look out for:
Asymmetrical spot (ie not round/oval)
Border irregular
Colour not uniform
Diameter greater than 0.5cm.
What is this lump?
Q I was feeling inside my vagina to check I hadn't left a tampon in, when I felt a little round lump on my cervix. I'm petrified it's cancer.
A It's far more likely to be a harmless, fluid-filled cyst or polyp than cancer. Nabothian cysts are little lumps filled with mucus that the cervix makes to help the sperm on its way. They come and go, never cause any problems and don't need treatment. Or you might have a polyp that is a harmless growth on a stalk that comes from the cells that line the inside of the cervix. Polyps may bleed after sex or produce a lot of mucus which you would notice as a clear discharge. They can be twisted or burnt off by a gynaecologist. To be on the safe side, ask your GP to have a look at your cervix to check and have a smear test if it's due.
Coming off Prozac
Q I've been on Prozac for six months now and must say that it's really helped me through a nasty bout of depression that was triggered by being made redundant. I'm a lot better now, in a new job and on an even keel. Can I just stop the Prozac?
A Some people do just stop taking it suddenly but it's not a good idea because you can get withdrawal effects. These include dizziness, lethargy, pins and needles and nausea and, although they're usually mild and pass after a few days, they can be avoided by coming off your antidepressant slowly. The longer you've been on it, the more gradually you need to taper off - either by cutting a pill in half, or taking the same dose but on alternate days. If you've been on Prozac for six months or more, you will be advised to reduce the dose by a quarter every four weeks.
If you have a question for Dr Robinson, you can email her at firstname.lastname@example.com or write to her c/o The Health Editor, The Guardian, 119, Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER. She regrets that she cannot enter into any personal correspondence.
Thanks to guardian.co.uk who have provided this article. View the original here.


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A high-school science teacher from Zillah, Wash., has been selected as the 2013 National Teacher of the Year and is expected to visit the White House today. Jeff Charbonneau, who teaches chemistry, physics and engineering, launched the statewide Zillah Robot Challenge and is credited with encouraging students to continue their education beyond high school.
Full Story:ABC News, The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)


text:
Ultra-slim Square Key Shaped 8GB USB Flash Drive (Black)
This USB flash drive has built-in 8GB memory and perfect for data storage.
For more info and to Buy, visit - https://goo.gl/hnx4xx
Best electronic products at our electronics online shopping store at the best price with free shipping.
For more electronic products and accessories, visit - http://shrsl.com/?e4xf
Ad ID: 286141


text:
Rustlers Chicken Sandwich 150G
Add to basket
Product information
Chopped and shaped chicken breast with added seasoning in a sesame seeded bun with a sachet of lightly peppered mayonnaise
Pack Size: 150g
Packaged in a protective atmosphere.
- Must microwave
- Made with finest quality chicken
Chicken Burger (46%), [Chicken Breast, Water, Acidity Regulator: Sodium Lactate; Potato Starch, Stabiliser: Triphosphates; Salt, Wheat Flour*, Spices, Onion Powder, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Garlic Powder, Flavourings (contains Barley & Soya), Yeast Extract, Sunflower Oil], Sesame Seeded Bun, [Wheat Flour*, Water, Sugar, Yeast, Rapeseed Oil, Sesame Seeds, Salt, Preservative: Calcium Propionate; Emulsifiers: Mono and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids; Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid], Mayonnaise, [Rapeseed Oil, Water, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Black Pepper, Cornflour, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Flavouring], Chicken burger contains 85% chicken, *Wheat flour with calcium, iron, niacin, thiamin
- Keep refrigerated.
- Use By: See front of pack.
Cooking Guidelines:
Microwave (From Chilled): Remove the plastic packaging then heat on full power as outlined below. Garnish with mayo.
750W: 90 seconds
850W: 80 seconds
Stand for: 30 seconds
Alternatively heat burger on full power reducing the cooking time by 30 seconds and toast bun.
Ensure food is piping hot before serving.
Name and Address:
PO Box 11834,
Dublin 11,
Return To:
In the event of a complaint, please return the packet and its contents to:
PO Box 11834,
Dublin 11,
In the correspondence quote the quality codes on the front of pack. Alternatively contact us on (UK) 0800 760067 (ROI) 1850 760067 or www.rustlersonline.com
Safety Warning:
Although great care has been taken to remove all bone some may remain.
Net Contents:
150 Grams ℮
|Typical Values
|Typical Values Per 100g
|of which saturates
|of which sugars
Using product information
While every care has been taken to ensure product information is correct, food products are constantly being reformulated, so ingredients, nutrition content, dietary and allergens may change. You should always read the product label and not rely solely on the information provided on the website.
If you have any queries, or you'd like advice on any Tesco brand products, please contact Tesco Customer Services, or the product manufacturer if not a Tesco brand product.
Although product information is regularly updated, Tesco is unable to accept liability for any incorrect information. This does not affect your statutory rights.
This information is supplied for personal use only, and may not be reproduced in any way without the prior consent of Tesco Stores Limited nor without due acknowledgement.
Tesco © Copyright 2013


text:
Kyosho DWS Spring Set (6)
This item is discontinued and no longer available for purchase. You may want to search our site for a similar item.
This is an optional Kyosho DWS Spring Set, and is intended for use with the Kyosho Mini-Z MA-010 and MA-015 AWD chassis equipped with the Rear Double Wishbone Suspension Set (KYOMDW100).
This product was added to our catalog on November 11, 2011.


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Tropical Fish Keeping - Aquarium fish care and resources (http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/forum.php)
- Freshwater and Tropical Fish (http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-tropical-fish/)
- - feeding my oscar (http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-tropical-fish/feeding-my-oscar-32188/)
feeding my oscar
i have been feeding my oscar frozen krill...is this a good idea.. why? or why not?
I feed it to my fish (not oscars, but some are cichlids) and they love it. They get it as a treat, not a steady diet. Depending on how much & often you feed it can determine if it's "bad or okay". How often do you feed it to your oscars?
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